9hrs is all it took!

[Finallylostit]

The new highway code to cause anger!

I went for my morning cycle - no issues did nothing different than I normally do.

Home, shower, jump in car to get food shopping. I live down a country road - wide enough for 2 cars to pass with care, wide enough for a car to over take a cyclist sticking to the left of the lane, with the required space at certain points. Locals all know the places to do it safely.

Today 1 cyclist riding down the middle of the lane - now unsafe for car to pull over to other lane and pass - brilliant

Was he considerate of other road users and pulled over- no.

As on the other side were 8 riders riding two abreast high fiving each other and doing the finger to the motorists. Shouting its the law twats!
Were they considerate of other road users no.

Some of the new laws i think are sensible -
but the ride in the middle of the road, even if there is a cycle lane because you don't feel like it - is asinine

2 abreast packs of mamils hunting on weekends as they venture out of London - when they are generally rude enough as it is - gives those cyclists who are arseholes a legal right to now be an arsehole.

Be considerate and pull over to let cars and vans pass -
that is as likely as Downing Street not having another party in a lockdown!

@Frozentoes2

Ugh, the assumed superiority and vanity of some of the pro cyclists commenters on here is excruciating!

Pompously advising posters who don’t agree with you that they should educate themselves, or read the Highway Code, or even to “think deeper” (cringes) is very presumptuous.

It is very narrow minded to assume that everyone who (gasps) disagrees with you must surely not be as educated as you on the subject, must not have read the Highway Code, or be capable of such deep thought as you are. Or (cue faux concerned expression) that other people just aren’t as caring about other motorists or the environment as you.

I mean drivers are allowed to be pissed off that cyclists are allowed to slowly hog the middle of the road, because, let’s face it, it’s really really annoying!

For the nth time, it's the middle of the lane, not the road.

And all taking primary does is discourage motorists being twats and overtaking when there isn't room to do so. If a road is narrow enough to require a cyclist to be in the gutter for a car to pass them, there isn't enough room to overtake.

I've been in hospital once and nearly hit another two times when cummuting to work by bike. Forgive me if I couldn't give a shit if I hold a car up for 30 seconds to avoid that happening again.

I mean drivers are allowed to be pissed off that cyclists are allowed to slowly hog the middle of the road, because, let’s face it, it’s really really annoying!

I walk really fast and inwardly tut at the hand holding talking people and I do get what you mean tbf. I just think that quite a lot of the things that people say on these threads are pretty worrying, when you're a cyclist, a driver, a pedestrian or whatever. Venting on here is better than close passing a cyclist though

My beautiful eyes don't want to see anymore lycra bums. It's worse than grim.

Nearly got hit by a car on local bridge trying to avoid teen cyclist this morning

@OneTC

Everything causes delays, including myself. Drivers sitting in traffic moaning about delays are like people sitting on a beach moaning about how busy it is.

My old commute before I moved was 5 miles straight across a city centre.

By bike I could do it in about 25-30 minutes.

By car I was lucky if I did it in an hour.

Who was holding up who, exactly?

Genuinely think that most of the population are unaware of the bizarre new rules. People will die.

@OneTC

You do an important job.

I get that other things on the road cause delays, drivers included, but I think it’s the avoidable delays that are really irritating.

I personally would feel much less irritated being stuck behind a tractor than a cyclist who COULD let me overtake but chooses not to because the tractor delay is unavoidable. I get stuck behind a fair few tractors too.

Also where I live I am always being pinged by cyclists on footpaths to get out of the way. It can be a bit annoying when you’re trying to have a nice country walk with young kids and you’re constantly having to quickly move to the side.

It kind of feels like a double standard to me. It’s annoying that on footpaths the cyclists near me are so entitled that they just ring their bell and expect you to move so that they don’t have to brake or slow down, but that on the road faster vehicles should be expected to slow down and travel at the slower cyclist pace, without being able to safely overtake.

Anyway enough ranting from me, I have an early start tomorrow and had better get up ejected earlier and factor in some extra cyclist time!

@3Daddy31982

Genuinely think that most of the population are unaware of the bizarre new rules. People will die.

Go on, explain why, and especially in comparison to the rules and guidelines in the previous version of the HC.

3daddy, not if people drive properly

Ha! Ime many don't drive safely

Let's wait till summer when families are off. A bike offers zero protection. I know as I lost a schoolfriend in 1990. She was her parents only child. She's in the cemetery now. 3/4 lives destroyed by an archaic mode of transport

@3Daddy31982

Genuinely think that most of the population are unaware of the bizarre new rules. People will die.

Can you show us which bit of the bizarre new rules you think will kill people?

