Road Rant

goonz

Just have to get this off my chest.

The roads on my commute are an absolute disaster, I spent more time dodging, not pedalling, standing up and trying to swerve pot holes and loose gravel and stones and its a surprise I even made it home at all!

They seriously need to fix these roads up!

:evil:

Rodrego Hernandez

Go to the ctc website and report them, I think its www.fillthathole.org or something like that. Gets them filled in about 6 weeks usually.

goonz

I think I would be listing my whole 10 mile route! I can understand them neglecting quiet roads outside the city but roads in the heart of London and the financial hub, the roads are absolutely atrocious!

Gazspurs

100% agree with you but while the government keep matching charity donations to comic relief to the tune of £16Million we haven't got a chance!

Complete joke & about time we starting seeing some evidence on the tax we pay!

Anonymous

Can I add mine which is linked in a way.

Have been doing a hilly loop lately. Part of it is has double solid white lines going up the middle (one lane in each direction).
Its not very busy when I do it, but half the cars going up seem to want to squeeze between me and the white lines rather than go over (there's nothing coming the other way) and pass me safely :evil:
If there is a pothole or something else I have to miss, I am over more than they are happy with and one guy even moaned!
I can only assume they think they are not allowed to cross the line and would rather kill a cyclist than do so.

The lines mean no overtaking don't they, so either don't overtake me or do it safely for fcuk's sake!

Then I saw some guy (who overtook me ok) in an X5 overtake a car and a bus together (still on double solid white lines) just before a left hand bend in the road. He (or rather anyone coming the other way) was lucky to have escaped a crash from what I could see.

Shouldn't buses have cameras to catch people doing stuff like that?

Never a dull moment out cycling :shock:

superfourben

Carbonator wrote:

Can I add mine which is linked in a way.

Have been doing a hilly loop lately. Part of it is has double solid white lines going up the middle (one lane in each direction).
Its not very busy when I do it, but half the cars going up seem to want to squeeze between me and the white lines rather than go over (there's nothing coming the other way) and pass me safely :evil:
If there is a pothole or something else I have to miss, I am over more than they are happy with and one guy even moaned!
I can only assume they think they are not allowed to cross the line and would rather kill a cyclist than do so.

The lines mean no overtaking don't they, so either don't overtake me or do it safely for fcuk's sake!

Then I saw some guy (who overtook me ok) in an X5 overtake a car and a bus together (still on double solid white lines) just before a left hand bend in the road. He (or rather anyone coming the other way) was lucky to have escaped a crash from what I could see.

Shouldn't buses have cameras to catch people doing stuff like that?

Never a dull moment out cycling :shock:

From the highway code rule 129

"Double white lines where the line nearest you is solid. This means you MUST NOT cross or straddle it unless it is safe and you need to enter adjoining premises or a side road. You may cross the line if necessary, provided the road is clear, to pass a stationary vehicle, or overtake a pedal cycle, horse or road maintenance vehicle, if they are travelling at 10 mph (16 km/h) or less."

.. and on the subject of road conditions, I could write a long essay on the potholes/broken surfaces on my 12 mile commute between Brighton and Lewes, far too many to mention!!

Anonymous

Thanks for that superfourben
I will feel better about shouting at drivers to go read the highway code now
There are just too many people on the roads that should not be there!

goonz

Carbonator wrote:

Thanks for that superfourben
I will feel better about shouting at drivers to go read the highway code now
There are just too many people on the roads that should not be there!

Surely the question must be were you travelling at less than 10mph? And if so why??????????

diy

Well they have done, haven't they? which is why they are passing you close to avoid crossing or straddling the white line.

There is an additional situation not mentioned in the HWC, that is where the solid white line is not preceded by two return arrows or a hatched area.

Personally I think that speed limit needs to be raised to 20mph. There are plenty of 40mph+ roads with solid white lines where it would be much safer for the driver to pass a cyclist giving plenty of room rather than squeeze by, because the cyclist is doing 18mph.

There is a 50mph section on my training route with white lines, Its slightly down hill, I tend try to keep my speed over 35mph. I personally prefer people to risk 3 points by giving me a wide berth, though plenty sit behind me to watch the funny man with his legs spinning like crazy.

rolf_f

Carbonator wrote:

Its not very busy when I do it, but half the cars going up seem to want to squeeze between me and the white lines rather than go over (there's nothing coming the other way) and pass me safely :evil:
If there is a pothole or something else I have to miss, I am over more than they are happy with and one guy even moaned!
I can only assume they think they are not allowed to cross the line and would rather kill a cyclist than do so.

The lines mean no overtaking don't they, so either don't overtake me or do it safely for fcuk's sake!

