dangers

Pete789uk · April 2008

I did not cycle in today to Letchworth but on my route in there was an accident ambulance and two police cars road closed and noticed the car then cycle laying on the kerb I hope the person is ok.

On my cycle in on Wednesday came along road nice bright morning garage on left road quiet as well when a lady in small car pulled straight out in front of me she had tos top as there wa a school bus parked on my left swerved to avoid here and banged the top of her roof she was so shocked saying she did not see me !!!!!

I am little guy and 6ft 2'' and around 17.5 stone in bright blue jacket !!!
I was reading in cycle mag and someone stated we know cycling can be dangerouse at and death is possible but we tend to put it in our back pockets I think this week I have moved it to my front pocket for a while

BentMikey · April 2008

Yes, it's always chilling when you see the results of an accident. Any accident, and not just a cycle-involved one.

On the other hand, cycling isn't particularly dangerous in comparison with many common daily activities.

Pete789uk · April 2008

Of course that very true but for every say 100 near misses there will be a serious accident possible death

DavidTQ · April 2008

statistically its less chance of injury than when being in a car but when its your flesh thats the first point of contact if anything goes wrong it feels a whole lot more serious than when its plastic and metal. Of course KNOWING that many other road users single you out for being a part of a different tribe doesnt help...

Pete789uk · April 2008

I am pretty confident and some would say quite aggresive on the road I think you have to be to survive these days and would not wish to put anyone off commuting.

I guess my frustrations about idiots in cars that women the other day said sorry but i had to swerve around her to avoid hitting her I think what fxxxxxx planet are these people on at times thing is I see time and time again.

Guess we are just to crowded and to busy in this country

Mossrider · April 2008

Guess we are just to crowded and to busy in this country

It doesn't seem to cause a problem in Holland!

cee · April 2008

Maybe driving licences should be re-tested every 5 years.......

maybe ill make a separate thread

secretsam · April 2008

cee wrote:

Maybe driving licences should be re-tested every 5 years.......

maybe ill make a separate thread

Oh hell no, took me 5 years to pass the first one :oops:

cee · April 2008

SecretSam wrote:

cee wrote:

Maybe driving licences should be re-tested every 5 years.......

maybe ill make a separate thread

Oh hell no, took me 5 years to pass the first one :oops:

and i would say if you cant pass it again, get off the effin road

secretsam · April 2008

cee wrote:

SecretSam wrote:

cee wrote:

Maybe driving licences should be re-tested every 5 years.......

maybe ill make a separate thread

Oh hell no, took me 5 years to pass the first one :oops:

and i would say if you cant pass it again, get off the effin road

Count how many fingers I'm holding up! (clue: less than 3).

gandhi · April 2008

DavidTQ wrote:

statistically its less chance of injury than when being in a car but when its your flesh thats the first point of contact if anything goes wrong it feels a whole lot more serious than when its plastic and metal. Of course KNOWING that many other road users single you out for being a part of a different tribe doesnt help...

Does anyone have a reference for that statistic? If it's true, that's amazing, but it sounds like rubbish to me. (Not a personal attack, just interested.)

shaunh · April 2008

Mossrider wrote:

Guess we are just to crowded and to busy in this country

It doesn't seem to cause a problem in Holland!

It's extremely sparse in Australia, especially my home town of Canberra, and that makes cycling even more dangerous I believe. Cars have nice wide lanes, so drivers get very used to speeding and using up as much bitumen as possible. The crowding here makes it easier for cyclist IMO as there is a critical mass of cyclists.

SmellTheGlove · April 2008

Interesting from ShaunH - my personal theory is perhaps an aspect of the same view, i.e. that riding in London is OK because motorists don't actually expect to make much headway (lower speeds) and have time to spot you (permanently waiting for someone else or the next green light).
I drive and ride in London but I imagine there are places where I would probably feel less safe on my first few commuter trips by bike, say between Winchester and Southampton, or anywhere there are plenty of narrow blind bends unlit.
Anyway, we all know it puts a smile on our faces which is so important.

Here's to the fast and the safe.

