To be scared of cycling on the road in this day and age?

[poshsinglemum]

I'd love to take up cycling but I would just be terrified of taking a bike out on the roads as they are so busy nowadays. I always think that parents with their kids on the seat on the back of the bike are really cool but I'm too chicken to do it myself.
I know there are cycle paths. No doubt if dd takes up cycling I won't sleep at night.

If you stick relatively close to the path you'll be fine honest! :) Roads are dangerous but you must remeber cars always come last when it comes down to right of way. If you're very nervous around busy roads perhaps if theres no one around for you to disturb you could use the path then skip back to basically the yellow lines on the road when you see pedestrians.

cyclists would be alot safer if there wasnt that usual small group, you get with everything, that ruins it for the rest. i am sick to the back teeth of stupidly unsafe cyclists cutting accross 3 lanes of traffic on a roundabout, hoping on and off kerbs when convienient for them, cycling in the middle of the road talking to there friend by there side need i go on.

its put me off completely, ds would love to go on one of those tag along bikes the pils got us but drivers (me included) feel so exasperated at the site of a bike we save it for woods now which imo is alot more fun than yucky poluted roads.

so no YANBU

please teach your dd the rules of the road, and make sure she understands and uses cycle paths where possible and she will be fine,

I'm scared of walking down the road thanks to all the sodding cyclists speeding down the pavement screaming at people to get out the way , everytime I take the pushchair down the ramp into the tunnel to cross under the road I worry about those idiots sppeding round the corner and hitting me or my son.

Bout time they learned what a red light means as well but since half the car drivers don't know what a red light or indicator are for I guess I can't expect cyclists to be any different or less selfish.

ah yes another thing for my rant, cyclist who ignore RED LIGHTS, im not normally a mean person but i sit there hoping a car will hit them scare them.

and dont get me started on underpasses and bikes.

Hey, lots of us Mumsnetters are cyclists too, and we don't cycle in a dangerous way. Just like lots of Mumsnetters are drivers, and presumably don't drive in a dangerous way.

PoshSingleMum - does your local council run Bikeability courses for adults? You could try going on one of those and see whether it builds your confidence up.

I notice that it's children who cycle with their parents who know how to cycle safely - children who are given bikes without example from their parents can find it much more difficult.

Don't get me started about dangerous cycling!

The attitude of a lot of motorists is positively murderous. If a cyclist jumps a red light, they only risk their own skin. Drivers where I live will regularly risk cyclists' skins for the sake of vindictive impatience or downright carelessness. This is NOT justified by a few cyclists who annoy you by jumping red lights!

I find the roads far too dangerous to contemplate cycling with my DD. And I take a huge amount of care when it's even just me.

Incidentally, research has shown that you're treated worse if you have cycling shorts and a helmet as drivers (a) assume you're competent and (b) assume you're not really 'there'. If you wear a long blonde wig and no helmet, apparently you're far less likely to get buzzed or knocked off.

Sadly, you're also far more likely to die if you are in an accident, so I would not recommend trying this out for yourself.

The pavement cycling issue is considered 'big' round where I live with lots and lots of Police attention devoted to combating it. Sadly, the 'being [nearly] knocked off your bike' issue is considered not worthy of any intervention.

Madness.

YANBU, I'd be scared to death to ride in the road, on other hand I am horrified by parents with kids on the back. Actually would it be legal to ride on the pavements if you have a kid on the back, as children are allowed to ride on the pavement?

i ride with dd on a tag-a-long. it isn't such a big deal. and no i don't stay close to the path as that is licence for cars to take their chances passing you.

I received a very nasty earhole of abuse when I (sort of) stood in front of a couple of lads cycling on a nearby road.

I think I was possibly being a tad belligerent. However, cycle lanes were clearly marked.

I have to say i do think cycling on roads is a bit risky just because if an accident does happen (and no one intends to have an accident) then you are unprotected. Do you have a park or some where else off road you could cycle on. I would love to cycle as well as great exercise so lloking inot cycle tracks in my area.

yanbu. Too many stupid drivers out there. Cyclists have no chance against a tonne of metal.