I think if the road markings are forcing cars to pass dangerously closely, you need to move a little further from the kerb. In my experience this usually results in the gap they leave increasing from a few inches to the width of the entire lane!

jotko

I was on my commute the other day cruising along the nice smooth A4 between Bristol/Bath at about 20mph when I had to swerve and miss a small crater right in the normal cycle line. It seemed to be about 3 inches deep so not one you want to hit, even on my cross bike with 32cs I use to commute. Thing that confused me is that I cycle this route nearly every single day and I am pretty sure it wasn't there last week. Wtf makes a 3" deep hole in the road over a weekend?

goonz

Same thing that makes those monstrous crop circles in the middle of fields! [ghost]

diy

water seeps in to the tarmac or rises from below in to the sub base, due to a crack or wear or heavy rain, the water freezes and expands, this lifts a section of the tarmac, cars drive over the patch and it crumbles.

takes less then 24 hours on a normal road.

goonz

The thing is our roads are more susceptible to this sort of wear due to the extreme weather conditions, other countries that have cold weather have acold that is much less damp and the road simply freezes over totally, and is not constantly subjected to mass amounts of water etc like ours are. This may have something to do with it, or the government is simply incompitent and uses the worst materials around.

Take your pick!

hmm

Hi,
You can go to www.fixmystreet.com and the local council is tasked with reporting it asap. I've not used it personally but have read a good report in the Telegraph motoring section last weekend of a chap who has successfully had scores of potholes filled using it. Often the council are just unaware as everybody moans but never actually reports the damage.

Anonymous

diy wrote:

Well they have done, haven't they? which is why they are passing you close to avoid crossing or straddling the white line.

Have done what?

Anonymous

Rolf F wrote:

Carbonator wrote:

Its not very busy when I do it, but half the cars going up seem to want to squeeze between me and the white lines rather than go over (there's nothing coming the other way) and pass me safely :evil:
If there is a pothole or something else I have to miss, I am over more than they are happy with and one guy even moaned!
I can only assume they think they are not allowed to cross the line and would rather kill a cyclist than do so.

The lines mean no overtaking don't they, so either don't overtake me or do it safely for fcuk's sake!

I think if the road markings are forcing cars to pass dangerously closely, you need to move a little further from the kerb. In my experience this usually results in the gap they leave increasing from a few inches to the width of the entire lane!

I'll try that but think they will still pass as close if they think they are not meant to cross the lines at all.

southdownswolf

Carbonator wrote:

diy wrote:

Well they have done, haven't they? which is why they are passing you close to avoid crossing or straddling the white line.

Have done what?

They have read the highway code....

They know that he is doing more than 10mph, so they can only overtake by not crossing or straddling the white lines.

not saying I agree with what they are doing, but technically they are correct on that point of the HC. However, I am sure there must be another section in the HC whereby they must leave reasonable room when overtaking any vehicle.

southdownswolf

Carbonator wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

Carbonator wrote:

Its not very busy when I do it, but half the cars going up seem to want to squeeze between me and the white lines rather than go over (there's nothing coming the other way) and pass me safely :evil:
If there is a pothole or something else I have to miss, I am over more than they are happy with and one guy even moaned!
I can only assume they think they are not allowed to cross the line and would rather kill a cyclist than do so.

The lines mean no overtaking don't they, so either don't overtake me or do it safely for fcuk's sake!

I think if the road markings are forcing cars to pass dangerously closely, you need to move a little further from the kerb. In my experience this usually results in the gap they leave increasing from a few inches to the width of the entire lane!

I'll try that but think they will still pass as close if they think they are not meant to cross the lines at all.

I was cycling along the coast road near me on Saturday and due to the wind I was being blown about quite a bit, so I cycled further towards the middle of the lane to avoid being blown into the curb. The cars behind could obviously see I was getting blown about and were very courteous. I soon left the road and cycled inland though as it was quite scary.

Anonymous

southdownswolf wrote:

Carbonator wrote:

diy wrote:

Well they have done, haven't they? which is why they are passing you close to avoid crossing or straddling the white line.

Have done what?

They have read the highway code....

They know that he is doing more than 10mph, so they can only overtake by not crossing or straddling the white lines.

not saying I agree with what they are doing, but technically they are correct on that point of the HC. However, I am sure there must be another section in the HC whereby they must leave reasonable room when overtaking any vehicle.

I do not think any of that is true!!!

My average over the whole 20 mile hilly loop was 17mph so I cannot see I was doing over 10mph going up a steep hill.

I do not think they have either read the HC recently or know the rules properly or about the 10mph

I do not think they knew what speed I was doing. Even if I was going faster how would they know unless they slowed down to look at their speedo first?

Are you telling me you think they saw a cyclist, slowed down to check my speed, then recalled HC rule No. whatever it was before thinking 'ah, he is doing 12mph so I will not cross those lines into the completely clear lane, I shall instead squeeze through and risk killing him in case a DVLA spy satalite is watching me?

Is that what you do?

I think they are just twats that should not be on the roads!

goonz

Its ismple, all motorists (unless they have studied the HC religiously) only know those lines to mean 'Do not cross' and hence they do not cross and endanger the cyclist.

I doubt there is anyone out there that coul recall that rule or has even read it in the HC. I certainly dont remember it from when I took my test and I am a relatively new driver compared to others.

Pituophis

Carbonator wrote:

southdownswolf wrote:

Carbonator wrote:

diy wrote:

Well they have done, haven't they? which is why they are passing you close to avoid crossing or straddling the white line.

Have done what?

They have read the highway code....

