What cyclists have to put up with..

[Tony]

Wouldn't it be more effective for drivers to have to be within 10% of the skill level of the average cyclist?

[meshuga]

Or for someone to have read more than 10% of the full thread before posting?

[Squiggs]

Never mind all this crap.

 

What it boils down to is this:

 

I took a roundabout exit today on my bike. Layout such that there can be NO misunderstanding of my intended direction.

 

I spot a car barreling towards me into the roundabout from my left. Due to my reactions the car misses me, so closely that if I hadn't instinctively turned my handlebars right to swerve away from danger when stopped I would have been hit and thrown off.

 

Now, if I had been slower to react or was a second faster getting to the roundabout in my car I would have been annoyed but that's it. If I had been in my car and not reacted so quickly I would have been looking througn insurance paperwork and maybe cursing a written-off metal box

 

If had been slower to react or was a second faster getting to the roundabout on my bike I would have been in intensive care or the morgue

 

That's the point. We aren't just other inanimate objects on the road. We are flesh and blood. We bleed and break. And we cause "death by dangerous driving" charges to be brought if you are overly reckless.

[GordonBennet]

What's your point? I don't need to use cycle lanes because we have a perfectly good road network. I would like some (not all drivers) to use their brains a bit more and give cyclists a bit of space and respect.

 

So you've started a thread and gone on for over 20 pages about inadequate provision of cycle lanes and now you admit that you don't use them anyway?

 

It's not the only thing that doesn't add up.

 

You state you won't cycle on Clarkhouse Road because it's too busy yet you cycle along Ecclesall Road instead, which is even busier.

 

You ask people to find you alternative routes to work, then when they come up with a suggestion you pick holes in it and decide to use one of the busiest roads in Sheffield instead.

 

You also claim you can cycle 4 miles in 13 minutes during the rush hour. That's an average speed of over 18 miles an hour; the only way you could do this is by cycling recklessly - overtaking cars on the inside, going through red lights and so on.

 

So what is this thread about, Tony? Inadequate cycle lanes or other road users being a danger to cyclists? If it's the latter, perhaps you ought to show respect to other road users and not cycle dangerously yourself?

[Cyclone]

A short video showing some of the bad driving that sadly is all too common when you're a cyclist.

 

 

Just wondering where Tony's OP mentions cycle lanes?

[Tony]

So you've started a thread and gone on for over 20 pages about inadequate provision of cycle lanes and now you admit that you don't use them anyway?

 

It's not the only thing that doesn't add up.

 

You state you won't cycle on Clarkhouse Road because it's too busy yet you cycle along Ecclesall Road instead, which is even busier.

 

You ask people to find you alternative routes to work, then when they come up with a suggestion you pick holes in it and decide to use one of the busiest roads in Sheffield instead.

 

You also claim you can cycle 4 miles in 13 minutes during the rush hour. That's an average speed of over 18 miles an hour; the only way you could do this is by cycling recklessly - overtaking cars on the inside, going through red lights and so on.

 

So what is this thread about, Tony? Inadequate cycle lanes or other road users being a danger to cyclists? If it's the latter, perhaps you ought to show respect to other road users and not cycle dangerously yourself?

 

You've gone and spoiled your previous good work. I refer you to #326 to begin your re-education

[GordonBennet]

You've gone and spoiled your previous good work. I refer you to #326 to begin your re-education

 

Patronising berk!

 

But once again you miss the point. Cycle lanes/paths are intended to make cycling safer and more enjoyable, not to help you get to work as fast as possible. This is why some cycle paths don't always seem to take the most direct route - yes some are just badly planned but most are intended to keep you safe and away from heavy traffic.

 

Not everyone cycles like a maniac trying to get to work as quick as possible. If kids, families or old people are trying cycling for the first time, isn't it better for them to have plenty of cycle paths to go on rather than being forced onto the road?

[Tony]

I would content that I don't ride like a maniac but you'll have to trust me on that one until I tap your passenger window at 30mph.

 

I'm not missing the point though GB. We have to agree that cycle paths aren't for everyone and we must also agree that the network is largely rubbish both in design, implementation and maintenance. We will also agree that cycle paths are great for lots of people if they don't mind putting up (or don't notice) with the huge problems.

 

They do have a place in encouraging more folk onto their pushbikes so I certainly wouldn't want to see them go. But most people just want to go somewhere for a reason and that's the key thing to remember with getting more folk out of cars and onto pushbikes. The network (roads, paths, bridleways, whatever) needs some TLC but more importantly it needs a change in attitude.

 

Once pushbikes are recognised as just another road user rather than an afterthought (or worse an annoyance) we'll see a real uptake in their use. They should have equal access to all of the network and not be in mortal danger simply because some motorists have attitude problems while inside their tin boxes. Cyclists break and bleed and die when they get hit by vehicles. Paintwork scratches polish out.

 

Where they have equal status (say York or Cambridge) they are very popular. With that popularity comes a healthier population, reduced carbon and perhaps surprisingly fewer road injuries among cyclists and other road users.

 

As lesson too of your re-education (patronising berk that I am ) have a browse through some of the cycle paths on this website. You'll struggle not to raise a smirk or two.

 

http://www.warringtoncyclecampaign.co.uk

[Agent Orange]

Not everyone cycles like a maniac trying to get to work as quick as possible. If kids, families or old people are trying cycling for the first time, isn't it better for them to have plenty of cycle paths to go on rather than being forced onto the road?

 

The people you mentioned are the kind of people who stick to paths in parks and would not resort to cycling on busy roads. The type of cyclists that tend to use the road, or the busier roads, are those that communte to and from work. Such as myself and several others on this thread. It would be ideal if there was a network of designated paths to take us directly from our homes to work, but as there is not, we have to share the road with the traffic.

 

All we ask is for motorists to give us space and respect. After all, if a motorist collides with me, they will get a dent and a few scratches whereas I could potentially be killed.

[Tony]

GB, as lesson #3 of your re-education, and when you've had a smirk at those barmy cycle paths take a look at these images of bikes and cyclists under lorries.

 

She will never walk again http://i.thisis.co.uk/274156/binaries/Cyclist%20crushed%20on%20Cotham%20Hill,%20Bristol.jpg

 

She is dead http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CFaWFwKkBYM/Skp_DTFGk8I/AAAAAAAAFpw/mEEVEmfzyKA/s400/a-female-cyclist-died-after-being-hit-by-a-lorry-in-south-london_0.jpg

 

She is dying http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/04/09/article-1168705-045EDB94000005DC-833_468x474.jpg

 

All women in their 30's.

 

 

 

Just a little more space and patience would be just luverly. Thanks.