Biggest Threats to Cyclists?

DCodd

thelawnet wrote: »

This test doesn't appear to serve any useful public policy goal. Cyclists are not by any objective standard dangerous to others (cars on the other hand cause £billions in damage/deaths in year). Driving tests don't really do a very good job of stopping people driving like tw@ts either - you find that young drivers drive dangerously and older ones more safely, this even having passed a test.



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I disagree. Having a basic knowledge of the Highway Code is essential, it is also essential that the Primary and secondary positions and their advised useage be included within the highway code. At least that way cyclists, motorcyclists, car, van and lorry drivers are all using the same advice and can have an idea of what is the expected and acceptable behaviour for all on the road.

The situation at the moment is contradictory. No one has told the other road users that cyclists have been advised to ride in the primary position and in what circumstances! And that is plain stupid!

One other thing regarding cyclists posing little or no risk of death. 10 - 15 stone of person and bike travelling at 18-20mph is plenty enough weight and momentum to kill, let alone the 40+ mph speeds you see posted on Strava and the like.

Cycrow

reason2 wrote: »

cyclists are a big danger... yesterday i was leaving work and i was at the lights outside old trafford if anyone knows it.. and i thought im going to honk at every cyclists who goes through a red light on to the main road - whilst i was at the reds i honked 5 cyclists - 3 of which stopped - 2 went straight through and across the main road like a game of frogger.

this after they have done a lot of work building cycle lanes and advance boxes for cyclists.

i find them much more inconsiderate than any driver

on the flip side, i've seen lots of drivers also going through red lights.
Numerous times i've come up to the red lights and had several cars overtake me and go straight through lights.

1 time i counted 13 cars going through after the lights had changed.

I have almost been hit by a driver going through lights as well. I was at a junction waiting for the lights to change. Then they were green and i went across the junction only for a women to also start moving and almost went straight into me. The lights for her were still on red, she waited for the pedestrian lights to go off, assumed her lights would be changed next and just went.

PS: honking at cyclists jumping red lights would actually be illegal

DCodd

Cycrow wrote: »

on the flip side, i've seen lots of drivers also going through red lights.
Numerous times i've come up to the red lights and had several cars overtake me and go straight through lights.

1 time i counted 13 cars going through after the lights had changed.

I have almost been hit by a driver going through lights as well. I was at a junction waiting for the lights to change. Then they were green and i went across the junction only for a women to also start moving and almost went straight into me. The lights for her were still on red, she waited for the pedestrian lights to go off, assumed her lights would be changed next and just went.

PS: honking at cyclists jumping red lights would actually be illegal

To be fair, all road users have elements within them that are quite happy to break the law. No one set of road users are any different to another.

When I drive I come across just as many idiotic cyclists, horse riders, car drivers and motorcyclists as I do when I cycle.

AndyBSG

DCodd wrote: »

No one has told the other road users that cyclists have been advised to ride in the primary position and in what circumstances! And that is plain stupid!

This.

The amount of times I have been abused by drivers for taking primary because they simply don't understand why i'm doing it is shocking.

reason2

Cycrow wrote: »

on the flip side, i've seen lots of drivers also going through red lights.
Numerous times i've come up to the red lights and had several cars overtake me and go straight through lights.

1 time i counted 13 cars going through after the lights had changed.

I have almost been hit by a driver going through lights as well. I was at a junction waiting for the lights to change. Then they were green and i went across the junction only for a women to also start moving and almost went straight into me. The lights for her were still on red, she waited for the pedestrian lights to go off, assumed her lights would be changed next and just went.

PS: honking at cyclists jumping red lights would actually be illegal

im not saying its only cyclists, im saying these road laws should apply to all, and cyclists tend to say "its more dangerous for a car to do it so focus on that"

i disagree - its dangerous for everyone to do it.

and im not sure how it is illegal, it is acceptable to honk to warn another road user of danger and since these were cycling in to on coming traffic - it made sense to warn them of the danger their stupidy was leading them to..

reason2

AndyBSG wrote: »

This.