So do cyclists need to give way to pedestrians then? That would be interesting

So do cyclists need to give way to pedestrians then? That would be interesting

Yep

But riding with care in shared spaces and being prepared to stop was already written into the code prior to this revision

People are still gonna break the rules across the board unfortunately but I do maintain that the majority of drivers and cyclists do exercise this kind of common sense approach to road use and this codification of currently accepted good practice will make little impact overall

@Drunkpanda

So do cyclists need to give way to pedestrians then? That would be interesting

Revised code says:

“Sharing space with pedestrians, horse riders and horse drawn vehicles. When riding in places where sharing with pedestrians, horse riders or horse drawn vehicles is permitted, take care when passing pedestrians and horse riders, especially children, older adults or disabled people. Slow down when necessary and let them know you are there; for example, by ringing your bell (it is recommended that a bell is fitted to your bike), or by calling out politely.

Remember that pedestrians may be deaf, blind or partially sighted and that this may not be obvious.

Do not pass pedestrians, horse riders or horse drawn vehicles closely or at high speed, particularly from behind. You should not pass a horse on their left. Remember that horses can be startled if passed without warning. Always be prepared to slow down and stop when necessary.”

Thank you. I'm asking as I had to stop taking my dc for walks on a country route (no cars, just bikes and walkers and runners) as we were wizzed past so often by cyclists. I would always stand in if I knew they were there but bells weren't often used.

Cyclists already weren’t supposed to endanger pedestrians like that but maybe it won’t hurt for the inconsiderate ones who do to get another reminder. Pedestrians should be priority in shared spaces.

You can’t win with bells because some people will grumble at you for using them, but I’d rather use mine anyway if I think people don’t know I’m there.

@3Daddy31982

Genuinely think that most of the population are unaware of the bizarre new rules. People will die.

The absolute rubbish and catastrophising being spouted on this thread is beyond ridiculous.

I can only talk about my personal experience, but it's an accurate one. Yesterday I did a long ride of about 3 hours, and not once was there any problem between me and car drivers. Every last motorist clearly knew and abided by the new HC, because they all went wide of me when they overtook and were far slower than they used to be. I wasn't 'hogging the road' or causing them inconvenience, they weren't wound up or white knuckled at having to hold back for an oncoming car. The driver behaviour has significantly changed even in the 2 weeks leading up to the HC change. It will take time for the change to be widely accepted but it will become as embedded in the culture as having to stop at zebra crossings when a pedestrian is waiting to cross, seat-belt wearing or the nation's rejection of drink-driving as a previously accepted behaviour. There will always be knuckle-heads behind the wheel or Lycra-wearing twats on the road, but most people try to be law-abiding.

That's reality. This thread is so typically Mumsnet frothing, it's just unbelievable.

Well I think if you hadnt missed out half my post you would clearly see I wasn't saying it's so dangerous to go slowly. Nor was I complaining about the fact I was going to be driving more slowly. What I meant was it's dangerous that people are unaware of the new rules and I think initially it's going to be a challenge for both drivers and pedestrians to get used to the changes (therefore dangerous) honestly people will pick fault in anything you write on here

Sorry my last post was in response to @AuntyBumBum

[quote Frozentoes2]@OneTC

You do an important job.

I get that other things on the road cause delays, drivers included, but I think it’s the avoidable delays that are really irritating.

I personally would feel much less irritated being stuck behind a tractor than a cyclist who COULD let me overtake but chooses not to because the tractor delay is unavoidable. I get stuck behind a fair few tractors too.

Also where I live I am always being pinged by cyclists on footpaths to get out of the way. It can be a bit annoying when you’re trying to have a nice country walk with young kids and you’re constantly having to quickly move to the side.

It kind of feels like a double standard to me. It’s annoying that on footpaths the cyclists near me are so entitled that they just ring their bell and expect you to move so that they don’t have to brake or slow down, but that on the road faster vehicles should be expected to slow down and travel at the slower cyclist pace, without being able to safely overtake.

Anyway enough ranting from me, I have an early start tomorrow and had better get up ejected earlier and factor in some extra cyclist time![/quote]
This is where I'm at too, as a car driver and walker.

@Frozentoes2
*”It kind of feels like a double standard to me. It’s annoying that on footpaths the cyclists near me are so entitled that they just ring their bell and expect you to move so that they don’t have to brake or slow down, but that on the road faster vehicles should be expected to slow down and travel at the slower cyclist pace, without being able to safely overtake.”

Have you actually read the new changes?

I dread cyclists being ahead of me on the road, if there is traffic behind me, because I sense the expectation from behind that I will get past that cyclist asap. I'm also acutely aware if how I credibly vulnerable the cyclist is wobbling up the hill ahead of me soooo slowly I am driving at five miles an hour behind them. It feels a ridiculous combination to have cars capable of travelling at seventies miles an hour sharing space with I credibly vulnerable cyclists. When I'm driving I take the utmost care to keep them safe, but I hate every minute in sharing space with them and am so relieved when they either turn off the road or I have safely overtaken them. Pretty sure I'm not alone in how I feel

It is a ridiculous combination. Cars are such dangerous killing machines, they should be separated off.

As for going for walks with kids in shared spaces, I get that bikes can be annoying, however, in this green and pleasant land, there are plenty of lovely places to walk where no vehicle of any kind can reach