No, fortunately :wink: I avoid going south of Kendal, unless it is a life or death situation. I drove in to Hampton Court from the Midlands about 15 years ago, arrived mid morning and wondered what all the fuss was about, then I left about 5 pm
That was a very good program and it goes to show just how dangerous the London roads are for any body on two wheels. As a road users, not just in London, we all need to be aware and take into consideration the needs of others. Of course it never works out that way, especially in the capital.
Thanks for all that (and thanks to the person who posted it on YouTube so that I could see it (no iPlayer in Switzerland). What's the take out? Surprisingly enough it shows that if you're a knob, it doesn't matter what transport you use you're still a knob: on a bike, on a motorbike, in a cab, a car or a lorry. Or even on foot. 4 years cycling in central London. I got knocked off once .... by another cyclist in Hyde Park who just t-boned me. (I was on a road with traffic on it, he just pedalled full speed at me from a perpendicular path. Had I been a car, I imagine he might have died). Yes, you get cut up frequently, but I don't recall getting shouted at, or doing much shouting myself. I really enjoyed it, but I think being a motorcyclist helped - well attuned to being vulnerable, riding defensively and keeping a sharp look-out and imagining everyone is going to kill you. As for lycra - er what do you suggest people wear when sitting on a two-wheeled suppository? Padded cycle shorts make sense if you value your arse.
Dont worry the Swedes have the answer - even a cat can drive it Could Volvo develop a car you can't crash? - Motorcycle news : General news - Visordown
I drive or ride motorcycles into London probably 250 days a year. Maybe twice or three times a week I'll see cars deliberately run red lights, the figure for cycles is more like 200 a day. Double parking used to be a major problem in London, but now it's almost non-existant, but it's the norm to see bikes riding 3, 4 or even 5-abreast. I've lost count of the times I've seen cyclists skittle pedestrians on pedestrian crossings. In the road rage stakes cyclists are winning hands-down, but it's usually they who have contravened the highway code. Being in the wrong lane....cyclists, please, for the love of God read the highway code again; you are wrong, not us. And it doesn't matter how healthy you are, a man wearing lycra looks as gay as Gok Wan shafting Quentin Crisp up the wrong'un. Man up, and learn the highway code while you're doing it.
Too simplistic. Fig, get on a bicycle for a week, then see what you think. There are a lot of knobs on bikes, but by no means all of them are. As for red lights: did I used to stop at the pelican crossing on the Walworth Rd at night when there was no one on it or even in the vicinity? Of course I didn't. There are red lights to be jumped, and red lights to be respected. If you don't want to be crushed by and get in the way of a whole stream of traffic away from the lights, you're often doing everyone a favour by leaving early.
I didn't see the program but obviously it showed cyclists in a very bad light and I'm sure it was justified from what I hear. Unfortunately it will give cyclists a bad reputation to anybody watching the program but I'm sure there are plenty of cyclists out there who will be just as horrified to see such behaviour. I cycled to work for 6 years and never jumped a red light, tried to keep out of traffics way and always treated other road users with respect UNLESS they tried to kill me. I now travel just 1.5 miles to work on my classic moped which probably last saw 30mph when a spotty kid was thrashing it round a field. It is true about the speed difference being a problem. Drivers today have no patience and courtesy is very thin on the ground. I often get cars leaving it until the last second to overtake then cut in front of me and hit the brakes. I can honestly say I've had more close shaves on my moped than on my big bike and all of them are caused by impatient drivers who use their vehicles size as a right to be on the same piece of tarmac as me. Don't get me wrong I'm no angel of the road (hell we all ride fast bikes) but it's a shame we can't all see it from each others point of view. Anyway, thats my bit said.
Yeah - and what about those Muslim cyclists eh?!? Lock 'em up, or send 'em back where they came from, or summat like that!
I have, I spent years cycling around all over the UK, and it's obvious you haven't cycled in any city for a very long time. Not one cyclist - not one - gives any indication as to which way they're headed, maybe one in ten actually stops at red lights or pedestrian crossings (and I'm talking rush hour here), almost all cyclists will push out of a busy junction regardless of the traffic chaos they are causing, and every single one of the selfish bastards will do a runner if they scratch a car trying to squeeze past. I have learnt to hate cyclists, and I make no apology at all for that.
Seen a glimpse of it on TV so watched it today. That first cyclist, command the road wanker should be shoot. One thing I noticed is many of those cyclist situations come down to huge ego and lack of any experience. Sorry but the guy in Glasgow and the lorry. I seen that lorry not going to stop, he did not make an eye contact with driver no way just cycled along assuming couple of tons of steel will just stop. The moment where you first see the lorry in corner of his camera is past a point where fluid loaded lorry would be braking safely. To stop he would have to do emergency braking. If I was on a bike I would be all over my brakes at that moment slowing down to let him pass. Yet Mr cyclist says he seen him slowing down. The road commander guy, if I can touch the vehicle he is to close. FFS dude your arm is like 1m long if you pull it out you will always be able to touch a car next to you on the same lane especially in rush hour. You do not own the road you share it with others. The situation he had with that silver taxi honestly I got passed and passed others my self closer then that taxi did initially. Another few that pissed me off watch the short clips they showed of accidents where cyclists were t-boned. In about half of them you can see car is turning (he is not going to turn he is doing it) yet cyclists carries on regardless in to the car. No matter if you have right of way or not you see that you stop your life you idiots. Coppers are also annoying not pursuing road rage incidents seriously even if recorded on camera. Clearly shows there is no real interest in improving safety. You have a face or guy, licence plate of car. You find owner and he says he was not driving. Fine say who was or face the music. Finally was disappointed not to see Jerry in Lycra
Didn't see the program, did they mention Milton keynes where our excellent redway system keeps cars and bicycles apart?. It works exceptionally well.
