i'm no longer comfortable on the roads

Commuting, Day rides, Audax, Incidents, etc.
mattheus
Posts: 5030
Joined: 29 Dec 2008, 12:57pm
Location: Western Europe

Re: i'm no longer comfortable on the roads

Post by mattheus »

prestavalve wrote: 5 Nov 2021, 11:22am
mattheus wrote: 5 Nov 2021, 10:10am So if I ignore this pointless off-topic whinge about renewals for two days, you promise to stop harping on about it??
Well, you just did a pretty poor job of ignoring it - but I'll stop harping on about anything after today.
OK. And here's the smiley that you edited out, just to help you have a nice day: :-)
CinnabarMoth
Posts: 50
Joined: 5 Nov 2021, 7:46am

Re: i'm no longer comfortable on the roads

Post by CinnabarMoth »

I grew up on a bike in London, cycling round the Hyde Park Corner roundabout was terrifying before they put the traffic lights in, these days on the whole I find it easier, there are concessions to cyclists at busy junctions and dual use bike lanes where the pavement is wide enough help. I think for an objective idea of how cycling risk has changed over the years then one would need to see figures on cycling accidents per mile ridden.
What I do find quite tragic is that cyclists are still being killed by finding themselves in the blind spot on the inside of a large turning vehicle, riders have been killed by that one ever since I started riding on the road at 8 years old.
ChrisP100
Posts: 298
Joined: 24 Sep 2020, 9:00am

Re: i'm no longer comfortable on the roads

Post by ChrisP100 »

CinnabarMoth wrote: 19 Nov 2021, 12:26pm I grew up on a bike in London, cycling round the Hyde Park Corner roundabout was terrifying before they put the traffic lights in, these days on the whole I find it easier, there are concessions to cyclists at busy junctions and dual use bike lanes where the pavement is wide enough help. I think for an objective idea of how cycling risk has changed over the years then one would need to see figures on cycling accidents per mile ridden.
What I do find quite tragic is that cyclists are still being killed by finding themselves in the blind spot on the inside of a large turning vehicle, riders have been killed by that one ever since I started riding on the road at 8 years old.
I started riding on the roads (local ones at least) from a similar age. I was riding on busy, multi-lane roundabouts from the age of about 12 (more than a few years ago sadly) with no dedicated cycle lanes/paths. I think one of the issues is that although modern cycling infrastructure has made it on the whole safer it does all too often give riders and drivers a skewed perspective on road safety. Cyclists are no longer forced to ride assertively, tending to passively interface with the traffic. This generally becomes a problem when riders and traffic combine at pinch points and junctions because drivers no longer see cyclists as an integral component of the traffic.

Education is needed on both sides, but I'm not sure how we are going to achieve this.
pete75
Posts: 16356
Joined: 24 Jul 2007, 2:37pm

Re: i'm no longer comfortable on the roads

Post by pete75 »

ChrisP100 wrote: 4 Nov 2021, 1:58pm
Jamesh wrote: 3 Nov 2021, 10:06pm Narrow Devon roads are the worst roads to ride on imho.

The drivers drive like Colin McRae rip.

The lanes are narrow and hedges high.

The A road to the north and south are very busy.

Cheers James
Have you been to Lincolnshire? :)
I live there. Hundreds of miles of back roads with very little traffic. Great cycling county.
If you want truly bad try Marseille in the rush hour.
'Give me my bike, a bit of sunshine - and a stop-off for a lunchtime pint - and I'm a happy man.' - Reg Baker
ChrisP100
Posts: 298
Joined: 24 Sep 2020, 9:00am

Re: i'm no longer comfortable on the roads

Post by ChrisP100 »

pete75 wrote: 19 Nov 2021, 3:52pm
ChrisP100 wrote: 4 Nov 2021, 1:58pm
Jamesh wrote: 3 Nov 2021, 10:06pm Narrow Devon roads are the worst roads to ride on imho.

The drivers drive like Colin McRae rip.

The lanes are narrow and hedges high.

The A road to the north and south are very busy.

