Cycling UK Forum

There are some bus lanes in Birmingham that minicabs are allowed to use. Terrible, terrible idea. They are consistently amongst the worst drivers on the road and will deliberately swerve in front of cyclists. But what may be worse is their lack of driving attention most of the time. I got a minicab back from a night out and he was actually watching a DVD while driving along.

I asked if he had any plans to do something about dangerous driving following that lorry that nearly wiped out him and the others he was cycling with a while ago. I know he's not a police chief or a judge but he can put pressure on.

There are some circumstances where it is safe to jump a red light, some where it is not. Because red lights are designed with motor vehicles in mind, not cyclists. I think there are far too many unnecessary red lights which are being used to slow traffic instead of improve safety. I have seen some - but not many - red lights which have cycle filters to the left of the lights, allowing cycles to continue as it is entirely safe for them to do so, but not safe for cars etc. However, there are some junctions where other cyclists dive through traffic like london or New York bike couriers which is not safe.

The solution is well-trained police who are able to recognise the difference, better road planning and more sensible laws, not draconian enforcement of stupid laws which do not increase safety. It should be ok for bikes to treat reds as a give way junction when turning left.

CREPELLO wrote:The creeping big brother argument would be harder to counter IMO. If the devices are self governing, there is no need for the authorities to monitor individual vehicles - it's a passive system in as much as it doesn't require active overlooking like the camera/speed trap setups do.

Although I think this system would work from a technical standpoint, do you really imagine the stack of evil proto-dictators in charge saying "oh well we *could* track track individuals with this system but we don't need to to check speeds therefore we won't bother" - no. They will bring out some utter nonsense about how it will help to "stop people downloading illegal drugs for terrorists" and push it through anyway.

Numbnuts is totally wrong IMO. Staying in primary to dissuade people from overtaking when it is dangerous to do so is ENTIRELY the correct thing to do.

Extremely variable around here, LGV and HGC drivers are generally good, but minicab drivers are the worst on the road, black cabs are slightly better, and buses range from good to deliberately dangerous.

Every week, every working day at least, Oxford - Leamington spa and back at night. Numerous problems, mainly luggage in the cycle space, but also just not enough spaces for bikes. I have to say that although the new crosscountry train layout has 1 less bike space, it seems to be less prone to being full of fat people or luggage than the old 4 spaces ones. Don't know why.

There are a couple of 20mph areas on the (main road) that I travel to the station on. Cars ignore the limit ( I know because I'm doing 20mph at that point and they overtake me ). However, I'd still far, far rather have better enforcement and training on overtaking distances (5cm is a bit too close!) , sensible places to overtake (the blind brow of a humpback bridge is not one) and parking 101: no, you CAN'T park on double yellow (or red) lines, in the cycle lane, EVEN IF you leave your indicators on.

rbrian wrote:I had to look up Godwin's Law - don't worry, I think you're safe. You didn't actually compare cars to jackbooted storm troopers. Does Godwin's Law apply to Star Wars too?

Completely OT but "Storm troopers" originally were German (not necessarily Nazi) soldiers : Sturmtruppen, used for assaulting postions.

tali42 wrote:

Swizz69 wrote:... 'getting own house in order' springs to mind - it gives drivers fewer excuses to whinge.

I'm not sure there is any point in calling for cyclists to to get their house in order. I seems to me that if cycling through red lights, without lights at night and on pavements is widespread this would indicate that the laws in this area don't carry sufficient penalties to discourage the offence and/or aren't being enforced by the police.

Or that there is something wrong with the law. I never cycle on pavements but I understand why others do, and as long as they are considerate to others on there I don't have a problem with it. Or should joggers not be allowed on the pavement? When I had a flat tyre the other day I jogged home pushing the bike, and overtook some children and elderly cyclists while doing so.

Frankly I'd like to more cyclists without lights in the dark, riding through red lights and pavement cycling fined somewhere in the region of £250, and the police to spend some of their time enforcing this. Not because I think it would increase motorists' respect for cyclists significantly, but because I don't like the law being flouted so consistently as it is at the moment.

Treating red lights as a give way junction is not any more dangerous than a give way junction itself. Pavement cycling is dangerous to the cyclist due to cars coming out of driveways without looking, not to pedestrians (unless the cyclist is being a total idiot, which isn't the same thing.)

I'd rather see the police spending their time actually enforcing traffic laws like not driving while on a mobile phone, or not overtaking with centimetres to spare. Far more lives to be saved that way.

I have been crushed between railings and a car when it suddenly decided to swerve left (no junction). I vote get rid of them.

esseesee wrote:Would it be considered acceptable to bring lots of visitors from all corners of the country to a pork pie eating contest or a beer-and-bacon festival in daylight hours during Ramadan in a park in a largely-Muslim area of, say Bradford or Oldham?

I would have no problem whatsoever with that. As long as it's not actually inside a mosque then they have no reason to complain, again, noone is forcing them to take part, and they should respect OTHER people's beliefs enough to realise this.

P.S. I agree with rualalexander, being from Morayshire myself and having lived in tayside for many years, very few of teh population actually go to church.

Plus all the evil atheists physically dragging good christians into the shops and forcing them to buy things

Or not. Yet it's apparently OK for them to force their beliefs on everyone else by doing things like scattering tacks on the road, or preventing people of other or no religion using the shops on their holy day?

Hypocrites, the lot of them.

Once you are off the bike - pushing it, without your feet on the pedals- you ARE a pedestrian. End of story. The fact that you can switch from one to the other easily in order to e.g. walk past traffic lights has nothing to do with it.

You are doing the wrong thing. If there isn't space to overtake, don't encourage people to do so. It's the act of moving over that encourages them, rather than the space, I think. When I drive - which isn't that often, TBH, but I used to a fair bit, I would probably narrow the gap slightly, if anything, making it clear that there is not enough space to overtake. Yes it requires intestinal fortitude, but if you don't feel comfortable doing so then at least stay on the route you are on.

The oncoming driver thinks "oh, they have moved over to let me overtake, I'll overtake then"