The advice given to cyclists is not to do it on a busy or narrow road.

 

Maybe whilst were are licensing cyclist we can licence pedestrians who are afraid of dogs, they should perhaps wear a big badge, with a picture of a dog on it (obviously only in public places though)

This would then allow dog owners to spot them ealier enough to take measures to protect the "licenced" pedestrian from agitating the dog and potentially getting bitten by it

Because the simple fact is the pedestrian would probably come off worse in any encounter with a dog - it would be for their own safety

 

I think what this thread (and other cycling focused threads) illustrate is that the battle lines have been drawn long ago and there will never be a solution.

Whether we or anyone else likes it or not it is the cycling fraternity versus the motoring fraternity out there now.

Both sides have taken increasingly extreme standpoints with the motoring mob suggesting all cylists are a menace and as they don't pay anthing to use the road they have no rights while the cycling lot feel they should be a priority on the road over and above vehicles, argue against any licensing, legislation or otherwise and support these daft think tanks that do things like suggest any collision involving a cyclist and a vehicle should automatically be assumed to be the vehicle driver's fault not to mention the Youtube vigilantes with their cams and yelling out registration plates all the time!

I doubt there is a solution as both sides have dug in now so separating them as much as possible on the raod seems to be the only answer.

On a personal level I see good and bad drivers on the roads and good and bad cyclists... the thing I can't get my head round is why as a cyclist they do some of the things they do given their vulnerability... sometimes they run a red light and there is zero danger... yet sometimes I have seen them do the same thing at a set of lights where anything could happen.... and often does! It seems a crazy way to behave to me but that's up to them I guess!

 

It is inconsiderate.
I ride regularly and I never do it.
Whether it is legal or not - who cares?

 

That's what I'm getting at, cyclist today seem to have a total lack of self preservation and common sense. For example, the number of cyclist that simply signal and then manoeuvre, rather than give it the quick look over the shoulder routine first.

 

Just read about this silly bitch:

http://news.uk.msn.com/tweet-driver-...cyber-bullying

 

Are all country lanes busy and narrow?

Nik

 

Strictly speaking a car passing a cyclist is meant to give as much room as if passing another car therefore two abreast makes little difference unless the passing car is giving minimal room or forcing the single rider into the gutter.

We ride two abreast but only on quiet lanes and single out if the road is gets busy.
I always wear the correct gear and I'm insured

Nik.

 

remember watching a program on cyclists Vs Motorists , and a cyclist deliberately sat in the middle of his lane of a road as he decided that it was too dangerous for traffic to overtake him . Now i can see his point , as no doubt there will be some that would try to squeeze past , but he didnt half **** off about 20 drivers stuck behind him tootling down the road ! My suggestion would have been to stop and let traffic past (like tractors do sometimes) or pop up onto the footpath on that section of the road , as it would be safest for all involved. But his (and most cyclists i presume) opinion would be "why should i ? im not breaking the law, I have as much right on the road as anyone" etc etc.

 

That's plain daft

There is actually a moped rider round here who practices the same nonsense, and the road is definitely wide enough for cars to pass. Personally I think he's taking the ****.

Don't think it'll end well for him/her

 

Depends where you live, question is why do some cyclists need to ride side by side. They are making themselves a bigger target and make it more difficult for motorists to overtake. I suppose it all comes down to common sense at the end of the day and being aware of the environment your in and the risks that both cyclists and motorists are willing to take.

 

 

A bigger target

 

Sorry , a bigger slow moving target

 

Yep and when you hit them just don't Tweet about it

 

Car drivers all speed, have no insurance, and throw litter out their windows. Ban them from the roads.

 

FFS not all of them throw litter out of their windows, some just tip it out onto the road when they arrive at their destination

 

29 Careless, and inconsiderate, cycling.

If a person rides a cycle on a road without due care and attention, or without reasonable consideration for other persons using the road, he is guilty of an offence.

