Cyclists against the world!

[The Prehistorian]

In the end I gave up the post of cycle rep for the CTC as I couldn't do anything constructive and believe me my head was well bruised froom banging on a brick wall.

My sympathies....I'm still doing it (both CTC RTR and banging head against the wall).
Currently playing another game of pass the parcel with the council...each department thinks the local cycle paths and their maintenance is the responsibility of another. They were all only too pleased to take the credit for building them in the press when they were opened, but now that it's pointed out that building rubbish paths with not maintenance budget is a ridiculous way to carry on they don't want to know.

[mamos]

Unfortunately most people think cycle lanes/paths are built to benefit the cyclist but in reality they are built with the motorist in mind

Mamos

[The Prehistorian]

Woo-hoo, a small victory.

There was a dangerous gate on one path- it was one of those anti-motorbike things but the kids on the motorbikes had smashed the two top bars off it leaving only the bottom one around 4 inches from the floor. Because of the angle of approach it was not easy to spot this bar, especially in the dark (everything was painted black). I asked if the gate could be repaired because if a cyclist rode into the remaining bar then they'd be straight over their handlebars. They didn't exactly repair the gate - they took the bottom bar out too. Not ideal I guess but better than nothing.

Then there is the gravel path with the big worn bits - pools of loose gravel in the dry, pools of water or ice in the wet, and doing their best to attract broken glass. Well, they filled them all in, but with really coarse stones so riding over them on anything less than an MTB has your teeth a chattering.


So, two victories, but not exactly ideal. Again I fear that the CC was more concerned with being seen to have done something rather than really addressing the problems.

[JeremyinCzechRep]

Let's not forget that the car industry is going through a tough time at the moment. How about a government initiative to support the car workers by retraining them to produce bicycles? Knocking VAT off bicycles would also be a popular green move that wouldn't cost the Earth.

[Big Al]

In the end I gave up the post of cycle rep for the CTC as I couldn't do anything constructive and believe me my head was well bruised froom banging on a brick wall.

My sympathies....I'm still doing it (both CTC RTR and banging head against the wall).
Currently playing another game of pass the parcel with the council...each department thinks the local cycle paths and their maintenance is the responsibility of another. They were all only too pleased to take the credit for building them in the press when they were opened, but now that it's pointed out that building rubbish paths with not maintenance budget is a ridiculous way to carry on they don't want to know.

I knew I had lost the plot when the engineer of a stretch of cycle path put a warning sign AND A BLOODY GREAT METAL POLE bang in the middle of the lane every 35 mtrs. when asked why he replied.. it's to slw the dangerous sods down. The lane cost well over £180k and the cost of the signage was over 95k......

[craig.r]

I cycle to work and back 16 miles in total and have done for the last 6 months. I cycle by the side of the erewash canal now as i had so many close encounters going by road. I had a car up until 6 months ago but only now do i realise how many dangerous drivers there are on the roads. I must admit though its far better cycling next to a canal, lots of newly hatched swans and moorhens plus lots of foraged goodies on my way home.

[Sadoldhippy]

Where I live now, it is great! The motorists are all fantastic and give you plenty of room and time. When I lived in Norwich, I was overtaken by a flatbed truck with a plank crosswise, the plank hit me a across the back of the head and knocked me off the road. He didn't stop.
I was also nearly knocked down by a cyclist coming down off a footbridge, who completely ignored the no cycling signs and snarled at me and my friend as he rode off. It gives us all such a bad name.

[123sologne]

I will probably upset a few here, but it takes 2 to tango as we say and I truly think that faults exist on both side. I used to cycle back home when I was younger, I even cycle to work everyday for a few miles on a big busy road and never would I have thought of going through a red light or even try to make my way in front of the cars. The traffic stopped and I stopped with it, restarted when it restarted. The rules of the road are for all users. I feel like the attitude on both side, with 2 wheels or 4 is just a constant battle and that probably creates a great lot of the problems. A bit less of me 1st and more respect and the ride would be smoother for all (forgetting the pot holes that is...). Still some of the stories here are just dreadful and it is true that a cyclist is way more at risk than anybody else.

[grahamhobbs]

123sologne I agree, there are good and bad in all. Motorcyclists have learnt to drive defensively if they want to survive - how come the message hasn't got through to a large proportion of cyclists (at least in London). I'm a builder and spend a large part of my time driving a van in London. I've noticed a big explosion over the last few years in the numbers riding bikes, which is great, but it seems many think it gives them complete freedom, a freedom to ignore not merely the rules of the road but commonsense or attention to other users. Cyclists in London simply do not stop at traffic lights anymore and I'm not talking about creeping across when everyone is on stop, but flying through red lights (my friend, a pedestrian crossing the road was hospitalised by a cyclist crashing a red light) and I see it nearly every day in London. Also the number of times cyclists try to overtake on the inside when the vehicle is clearly indicating it's turning left beggars belief.
Unfortunately I guess there will always be stupid, inconsiderate drivers but if cyclists are to survive they need to wise up and respect the road more.

[Gem]

I think anyone who has cycled on a regular basis has a couple of storys regarding car drivers and near death experiences. Ultimately you have to just assume that car drivers are out to kill you and do your best to not be one of those who give cyclists a bad name. I give myself plenty of space to avoid dips and what not but I also stop at traffic lights. I did have the benefit of cycling proficiency though, maybe it helped.

Interesting that a few people had awful experiences in Reading as its the place where all my horror stories come from.

- Clipped by a rear view mirror by someone (I saw them look in their mirror in panic so they must have heard a thump). I got a little bit of road rage because she saw me, eyes widened, then sped up. Fortunately she was stopped by traffic lights 50m away so I was able to catch her up and give her a *ahem* polite telling off.

- Run off the road by a bus driver - He tried to overtake me adjacent to a freaking traffic island. I was run off the road and onto my back on the pavement, bike on top. The bus driver knew this because he was honking his horn the whole time and even stopped, opened the doors and screamed obscenities at me. Fortunately it was the bus I occasionally took to work so I was able to report the time, date, bus route and service number to the approapriate company as well as sending a copy of the letter to my MP and counciller. Needless to say I was able to get swift action from the company regarding the driver and I received a letter from the MP 6 months later asking if the matter was resolved

I am not going to list any more but there have been many occasions where nothing less than kicking the side of a car (or more frequently a van) has notified the driver of my presence and those dents have probably saved my life a few times.. Makes me angry just thinking about it.