Tales from today's commute....

[Landsurfer]

I never leave the house without a chain tool and a quick link or 2 .... though i mostly have fixed fellow cyclists chains not my own ...so far ...

 

[Randombiker9]

Was out for my
Quick cycle for one
Form of excerize.

weird question but someone said to move up becuse of the sensor. As a traffic light was taking ages to
Turn green. I only told him to go away because he was way to close no 2m (social distancing)
1. According to Highway Code your not allowed to go over white stop line I was already On it and I aren’t traffic lights on timers? It turned anyway eventually after I just moved a inch forward. just wondering if I was judging his opinion wrong or if
I’m wrong about timers and they are sensors or he’s wrong or we’re both right?

 

[C R]

Was out for my
Quick cycle for one
Form of excerize.

weird question but someone said to move up becuse of the sensor. As a traffic light was taking ages to
Turn green. I only told him to go away because he was way to close no 2m (social distancing)
1. According to Highway Code your not allowed to go over white stop line I was already On it and I aren’t traffic lights on timers? It turned anyway eventually after I just moved a inch forward. just wondering if I was judging his opinion wrong or if
I’m wrong about timers and they are sensors or he’s wrong or we’re both right?

Some traffic lights have sensors. For instance, the lights that control traffic over a narrow bridge around here are both normally red, but they have an infrared sensor each. that detects when traffic arrives, and tells the other side to stay red. Depending on the approach, the sensor doesn't always notices a bike, and have to move around to trigger the change, that may have been what the other person was talking about.

 

[Tom B]

Was out for my
Quick cycle for one
Form of excerize.

weird question but someone said to move up becuse of the sensor. As a traffic light was taking ages to
Turn green. I only told him to go away because he was way to close no 2m (social distancing)
1. According to Highway Code your not allowed to go over white stop line I was already On it and I aren’t traffic lights on timers? It turned anyway eventually after I just moved a inch forward. just wondering if I was judging his opinion wrong or if
I’m wrong about timers and they are sensors or he’s wrong or we’re both right?

Some have sensors (detector loops)in the road that again bikes struggle to trigger. You can usually see those because of the tar lines filling them in. Sometimes circling over them will trigger them, other times it needs a car so pulling forwards allows the cars into the detector loops.

If they're constantly failing to detect then report them. They can turn up the gain on the loops or sensitivity on the IR sensors. Though sometimes they remain crap.

The tfgm traffic signal engineer generally emails back... From his response I'd wager he's a cyclist.

 

[roley poley]

the barrier at work wont lift if I cycle at right angles to the tar filled detector lines but will if I cycle ALONG the lines every time

 

[Mike_P]

If they're constantly failing to detect then report them. They can turn up the gain on the loops or sensitivity on the IR sensors.

A set of lights near me have a default change built into them to allow a couple of cars out of the side road regardless of what the IR sensor says. So one very frosty rush hour with the IR sensor frosted over their was one very long queue of traffic on the side road going nowhere quickly. And yes I was stick in it having decided it was too slippy to use the bike.

 

[Tom B]

the barrier at work wont lift if I cycle at right angles to the tar filled detector lines but will if I cycle ALONG the lines every time

Ditto another option is to stop on the loop and lower the bike towards it as if putting it down on its side.

A set of lights near me have a default change built into them to allow a couple of cars out of the side road regardless of what the IR sensor says. So one very frosty rush hour with the IR sensor frosted over their was one very long queue of traffic on the side road going nowhere quickly. And yes I was stick in it having decided it was too slippy to use the bike.

If that's an issue report that.

I've reported all sorts of oddities including long delays on pedestrian push buttons, errors in programming meaning left turns clear first despite being last to clear conflicting moves, lamp faults and timing errors. Generally well received by tfgm, and mostly cleared up. But the local council don't give a toss or acknowledge emails you have to speak directly to tfgm in GM land.

 

[Mike_P]

If that's an issue report that.

I did but as to NYCC doing anything about it is probably another matter.

 

[Zanelad]

I had to take my work lap top into the office today for the IT boffins to do some work on it. A very nice 26 mile ride in sunny, but slightly fresh conditions. It was a real pleasure riding almost deserted roads. Even the few cars I encountered seemed more accommodating than usual.

 

[ManiaMuse]

Bloody windy this evening, swirling Easterly winds, nearly had me off a couple of times. Looks like similar again tomorrow. It's just so bizarre with perfectly blue skies though, was windier than some of the named storms this winter.

 

[Elybazza61]

Some people still drive like twats;that is all.

 

[ianrauk]

Some people still drive like twats;that is all.

Even more so since the lockdown

 

[icowden]

Agreed. I had a short shouting match last week with a git who drove up behind me and started beeping me (I was shadowing my younger daughter who was on the pavement / cycle path which has about 8 left turns going through it - I thought "well the roads are really quiet so I'll stay on the road then I don't constantly have to look over my shoulder").

I of course moved to Prime to prevent him trying to do a close pass as there was a road refuge, then moved back, and I still get beeping at which point i slowed and he drove into my rear wheel and then proceeded to shout at me for not being on the cycle path. Completely oblivious to the fact that the road was completely empty about from him and me. No damage to me and the bike and I didn't want to get close enough for his spittle to hit me. He then turned left and drove off thus achieving ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

 

[Arjimlad]

Just re-entering civilisation on one commute this week when an earphoned jogger decided to step off the pavement and cross the road without bothering to look about 2m in front of me. Shouted, slammed on and dodged but still clipped her with my shoulder knocking her to the floor.

Stopped to check she was fine and was somewhat surprised to be berated with you should have rung your bell and the no insurance nonsense came out. A driver who also stopped told her it was a good job i hit her not his car and told her he had dash cam which seemed to shut her up.

I doubt it'll be needed but having the Cycle UK Insurance gives great piece of mind and satisfaction at being able to turn around and tell her I do have insurance and ask what insurance she carried for her jogging. Worth every penny of the £6 a month and I usually really look forward to end enjoy the magazine too.

We had a lady complaining about a no-bell cyclist going too fast not in the Tour de france etc etc on a local Facebook page.

She explained that she had stepped off the pavement without checking, avoiding an oncoming pedestrian.

I was expecting the usual pile-on about cyclists but it was refreshing when most people pointed out that she really should have looked behind her before stepping out into the road, and you can't expect cyclists to ring bells every time they see a pedestrian. I think a lot more people are getting out on bikes and perhaps realising what it is like to be hated so much.

 

[hennbell]

Finally looks like Spring is here, overnight lows are above freezing and its is expected to warm up to 16C this afternoon.
Almost all of the snow is gone.

I am lucky to still get to commute to work everyday, where I live there are no cases of Covid 19 at this time.