Why cyclists in rush-hour are an endangered species

[Bob]

Now I know it isn't the easiest thing in the world, cycling during rush hour - you face more dangers than even the biker, what with the attitude of car drivers, pedestrians wandering out in front of you etc.

But a regular thing in London is them ignoring traffic lights, rolling up onto pavements or using pedestrian crossings (all while still pedalling away) and so on.

All of the above are annoying and downright dangerous - and show, to my way of thinking, a real "Holier That Thou" attitude as they are 'greener' than us.

Of course, if they all carry on like the eejut in front of me this morning, there won't be many of them left for much longer.

First of all, he crosses lanes without looking - causing the scooter in the lane to have to brake... hard. Scoot rider hits the horn... cyclist? Barely looked over, let alone say sorry.

Then, after coming diagonally over the lane, he decides he has to go round another cyclist... this time pulling out in front of me. Fortunately, I was prepared for this guy being an arse, so I'd already backed off and didn't have to haul on the anchors too hard.

But I did hit the horn, ride up alongside and give him some abuse.

That was 5 hours ago... wonder if he is still upright? If he is, it will be more by luck than judgement.

[Milky]

I admit to doing some of that stuff myself - using pedestrian crossings, ignoring traffic lights - but in my defence, I do it in (what I consider) a safe, considerate fashion. I find that rolling to the front of a queue and taking off before the light goes green/applying the give way rule instead makes things much easier on the cars behind me - they have a good distance to merge or prepare to pass me rather than attempt it as we are moving away from the lights.

Having said that I ignore some traffic signals, it will only be when I know the sequence of lights/when going straight through at a T intersection and so on. The bicycle is a huge advantage in that it is sometimes accepted on the footpath as a pedestrian, and most cyclists take advantage of this - hence the usage of pedestrian crossings/footpaths.

Overall, it is much nicer to cycle without cars around you. Gulping in litres of someone else's carbon monoxide rich fumes is not pleasant when you are breathing hard. With this in mind, I act to remove myself from areas where cars are accellerating infront of me (uphill, away from lights), and from my point of view, this helps traffic flow.

The guy who pulled across in front of you deserves a wake up call or two, and hopefully what you did might have been the catalyst for a more courteous riding style

[Bob]

Thinking as a pedestrian for a moment, I have no objection to cyclists using pedestrian crossings - as long as they get off the bike and push. It is an advantage of bicycles that you can do this (I'd draw the line at someone trying it on with a motorcycle though!)

It annoys me when you see (usually teenage kids admittedly, but you do get older people) just riding through on pedestrian crossings and expecting pedestrians (and it is their crossing) to just get out of the way.

And if a footpath allows cyclists, then get on with it! It is the law, after all!

I don't know about NZ, but over here, a lot of the time there are 'Green Lanes' on busy roads. So there is a cycle lane up to the lights, then a 'bicycle only' section at the front of the traffic, to give the cyclist a chance to get going before the cars etc. This doesn't exist on all roads, but there are quite a few about.

It does annoy me when cyclists go through red lights - I'm not talking rolling over the 'stop' line... lets face it, as I'm allowed to filter/lane split, I do then often stop just over the line to make sure I have a clean start, but riding through a junction/intersection when the lights are against you. All it needs is something to happen and someone could die... and their death will be on the poor driver/rider who was legitimately driving/riding on the road for the rest of their lives.

As for the guy this morning... I hope getting hooted by two bikes almost immediately one after the other and a yell as I went past gives him a wake up call... but somehow I doubt it.

I just hope that when he has an accident (I can't see him getting away with it the way he was riding), he doesn't cause anyone else problems or trauma.

[Pwalo]

Bob you see some of the cyclists I encounter on my morning ride down the Nguaranga Gorge. Peak hour traffic and some of the lycra clad guys are lane splitting at over 40k. (Don't mind lane splitting but I prefer traffic to be below 10k).

Not sure if I'm jealous or not but it sure looks scary. I've got a helmet, armoured jacket and overtrou, boots, and gloves, oh and engine braking and disc brakes. Buggered if I know what one of these chaps would do if a cage decides to change lanes, has moment of inattention, drops their breakfast/mobile phone/makeup etc.

Still it must be hard work on a cycle, especially around Wellington.

[jazbug5]

I cycled for more than 10 years. at least 6 of which were in central London; actually it used to drive me nuts when I saw other people on bikes taking the piss (riding on the pavement, jumping lights etc). I don't mean to say I was a total goody two shoes, but you have to really use your head when you're on a bike; car drivers don't need any more excuses to hate cyclists as it is. Mind you I've seen more random acts of stupidity from cage drivers than from cyclists- or at least, they are more likely to kill someone when they're being morons. (I trained as a cycle courier at one time, and deaths were a fairly regular thing; you kept up with them on the CBs.)
I've seen people turning left without indicating while reading maps, accellerating onto busy roundabouts into full sun (i.e. blind), reversing at full speed into busy city streets... not to mention all the cretins on their mobile phones with their stereos pumping fit to shake your teeth out of their sockets.
I have been deliberately rammed three times and taken several trips over people's car doors. I wish all two-wheelers in London good luck with these twats about. And remember:
"Two wheels good, four wheels bad."

Jazbah

[riffer]

Bob you see some of the cyclists I encounter on my morning ride down the Nguaranga Gorge. Peak hour traffic and some of the lycra clad guys are lane splitting at over 40k. (Don't mind lane splitting but I prefer traffic to be below 10k)

I have followed lycra-clad cyclists on the Ngauranga gorge at over 80km/hr. I've even been overtaken by some at that speed.

