Cyclists and the Highway Code

[Jemima232]

Huh. Just Huh.

And Wow, too.

So now we have to be careful not to knock cyclists over, when driving past them.

Of course, they don't have to be careful not to knock anyone over when they go through red traffic lights, do they?

As if they need more legislation in their favour. It absolutely enrages me.

[PaddyF0dder]

“I would just like to know what the government intends to do about the blatant disregard the vast majority of cyclists have towards the safety of other road users, particularly pedestrians.”

Given you’re talking nonsense without any evidence to back up your claims, no you don’t want to know that.

You just want to stir shit up and goad people.

On your bike.

[CuriousaboutSamphire]

I have already posted that there are moves afoot on the subject of dangerous cycling. READ REPLIES AND TRY AND ASSIMILATE NEW INFORMATION

Might be a handy new transferable skill for you!

[Geminijes]

I do think cyclists can be selfish and oblivious to pedestrians.

Last Saturday my friend and I were walking a popular trail that is for cyclists and pedestrians. It is split in to 2, half for cyclists and half for walkers, clearly marked on the tarmac. Numerous times we heard bells and shouts from cyclists coming up behind us telling us to move out of the way even though we were walking in the pedestrian part.
After passing us they would shout at us for not moving so they could pass us in tandem.
When cyclists were approaching us from both behind and in front we often felt we had no choice but to squeeze ourselves against the hedgerow so they could pass.

I do think cyclists should be more considerate to pedestrians, especially as they want drivers to be considerate to them.

[Cocobeanstalk]

Yep absolutely nothing worse than driving on a 60mph country lane and meeting a cyclist. you can’t over take for the entire stretch due to too many turns, so end up doing 20 mph for 5 miles with no attempt made by the cyclist to let you past. Oh and also having cars doing 40mph + nearly ploughing into the back of your car due to the traffic the cyclist is forming.

[echt]

I do think cyclists should be more considerate to pedestrians, especially as they want drivers to be considerate to them

Fuck me. These are not trade-offs.

[ShatnersWig]

A friend of mine was walking in a pedestrianised zone with clear "No Cyling" signs and was sent flying by a cyclist. Not some teen on a bike but a commuter. Friend broke his wrist when he fell, other cuts and bruises and lost his job because he was on probation in a new job and wasn't able to work due to the cast. Cyclist didn't stop. I've been clipped by a cyclist in the same area and managed to remain upright.

We have good cycle paths but most mornings on my way to work the majority choose to use the road rather than cycle path (the former is more potholed than the road). Every morning I see cyclists go through red lights, jump onto the pavement and off again to avoid a red light by cycling on a path, not signalling when taking a junction.

Just like drivers there are good cyclists and bad ones. What makes me laugh is how many I see with cameras on their helmets facing forward to record something that they encounter or happen to them so they can make use of the footage. They actually tend to be the ones I see most mornings cycling badly.

[Macaroonmayhem]

OP, How many people have been killed by cyclists?

And how many cyclists have been killed by cars?

Go and look that up please.....

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, like in every community, there are a small number of cyclists who are fucking arseholes - don’t decide that the rest of us deserve no care and attention just because of a relatively small number of idiots. The driver that pulled out a side road, from behind give way lines directly in to me on my bike, throwing me onto their bonnet then onto the road was an arsehole, but I don’t automatically think all drivers are idiots. They were though.

[Geminijes]

@echt

Fuck me. These are not trade-offs

No one said they should be trade offs but consideration isn't a one way street. Motorists should, obviously, be considerate to cyclists, but also cyclists should be considerate to pedestrians.

[CuriousaboutSamphire]

Coco then you and all of those car drivers should re-consider your driving attitude!

Just slow down, take a deep, calming breath and enjoy the journey. It is pointless get wound up by it. That only makes you an increasingly more dangerous driver!

And no, I am not a cyclist. And yes, I do live in an area that is very popular with cyclists, commuters and leisure cyclists alike!

[echt]

What makes me laugh is how many I see with cameras on their helmets facing forward to record something that they encounter or happen to them so they can make use of the footage. They actually tend to be the ones I see most mornings cycling badly.

