Cycling UK Forum

snibgo wrote:I suspect the "leisure" argument comes into this. People on important business, or travelling to/from work, hate being delayed by people they regard as at leisure.

Possibly, but the 'leisure' cyclists are out on Sunday mornings, when most motorists are I assume similarly engaged in leisure activities.

The people cycling along fast main roads in the cold and dark at rushhour are to anyone I would have thought obviously not doing it for fun.

I think the problem is people just don't want to be delayed.

I was coming home earlier from the supermarket, a car started to pass me on an urban road, but there was a full-length bus just ahead, which ended up having to wait 30 seconds or so, as our side of the road was blocked by parked cars. The car saw me as something that was slow, that would hold him up. Many car drivers will pass on blind bends,on the wrong side of the road, in the face of oncoming traffic, as they perceive bicycles as sort of farm tractors, slow and guaranteed to obstruct them for hours on end if they don't pass immediately.

In this case the car that passed me had to back up off due to the bus ahead and I didn't hold him up. But no doubt I was an irritation.

Here is one example of an

'annoying cyclist'

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QclZv4lAlSw

There is a nice wide road here with plenty of room to overtake using the other lane. Cyclist is kitted up, looks to be doing over 20mph, cycling roughly in the middle of the lane at the start of the clip in order to pass parked car, more parked cars clearly in view, and he stays in the middle of the lane,which is much more sensible than moving back in in order to have to move out again, potentially into the path of moving traffic (don't change position unnecessarily), when he's passing second group of parked cars, the car behind beeps his horn in contravention of Highway Code, then passes within 5 seconds, having been held up in total for under 10 seconds. Cyclist catches car at next lights anyway, and remonstrates with him, is much more articulate/better informed than the car driver.

Most popular comment on the video is 'the more videos of yours i watch, the more i hate you'.

Which seems to reflect the public attitude. The driver is not delayed in the slightest by the cyclist, but this apparently justifies the comments, most of which are on the lines of 'hope you get knocked off'.

eileithyia wrote:But they hadn't started to cross, until I virtually ran into them, I was always taught to look before in all directions before I started to cross at a junction.

Yeah, but the "already started to cross" proviso also applies to zebra crossings, but I wouldn't fancy your chances if you ran into someone on one. The thing is, what qualifies as "already started to cross" - already started when you signal? When you start the turn? When you run into them? Simpler to just cede priority to pedestrians crossing junctions, as one tends to at zebra crossings.

It's no bad thing to look in all directions before crossing - I do, because I know most road users don't realise that they should cede priority if I'm already crossing. But if they don't, then I think the onus is on you to avoid them. If you see them approaching the entrance, assume they're going to cross.

thelawnet wrote:Here is one example of an

'annoying cyclist'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QclZv4lAlSw

There is a nice wide road here with plenty of room to overtake using the other lane. Cyclist is kitted up, looks to be doing over 20mph, cycling roughly in the middle of the lane at the start of the clip in order to pass parked car, more parked cars clearly in view, and he stays in the middle of the lane,which is much more sensible than moving back in in order to have to move out again, potentially into the path of moving traffic (don't change position unnecessarily), when he's passing second group of parked cars, the car behind beeps his horn in contravention of Highway Code, then passes within 5 seconds, having been held up in total for under 10 seconds. Cyclist catches car at next lights anyway, and remonstrates with him, is much more articulate/better informed than the car driver.

Most popular comment on the video is 'the more videos of yours i watch, the more i hate you'.

Which seems to reflect the public attitude. The driver is not delayed in the slightest by the cyclist, but this apparently justifies the comments, most of which are on the lines of 'hope you get knocked off'.

Don't take youtube comments as representative of anything -

^

Cars towing caravans have a 10 mph reduction of the speed limit.

Outside built-up areas on a National Speed limit single carriageway road, Cars and vans have a 60 mph limit. Cars and vans towing caravans or trailers have a 50 mph limit.
It is courtousy for cars and vans towing caravans or trailers to pull over and allow traffic past when possible.

Trucks weighing over 7.5 tons, its 40 mph !!

When the vehicle has a width of less than 600mm, there is no obligation to pull over and allow traffic to pass.

True, or False ?????

Ayesha wrote:Cars towing caravans have a 10 mph reduction of the speed limit.

Outside built-up areas on a National Speed limit single carriageway road, Cars and vans have a 60 mph limit. Cars and vans towing caravans or trailers have a 50 mph limit.
It is courtousy for cars and vans towing caravans or trailers to pull over and allow traffic past when possible.

Trucks weighing over 7.5 tons, its 40 mph !!

When the vehicle has a width of less than 600mm, there is no obligation to pull over and allow traffic to pass.

True, or False ?????

Never an obligation - but a suggestion to facilitate smooth traffic flow. Of course the difference between a wide and slow (by law) vehicle and a thin(ish) and slow (by the laws of physics) vehicle is that it takes MUCH longer to overtake a car and caravan doing just 10mph slower than you, especially when you can't see past said vehicle for any distance, than it does to overtake a vehicle shorter than most?all cars without a trailer that it travelling 30 mph slower than you, particularly when due to their narrow stature you can see past them...

A nice relaxing holiday would be a good idea. How about Tiree?

Just been out, annoying people as usual.

This time was taking my son to Cubs. Route goes 350 metres along a main road (30mph, residential area), then we turn right.

I ride in about the middle of the lane, my son to my left - he's young and lacks full road sense, so I prefer this arrangement. Having joined the road it's always reasonably busy so there's a car behind in short order. It doesn't seem in a hurry to overtake, and is I think holding back, missing an overtaking opportunity - perhaps he doesn't like to pass in this sort of residential zone, or perhaps he's mindful of the small boy (9), albeit that he's being shepherded by me.