Cheers James
Have you been to Lincolnshire? :)
I live there. Hundreds of miles of back roads with very little traffic. Great cycling county.
If you want truly bad try Marseille in the rush hour.
Marseille at any time... :lol:

To be fair to Lincolnshire, it's not too bad. Just my commute can be a bit 'sporty' at times.
pete75
Posts: 16356
Joined: 24 Jul 2007, 2:37pm

Re: i'm no longer comfortable on the roads

Post by pete75 »

ChrisP100 wrote: 19 Nov 2021, 10:32pm
pete75 wrote: 19 Nov 2021, 3:52pm
ChrisP100 wrote: 4 Nov 2021, 1:58pm
Have you been to Lincolnshire? :)
I live there. Hundreds of miles of back roads with very little traffic. Great cycling county.
If you want truly bad try Marseille in the rush hour.
Marseille at any time... :lol:

To be fair to Lincolnshire, it's not too bad. Just my commute can be a bit 'sporty' at times.
Which roads? The worst I've found for riding in Lincs is the A1.
'Give me my bike, a bit of sunshine - and a stop-off for a lunchtime pint - and I'm a happy man.' - Reg Baker
ChrisP100
Posts: 298
Joined: 24 Sep 2020, 9:00am

Re: i'm no longer comfortable on the roads

Post by ChrisP100 »

pete75 wrote: 21 Nov 2021, 4:00pm
ChrisP100 wrote: 19 Nov 2021, 10:32pm
pete75 wrote: 19 Nov 2021, 3:52pm

I live there. Hundreds of miles of back roads with very little traffic. Great cycling county.
If you want truly bad try Marseille in the rush hour.
Marseille at any time... :lol:

To be fair to Lincolnshire, it's not too bad. Just my commute can be a bit 'sporty' at times.
Which roads? The worst I've found for riding in Lincs is the A1.
Lincoln High street at rush hour, and the A15 any time of the day/night. I've ridden on the A1 once; never again.

The High street isn't particularly fast, but there is a lot of clutter and parked cars. It's very difficult not to end up getting squeezed into the door zone, and the amount of people pulling blind U-turns in the no U-turn zone is unreal. You really have to be on your A-game to navigate that road safely and it can be exhausting at times.
pete75
Posts: 16356
Joined: 24 Jul 2007, 2:37pm

Re: i'm no longer comfortable on the roads

Post by pete75 »

ChrisP100 wrote: 21 Nov 2021, 6:13pm
Lincoln High street at rush hour, and the A15 any time of the day/night. I've ridden on the A1 once; never again.

The High street isn't particularly fast, but there is a lot of clutter and parked cars. It's very difficult not to end up getting squeezed into the door zone, and the amount of people pulling blind U-turns in the no U-turn zone is unreal. You really have to be on your A-game to navigate that road safely and it can be exhausting at times.
Instead of using the High St. couldn't you use the parallel cycle path that runs alongside the Witham?
'Give me my bike, a bit of sunshine - and a stop-off for a lunchtime pint - and I'm a happy man.' - Reg Baker
ChrisP100
Posts: 298
Joined: 24 Sep 2020, 9:00am

Re: i'm no longer comfortable on the roads

Post by ChrisP100 »

pete75 wrote: 22 Nov 2021, 8:06am
ChrisP100 wrote: 21 Nov 2021, 6:13pm
Lincoln High street at rush hour, and the A15 any time of the day/night. I've ridden on the A1 once; never again.

The High street isn't particularly fast, but there is a lot of clutter and parked cars. It's very difficult not to end up getting squeezed into the door zone, and the amount of people pulling blind U-turns in the no U-turn zone is unreal. You really have to be on your A-game to navigate that road safely and it can be exhausting at times.
Instead of using the High St. couldn't you use the parallel cycle path that runs alongside the Witham?
Never really considered it to be honest; High street is bit more direct. I might give it a try and see how it compares. Either way I ultimately come out at the Brayford Pool before heading up either Spring Hill or Michaelgate to Castle Square.
Mike Sales
Posts: 7860
Joined: 7 Mar 2009, 3:31pm

Re: i'm no longer comfortable on the roads

Post by Mike Sales »

ChrisP100 wrote: 21 Nov 2021, 6:13pm
Lincoln High street at rush hour, and the A15 any time of the day/night. I've ridden on the A1 once; never again.
The A 17 is not much fun.
It's the same the whole world over
It's the poor what gets the blame
It's the rich what gets the pleasure
Isn't it a blooming shame?
pete75
Posts: 16356
Joined: 24 Jul 2007, 2:37pm

