To think if cars don't allow enough room for my bike, I have no choice but to go onto the pavement?

[Hammy02]

I cycle to work everyday but increasingly I've found that cars are so close to the pavement that I couldn't fit my bike inbetween. What am I supposed to do? I live in a city in which there are loads of bikes so locals should be used to cyclists. Unless it is tourists but still.

Given that in the UK, just 2% of journeys are made by cyclists (compared to 27% in the Netherlands) that means that cars only pose 3 times the risk to a pedestrian than a cyclist.

That's shocked me actually. I thought it would be a much bigger difference. Wasn't expecting to find that out!

@quietlyafraid. Are you taking into account that only 55% of journeys are made by car? With your figures, I get cars are ten times more dangerous to pedestrians than cyclists in terms of fatalities.

That sound more realistic tbh. Didn't check the percentage of car journey. (Ooops! I'm bad!)

But at even 10 times more risk, I'm slightly surprised. I thought it would be tiny.

I suspect if you compared average miles per car journey and cycle journey, that 10:1 Death ratio would get much smaller on a per mile travelled basis.

whatmeworry - any death rate is too high.

aaaah...now I see Whatmeworry. You were frustrated being stuck behind a cyclist doing "5mph" today.

Well, you know, EVEN if the cyclist was doing 5mph, the roads are for EVERYONE. Actually..they pedestrians come first if you look in the law books.

PS I have a vision of you in your vehicle.

I think ditziness' post at 1.32:40 pm is a well considered view and practice that I'd be happy to co-travel alongside.

A friend of mine was seriously hurt by a cyclist flying down the pavement on her suburb. As he (it was a he) was flying down at great speed, he would have seen her and should have stopped or slowed significantly. My friend is not elderly, blind or deaf. The cyclist did not use his bell. If it had been a child.....

Also if cyclists undertake and drivers don't see them because they don't have lights, visibility gear and did not even attempt any signal, then the cyclist is setting up an accident to happen.

EllaDee I assume you don't drive either then and walk everywhere?

Pan ....behave, not everyone can tell when you are being silly & norty, now begone with your chutzpah

Kipper - I can't see the post at 1.32.40pm however please bear in mind that, yes, although there are idiot cyclists, they are fewer than idiot car drivers and cause fewer, less serious injuries.

FYI, I do not drive or cycle.

HD-

ditziness demonstrated the sensible and considerate cycling we should all use, particularly in the ops situation.

The thing is there are plenty of good cyclists, you know they are good because you don't notice them. Only the bad ones.

Trust me, I am really really identifiable on my bike, I am the only person in town with one - I've never had a complaint , only waves and smiles.

Why thanks kipper

Here's my post again

"Bicycles aren't cars! Fgs!

I'm a cyclist. I ride my bike everyday. I maybe aren't as fast or fit as cyclist commuters or couriers or others, but I love my bike and enjoy the excersize and freedom. I don't drive a car for environmental and health reasons.

I cycle on the left of the road, as I was taught to do as a child and have always done. Cars are generally far faster than me and overtake me. I have no desire atall to "stake my claim" on the road, ride further out into the centre and have cars riding behind me, wishing I was faster.

At junctions where cars are stationary queuing at the lights I will pass them on the left (where bicycles are positioned on the road) in order to get to the front of the queue, sit clearly visible in the cyclist box and indicate what I am doing. This is the safe way to do it.

Sitting in the queue of cars , slowing them down, overtaking on the left or right when they are moving is dangerous and means you don't get seen and are in danger of being ran into.

If there is no room to pass on the left as some tosser in a car thinks cyclists shouldn't be allowed on the road, I generally dismount, walk round the car on the pavement, get back on my bike and continue. Optionally giving the driver a pitying smile.

I generally would not cycle on the pavement. Except maybe a couple of times when there's not a pedestrian in sight and although tis naughty, noone will get annoyed or hurt. But as a rule, nope I don't.

There should be more cycle paths. Cyclists are not cars , nor are they pedestrians. They belong neither on a road or a pavement. The fact that they have to cycle on the roads alongside massive metal machines that could crush them would make you think people would give them some respect and space. Can't believe some of the attitudes on this thread!"

any death rate is too high

The only way you get that though is no journeys (or a speed limit of 0 mph)

Not very practical...it's clearly about balancing risks vs rewards. what is more interesting is how close the car vs cycle death ratios are.

True. But then you can include all fatalities caused by cars, rather than just pedestrian ones, and watch the ratio go back up, or decide you're going to only consider journeys in built-up areas, or, or, or... so many ways to slice the data.

And whilst I agree that cyclists shouldn't ride on the pavement, I suspect that a lot of - maybe even most- cyclist-pedestrian accidents are due to pedestrians not checking for cyclists before stepping out into the road.

To be fair, I don't live in the UK and am often surprised by the bad riding of many cyclists when I come home.

Well, you know, EVEN if the cyclist was doing 5mph, the roads are for EVERYONE. Actually..they pedestrians come first if you look in the law books

Pedestrians have the right of way on roads? Well I never.

Re "roads are for everyone" - d'you really think they would work if loads of vehicles trundled along at 5 mph? It was tried once (with red flags...)

This is such a sad thread.

Cars are big powerful beasts of machines. Bikes are skinny, vulnerable bits of titantium, or whatever.

We need to co-exist. We need for more people to go on bikes, and the higher the price of oil the more will.

I think the world would be a much nicer place if even 25% of us used a bicycle.

Yes, when I Rule The World, people will have to submit requests to me for owning a car. The bar will be set very high. A qualifying feature will be evidence of riding a bike ( capability allowed for) for a minimum of 2 years.

Seems fair.

One of my husband's friends was knocked off his bike from behind by a car driver. He suffered a broken arm. I would feel sorry for him..BUT:

The other day I was stopped at a junction and there was a cyclist ahead of me. Every so often he would look like he was about to cross to the other side (there was a road right opposite, almost like a cross road) but he wouldn't go!! THERE WAS A BLOODY TOUCAN CROSSING ABOUT 3 YARDS TO THE RIGHT WHICH HE DIDN'T WANT TO USE. Once or twice I nearly went off to the right myself, but this little man wouldn't move...That night I went to bed and I kept having nightmares that my breaks weren't working and I bumped into the back of his wheel and killed him.

Why don't cyclists ever look BEHIND them? Or buy some side mirrors for your handlebars so you can SEE WHAT'S GOING ON BEHIND YOU, evil people.

MrB - your post is so riddled with miscomprehensions it's tricky to know where to begin. So I sharn't.

. Just venting about everything and anything a cyclist has ever done to me on the road. Seems like the right thread to do that on.

Aaah..... so you don't hate us all

GohWee - I agree. There was a thread about an idiot driver, no, I mean an evil driver who hit a pedestrian so hard that the wing mirror came off! And drove off. We're just trying to encourage OP not to break the law or get into a dangerous situation.

Pan - lol. But some very dangerous drivers have ridden bikes for years, whereas some very considerate and very safe drivers have never got on a bike but walked. Actually I don't dare to ride a bike or a motorbike because I'd feel very vulnerable on the road. If I could I'd walk everywhere and just use the buses and trains...... oh, this is the wrong thread to moan about trains!! Haha.

YABU for UNDERTAKING cars on the road, the highway code applies to you too you know!
So scaredbear, I presume if you are in your car in a traffic jam and the left hand lane starts to move or is moving slightly quicker than the right hand lane you do not move or make sure you are always going slower!! No, you don't do you.