Be Careful out there!
Discussion
I consider myself a pretty decent and aware driver, being a cyclist and motorcyclist I do tend to 'look twice'. I was approaching a roundabout last night, its dark, raining not much traffic about - I slow down, look right, nothing, proceed to enter the roundabout and glance right again and a guy on a Brompton is having an embolism as I'm about to plough him down. Obviously I stop, barely crossing the dashed line onto the roundabout - he must have just been in the blind spot of the pillar as I approached. He's in BRIGHT fluro yellow everything, with yellow hump rucksack, flashing light on his helmet - the works, but since he's side on I just missed him.
There is absolutely nothing more he could have done to be more visible, luckily for me (and him) I double checked, but my god how easily he could have been toast. Be careful out there folks!
There is absolutely nothing more he could have done to be more visible, luckily for me (and him) I double checked, but my god how easily he could have been toast. Be careful out there folks!
He didn't have to be behind your pillar, your eyes play a lot of tricks on you: http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/raf-pilot-teach-cyc...
Mr Will said:
He didn't have to be behind your pillar, your eyes play a lot of tricks on you: http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/raf-pilot-teach-cyc...
Interesting read, thanks.my tactic on larger roundabouts is to slow down - cycle slowly so that:
1. you have a greater opportunity to react to sudden unexpected situations
2. you have a greater opportunity to be seen.
3. at this time of year i have a front light on constant and one on flash
and then the usual high viz top with reflective bands etc.
it's not fool proof, but i feel i'm doing as much as i can.
1. you have a greater opportunity to react to sudden unexpected situations
2. you have a greater opportunity to be seen.
3. at this time of year i have a front light on constant and one on flash
and then the usual high viz top with reflective bands etc.
it's not fool proof, but i feel i'm doing as much as i can.
Rob_T said:
my tactic on larger roundabouts is to slow down - cycle slowly so that:
1. you have a greater opportunity to react to sudden unexpected situations
2. you have a greater opportunity to be seen.
3. at this time of year i have a front light on constant and one on flash
and then the usual high viz top with reflective bands etc.
it's not fool proof, but i feel i'm doing as much as i can.
I do exactly the same. Have 3 front lights, one that can shine a spot on the moon, a flasher (!), and another flasher on my helmet (wheyhay).1. you have a greater opportunity to react to sudden unexpected situations
2. you have a greater opportunity to be seen.
3. at this time of year i have a front light on constant and one on flash
and then the usual high viz top with reflective bands etc.
it's not fool proof, but i feel i'm doing as much as i can.
Still doesn't stop the odd twunt nearly taking me out. The problem I have is on the Milton Keynes grid roads, they are all 60-70 mph with a roundabout every 1km or so. People barrel up to the roundabout a full tilt and they are looking down the road to their right and not on the roundabout, where I am.
While we're confessing, I scared a chap on a hardtail crossing me at a T the other day because I approached the line rather too quickly. Although I had seen him and was always going to stop, he didn't know that and I regretted that he felt the need to swerve to avoid me.
The lesson I learned was to telegraph my intentions more visibly - slower approach (when I see someone crossing me) and to make eye contact if possible.
The lesson I learned was to telegraph my intentions more visibly - slower approach (when I see someone crossing me) and to make eye contact if possible.
Mr Will said:
He didn't have to be behind your pillar, your eyes play a lot of tricks on you: http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/raf-pilot-teach-cyc...
You beat me to posting that link. It is very interesting indeed.I was the perpetrator of a very-near SMIDSY a few months back. On a dark, rainy night, I was sitting in the leftmost of two lines of traffic. The right-hand lane started to move and a gap opened up, so I glanced in my mirror, indicated right, went to pull out, did a quick check out of the side window and saw the motorbike literally THERE. I managed to swerve back in and he just clipped my mirror.
We both pulled in down the road, him to check his bike for any damage from my mirror and me to check he was alright. Nice bloke to be fair, in his situation I would have b
ked me. Basically, I glanced rather than looked.
The incident has made me a more cautious driver and a more cautious rider when in traffic, which I guess is a positive outcome.
We both pulled in down the road, him to check his bike for any damage from my mirror and me to check he was alright. Nice bloke to be fair, in his situation I would have b
ked me. Basically, I glanced rather than looked.The incident has made me a more cautious driver and a more cautious rider when in traffic, which I guess is a positive outcome.
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