Pete789uk · April 2008

I feel more confident in town than in the country I guess its the fear a bit of some idiot coming to close or trying to squeeze pass which does not happen around town.

I guess if there are statistics that it would show there are more accidents in towns and citys on bikes but less fatality's than in the countryside or main roads

jcrofts · April 2008

PETE789UK wrote:

I was reading in cycle mag and someone stated we know cycling can be dangerouse at and death is possible but we tend to put it in our back pockets

I'm planning my first proper commute for tomorrow morning. It's a seven mile trip into Glasgow City Centre.

I think it would have taken me a lot longer to feel confident enough to do the journey by bike if it weren't for the fact that there is a marked cycle lane that runs from immediately outside my front door and is continuous all the way to the office. Even then, there are a few spots where I can easily imagine cars reversing out of driveways without too much thought.

Maybe as I get used to the route I will start keeping the danger in a back pocket - but for now I think it's probably in my best interest to keep it on the handlebars... where it will keep reminding me that not everybody is as perfect as I am

MrCarbohydrate · April 2008

I'm in London twice yearly with my junky single-speed. Mixing it up with traffic on your side is much more "enjoyable" than it is here in the States. Maybe it's because I'm on holiday or possibly beacause I'm lost most of the time. How do I always end up somewhere in Hackney? I try to ride from my crappy B&B near King's Cross to Holland park......you guessed it, I'm in Hackney. It takes like 3 minutes too. There's some sort of planetary tractor beam thing going on. the worst incident I've had in London is almost being sucked up by a street sweeper on Euston. Just trying to get to that crappy B&B. You guys have it a little bit better than you think for a gigantic metropolis, trust me.

BentMikey · April 2008

I'm not complaining, I love it here, and I think it's pretty safe for riding too.

always_tyred · April 2008

I learned recently (I did a web search after a cluster of incidents on a particular corner, followed by the inevitable memorial flowers) that the two most dangerous roads in the city are both (1) really close to my house and work (2) relatively short stretches of fast "rural" road linking high traffic areas.

I guess that drivers act like corks from a bottle of sparkling plonk(ers). Although I don't know London well, by comparing the bigger cities with the smaller cities I've lived in I would have thought that the urban/rural interface comprises a higher proportion of one's cycling in smaller, more broken up connurbations. (is this making sense?)

As such, I'd love to see some stats for road safety for cyclists comparing cities through the UK.

peter_andrew · April 2008

Thought i would just mention my experience commuting in the country.
I drive 10 miles then park up get the bike out and cycle the last 13 miles a few times a week.
It is an "A" road full of articulated lorries, on the first 3 miles of the route every time a lorry overtakes me i pull on my brakes as when the lorry pulls back in, they almost always do so too soon (especially when going down hill). If i did not slow down then the back of the trailer as it hits the kerb would have been cushioned by me and my bike!!!
You really need to keep your wits about you.

Peter

pete236 · April 2008

Thats a very similar thing to what happens to me a lot, Peter! Lorries which pull in too soon after making dodgy overtakes frighten me to death! I have to say it, its usually the left hookers of the foreign drivers who are the worst!
The main hazard of my commute seems to be ladies in expensive German cars. I know I'm a good looker but they don't have to get that close! I can see them without them clipping my handlebars!
I do get a buzz when I get to Slough before people in their cars that I've overtaken in Maidenhead. Makes the whole thing worthwhile!

Mettan · April 2008

Pete789uk wrote:

I feel more confident in town than in the country I guess its the fear a bit of some idiot coming to close or trying to squeeze pass which does not happen around town.

+1

Another positive with urban riding is that there's often/usually many other people around - this'll likely make some/many drivers more cautious around cyclists, given that if they were careless/reckless, it'd likely be spotted by another member of the public. Obviously the accident stats are probably higher for Town riding (but you get my sentiment). I am much more wary now, of solo country-lane type training (I keep things mixed up as much as possible).

Belv · April 2008

I think 'familiarity breeds contempt' as far as the dangers go. I don't cycle feeling as though my life is under constant threat but last night my wife went out on her bicycle for the first time in about 7 years and i was terrified of the idea of her using the roads, so the dangers that i don't notice really came home.

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