IMHO, it is inconsiderate to be holding up other road users unnecessarily, if you can ride single file and allow vehicles to pass, then why not do it? Once they've passed you can then ride two abreast, yacking on with your mate and enjoying your ride without thinking about the queues of vehicles behind you that will no doubt be getting irate due to your inconsiderate cycling.
I can never understand why a cyclist would want to be closer to a tonne of moving metal (2 a breast) as opposed to single file? No matter how wide the road is, a vehicle can always give a cyclist more room if they simply ride in single file. To me, its a no brainer.

 

Lol a bigger target.

How dare they make it more difficult to overtake and cause you irritation. I am sure your journey is far more important. I mean if they were one behind the other you could squeeze past with on coming traffic and get to your destination a whole 30 seconds earlier.

 

I don't cycle all that much now - country lanes plus National speed limit = doom.
Been a lot of deaths down here too - a real shame.

I have seen some dreadful cycling and proper aggression from riders (usually in team tops, a bit middle aged) but also experienced horrendous driving from others.

Love riding at our trail centre as there's no roads; just a bit awkward to find 2-3 spare hours to ride there often!

 

Sarcastic pr1ck . I was just making comment about how cyclists can prevent putting themselves at risk.

 

It's about reducing danger and forcing the speeding, uninsured, litter throwing car driver to 'plan' their overtaking move.

 

It's also about teaching " the whole road belongs to me " cyclists that there are other road users about. It's about time cyclists were made to take a test before being allowed to put themselves and others at risk on britains roads. I admit there are bad drivers out there but there are also a lot of cyclists out there who haven't got a clue

 

They are doing nothing wrong.

Why are you irritated by the riding 2 abreast? I am sure you would happily slow for a horse, tractor walkers etc.

I feel it's you who feels they own the road.

Chill out and share the road.

 

I would also slow down for the cyclist, can you explain why cyclists find it necessary to ride side by side.

 

Bad drivers and bad riders abound, elevate yourself and just treat others as you wish to be treated...it's not rocket science, it's same as the rest of life.

As for a test/registration/mandatory helmets it will not happen, get over it and move on

 

because it's pleasant to chat to your friends whilst riding, obviously dependant on road conditions.

Those that don't 'oil up' into single file if they are holding traffic up are being inconsiderate for sure.

 

Holding up traffic does not mean delaying a few car drivers by a few seconds.

 

Oh dear, what a mess a dead cyclist makes on the road and the inconvenience for other road users, then there's the poor bugger that gets to scrape them off the tarmac.

Think about it guys, it's extremely inconsiderate to kill oneself.

When riding a bicycle on the road one should take All necessary precautions to avoid being squished.

I no longer ride a bicycle on the road but I did commute to work 3 miles each way in my yoof, no helmet or high vizz, had several incidents, one of which included a car driver actually trying to run me over because he took exception to my filtering and beating him off the lights, oh yeah and I must admit I clipped his wing mirror, which was obviously an offence he considered to be punishable by death.

If I were forced into a situation where I had to do it again i'd be wearing both a high vizz and helmet.

I'm all for a cycle proficiency scheme, I took one in the 6 weeks holiday at a local youth club many, many years ago and it certainly raised my awareness, and probably saved my life too.

At the end of the day a common sense approach is needed when cycling on the road, which is something I think is probably lacking on both sides of the argument.

If you barreling down in between lines of traffic dis-obaying the rules of the road and the **** hits the fan, then unfortunately it's all part of the risk you take, as a cyclist one needs to bare in mind most road users are numpties at the best of times, never mind when they are still half asleep at 7.30 am or tired and want to get home after a days work.

I have said it before but will say it again for those that don't know, probably because they never took a cycling proficiency test.

Cyclist ARE instructed to "Command" their road position so as to avoid some idiot trying to pass in a dangerous manner, so on a busy narrow road that means riding out of the gutter to force car drivers to wait until they are able to pass without oncoming traffic thereby protecting themselves from idiots that pass too close and force them into the gutter.

 

exactly...a bit of empathy goes a long way