I quite agree, Tom. I am a motorist and a cyclist, and it never ceases to amaze me at how many cyclists ignore the highway code. Go through red lights, ignore pedestrian crossings, don't have lights, etc. Irriots!
.Orger
Cyclists
We motorists get a lot of stick from the cycling fraternity, for not taking enough notice of cyclists on the road. But has anyone noticed that many (or even more) cyclists think that the Highway Code doesn't apply to them. I sat here tonight and watched three cyclist blatantly ignore red traffic lights and just go straight through. If anyone of them had been run into, they most likely wouldn't have got the blame. It would have been the motorists fault.
Keep it country
1K.Orger
I quite agree, Tom. I am a motorist and a cyclist, and it never ceases to amaze me at how many cyclists ignore the highway code. Go through red lights, ignore pedestrian crossings, don't have lights, etc. Irriots!
"Step sideways, pause and study those around you. You will learn a great deal."
.Orger
Yeah and they are also prone to riding 2 or 3 a breast on the country roads, and have the cheek to 'give you the finger' if you get a wee bit too close. Just can't win mate.
He who laughs last - 'Probably didn't get it!'
New Member
Riding two abreast means that cars have to slow down to go past - I know of cyclists who have been knocked over due to cars slipping past
Cycling two abreast is in the interests of safety.
CRC
.Orger
I stand corrected. Still doesn't mean they can take up the whole side of the road does it? Even tractors pull in and let cars past.
He who laughs last - 'Probably didn't get it!'
.Orger
One breast is not enough, three is too many, but two is just right!
.Orger
One breast is not enough, three is too many, and two is just right!
I think they are an absolute disgrace and a serious hazard on the Stainland road. We came upon one the other night who was weaving all over as looking at back wheel and they didn't attempt to move in at all to let cars pass safely, someone will be hurt out there yet and I am sure the car driver will be blamed but I have witnessed them nearly cause accidents a few times in the last 3 weeks alone and I dont use that road that regularly..
Banned
You think thats bad, there was a cyclist coming in the Reiss road with no lights on regularly when I was driving at nights, I had 3 near misses with him, the last time I could see the whites of his eyes, what a gluff that was!!!
How many others nearly hit him? Ive heard of at least 5, fair enough if he went on the path , he`d be out of reach there but going on the road in darkness, thats just silly
Suspended
That would be the old guy with the racer ?Originally Posted by willowbankbear
1K.Orger
Once, on the way to inverness, We had to drive very slowly for miles behind three cyclists, riding abreast on a busy road, thus giving us no chance to over take. very frustrating. By the time we did manage to pass there was about twenty cars behind us. I thought the highway code stated that cyclists had to ride in single file?Yeah and they are also prone to riding 2 or 3 a breast on the country roads, and have the cheek to 'give you the finger' if you get a wee bit too close. Just can't win mate.
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
.Orger
As long as you are on the left hand side of the white line in the middle of the road you can cycle where you wish.For your own saftey the closer to the left the better, but with the condition of the roads it is sometimes best to cycle just to the right of the center line. I have no problem with cyclists on the road anywhere(as long as they are in their half) , its the idiots who pass you while trying to remove their mirrors because they cant be bothered crossing the road fully.
I regularlly travel well inexcess of the speed limits but always cross the road fully for cyclists, slowing for them as well. The same applies to horse riders, with slowing to 10-15 mph. Ive found that lorry drivers,bus drivers and motorcyclists are most accomodating to every type of road user. The most arrogant are usually "ive payed my road tax and i own the road" car only drivers.
1K.Orger
When you are cycling, you are supposed to stay to the left of the road, it's only when you are going to be turning right at a junction that you should move over to the right.
Cycling two/three etc.. abreast means that if a car overtakes you, you are not given enough room as safety is concerned. You are supposed to cycle in single file and when a car overtakes, they should overtake you as if they were overtaking a car as this means, if you happen to make a mistake and fall off your bike to the right, the car isn't going to run over you.
1K.Orger
You try cycling to the "left of the road" when there are drains, potholes and kerbs to take you out.
