Things to watch out for while road riding

[Cubist]

Just assume they haven't seen you..... even if they are looking directly at you, they haven't seen.....

Other major thing is many folk underestimate the speed of a bike...oh it's only a bike, I'll nip out..........whoah......!

Best advice ever!

I'm planning on making a short video of does and do nots, as well as things to watch out for.

Ride like you are invisible, and anticipate that if someone can do something really stupid to endanger you, then they will.

You have to take responsibility though

Have a look at this video.

Good example of motorist on another planet, and me assuming he'll do something stupid. When he does, I'm ready for it, and we all get home safely.
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk-L0i9w6IQ

 

[MacLean]

Ride like you are invisible, and anticipate that if someone can do something really stupid to endanger you, then they will.

You have to take responsibility though

Have a look at this video.

Good example of motorist on another planet, and me assuming he'll do something stupid. When he does, I'm ready for it, and we all get home safely.
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk-L0i9w6IQ

Now that is a good example of how carefull you need to be thanks for that..... However could you technically call pausing to let a car go daft? The reason being is that I do this often myself when in car, as if you are not progressing at great speed, then stopping to let a car go only helps the flow of traffic in the other direction without slowing me down really. Is it not always the cyclists responsibility to watch out for this (as you demonstrated in the vid) and had you kept on going and crashed, it would have been you being daft not the car?

Im asking because the vid said he done a 'daft' manouver when to me it was a curtious thing he done?

 

[Cubist]

Now that is a good example of how carefull you need to be thanks for that..... However could you technically call pausing to let a car go daft? The reason being is that I do this often myself when in car, as if you are not progressing at great speed, then stopping to let a car go only helps the flow of traffic in the other direction without slowing me down really. Is it not always the cyclists responsibility to watch out for this (as you demonstrated in the vid) and had you kept on going and crashed, it would have been you being daft not the car?

Im asking because the vid said he done a 'daft' manouver when to me it was a curtious thing he done?

What was daft was that he let the car entering from the left, and the car entering from the right of the cross hatchings out when he didn't know who else was travelling the same way that he was. If I hadn't been overtaking him, it would have been fine. As he was only one of two vehicles entering the junction, stopping to let them onto the junction was wrong, as it would have endangered me had I not anticipated it.

There are many vids on here of cyclists who have had much closer shaves all caused by people letting other cars enter junctions, unaware that they are giving other drivers permission to take priority when that priority wasn't theirs to concede.

I understand what you are saying about courteous, but it doesn't make it right. If I had hit the car crossing the junction both of them would have been at fault.

 

[MacLean]

However you where technically filtering wern't you? I understand from my experience in motorcycling that although totaly legal, when a filtering accident goes to the insurance companies, the filter'er often ends up worse (or 50/50 at best) as it is classed as a 'risky manouver' as generally car drivers are unprepared for it. Therfore given it is a riskier thing to do the responsability gets punted back to the person filtering as they were not carefull enough whilst performing the filter or 'risky manouver'.

Now I have no idea how this works with bicycles as they dont have insurance, but would some of what applies to mcycles apply to bicycles filtering aswell?

Had it been a dual lane road and he done it then I would be inclined to agree with you, but as it was more filtering I cant help but feel that a large portion of responsability is on us rather than drivers?

But then I guess according to the book, you're not ment to flash people to go at all so I guess it was technically his fault......

Bah i guess it doesnt matter as long as you avoid the collision lol.

(just for the record im asking in a curious, debating manner not in an argumentative trying to prove you wrong kind of way, i know forums can sometimes make you look more malicious than intended)

 

[Cubist]

However you where technically filtering wern't you? I understand from my experience in motorcycling that although totaly legal, when a filtering accident goes to the insurance companies, the filter'er often ends up worse (or 50/50 at best) as it is classed as a 'risky manouver' as generally car drivers are unprepared for it. Therfore given it is a riskier thing to do the responsability gets punted back to the person filtering as they were not carefull enough whilst performing the filter or 'risky manouver'.

Now I have no idea how this works with bicycles as they dont have insurance, but would some of what applies to mcycles apply to bicycles filtering aswell?