What's your personal observation of dash cams on cars? Or are they going too fast for you to see?

[Jemima232]

I used to live in London and saw 98% of cyclists driving through red lights, except where there were loads of police officers around.

Interesting that they changed their cycling habits in places where they could be arrested, yet ploughed through red lights where it suited them.

[echt]

@echt Fuck me. These are not trade-offs

No one said they should be trade offs

You did:

I do think cyclists should be more considerate to pedestrians, especially as they want drivers to be considerate to them

That's a trade-off. A bargain.

[echt]

I used to live in London and saw 98% of cyclists driving through red lights, except where there were loads of police officers around

Spreadsheet, eh?

[Jemima232]

However, I now live in the middle of nowhere, and cyclists are rarely to be seen, except in the summertime, on rural roads.

They drive in tandem and refuse to allow anyone to pass them.

[ShatnersWig]

@echt The issue is that cyclists don't have registration. So, helmet cam records a driver turning left in front of a cyclist and knocking them off their bike and their registration is recording. Dash cam films a cyclist driving through a red light or clipping a pedestrian, cyclist rides off and dash cam has no registration.

[Seraphimofthewilderness]

I used to live in London and saw 98% of cyclists driving through red lights, except where there were loads of police officers around.



Exactly 98%?

Not 97.9%?

You sure?

[echt]

@echt The issue is that cyclists don't have registration. So, helmet cam records a driver turning left in front of a cyclist and knocking them off their bike and their registration is recording. Dash cam films a cyclist driving through a red light or clipping a pedestrian, cyclist rides off and dash cam has no registration

It's a good point, though not the one you made at the time.

[Jemima232]

ShatnersWig - yes, that is the problem.

It's time that cyclists had registration plates, so that they could be prosecuted for motoring offences.

It isn't good enough to bleat that there are more motorists causing death on the roads. Of course there are. But that doesn't mean that cyclists are should be exempt from prosecution.

[echt]

They drive in tandem and refuse to allow anyone to pass them

What do you mean by this?

[RedTrek]

We have good cycle paths but most mornings on my way to work the majority choose to use the road rather than cycle path (the former is more potholed than the road).

Sounds like they aren't good cycle paths if they are potholed. Potholes are much harder to navigate on a bike than in a car.

A lot of areas sorely need better infrastructure for bikes. I was recently in Copenhagen and it was a paradise for cyclists. Separate lanes (actual good lanes, not potholed), separate traffic lights, a whole road system that was really designed to make cycling a safe and easy option.

More people cycling and fewer people driving is brilliant for public health and the environment. It should be a huge priority for governments and councils everywhere.

[ShatnersWig]

So what's your point?

I'm making an observation about what I see. I clearly can't tell about drivers with dashcams and whether they are good or bad drivers. So I made no comment about that. Pretty obvious. Perfectly valid to say that I witness many cyclists with helmet cams cycling badly and that that is somewhat ironic (which I elaborated on with my second posting after your query).

My second comment is supplemental to the first. And even you admit it's a good and valid point.

You can also see I also clearly said that cyclists, like drivers, fall into good and bad categories.

[CuriousaboutSamphire]

They drive in tandem and refuse to allow anyone to pass them. Yeah! Cos that is how cucloists ride safely. They take up the width of a car and force car drivers to give them more room! It also allows cars to pass more quickly... common sense really

[Jemima232]

Echt - I mean that they drive next to one another, not following one another.

On narrow roads it does make it impossible to get past.

[ShatnersWig]

@RedTrek Bollocks. I meant to say the roads are far more potholed that the cycle paths (some of which aren't shared spaces with pedestrians either).

I do want to state that I am BOTH a cyclist and a driver.

[echt]

It is legal and always has been:

ukcyclelaws.blogspot.com/p/the-laws-according-to-highway-code.html


Here's the thing. Think of two cyclists abreast as being like a car, because you clearly have difficulty as seeing them as legitimate road users. Think how you would treat that car when considering overtaking.