Cyclists and motor vehicles do not mix - there should be dedicated cycle paths (not lanes) where cyclists are separated from all other traffic (including pedestrians). You take to the roads round here on a bike at your peril - I haven't used my bike since almost being taken out by lorry, who either didn't see me in my hi viz jacket or was of the opinion he shouldn't have to change direction for anything....
One thing that makes me see red are cyclicts turning left at junctions and not even bothering to look to the right to see if there is something approaching.
1K.Orger
Agree with you there.
You shouldn't be cycling so close to the pavement that there is a danger of hitting the kerb or any drains. You should cycle just to the right of the white line that marks the left hand side of MOST roads. But I suppose on a lot of roads, this line is faded.
1K.Orger
Errr, that whiteline is often not there....
And the issue of kerbs being a hazard is kind of hard to avoid when you are cycling and in heavy traffic, with vehicles coming from both directions thereby reducing the space used by vehicles overtaking a cyclist. And when it is a queue of traffic sometimes the cyclist is forced nearer the kerb than they would like to get....
Exactly when did you last cycle? Avoid hitting drains? Bit hard when they stick out 18 inches or more into the road. Oh, but then I'll just swerve blindly around the drains and hope the driver behind is :
a) awake
b) paying attention
c) not talking on a phone or applying makeup
d) not a hater of cyclists......
e) a boy racer out to impress his mates
f) not driving a 42 ton truck as wide as the lane and suffering from sleep deprivation after driving across Europe to deliver the latest load of cheap Polish vegetables to the supermarket distribution point....
1K.Orger
Agreed.
Sounds familiar... I once had a similar experience on a roundabout - the guy claimed I was signalling left but I didn't turn left. For some reason that I didn't understand, he had to turn left anyway so he just ploughed into me. I most certainly wasn't signalling because it wasn't my exit from the roundabout! He was most apologetic but he was talking nonsense. This was nine years ago and I haven't cycled to work since.
We have the same problems with cyclists running red lights and turning left into major roads without looking to the right. They also cycle across pedestrian crossings, cycle on the wrong side of the road, and pull out in front of cars to turn right without signalling or looking. But the thing that scares me most is when a group of cyclists overtake me on both sides when I'm slowing down to turn right. You need 360 degree vision to deal with that situation.
Cycling two-abreast in busy areas is plain stupid imo. I saw a cyclist knocked down last night when a frustrated driver tried to overtake such a pair. The driver had to cut back in to avoid a head-on collision and he ploughed into one of them. I guess it was the car driver's fault, but it wouldn't have happened if the cyclists hadn't been taking up so much of the road. I was behind the car that hit them, and we had been stuck behind the cyclists at about 15mph for over a mile. There was another pair cycling two-abreast in front of them and they collided with each other and fell off their bikes as they looked round to see what had happened! It was almost comical. Luckily, no-one was hurt seriously.
1K.Orger
Highway Code
Rule 51: You should
* keep both hands on the handlebars except when signalling or changing gear
* keep both feet on the pedals
* not ride more than two abreast
* ride in single file on narrow or busy roads.........
.Orger
Crikey, just add Cyclists and Drunk/Drugged Drivers to the list above and that'll cover what us pedestrians have to put up with walking on the pavement!
Orgministrator
Orgmaster
My pet hate is when cyclists undertake you when you are pulling up to a set of lights or queuing at a junction. It does nothing but cause every car they undertake to have to overtake them as soon as the traffic moves on again. These days, if I see cyclists about, I pull up to lights/junctions as close to the kerb as possible to prevent this.
The other day, I had to have a good laugh at the idiot who tried to force his bike between our car and the pavement, only to find that there was not enough room for him, he sort of fell off and staggered onto the pavement, just avoiding scraping along the side of the car. When he regained his balance, he stood there glaring at me as if I had done something wrong. This was no daft wee kid either, some forty-something, looking very "professional" in his "Lance Armstrong" kit. Compare that to the ten-ish year old kid I encountered later that day, similarly dressed but a far more responsible cyclist, being far more aware of the traffic around him. He had the good sense to maintain his position in the queue at the junction and caused no-one any problems when everyone moved off again.
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