Cyclists! Why do they ride in the middle of the road?
Discussion
PHuzzy said:
The one thing I don't quite get...
When overtaking a cyclist give them as much room as you would when overtaking a car.
Well usually when I'm overtaking a car I'm no more than 2-3ft mirror to mirror but if I were to be that close from their handlebar to mirror I'd be 'wrong' in the eyes of a cyclist. Some overtakes on narrow lanes car to car distance can be even less than that.
Give them as much room as horses When overtaking a cyclist give them as much room as you would when overtaking a car.
Well usually when I'm overtaking a car I'm no more than 2-3ft mirror to mirror but if I were to be that close from their handlebar to mirror I'd be 'wrong' in the eyes of a cyclist. Some overtakes on narrow lanes car to car distance can be even less than that.
The longer this goes on the more depressing it is. Are people really this thick that they have to ask this sort of thing?
PHuzzy said:
The one thing I don't quite get...
When overtaking a cyclist give them as much room as you would when overtaking a car.
Well usually when I'm overtaking a car I'm no more than 2-3ft mirror to mirror but if I were to be that close from their handlebar to mirror I'd be 'wrong' in the eyes of a cyclist. Some overtakes on narrow lanes car to car distance can be even less than that.
Depends very much on the speed differential. If I'm on a narrow lane doing 20 and you come past me at 30 with about 3ft clearance, I'll be quite happy. If you blast past at 60, it's a very different matter.When overtaking a cyclist give them as much room as you would when overtaking a car.
Well usually when I'm overtaking a car I'm no more than 2-3ft mirror to mirror but if I were to be that close from their handlebar to mirror I'd be 'wrong' in the eyes of a cyclist. Some overtakes on narrow lanes car to car distance can be even less than that.
There is also the issue of your reasoning - if 3ft is as much space as you can give me (narrow country lane for example) then that's fair enough. If there is the whole opposite lane to use and you are only using 1/3rd of it - why? Move over and give me as much space as you can! (Note, I will do the same. I will ride where I am most visible most of the time, but if a good overtaking opportunity arises I'll pull left as much as I can to give you space)
will_ said:
OpulentBob said:
You're SO desperate to be offended/insulted, aren't you?
I'm usually found defending cyclists. But not the angry militant types (which you, I'm afraid to say, appear to be).
Anyway, I'm 3 minutes from walking out the office, unlocking my bike, and riding several miles, away from roads, buses, and the nasty nasty drivers out to kill me at any opportunity.
Not remotely - it's just ironic that you think I'm angry but you're the one swearing! Surely even you can see what adaft thing that is to say? I'm usually found defending cyclists. But not the angry militant types (which you, I'm afraid to say, appear to be).
Anyway, I'm 3 minutes from walking out the office, unlocking my bike, and riding several miles, away from roads, buses, and the nasty nasty drivers out to kill me at any opportunity.
What you said was just stupid though - I didn't realise it was a joke.....
Sorry that I didn't find your "humour" funny. Hope you're not offended/insulted.
FWIW I'm not angry not "militant" (whatever you mean by that).
Peace man.
I was, originally, having a laugh but I agree I could have made it more obvious!
All happy here. Had a lovely ride in this morning, and being B/H weekend it'll be a lovely early ride home too.
I work in Cambridge. Views on the "right-all-the-time" cyclists run deep. Anyhoo never mind, I didn't mean to start a ding dong. I'll gracefully (or not) back out.
PHuzzy said:
The one thing I don't quite get...
When overtaking a cyclist give them as much room as you would when overtaking a car.
Well usually when I'm overtaking a car I'm no more than 2-3ft mirror to mirror but if I were to be that close from their handlebar to mirror I'd be 'wrong' in the eyes of a cyclist. Some overtakes on narrow lanes car to car distance can be even less than that.
Clearance:When overtaking a cyclist give them as much room as you would when overtaking a car.
Well usually when I'm overtaking a car I'm no more than 2-3ft mirror to mirror but if I were to be that close from their handlebar to mirror I'd be 'wrong' in the eyes of a cyclist. Some overtakes on narrow lanes car to car distance can be even less than that.