Very shortly there is a queue behind the car behind us, and I hear 'beep beep beep'. Not the angriest horn beeping, but horn nonetheless. I think it's not the car behidn us, maybe the one behind him. Hmm, not good, this idiot could encourage about 10 cars to do a lemming overtake, I move out a little more.

'Beep beep beep' again, perhaps twice more. This is quite off-putting. I say to my son 'we're turning right here'. Unfortunately for whatever reason, one or both of us distracted, I probably don't give him as much instruction as I would normally, perhaps my own position is off, perhaps I/we feel rushed, whatever it is, he turns into my rear wheel. No harm done but he takes a few extra seconds to turn, by which time there's now oncoming traffic, albeit not yet upon him.

Anyway, 350 metres, at about 18kph average = about 60 seconds. Obviously very annoying for someone.....

Could adopt a different road positioning on this road, but having been knocked off by an overeager overtaker here (same place) before am not keen to compromise my safety....

Probably annoyed some people coming home too, they all had to wait till the road was clear for me to do turn right. Probably waited 30 seconds..... Maybe they should send me a bill.

Ayesha wrote:Outside built-up areas on a National Speed limit single carriageway road, Cars and vans have a 60 mph limit.
Trucks weighing over 7.5 tons, its 40 mph !!
True, or False ?????

False - Highway code says 50mph for goods vehicles not exceeding 7.5 tonnes (i.e vans).

When the vehicle has a width of less than 600mm, there is no obligation to pull over and allow traffic to pass.
True, or False ?????

Where did that idea come from? I've seen people with panniers wider than that and it would automatically exclude any form of tricycle. How about hand carts etc (being a bit silly there I admit).

I took a look at the "get out of my way" Youtube posting above, including the responses, no doubt from the driver concerned and all his mates. Was initially considering to add my penniesworth of wisdom to youtube, but then thought better of it, after all you cannot reason with low-life.
What I have noticed in this incidence, and previously elsewhere is how quickly people resort to expletives in reply to reasoned arguement when they have nothing intelligent to say. Do they really think that right is determined by the side that resorts to such gutter language? Perhaps so.
Also, this driver was clearly upset by the presence of this cyclist. However, the rider was going the distance from one parked car to another. How often do you see a car swinging in away from the centre of the road, having passed one parked car and with another ahead. Or for that matter, change from lane 2 to lane 1 after overtaking, then pull out moments later to overtake another?
Another example of the disparity between motorists and cyclists. On my daily commute I have to stop a lot because of a parked car in my path when there is another coming the other way. We take this in our stride and do not think this is strange. I don't think I have ever heard one motorist held up in this way, shouting/beeping at a parked/stopped-to-make-a-phone-call, to get off the road and out of their way. Yet I bet if a cyclist was in that spot where someone normally parks their car, drivers would not hesitate to start thumping their horns.

tatanab wrote:

Ayesha wrote:Outside built-up areas on a National Speed limit single carriageway road, Cars and vans have a 60 mph limit.
Trucks weighing over 7.5 tons, its 40 mph !!
True, or False ?????

False - Highway code says 50mph for goods vehicles not exceeding 7.5 tonnes (i.e vans).

So what's it say for Goods Vehicles exceeding 7.5 tonnes?

Ayesha wrote:

tatanab wrote:

Ayesha wrote:Outside built-up areas on a National Speed limit single carriageway road, Cars and vans have a 60 mph limit.
Trucks weighing over 7.5 tons, its 40 mph !!
True, or False ?????

False - Highway code says 50mph for goods vehicles not exceeding 7.5 tonnes (i.e vans).

So what's it say for Goods Vehicles exceeding 7.5 tonnes?

His point is that vans (unless car based vans, of course) have a 50mph limit, not a 60.

thelawnet wrote:Just been out, annoying people as usual.

This time was taking my son to Cubs. Route goes 350 metres along a main road (30mph, residential area), then we turn right.

I ride in about the middle of the lane, my son to my left - he's young and lacks full road sense, so I prefer this arrangement. Having joined the road it's always reasonably busy so there's a car behind in short order. It doesn't seem in a hurry to overtake, and is I think holding back, missing an overtaking opportunity - perhaps he doesn't like to pass in this sort of residential zone, or perhaps he's mindful of the small boy (9), albeit that he's being shepherded by me.

Very shortly there is a queue behind the car behind us, and I hear 'beep beep beep'. Not the angriest horn beeping, but horn nonetheless. I think it's not the car behidn us, maybe the one behind him. Hmm, not good, this idiot could encourage about 10 cars to do a lemming overtake, I move out a little more.

'Beep beep beep' again, perhaps twice more. This is quite off-putting. I say to my son 'we're turning right here'. Unfortunately for whatever reason, one or both of us distracted, I probably don't give him as much instruction as I would normally, perhaps my own position is off, perhaps I/we feel rushed, whatever it is, he turns into my rear wheel. No harm done but he takes a few extra seconds to turn, by which time there's now oncoming traffic, albeit not yet upon him.

Anyway, 350 metres, at about 18kph average = about 60 seconds. Obviously very annoying for someone.....

Could adopt a different road positioning on this road, but having been knocked off by an overeager overtaker here (same place) before am not keen to compromise my safety....

Probably annoyed some people coming home too, they all had to wait till the road was clear for me to do turn right. Probably waited 30 seconds..... Maybe they should send me a bill.

I took my son out cycling when he was nine. The first thing I taught him was the meaning of the instruction "Singling out". That means he leads and I follow in single file.
At a right turn, I did all the looking, signalling and manouvering in parallel to shouting instructions for him to do the same.

http://www.abd.org.uk/know_your_speed_limits.htm

It was the trucks at 40mph I thought he was objecting about.