Kinda nervous for tommorrow commuting

[Trekman083637]

I dont think ill commute to work on monday because of work theres alot of things im nervous about and the boss is gonna be there so im gonna wait until tuesday to go.im kinda confused to on what route to actually go coz ive seen a few but its hard to decide aswell

 

[RoubaixCube]

Having cycled 7-8miles from north london into holborn and reverse for the longest time. One of the best words of advice is to keep your head on a swivel and shoulder check.

Depending on the time of day you commute, you'll need to pay attention to pedestrians as well as some of them have the habit of stepping out in front of oncoming traffic without looking or running through the gaps between vehicles while at traffic lights. Other cyclists can occasionally pose another risk as their heads are glued on to face one direction and dont shoulder check AT ALL or some of them might be too close for you to pull out and you end up making contact with them and knocking them off their bike.

While most drivers are generally polite and let you be on your way. Ive had quite a few of them try to run me off the road or not give way leaving me in a rather troublesome spot of slamming on my brakes to avoid crashing into the vehicle in front rather than give way and let me pull out.

But i share other peoples opinions. Ride the route on your days off to familiarise yourself with the route and the general environment.

Be particularly weary of big vehicles like HGVs, Busses/coaches, tipper lorrys, vehicles loaded up with construction materials at traffic lights as you never know if they will turn into your path and its best to stay behind them at traffic lights. Dont feel that you have to squeeze through the smallest gap just to get to the front of the queue, you might get lucky doing it once or twice but it is really dangerous and wont end well for you.

If a really long vehicle passes you. Slow down just in case the nutter tries to squeeze you to the kerb - This happens to me often and its even more important that you do this if there is a left turn coming up.

Be alert.

 

[Blue Hills]

Great advice from @RoubaixCube on shoulder checking - lots, though no need to be nervous. Also be wary of the odd idiot cyclist trying to come through on the inside. Look well before moving out, signal clearly just as in a car - a fair few cyclists don't, leave them to it.

 

[MichaelW2]

You can practice part of the route after work

 

[Andy in Germany]

I dont think ill commute to work on monday because of work theres alot of things im nervous about and the boss is gonna be there so im gonna wait until tuesday to go.im kinda confused to on what route to actually go coz ive seen a few but its hard to decide aswell

Try one, if you don't like it, try another. You'll find the best way for you.

There's a couple of places where I have a choice: generally I take the longer but more pretty route; I know other cyclists who charge along the straight line; go with what works.

 

[Sharky]

Now retired, but on my final commute, used to take the direct route into work and a much more scenic/pleasant route on the way back, although distance wise, it was only a few extra miles, but it seemed like a lot after a days work.

 

[slowmotion]

Don't be too nervous. The vast majority of London drivers are completely used to being amongst cyclists and are extremely courteous. People have covered most of the main points like shoulder checking, door zone and left-turning vehicles etc. My only contribution would be to be very careful when turning turning right across heavy traffic. Sometimes an on-coming driver will flash you to indicate that it's safe to cross his lane. Just be sure that there isn't a car coming up on his inside that you can't see, and who hasn't seen you.

 

[Blue Hills]

thank any drivers who do you a favour - good for your mood - nice beginning or end to cycling day. I give them the palm.

For the not as good drivers, the ones who may try to sneak out of a side road in front of you, I can recommend a judicious wobble, at least of the bars, and give the impression that you are accelerating (while covering your brakes) - in their defence some drivers still don't realise how fast a cyclist can be.

 

[presta]

I can recommend a judicious wobble, at least of the bars, and give the impression that you are accelerating

Wobbling to make yourself look incompetent can be very effective too, if you want drivers to leave more room.

 

[Andy in Germany]

thank any drivers who do you a favour - good for your mood - nice beginning or end to cycling day. I give them the palm.

Absolutely. It also means that for the next five minutes at least they have a vaguely positive idea about cyclists, which means hopefully they will give the next one a bit more space or time...

For the not as good drivers, the ones who may try to sneak out of a side road in front of you, I can recommend a judicious wobble, at least of the bars, and give the impression that you are accelerating (while covering your brakes) - in their defence some drivers still don't realise how fast a cyclist can be.

Wobbling to make yourself look incompetent can be very effective too, if you want drivers to leave more room.

Yes but... To do that safely you need to be really sure that you have control of the bike and know how it will react/brake in different conditions. Maybe one to try after a few months experience...

 

[Trekman083637]

Try one, if you don't like it, try another. You'll find the best way for you.

There's a couple of places where I have a choice: generally I take the longer but more pretty route; I know other cyclists who charge along the straight line; go with what works.

Yh got it ill try each route

 

[Trekman083637]

Having cycled 7-8miles from north london into holborn and reverse for the longest time. One of the best words of advice is to keep your head on a swivel and shoulder check.

Depending on the time of day you commute, you'll need to pay attention to pedestrians as well as some of them have the habit of stepping out in front of oncoming traffic without looking or running through the gaps between vehicles while at traffic lights. Other cyclists can occasionally pose another risk as their heads are glued on to face one direction and dont shoulder check AT ALL or some of them might be too close for you to pull out and you end up making contact with them and knocking them off their bike.

While most drivers are generally polite and let you be on your way. Ive had quite a few of them try to run me off the road or not give way leaving me in a rather troublesome spot of slamming on my brakes to avoid crashing into the vehicle in front rather than give way and let me pull out.

But i share other peoples opinions. Ride the route on your days off to familiarise yourself with the route and the general environment.

Be particularly weary of big vehicles like HGVs, Busses/coaches, tipper lorrys, vehicles loaded up with construction materials at traffic lights as you never know if they will turn into your path and its best to stay behind them at traffic lights. Dont feel that you have to squeeze through the smallest gap just to get to the front of the queue, you might get lucky doing it once or twice but it is really dangerous and wont end well for you.

If a really long vehicle passes you. Slow down just in case the nutter tries to squeeze you to the kerb - This happens to me often and its even more important that you do this if there is a left turn coming up.

Be alert.

Yeah thanks thats good advice,ive seen vids on cars and so i think i know what to do and ur right about big cars passing you and slowing down so they dont hit u.i guess you really do have to be alert and aware just likr driving a car tbh

 

[Trekman083637]

thank any drivers who do you a favour - good for your mood - nice beginning or end to cycling day. I give them the palm.

For the not as good drivers, the ones who may try to sneak out of a side road in front of you, I can recommend a judicious wobble, at least of the bars, and give the impression that you are accelerating (while covering your brakes) - in their defence some drivers still don't realise how fast a cyclist can be.

Yeah thats something thats good to do.haha yeah its coz they dont realise because of how much faster they go

 

[jay clock]

did you ever get to do it?

 

[Sharky]

The OP has not been seen since Auguse and was only around for 18 days.
Yet his tag is "Regular".
Would be good if the software could automatically tag a person as "Gone" or "Not seen for ages" or "closed" or in some cases "Left the building". A rule could be built from the date joined, the date last seen and today's date?

Just a thought
@Moderators