cyclists at night

[oldagepensioner]

I would like to make it clear that i am not anti cyclist.If that is your chosen mode of transport then good luck to you(and with some of the drivers out there i think you will need it).I do wish however that they would use a bit of common sense like using cycle paths when provided and i am not talking about the gutters at the edge of the road marked out with a single white line where all the crap gets thrown by other road users to puncture their tyres but the proper cycle paths even if they are shared with pedestrians.My other gripe is their habit of riding at night without lights.Over the past week i have been driving at night and 4 times i came across cyclists at night without lights 2 of whom i nearly ran over because they were unseen until the last moment.What made it worse was that they made my other pet hate the guy on the e,scooter look sensible because he at least had lights.

[oldagepensioner]

Richard-D said:

oldagepensioner said:

I would like to make it clear that i am not anti cyclist.

How every 'anti-cyclist' thread starts.

Like i said not anti cyclist at all and used to ride one myself until i lent it to my son and it was run over in spite of being locked to bike rack while he was at work but the 2 cyclists that nearly got run over were wearing dark coloured clothes on a dark coloured bike on a poorly lit road and as stated had no lights.I also forgot to mention in my first post the kids who insist on doing wheelies in the middle of or even the wrong side of the road.Mamils i don,t have problem with because at least the lycra tends to be bright colours and they do tend to be fairly sensible.

[oldagepensioner]

ScotHill said:

I would also request that any driver who has any one of a brake light, rear light, DRL or headlight not working does not drive after dusk. Thank you.

While i sort of agree with this at least with a car the lights normally come in pairs so you can at least see there is something there.The problem with cyclists is that the lights tend to be singular when fitted at all so the cyclist becomes all but invisible.Like isaid all i ask is that cyclists make themselves more visible at night which is why i also agree with the high vis idea.As for why i started this thread i had the time and those two cyclists were on my mind.

[oldagepensioner]

VSKeith said:

Whats in a name said:

The trouble with the cycle lanes on pavements is that they often go past drives where the pavement dips down and you have to watch out for cars emerging, every time you get to a side road you have to stop and then cross where as if you are on the main carriageway you have right of way and finally pedestrians will often walk in the cycle lane so you are constantly slowing to ensure you pass them safely.

In relation to lights everyone should have them fitted and working you can by them for a couple of pounds on Amazon so there is really no excuse.

Yep, shared use 'cycle lanes' are wider pavements. Utterly useless for cycling on so don't shout at cyclists riding next to them on the road.

I must admit most of the shared cycle/pedestrian paths round our way seem to be fairly deserted and the LED street lamps being fitted seem to be very directional so whilst the illuminated area may be brighter it is also a lot smaller so not really much if any of an improvement.

[oldagepensioner]

monthou said:

Gweeds said:

If drivers were given the stty infrastructure most cyclists are offered they’d lose their fking minds.

The same ones who lose their fking minds at being held up for 20 seconds behind a cyclist and then sit in traffic for 15 minutes.

The same ones who want to legislate cyclists off the road and into cycle lanes 'for safety'.

Surely to legislate cyclists off the roads the cycle paths have to be there in the first place.As far as shared paths go whilst not ideal from ether a pedestrian or cyclists point of view they are normally fairly wide and clearly marked and surely a better bet than sharing the road with any thing from motorcycles to 44 tonne trucks 8 wheelers and everything in between.

[oldagepensioner]

MrTrilby said:

oldagepensioner said:

As far as shared paths go whilst not ideal from ether a pedestrian or cyclists point of view they are normally fairly wide and clearly marked and surely a better bet than sharing the road with any thing from motorcycles to 44 tonne trucks 8 wheelers and everything in between.

No, they’re not a better bet. It doesn’t sound like you’ve used many cycle paths much?

The number of shared use paths that are wide enough to let two cycles and a pedestrian pass is tiny. The number that are wide enough that don’t force cycles to stop frequently and give way to blind driveways or side roads is tinier still - and in my experience cycle paths with driveways crossing them are plain dangerous - most cars think nothing of sticking their nose out of their driveway and across the path/cycleway *before* looking. Which is avoidable if you’re travelling at walking speed. Very much not at 15mph.