Had it been a dual lane road and he done it then I would be inclined to agree with you, but as it was more filtering I cant help but feel that a large portion of responsability is on us rather than drivers?

But then I guess according to the book, you're not ment to flash people to go at all so I guess it was technically his fault......

Bah i guess it doesnt matter as long as you avoid the collision lol.

(just for the record im asking in a curious, debating manner not in an argumentative trying to prove you wrong kind of way, i know forums can sometimes make you look more malicious than intended)

Yes, I was filtering, and yes, it has so many risks attached. There's a cycle lane to the left of all the cars. If I had stuck to that I would have been undertaking. He wouldn't have seen me there either!

You obviously got my main point, which is about anticipating danger and taking responsibility for yourself. After all, as a biker you will have been well aware that you can eliminate all your own errors, and a huge percentage of other people's if you do their thinking for them.


Get yourself a copy of Cyclecraft. It's a great read, and gives a lot of tips for urban survival!


Feel free to debate, this is a very friendly forum (well, most of the time!)

 

[Arch]

10a Anyone turning out of a side street. They can look you straight in the eye and think for a bit and then turn any way

I had this today, actually she looked past me at the outside lane, and then pulled out a few yards in front of me because that lane was clear. I took long enough to approach that I could quite clearly see her eyeline for some time, and that she never looked at me at all.

I was driving this:

So, never assume you're visible, even if you're bright yellow!

 

[PK99]

I think that one thing that helps car drivers to drive sensibly when near you is not to anything panicky or unpredictable i.e. maintain a steady course and speed and so the driver can cope with you more easily.

i'd echo that. Make your movements as predictable as possible by both positioning and signalling - most drivers will accommodate you if they know what you are intending to do.

in particular, do not just flick out an arm to indicate a turn - the driver behind might have been checking his rear view mirror - stick it out and leave it there, often palm spread and facing backwards (a sort of stay there gesture)

to avoid a left hook, do not hug the kerb approaching a junction make the driver need to turn out and round to turn into the left junction. Many left hooks i've seen (fortunately none involving contact) have involved the car "passing" as opposed to "overtaking" a cyclist too close in to the kerb

 

[Kablinsky]

Beware of female joggers in lycra. It only takes one pothole if your mind isn't on the road.

 

[HLaB]

Its probably been said but you have to beware of folk suddenly jumping off the pavement, beit a pavement cyclist (as one did to me tonight), a ped or other.

 

[mcshroom]

Just to add another couple if you use cycle paths.

1. Watch out for dogs. They have a habit of running at your wheels kamikaze style.
2. Watch out for extending dog leads - black ones can be almost invisible in poor light and make excellent tripwires.
3. Just because the pedestrian is looking at you, you are wearing bright orange and have a flashing light on the front does not mean they have any idea that you are there. When people get away from roads they seem to enter their own little dreamworlds.

 

[mcshroom]

Oh and if you ride fell/mountain roads, watch out for young lambs as they have very little awareness of roads, bikes, cars, etc.

 

[Moodyman]

Cubist - Is that in the Bradford/Keighley area? The bus and the road look familiar.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Act confidently, drivers respect that. Even if you're not sure what you're doing, try and look as if you are.
Get good lights, if you're riding at night.
Don't wobble around in the gutter, claim your road space and hold on to it by controlling the traffic behind you. (Difficult at first I know but it's amazing what a difference it makes. And, while you get the odd driver who's a dickhead, most seem to understand why you're doing this.)
Enjoy!

 

[MrVandal]

Beware of pretty girls, cars or anything else distracting. It may cause you to ride off course.

 

[Scoosh]

Beware of pretty girls, cars or anything else distracting. It may cause you to ride off of course.

When on shared paths, I always try to avoid passing between a dog and its owner. If the dog is going to panic, it will tend to run straight back to the owner. If a dog owner takes control of their dog as I pass, I always say 'Thank You'.

Another reason for not cycling too close to the kerb on the road is to give you some manoeuvering room when/if the ped/dog/cyclist steps off onto the road.