Can you stick to parks / quiet paths instead?

depends where you live - I cycle through London to work and cycle with my DS on the back just up to our park (though I wouldn't cycle with him on proper main roads, we take residential roads and cycle paths through parks)...generally, in London motorists are used to calvacades of cyclists, especially commuter cyclists and you tend to find yourself cycling with tons of other people. It took a while to gain confidence though.

I find if you're respectful, on the whole motorists respect you back (I HATE cyclists who jump red lights personally, especially the ones who pootle along and you end up having to overtake them anyway), though London cab-drivers clearly wish all cyclists death.

Either way, I've been on some pretty hairy bus journeys and it definately beats sitting in a stinking sweaty delayed tube train

I've cycled on big city roads for years...almost 20 years, actually. Am a very considerate and law-abiding cyclist and have only had one minor accident in that time - stationary car on quiet road, driver opening door without checking.

I've mostly cycled all over London, by the way. And women cyclists get treated better by other road traffic than men cyclists.

If you want to cycle I think it's a great idea, but it'll take you some time to get used to it so be patient with yourself. I was very afraid to start with, for quite a long time, but now I'm assertive on the road - an essential skill. You'll learn how important it is to place yourself ahead of the cars at junctions, how to hang back behind large vehicles for safety (especially on bends) - IME these are two of the most important lessons to learn, plus make sure you are visible to other drivers - catch the drivers' eye before passing in front of them, for example.

Also remember that even though a cyclist is not in a motorised vehicle, you are still traffic; i.e. you have as much right to be on the road as any vehicle. A lot of drivers are too stuck in the motor world to realise that - it makes me snort to see some of the anti-cycling comments on this thread, because, unlike a bad cyclist, a bad driver has a ton of metal behind them. In fact, in this day and age I would go so far as to say that any emission-free vehicle has MORE right to be on the road than one spitting out fumes.

Anyway, definitely practise on quiet roads and cycle paths, get reflective gear, good lights, a helmet (pay around £50 and make sure you wear it horizontally on your head, i.e. not tipping upwards above your forehead and down towards the nape of your neck. Also make sure the straps are tightened so that when you shake your head the helmet stays more or less still), and a good lock (pay about 10% of the value of your bike; make sure you lock the wheel to the frame, and don't get a Kryptonite lock as they can be easily compromised by a bike thief. Abus do good locks).

If you contact a local cycling group (I think Sustrans might be able to help you find one) you might find cycle tours in your area - basically historical tours where a group of cyclists bike around the streets with a historical guide. It's great for building a sense of confidence as a cyclist.

Best of luck, PSM!

When you say about cycling on quiet roads/paths I do hope you mean slowly, they are only quiet until someone walks round a corner, nothing is more frightening then walking round a blind corner (due to hedges and thing) and almost getting hit by a cyclist.

I live on a red route next to an A road, the cyclists on the pavement move faster then the cars

I also hate cyclists who don't dismount or slow down when there are clear signs to do so such as on bridges.

Its a real generalisation this, but mostly true.

I work at Tower Hill in London and every day am almost run into/knocked over by cyclists jumping the lights or riding down the path at full pelt. Be they couriers or cityboys. You get little enough time to cross the road as it is before the lights change without some lycra clad foul mouthed cyclist ploughing towards you.

A few months ago, I saw a pretty well dressed man in a suit with bicycle clips knock someone over as they were crossing a road and the cyclist just came hurtling around the corner. The cyclist didn't stop, just rode off spouting abuse. Luckily they were not too badly hurt.

The excuses always given are they are treated so poorly by other drivers taking up their lanes and almost running into them and need to take any opportunity to get ahead. Or it takes time to gather speed on a bike blah blah blah.

You also always hear the argument that if a cyclist is involved in an accident with a car, it should be the drivers fault-BS!

It is also said that it is just a minority, on the contrary. I guarantee that if you goto the City between 7 and 845 on a weekday at one of the many traffic lights near Tower Hill, you will see at least 4 or 5 cyclists doing this at every light change. By a considerable amount, not a minority!

I have absolutely no sympathy at all for these cyclists.

Excellent post, Speedy.

I'm probably going to be flamed for this, but here it goes anyway.