Then take that tiny number of suitable cycle paths and cross off the list those that make it hard to join or leave and you have very very few paths. Most are very poorly designed in the UK - they’re built using limited cash and time, so usually when the planners reach a tricky junction that needs remodelling or some thought to make it work, the path just stops. And the cyclist is expected to come to a stop again and work out how to rejoin the road. Or do daft stuff like navigate a roundabout by having to stop at every turning and wait for the pedestrian crossing to go green before continuing. I’ve used a cycle path that expected you to do that 6 times. Or stay in the road and experience a two sets of lights with the cars.

It shouldn’t really be a surprise that more experienced cyclists are wary of most cycle paths.

Do admit that there are not many around here and i haven,t used one for a very long time but so far i have not seen any with crossing driveways but i st feel that they must be better than the gutter which is what seems to pass for a cycle path around here with all the potential punctures due to all the crap thrown there by other vehicles.

[oldagepensioner]

911hope said:

oldagepensioner said:

Do admit that there are not many around here and i haven,t used one for a very long time but so far i have not seen any with crossing driveways but i st feel that they must be better than the gutter which is what seems to pass for a cycle path around here with all the potential punctures due to all the crap thrown there by other vehicles.

Why do you want cyclists to use the gutter?

Most of the cycle paths in my area are relatively new especially the shared ones and these do seem to be fairly wide and properly marked and surfaced.However the majority of them are the previously mentioned gutters about a metre wide if you are lucky.If this is what passes for a cycle path as it does in my area then by all means use the road as i do try and give cyclists a wide berth.I do admit that since my own bike got crushed even though it was locked to a cycle rack? i doubt if i will get another one but i wish all cyclist out there a safe journey all i ask is that they make themselves more visible at night for every ones benefit.Ride long and safe

[oldagepensioner]

gazza285 said:

OP didn't ask anything, he was just here to whine about cyclists.

If you read my original post you will know that all i asked was for cyclists to use cycle paths when they are the safer option which i still maintain that they are for the most part and use lights at night as under certain conditions they become almost invisible.Its because of this and some of the downright dangerous riding that a small mostly young minority practice.As i said quite early on i used to be a cyclist myself so do understand how vulnerable they are which is why i try and give them a wide berth but i can only do that if i can see them hence the lights at night

[oldagepensioner]

911hope said:

oldagepensioner said:

gazza285 said:

OP didn't ask anything, he was just here to whine about cyclists.

If you read my original post you will know that all i asked was for cyclists to use cycle paths when they are the safer option which i still maintain that they are for the most part and use lights at night as under certain conditions they become almost invisible.Its because of this and some of the downright dangerous riding that a small mostly young minority practice.As i said quite early on i used to be a cyclist myself so do understand how vulnerable they are which is why i try and give them a wide berth but i can only do that if i can see them hence the lights at night

Need to think about how you draft your post, if you don't want to come across as moaning at all cyclists.

There is the distinct impression that you are referring to all cyclists with your criticisms, as you say things like "they should do this"

In writing this way, you brand them all as the target for your criticisms.

It is obvious that not all cyclist are without lights.

It is also obvious that many "off the road" cycle paths are actually quite dangerous in that driveways and side roads bisect them often, subjection the cyclist to regular stops or significant risk. They are also very bumpy, full of broken glass, rubbish etc.

Now it is true that many cyclists need to behave better, especially in urban settings. But certainly not the whole cohort.

Okay perhaps my first post was less than 100% clear but i think you may be beginning to understand my point.As far as cycle/footpaths are concerned certainly all of the of the off road ones i see in my area are about 8 feet wide(purely an estimate) often divided into foot and cycle
properly tarmaced and not intersected by driveways although they do cross road junctions but thats not that different to riding on the road.A lot of them however are of the strip at the side of the road IE the gutter at the side of the road i mentioned in my first post.Partly so i read
to follow EU guidelines on cycle paths and partly because these are on old roads that just were not built with cyclists in mind.These i agree are intersected by peoples drive ways and that is to my mind where cyclists are vulnerable.Oh and just thought i would mention i had another one last night about 10 pm riding on the wrong side of the road with no lights and only visible if he took his feet off the pedals to reveal the reflectors which is how i saw him.