Most of that reflected pretty much what I thought too. But then lets face it, if they'd spent their time interviewing cyclists and drivers who didn't have a problems with other vehicles, they wouldn't have had much of a programme. I liked the black taxi driver. I thought he was a very reasonable guy - the cyclist was a pillock. For Fig : cycled in London almost daily 2004 to 2009. Don't agree with your comments. Ride over Chelsea Bridge at 8:30 am and join the queue of people at the end of the road waiting for the light to change to let them head towards Sloane Sq. A couple of twats do try to force the issue, but there are about 20 people waiting who don't. As for signalling, dunno: I always did (didn't want to get killed, which is what would happen if you never did).
I seem to be in the minority here then with the other few cyclists who live in London like me. I ride about 6,000mls a year on the push bike and do about 15,000 a year on motorbikes all in. Lived in London and ridden since I was a kid, on all types of bikes. Not one scrape yet. The roads are busy, you need to have a sixth sense about you, and you need to respect other road users. Regardless of which bike I am on, there is a style of riding and conduct that will keep you as safe as you can be, and not cause others issues. If you aren't concerning everyone else, you are likely to come into less risk in the first place. I have to say, that despite my love of cycling, the new vogue of cycling to work has encouraged a massive growth in cyclists, many of whom give the rest of us a bad name and give drivers a real problem. If you ride like a wanker, you will likely come unstuck often. If you ride well (and quickly) and defensively and are good on two wheels, you should be fine, but you need to be vigiliant. No point getting agitated with other road users, whether on your push bike or motorbike - you will lose. They are in a two tonne steel death trap, and you are made of fragile material. I see far too many cyclists make no effort to avoid people turning, or even anticipating that they might. But at rush hour, I am there with a lot of other people, waiting at the front for lights to change, and staying on the left (where you should be). It's the tossers and they ones who simply can't ride that are a problem for us all. Which is sad, as this week I have witnessed two bad accidents in London in a week, both resulting in reasonably serious head trauma for the cyclists concerned. Have had to do the patch-up and get ambulance routine twice now. Once on the Kings Road (car turned into garage, cyclist t-boned), and one just over Putney Bridge, car turned left and took out three cyclists in one go - two OK, one seriously hurt. In the first instance, the cyclist should have seen the car turning, but didn't adjust at all so I presume didn't look. Too late, no matter who's fault, cyclist down, hurt and car driver traumatised. Second one, clearly car drivers fault, turned left without warning such that she took all three out in one go. They didn't even flinch. Was completely her fault. But they were all riding towards a junction without looking around at all when I would have been slowing. Too late, one head trauma later, one car driver in bits. Careful out there......on either type of bike. Especially at this time of year when braking distances are doubled and car drivers are hidden in dark cars half fogged up.....
Coopers should be shopping all of those plus those that do not bother to de-ice remove snow from car. You stop them and make them do it in front of you. When they are done then give them bollocking, when you are done start issuing ticket. All in all 30min stop. Then at the end juts say if you done it right in first place you would be 30 min more in to your journey.
The worst cyclists by far are the people who rent the 'Boris' bikes. Clearly they are not regular riders and usually out-of-town or foreign visitors, they're a menace to themselves and everyone around them, pedestrian or motorist alike. Closely following them on my hate list are the fast cyclists who think they're Lance Armstrong and try to 'command the road'. They are far and away the most abusive riders and the ones who break the highway rules the most. What they fail to grasp is that, as fast as they think they are, they are still slower than Granny Smith in her Nissan Micra, and they're the ones most likely to be found lying on the road covered in blood or apologising to the pedestrian they've just skittled cos they're far too important to stop at crossings. Like Armstrong, they should have their bollocks removed. Women cyclists are generally far more considerate road users, but also the most unpredictable, giving little clue to other motorists of their intentions. Many of them also find themselves in frighteningly dangerous situations at junctions simply by not reading the road properly, trying to squeeze up the side of lorries, etc. Cycle couriers are the best of the bunch; they're all over the shop, weaving in and out of traffic, but they're more aware of their surroundings and time their manoeuvres well usually. Kids are no problem at all to motorists, normally cos they're busy scaring pedestrians... The biggest problem on the roads for both cyclists and motorists is that there is simply too much traffic on the roads, and UK cycle lanes are a dangerously half-hearted joke, entirely the fault of the governments of this country who refuse to invest in the transport network. That's where the real problem lies.
I also have to admit I'm not over impressed by the couriers' (and others') cycle of choice: the fixed wheel bike. The fixed wheel bike has no gears, weighs nothing and normally has no lights. Its handlebars are cut down to tiny stubs for slicing through minuscule gaps, offering no leverage. More to the point, it has no brakes. If you want to stop, you stop pedalling and lock up both wheels. I don't think this is wise when negotiating Oxford St in the wet and dark with death-leaping pedestrians all over the place. A bit like trying to ride through London on a speedway bike.
I disagree, it takes far more skill and awareness to ride a fixie, especially the way the Ldn/NY couriers ride them. One thing IS for certain, no matter what you ride on or drive in, there will always be someone who's learnt to hate you.