I cycle frequently to work and back, and one thing that I have picked up is to not hug the curb, instead ride a good yard into the road. There are a couple of reasons for doing this, the first being that all debris on the road is pushed to the side, so you're more likely to get a puncture, and secondly if you do have to do a sudden manoeuvre (ie avoiding a pot hole, or moving out the way of a car that overtakes you too close) you have the space to do so.

I seriously advise you not to cycle on footpaths/pavements unless it is signposted as a cycle route, it's far too dangerous for the pedestrians that use the pavements.

As said above, women cyclists are generally treated with much more caution than male cyclists (there was a study done which confirmed this)

To get yourself confident, try cycling on tow paths and bridleways or quiet residential streets to get yourself used to cycling and dealing with basic obstacles. Then move onto the busier roads, but obviously if you can take a quieter route, esp if cycling with your dd, then try to do so.

I will agree that there are cyclists out there who do stupid things, like jumping red lights, riding two or more abreast, scaring pedestrians, but there are a lot of us out there who abide by the rules of the road and are considerate to all other users, so please don't tar us all with the same brush

Enjoy it ? cycling is great fun and a great way to stay on shape.

Round here the nice ones are clearly the minority, a couple of days ago I was walking back home via the underpass, I could hear a bike behind and was expecting to hear the mad ringing of bells or shouting or for the idiot to try and squeeze past, he didn't, to my surprise when he did pass he was one of the ones in the full lycra racing gear.

I once spotted a cyclist go speeding across a cross roads when the lights where against him, and crash head long into another cyclist who was waiting at the lights as he should do.

And the amount I see with iPods stuck in there ear holes is unbelievable, car drivers are not allowed to wear ear phones so why do cyclists get away with it, I was on a bus once that was going along very slowly behind a cyclist who was trundling along, swerving all over the place talking on a phone.

I think Cyclists need a license plate system same as cars, that would help get the idiots off the road faster then waiting for them to kill themselves TBH.

The more people cycle in an area the safer it gets because cars know to look out for cyclists.

Great post Speedy, good advice there. I'm a cyclist (15yrs commuting in london), but I'm also a pedestrian (obviously) and a driver. I HATE the way cyclists are lumped together as red-light jumping lunatics. People don't talk about drivers in that way. There are good cyclists and bad cyclists, good drivers and bad drivers. End of. What needs to happen is more thought to how everyone's individual needs are catered for better - clearer signs, more dedicated bike paths etc, better education. And in London that really seems to be under way which is just great. The more people who cycle the safer all cyclists are.

Have a go Poshsinglemum, I promise that once you've got the hang of it you won't look back! Cycling every day keeps me sane!

Police are clamping down on it though. Nothing more annoying than sitting at a red light and watching other cyclists jump them as that makes it worse for us all. In the last few weeks I've seen quite a few cyclists given on the spot fines. The launch of the bike hire scheme has made it worse as there are quite a few amateur amblers wobbling through lights. Doesn't mean I don't support the scheme though. More cyclist, more awareness, people will learn and at the risk of repeating myself it'll be better for all of us. When I first started cycling there were many more red light jumpers as in some instances it was the only way to stay safe on the roads. Sorry, am ranting but is subject close to my heart!

I'm not prejudiced I think Cyclists and Car drivers are as bad as each other, the only non-walkers I don't have any problem with are bikers, I've never once seen a biker jump a light or not indicate etc, If I was a biker I wouldn't go weaving around other vehicles tho, I think thats pretty dangerous.

Boris can sod off with his cycle lanes IMO, he never claims the road for them, he just makes the pavements thinner and he's the most famous red light jumper, so he's setting a bad example.

Oh I agree Riven, I'm certainly not saying that driving by motor vehicles in London is any better. London is pretty appalling to travel across in any vehicle on the busy streets.

Thats what I mean by not much time to cross the road, after the cars and lorries have jumped the lights you get the 4 or 5 bikes leaving not much time to get across.

With the amount of traffic in London, ridiculous one way systems etc it is just awful to travel around and tempers fray. I just get angry at the comments by some cyclists that it is rarely done, it really isn't and there are some pretty nasty people on those roads (yes and in cars).

Anyway as said, this is getting off topic, we'll save that for some other thread.

OP-If you don't need to go anywhere near busy cities/roads, yes give it a go, practice on some quiet areas and you'll gain confidence. It's good excercise too.