Nearly "helped" a Suicide cyclist...

[hertsbiker]

Mini roundabout (MR). Check mirror. Car behind me. Look right, car approaching MR at some distance. Ok, looks good. Car approaching from opposite direction to me, check. Pull out. EEEEKKK !!

That's when matey on the MTB has shot out of the right hand turning, no lights on, in the dark. Didn't see him, so he must have had to brake pretty hard or I'd have gone straight into him. Shook me up, he was totally invisible against the lights from the other cars.

I really didn't have any clue, and I was only going at 25mph. Just goes to show how close we all are.

C

[deltaf]

Dammit Carl, i tried really hard to get ya as well!
Although i ride an MTB, some of these guys are really nuts and dont look where theyre going.
Its just heads down and asses up, and woe betide anyone getting in the way.
Get ya next time huh?

[Don]

I've just taken up cycling. And I'm paranoid. Already have one set of lights - going to get a second set and a reflective vest!

But to add to this. I was cycling home last Friday. On an UNLIT Cycle Path. Got up some speed. Only just spotted the nigh on invisible pedestrian with absolutely no light clothing or reflective material.

Could easily have run into him doing us both a nasty injury....

Goes to show - pedestrian, cyclist, motorcyclist - reflective gear. Really important.

[tvrslag]

Coming into work this morning at 7.30am its still pretty dark and the roads were wet, and my windscreen smeared with all the salt and grit on the roads.
The road to my work is pretty thin but the situation isn't helped by cars parked on the right hand side. I was driving along over to the left to allow traffic to overtake the parked cars, travelling no quicker than 30 mph and I suddenly saw a dark shadow loom out in front of front me. Some old boy on a bike in a DARK LONG OVERCOAT with no lights and no reflective clothing, I swerved narrowly missing him and an oncoming Lorry in the centre of the road.
What a stupid to@@er!!!
And the powers that be want to make every car encounter with a bike the car drivers fault!!

OK we all agree a lot of accidents with Bikers occur, and I'm not for one minute saying that every incident is the bikers fault or vice versa, but when you get idiots like we're disscusing on the roads it doesn't help any cause, exccept the calls for regulations on cyclists to wear helmets.

[thub]

I've had a couple of similar incidents since the new year. Firstly a cyclist on a main road in Reading during the morning rush, in the dark, with no lights or reflectors. The best, though, was a jogger on the Wallingford bypass (cycle lane but no pavements) at 7am with NO reflective clothing. I only saw him because of the tiny reflective tags on his trainers.

I saw him again this morning, so he seems to be a regular. If I get the chance I will stop and offer some polite advice.

I did contact the local TV station to suggest they did a piece on being seen, directed at adults. No reply thus far....