Room:
Being passed too closely is a problem in itself, but can be mitigated by reducing the speed differential. The really dangerous thing is squeezing people so that, for example, they've got no way of getting round a pothole. That's why they move out into the road, it gives them more margin for safety than riding in the gutter.
yellowjack said:
After a rare foray into the realms of sensible statements (first sentence), and logical considered observation (first 'full' paragraph), you once again fall into the "typed a response before I thought it through" trap. Yup! That silly bit in bold type! You're obviously not an electronics wizard, are you? The whole point of a bicycle is it's simplicity and light weight. As soon as you start strapping batteries and signalling lamps to it, you get into the realms of being unable to propel it forwards with the power of a single human being. So you find an alternative power source, possibly an internal combustion engine? Then you beef up the tubular frame, to carry the extra weight of the engine. Then you increase the size of the engine, to shift that extra weight. Now make some clothes out of old bits of cow you found lying around...
...Christ Almighty, Tomalawk! I think you've just 'invented' the "motor bicycle". Perhaps we can come up with a shorter, more 'snappy' name for it? How about "motorbike"???
I despair. Really I do...
"motor bicycle" would need a motor on it, hence "motor bicycle"....Christ Almighty, Tomalawk! I think you've just 'invented' the "motor bicycle". Perhaps we can come up with a shorter, more 'snappy' name for it? How about "motorbike"???
I despair. Really I do... Based on the above I'm pretty confident my technical knowledge is stronger than yours. The iPhone you more than likely carry around weighs around about 100g yet contains enough processing power to contact to a satellite orbiting the planet whilst you're googling the latest lycra hot pants. Creating a switch with 3 buttons (left, right, hazard) and mapping another one the brake inputs to a small lighting housing that sits just underneath the saddle wired alongside the brake wires would be a piece of piss that I could probably make a s
t looking prototype myself with a furby, a soldering iron and some wire.The benefits the the cyclist would be:
1. No more waving arms around (which most don't bother with in London).
2. Increased driver awareness of your intentions.
3. Safer roundabout usage.
The only downside I can think of is the increased weight which I'm sure you can cancel out by shaving your eye brows off to decrease your drag coefficient.
Mr Will said:
GPS is a one way link, your phone only receives. Just like the radio in your car.
That's still contact, however let's not get involved in this discussion on the cyclist forum topic. We both have access to the internet and Wikipedia so it proves nothing about what we know, I was just using it as an example to show that it's not hard nor technically challenging in the bigger picture to strap some lights to your bike.If this thread had shown one thing it is that no matter how a message is packaged some people will take offence and defend the opposite.
When you read the posts the issues that some drivers have boil down to red light running, going too slowly up hills and cyclists taking up too much road space.
Look at it this way. No-one on here who has posted has died riding through a red light. Hills are hard, let me assure you that a cyclist doesn't go up deliberately at 4mph. At that speed he is probably blowing out of his backside and fighting and internal battle between his legs and his head whether he will survive the climb.
The initial post was to highlight why we share the road space the way we do, Cyclists need space for a different reason to a driver. Whilst you are rolling on over a foot of rubber on each corner he is running on half an inch. That pothole, manhole cover or debris in the road is much more dangerous to him that you. A parked car door that suddenly opens means a spell in hospital, a clipped wingmirror to a cyclist could be a broken wrist.
Please, if you do nothing else respect that all cyclists are humans, there are bad apples out there, but they are very unlikely to be the ones posting on here, the same as the drivers on here are very unlikely to be the ones highlighted in so many road rage incidents.
When you read the posts the issues that some drivers have boil down to red light running, going too slowly up hills and cyclists taking up too much road space.
Look at it this way. No-one on here who has posted has died riding through a red light. Hills are hard, let me assure you that a cyclist doesn't go up deliberately at 4mph. At that speed he is probably blowing out of his backside and fighting and internal battle between his legs and his head whether he will survive the climb.