Re: i'm no longer comfortable on the roads

Post by pete75 »

Mike Sales wrote: 23 Nov 2021, 12:09pm
ChrisP100 wrote: 21 Nov 2021, 6:13pm
Lincoln High street at rush hour, and the A15 any time of the day/night. I've ridden on the A1 once; never again.
The A 17 is not much fun.
Yep but never boring!
'Give me my bike, a bit of sunshine - and a stop-off for a lunchtime pint - and I'm a happy man.' - Reg Baker
ChrisP100
Posts: 298
Joined: 24 Sep 2020, 9:00am

Re: i'm no longer comfortable on the roads

Post by ChrisP100 »

pete75 wrote: 23 Nov 2021, 1:46pm
Mike Sales wrote: 23 Nov 2021, 12:09pm
ChrisP100 wrote: 21 Nov 2021, 6:13pm
Lincoln High street at rush hour, and the A15 any time of the day/night. I've ridden on the A1 once; never again.
The A 17 is not much fun.
Yep but never boring!
That Dual- section between the Holdingham roundabout and Kirkby-la-Thorpe is lethal.
Mike Sales
Posts: 7860
Joined: 7 Mar 2009, 3:31pm

Re: i'm no longer comfortable on the roads

Post by Mike Sales »

ChrisP100 wrote: 23 Nov 2021, 2:21pm
pete75 wrote: 23 Nov 2021, 1:46pm
Mike Sales wrote: 23 Nov 2021, 12:09pm

The A 17 is not much fun.
Yep but never boring!
That Dual- section between the Holdingham roundabout and Kirkby-la-Thorpe is lethal.
Worse than further east where it is single through Heckington?
The islands on that stretch are a testing touch.
I take the lane, of course, but that needs a steady nerve. On one occasion a lorry driver resented this tactic and swerved in towards me after the constriction.
I have had many close passes hereabouts, it is difficult for a lorry driver to find a passing length with no oncoming vehicles.
It's the same the whole world over
It's the poor what gets the blame
It's the rich what gets the pleasure
Isn't it a blooming shame?
ChrisP100
Posts: 298
Joined: 24 Sep 2020, 9:00am

Re: i'm no longer comfortable on the roads

Post by ChrisP100 »

Mike Sales wrote: 23 Nov 2021, 2:35pm
ChrisP100 wrote: 23 Nov 2021, 2:21pm
pete75 wrote: 23 Nov 2021, 1:46pm
Yep but never boring!
That Dual- section between the Holdingham roundabout and Kirkby-la-Thorpe is lethal.
Worse than further east where it is single through Heckington?
The islands on that stretch are a testing touch.
I take the lane, of course, but that needs a steady nerve. On one occasion a lorry driver resented this tactic and swerved in towards me after the constriction.
I have had many close passes hereabouts, it is difficult for a lorry driver to find a passing length with no oncoming vehicles.
There aren't many decent passing places on the A17 at the best of times to be fair. That section is probably not worse than through Heckington, but there is certainly a high chance of a close, fast pass on the dual section.
pete75
Posts: 16356
Joined: 24 Jul 2007, 2:37pm

Re: i'm no longer comfortable on the roads

Post by pete75 »

Mike Sales wrote: 23 Nov 2021, 2:35pm
ChrisP100 wrote: 23 Nov 2021, 2:21pm
pete75 wrote: 23 Nov 2021, 1:46pm
Yep but never boring!
That Dual- section between the Holdingham roundabout and Kirkby-la-Thorpe is lethal.
Worse than further east where it is single through Heckington?
The islands on that stretch are a testing touch.
I take the lane, of course, but that needs a steady nerve. On one occasion a lorry driver resented this tactic and swerved in towards me after the constriction.
I have had many close passes hereabouts, it is difficult for a lorry driver to find a passing length with no oncoming vehicles.
The road through Heckington is quiet and pleasant to cycle on because the place bypassed.
'Give me my bike, a bit of sunshine - and a stop-off for a lunchtime pint - and I'm a happy man.' - Reg Baker
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