They know that he is doing more than 10mph, so they can only overtake by not crossing or straddling the white lines.

not saying I agree with what they are doing, but technically they are correct on that point of the HC. However, I am sure there must be another section in the HC whereby they must leave reasonable room when overtaking any vehicle.

I do not think any of that is true!!!

My average over the whole 20 mile hilly loop was 17mph so I cannot see I was doing over 10mph going up a steep hill.

I do not think they have either read the HC recently or know the rules properly or about the 10mph

I do not think they knew what speed I was doing. Even if I was going faster how would they know unless they slowed down to look at their speedo first?

Are you telling me you think they saw a cyclist, slowed down to check my speed, then recalled HC rule No. whatever it was before thinking 'ah, he is doing 12mph so I will not cross those lines into the completely clear lane, I shall instead squeeze through and risk killing him in case a DVLA spy satalite is watching me?

Is that what you do?

I think they are just twats that should not be on the roads!

Ironically, that's what they think of you, which is how we got to here in the first place :shock:

Anonymous

Pituophis wrote:

Ironically, that's what they think of you, which is how we got to here in the first place :shock:

Good point, well put.
Not just me though as they would therefor also think you are a t-wat that should not be on the roads

It is just their opinion though with no legal back up.
My reason for wanting them off the road is because they do not obey the law and its dangerous

diy

I can't say what the avg driver would remember it as, but when I used to teach advanced, there was a common myth that it was any slow vehicle or a vehicle deemed to be slow. in other words some people didn't know that it was 10mph and others used to think it was a category of vehicle no matter how fast it was going, a lot of people think it applies to milk floats and tractors too.

Its here in detail: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2002 ... on/26/made

To the best of my knowledge the definition of stationary has never been tested in law, some plod will nick motorcyclists who filter queuing cars, others wont.

leaving plenty of room when passing a cycle is a matter of inconsiderate or possibly dangerous driving, but it is a subjective test. Crossing the white line is easy - you crossed/straddled it or you didn't.

Personally I think drivers should be allowed to pass cyclists by crossing the white line, subject to the other criteria. Its in everyone's interest for them to give us the maximum amount of space when passing and not get stuck behind us. of course teaching when to do a 2-stage overtake and when to do a 3-stage would also be helpful on the L-test.

Overtaking isn't really covered in learner training.

Pituophis

Carbonator wrote:

Pituophis wrote:

Ironically, that's what they think of you, which is how we got to here in the first place :shock:

Good point, well put.
Not just me though as they would therefor also think you are a t-wat that should not be on the roads

It is just their opinion though with no legal back up.
My reason for wanting them off the road is because they do not obey the law and its dangerous

Ah, I didn't say I didn't agree with you !
And I am a t-wat, it's well known (though both a considerate cyclist and motorist alike, though I do say so myself )

Ffish

If you have an iPhone or Android phone, I can really recommend an app called Fill That Hole. If you encounter a hole, stop, report it using the app - it works off the GPS in the phone, so the position is accurate - take and upload a photo of the hole, and hit Submit. It links to www.fillthathole.org.uk and they report it to the Highways Agency.

Not sure if it was pure coincidence, but I reported a monster of a hole using the app about 2 months ago, and it was repaired within a month.

Valy

Thread TL;DR but:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... OXx92T9t0Q

Monty Dog

I haven't ridden my road bike for over a month - been riding my rigid 29er with 2.5" tyres for my commute and it shrugs off potholes - good resistance workout too.

superfourben

"You may cross the line if necessary, provided the road is clear, to pass a stationary vehicle, or overtake a pedal cycle, horse or road maintenance vehicle, if they are travelling at 10 mph (16 km/h) or less."

I'm sure that I was taught (and always read it) that the 10 mph or less refers to the road maintenance vehicle only.
The issue would be whether the 'road is clear' and how far ahead you can see, however everyone will have a different opinion!

Anonymous

The white lines, the rules around them and most traffic rules and regulations are there for safety reasons.
For anyone to pass a cyclist dangerously because of them is ridiculous and is a sad reflection of the society we live in.

Anyone who tries to squeeze past a cyclist and a bit of paint when the road is visibly completely clear with no other cars or junctions for half a mile is a moron!

The driving test is only a test of competency, not ability. If there was a basic ability test for everyone today, half the people driving would be taken off the roads overnight.

diy

superfourben wrote:

"You may cross the line if necessary, provided the road is clear, to pass a stationary vehicle, or overtake a pedal cycle, horse or road maintenance vehicle, if they are travelling at 10 mph (16 km/h) or less."

I'm sure that I was taught (and always read it) that the 10 mph or less refers to the road maintenance vehicle only.
The issue would be whether the 'road is clear' and how far ahead you can see, however everyone will have a different opinion!

from the The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002, regulation 26:

(e)in order to pass a road maintenance vehicle which is in use, is moving at a speed not exceeding 10 mph, and is displaying to the rear the sign shown in diagram 610 or 7403;
(f)in order to pass a pedal cycle moving at a speed not exceeding 10 mph;
(g)in order to pass a horse that is being ridden or led at a speed not exceeding 10 mph

Personally I would prefer drivers do to this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5EZW40_2Vw

and would certainly not get upset if they did.