The initial post was to highlight why we share the road space the way we do, Cyclists need space for a different reason to a driver. Whilst you are rolling on over a foot of rubber on each corner he is running on half an inch. That pothole, manhole cover or debris in the road is much more dangerous to him that you. A parked car door that suddenly opens means a spell in hospital, a clipped wingmirror to a cyclist could be a broken wrist.
Please, if you do nothing else respect that all cyclists are humans, there are bad apples out there, but they are very unlikely to be the ones posting on here, the same as the drivers on here are very unlikely to be the ones highlighted in so many road rage incidents.
yonex said:
Or you could just drive 'smarter'
Okay, I'm going to drive around without indicating all day and rely on others driving smarter and guessing my intentions based on previous experience rather than actual fact. My nan's fking shop mobility scooter has them and she only goes to Londis.I'll happily be proved wrong because I'm struggling to see why no ones said it before, but no one actually come back with a decent reason why bikes don't have indicators or brake lights on them yet, just petty things.
Tomalawk said:
Okay, I'm going to drive around without indicating all day and rely on others driving smarter and guessing my intentions based on previous experience rather than actual fact. My nan's fking shop mobility scooter has them and she only goes to Londis.
I'll happily be proved wrong because I'm struggling to see why no ones said it before, but no one actually come back with a decent reason why bikes don't have indicators or brake lights on them yet, just petty things.
What, you're going to drive around like so many drivers do already? Is that worth posting about?king shop mobility scooter has them and she only goes to Londis.I'll happily be proved wrong because I'm struggling to see why no ones said it before, but no one actually come back with a decent reason why bikes don't have indicators or brake lights on them yet, just petty things.
They are already available for bikes but they don't seem popular as (a) they are unnecessary, given the most visible signal for a cyclist to use is their free, readily available arms, adn (b) it wouldn't make the blindest bit of difference to poor drivers anyway.
Tomalawk said:
Mr Will said:
GPS is a one way link, your phone only receives. Just like the radio in your car.
That's still contact, however let's not get involved in this discussion on the cyclist forum topic. We both have access to the internet and Wikipedia so it proves nothing about what we know, I was just using it as an example to show that it's not hard nor technically challenging in the bigger picture to strap some lights to your bike.Tomalawk said:
Okay, I'm going to drive around without indicating all day and rely on others driving smarter and guessing my intentions based on previous experience rather than actual fact. My nan's fking shop mobility scooter has them and she only goes to Londis.
I'll happily be proved wrong because I'm struggling to see why no ones said it before, but no one actually come back with a decent reason why bikes don't have indicators or brake lights on them yet, just petty things.
When I turn right I look behind, stick my arm out and if it's safe make the turn. When I turn left I look behind......king shop mobility scooter has them and she only goes to Londis.I'll happily be proved wrong because I'm struggling to see why no ones said it before, but no one actually come back with a decent reason why bikes don't have indicators or brake lights on them yet, just petty things.
Any reason why you object to this simple solution or are you just a miserable b
d?Tomalawk said:
I'll happily be proved wrong because I'm struggling to see why no ones said it before, but no one actually come back with a decent reason why bikes don't have indicators or brake lights on them yet, just petty things.
Let's flip this around, why should they have them? Is a lack of indicators or brake lights causing a significant number of accidents, or do you just want bikes to have them because cars have them?Mr Will said:
Tomalawk said:
I'll happily be proved wrong because I'm struggling to see why no ones said it before, but no one actually come back with a decent reason why bikes don't have indicators or brake lights on them yet, just petty things.
Let's flip this around, why should they have them? Is a lack of indicators or brake lights causing a significant number of accidents, or do you just want bikes to have them because cars have them?Tomalawk said:
yonex said:
Or you could just drive 'smarter'
Okay, I'm going to drive around without indicating all day and rely on others driving smarter and guessing my intentions based on previous experience rather than actual fact. My nan's fking shop mobility scooter has them and she only goes to Londis.I'll happily be proved wrong because I'm struggling to see why no ones said it before, but no one actually come back with a decent reason why bikes don't have indicators or brake lights on them yet, just petty things.
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