[Blakamin]

The bicycle is a huge advantage in that it is sometimes accepted on the footpath as a pedestrian,

Where??? If I saw it you'd be missing a few teeth... my mrs walks with my daughter on footpaths... ride you bike on the F&%^in road like you're supposed to

[manuboy]

I try to ride so that tin tops can't get too close to me whenever possible. I've done all sorts of dodgy stuff, but i've never used to sidewalk.

I dunno what it is, but sitting at red lights with no vehicle approaching, i just take off. It's like the road rules don't apply the same. I'd never try it on / in any other type of vehicle. Yup, i've been caught out - lucky to be alive really.

The funniest thing is, i ride 3 km from home to work everyday and i've noticed that other cyclists treat it like a race. You've gotta see some dude on a crappy ass warehouse machine peddling like a demon in his size 12 clods trying to drop you off. At lights they pull up and i say gidday, they just stand there ready to drag - i'd expect it of 16 year olds in mums corolla - i dunno... it's just funny / crazy. Everything is a race now.

[Mr Skid]

I have followed lycra-clad cyclists on the Ngauranga gorge at over 80km/hr. I've even been overtaken by some at that speed.

Must have be road bikes. On my mtb the gearing is pretty low, I run out of revs(legs) around 60 km/h in top gear. Have hit 75km/h down a hill though.

I gave up v-max style riding before I got around to building a fairing for the mtb though, but I'm sure I would have been able to crack 80km/h with it.

I'm also sure I'd have no skin left if I had have got it wrong, which is why I don't try any more. But there is some perverted sense of fun in passing a Skyline going down Queen st, or passing a car on the outside of a downhill left hander..

[svs]

, ignoring traffic lights - but in my defence, I do it in (what I consider) a safe, considerate fashion. I find that rolling to the front of a queue and taking off before the light goes green/applying the give way rule instead makes things much easier on the cars behind me

Try making that one stand up in court. Same could apply to motorbike, but get caught and your up the creak without a boat. Why should the fact your transport isn't motorised allow you to break the road rules (even if you consider it safe)

[Jackrat]

I still use a push bike at times.
I don,t ride on footpaths but a do jump the lights at times.
I don't ride in heavy traffic so can't comment on that.
The only thing that bike riders sometimes do that really freaks me out is looking over their shoulders when they hear a car coming,It's mainly younger riders that do this and when they do they often get a wobble on that can bring them farther out into the lane.
I don't like riders that ride side by side and actualy block half the lane.
I think that's just bloody stupid.Your a long time dead even if you were in the right.

[El Dopa]

I have been deliberately rammed three times and taken several trips over people's car doors. I wish all two-wheelers in London good luck with these twats about. And remember:
"Two wheels good, four wheels bad."

Jazbah[/QUOTE]

I've cycled to and from work extensively in both London and Auckland, and I reckon Aucklands slightly worse, mainly because the traffic moves faster on most roads, so cars are generally moving faster when they're close to you.

Got run off the road deliberately for the first time a week or so ago. Got the plate, put in a complaint, but have basically been told that wthout an independent witness, they won't take it any further (my word against hers).

Cycling/motorcycling has given me a really, really sour view of ther average driving 'skills' of yer common or garden cager.

BTW, "Two wheels good, four wheels bad." was my autosig for a while.

[Milky]

I try to ride so that tin tops can't get too close to me whenever possible.

That basically sums it up for me.

The rest of you - take a chill pill. It isnt as if I ride down the footpaths at 60ks an hour trying to hit mothers walking their kids... When I apply the give way rule, it is after i know the phasing at an intersection. I will NOT go across a cross roads when another way is green. I will however, take off before my set goes green, IF: that green phase is coming up, the way is clear, and I am not obstructing anyone else's movement through the intersection. The same rationale applies to using the applicable pedestrian signals. If at a T intersection and going straight through, I will merge into the traffic turning alongside me, if there is a large enough gap.
Remember that a cyclist is probably the most vunerable road user, and with this in mind, MY safety is paramount when I am riding.

[jazbug5]

"Got run off the road deliberately for the first time a week or so ago. Got the plate, put in a complaint, but have basically been told that wthout an independent witness, they won't take it any further (my word against hers)."

Fuck that... were you hurt?
Sorry to hear that the cops over here are similarly inclined. They should at least speak to her and give her a warning, even if they don't charge her. Shame you have no way of knowing where she lives: a bucket of painstripper over her lovely shiny car might give her pause for thought...

In London they more or less laugh at you for reporting that kind of thing, but I think it depends which part the incident happened in. For example, one incident was on my way to work in Waterloo, when a big truck tried to run me off the road repeatedly (just managed to get out of the way). The cops came to my work and actually, that was probably the one and only occasion I was taken seriously. It could also have been because my employers were kicking up a stink about it..?
The last time, however, was in South London; now, in South London, the traffic cops had had their budget massively reduced. They also had relocated their HQ and the confusion meant that basically they only came out if someone was dead! Anyway, this driver rammed me off in a bus lane they shouldn't have been in, I got their plates, had two witnesses etc etc. Reported it and got a nice note six months later. Apparently they didn't have the resources to actually go and see them; but if they were picked up for some other, more serious incident, such as speeding or something in the next 6 months, then they would have a word with them about it. Which was nice. Same force didn't bother to turn up when I took one of my little trips over a car door and got taken to hospital in an ambulance (which they actually legally have to do when there's an injury). Because of that I never got compensation for my injuries.
Nice one.

Er.. not that I'm bitter!

[jazbug5]

Tum te tum (have to put something here so as to get rid of the whole doubled–up rigmarole..)