Nice people thread part 8 - worth the wait

Generali

Masomnia wrote: »

I saw a girl knocked off her bike this morning, was pretty disturbing. She was kind of lying motionless, but her eyes were looking round. She just looked terrified, was awful. A bit further on my walk I saw a woman go through a red light on her bicycle at a junction, I thought if she'd seen what I'd just seen there's no way she would have done that.

Not nice. I hope she's ok.

To stay alive and well on the roads on a bicycle takes more than a slavish adherence to the road laws. Most people killed in London on bicycles (not injured) are killed because they set off when the lights to green and are squashed by the lorry next to them that hasn't a clue they are there.

Generally at a busy set of lights I'll look to get a head start on the cars by getting ahead of the front of the queue and trying to set off as early as possible, regardless of the colour of the traffic lights. If a copper wants to give me a ticket then that's ok, I'd rather get a ticket than go under a lorry.

I ride a lot of Kms each year and do it as safely as I can. I never run a red light at speed like a lot of cyclists do. I will with caution and complete awareness of everything around me. If that upsets some people who seem some tribalistic 'them and us', cyclists vs cars rubbish then so much the better. I own 2 cars and when I drive them I'm a driver!

Masomnia

Totally agree Gen, the woman I saw was definitely of the race through at speed variety not bothering to look in the other directions, rather than the getting a head start type. As you say it's about awareness, she just went straight through, not bothered.

I hope the woman I saw in the accident was ok too, I've been checking local news online but not seen anything so can only assume she is.

Generali

Masomnia wrote: »

Totally agree Gen, the woman I saw was definitely of the race through at speed variety not bothering to look in the other directions, rather than the getting a head start type. As you say it's about awareness, she just went straight through, not bothered.

I hope the woman I saw in the accident was ok too, I've been checking local news online but not seen anything so can only assume she is.

People like that annoy me as it upsets other road users and reinforces a (mostly but not completely) unfair stereotype. I think it makes others less considerate of cyclists and makes cycling less safe as a result.

Ditto the riders that think it's ok to intimidate pedestrians from crossing the road at zebra crossings by zooming through shouting profanities.

Hell is other people.

vivatifosi

Masomnia wrote: »

Illegitimate?

Almost certainly, but there's more to it than that. She could be his, but more likely his brother's, who had illegitimate children by at least three different women as well as several by his own wife. There are a number of possibilities and I'm trying to build a case for each of them.

If you look at the baronet's father, he was actually forced to pay to maintain his illegitimate child. Then both brothers appear to have had a number of illegitimate children. In the case of the brother, these are actually well documented and there is a candidate who fits the bill. In the case of the baronet, there is no proof of anything as I've not found any names. There is evidence that there may be answers in the estate papers though. However he (the baronet) had two homes, one in the north and one in the south. While everything in paperwork terms suggests that the north is where his legitimate family were, I've also found that he kept a house in London. To all intents and purposes, he appears to have had a totally separate life there, left the wife at home and had a jolly good time in London, not going back as often as he should have.

It's quite interesting. If you trace where the kids are, both brothers spent time in London and the north, you can track them along the route back to their home town. Talk about a woman in every port. Both brothers and their father were MPs and lived a very good life. Not much has changed in 400+ years it would seem...

vivatifosi

Masomnia wrote: »

Anyway! I've got my family back to my 3x Great Grandfather in Cheshire, and it's a bit of a dead end so I think the next step is to try to find parish records. I would love to get back even just one more generation! I'm visiting a friend in a week and a half's time who lives not far away so I think I'm going to take the opportunity to visit some villages/graveyards to see what I can find

Before you go, is this website any use to you? There has been a group of people working on transcribing Cheshire parish records for a while now and it is almost finished. I've linked to the page showing where they are up to, but there is a searchable database on the same website:

http://cgi.csc.liv.ac.uk/~cprdb/

purch

Everytime I drive in central London I am amazed just how stupid some cyclists can be.

Often they do things that are perfectly legal, but they so often put themselves in positions where Lorry/Coach/Bus drivers cannot possibly see them. I am always careful in my car to ensure I am seen by large vehicles, and I am protected by a ton of steel, they just have Lycra and a plastic hat :eek:

A car driver has virtually 360 degree vision, but in these large vehicles they have much much less.

It's not a War.

No professional driver wants to risk losing his/her licence, job or liberty, let alone injure anyone.

bugslet

lemonjelly wrote: »

Trying to work out (like lir) where to go on holiday this year. Unlike lir, I'm restricted to the uk...

Not sure why you are restricted to the UK lj, but have you ever thought of the Channel Islands - are you OK on boats if flying is a no-no? Visit other islands, the climate is pretty good, usually warmer than the UK, reasonable amount to do and some very nice places to eat.

Generali wrote: »

. Most people killed in London on bicycles (not injured) are killed because they set off when the lights to green and are squashed by the lorry next to them that hasn't a clue they are there.


I. If that upsets some people who seem some tribalistic 'them and us', cyclists vs cars rubbish then so much the better. !

It's amazing how many people have no idea of the blind spots on a truck, I've often said as part of the driving test, people should spend an hour in a truck on an old airfield to get some idea of what it's like.

As for the tribal bit - we all have to co-exist and most of us manage pretty well, as you say Gen, it only takes a few road users to become overly trenchant and it becomes an us and them situation.

Very famously, this appeared on youtube. The traffic commissioner for the North west cleared the truck driver of any wrongdoing. It really demonstrates the blind spot at the front of a truck

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMaAww8N7wE

GDB2222

purch wrote: »

Everytime I drive in central London I am amazed just how stupid some cyclists can be.

Often they do things that are perfectly legal, but they so often put themselves in positions where Lorry/Coach/Bus drivers cannot possibly see them. I am always careful in my car to ensure I am seen by large vehicles, and I am protected by a ton of steel, they just have Lycra and a plastic hat :eek:

A car driver has virtually 360 degree vision, but in these large vehicles they have much much less.

It's not a War.

No professional driver wants to risk losing his/her licence, job or liberty, let alone injure anyone.

I am amazed by cyclists and runners dressed in cool, stylish, but hideously dangerous black when it's dark and raining. Visibility is seriously impaired in those conditions.

When the first thing I see of a runner is his trainers, that's seriously daft.

Generali

bugslet wrote: »

Very famously, this appeared on youtube. The traffic commissioner for the North west cleared the truck driver of any wrongdoing. It really demonstrates the blind spot at the front of a truck

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMaAww8N7wE

This gives you a very effective impression of why cyclists might want to pull ahead of trucks at traffic lights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzL0Kyk4m-8

Others can wait for the green and turn left with him if they like. If I hear their anguished screams I'll call an ambulance.

Generali

GDB2222 wrote: »

I am amazed by cyclists and runners dressed in cool, stylish, but hideously dangerous black when it's dark and raining. Visibility is seriously impaired in those conditions.

When the first thing I see of a runner is his trainers, that's seriously daft.

That's something I've only ever seen in the UK. Most places cyclists wear the most horrible and outlandish colours in order to be seen.

I wear bright colours and reflective materials. I have 2 lights each for front and rear plus a light on my helmet. I'd ride naked with my ar53 painted pink if I thought more cars would see me!