The amount of times I have been abused by drivers for taking primary because they simply don't understand why i'm doing it is shocking.

on the flip side - the amount of times ive asked cyclists why they dont use the advanced boxes that they are legally required to stop in and they say going through the red light is safer is stupid.

if everyone follows the rules everyone is safer.. its people making their own rules up and then people making another one up to counter the made up rule that causes problems..

Cycrow

reason2 wrote: »

im not saying its only cyclists, im saying these road laws should apply to all, and cyclists tend to say "its more dangerous for a car to do it so focus on that"

the fact is, cars are more dangerous than bikes.
in a perfect world everyone should be following the rules, and everyone who breaks them should be focused on.

unfortunately, we dont live in a perfect world, there are not enough police to enforce everything, so if they have limited resources to enforce the rules, then it makes sense to focus on the most dangerous first

reason2 wrote: »

on the flip side - the amount of times ive asked cyclists why they dont use the advanced boxes that they are legally required to stop in and they say going through the red light is safer is stupid.

technically, it can be safer for cyclists to go through red lights. There are not that many accidents/death from cyclists who jump red lights, but there are alot that happen at junctions where the cyclist has stopped. Some of these cyclist deaths would have been prevented if the cyclist had actually jumped the lights.

im not saying cyclists should jump red lights, as i dont agree they should, but its wrong to say its always more dangerous to do so.

if drivers stopped rolling into the ASL's, and stop trying to jump past cyclists at lights and being abit more patient, junctions would end up being alot safer for everyone.

only time i jump red lights is when drivers pull into the ASL's or try and pull up next to me, then i go over the stop line to get infront of them again

sdavies13

Let's be honest all road users have an element that are arrogant and self centered, sadly seems to be human nature.

I have seen pedestrians walk out in front of cars at junctions without consideration if the driver is likely to stop (sure the pedestrian has right of way but even so, I'd rather be safe than right and dead).

I have been hit by a cyclist going through the red light on a pedestrian crossing. He was really angry with me as I didn't jump out of his way (I saw him approaching but as I was already on the crossing and the green man was shown did expect him to stop).

And the number of times I have seen drivers doing something dangerous are too many to count. Even seen a police driver using his mobile phone whilst driving (don't think it was his radio but even so...).

I am not a driver though I have read the Highway Code and Cyclecraft to try and prepare myself for the commute. In my example with the bus trying to run me off the road Friday I was in the primary position in the left hand lane (left turn and straight on, right being for right turns only), sadly the bus driver decided to use the right hand lane to overtake me then bullied his way into my lane as the road narrowed.

Finally I would admit to having gone through a few red lights but generally not at busy junctions, only where I can see the opposing traffic are not going to get to me before I got across. Mind I have also sat at red lights for what seems an eternity before they finally changed, and there was no traffic going in the opposing direction.

Thankfully having now commuted over 330 miles I am happy to say the "incidents" I have seen have numbered no more than 6, 2 involving other cyclists, 1 white van driver, 2 cars and the bus on Friday. Oddly both cars did the same thing, overtaking me then pulling across my front before slowing up (one to turn into a road, the other to park). Though that doesn't include the various lemming like pedestrians.

Oh and PS, I am still shocked the number of cyclists I see shooting across junctions without checking for any traffic turning. I always slow up and look back to try and see if anything is coming up on me, which isn't so easy when you have to wear prescription cycling glasses.

Norman_Castle

reason2 wrote: »

cyclists are a big danger... yesterday i was leaving work and i was at the lights outside old trafford if anyone knows it.. and i thought im going to honk at every cyclists who goes through a red light on to the main road - whilst i was at the reds i honked 5 cyclists - 3 of which stopped - 2 went straight through and across the main road like a game of frogger.

this after they have done a lot of work building cycle lanes and advance boxes for cyclists.

i find them much more inconsiderate than any driver

Sounding your horn at cyclists going through red lights is not using it correctly. Its not your job to police the roads.
Were your findings on inconsiderate road users based on both driving and cycling or just the view from your car?

kerri_gt

I have no issue sharing the road with cyclists, what does annoy me is those which dress from head to toe in black, and then have no lights on their bikes to boot - then wonder why drivers find it difficult to see them in the dark.

If motor vehicles drive around with no lights on, they get pulled by the police. Cyclists, you can see motors because of their lights, they can't see you if you don't have any.