Cycling Near-misses

Interesting study of cycling near-misses and what puts people off an essentially safe form of transport.

 

http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/mar/24/cycling-near-miss-close-pass-road-rage

that is a good read.

the first picture is of a cyclist in princes st edinburgh where there is a new hazzard in the form of tram lines.

there have been so many incidents with these that i do not ride these routes.

i would say as a general rule that most other road users are ok if you ride in an assertive [ not aggressive ] manner , but the ones who are dangerous are a lot worse than they used to be.

i have ridden in france and it appeared safer than driving a car because the other road users were so courteous.

i don,t know if that is because the french have a different opinion of 2 wheeled means of transport or if it had something to do with the fact that [in the part of france i was in anyway] the blame in an accident automaticaly falls on the driver and not the cyclist:cool:

I really enjoy riding off road. I go to London 3 days a week for work and on a few occasions have used a "Boris Bike". It's interesting that many of the comments from around the country are "other road users behave like they can't see me", whereas in London cyclists complain about other cyclists. During the rush hour in London, many many cyclists compete for road space with too many buses, lots of taxis and some cars, vans & trucks. A great deal of cyclists in London travel very fast (mostly without electrical assistance) and are a menace to ALL other road users. Cycling in London is genuinely scary IMHO...

I always thought a near miss was a hit.

I really enjoy riding off road. I go to London 3 days a week for work and on a few occasions have used a "Boris Bike". It's interesting that many of the comments from around the country are "other road users behave like they can't see me", whereas in London cyclists complain about other cyclists. During the rush hour in London, many many cyclists compete for road space with too many buses, lots of taxis and some cars, vans & trucks. A great deal of cyclists in London travel very fast (mostly without electrical assistance) and are a menace to ALL other road users. Cycling in London is genuinely scary IMHO...

 

You've hit the nail on the head there, I often find cyclist quickly creeping up on me left or right side 'centimetres' away without prior warning in case I make a sudden swerve. Riding your bike during morning/evening peak rush hour is another story to tell.

 

MS.

Time for a peace treaty perhaps?

 

Swindon Adver

Cyclists in London have been going very fast for the last thirty years or so since cycle couriers took off as a quicker way of getting stuff around than motorbikes over short distances.

 

But while other bikes might be a nuisance sometimes, it’s the trucks and buses which will swipe you off and squash you without even noticing. As with most of the reports in the piece I used to get trailer wheels as high as my handlebars coming within a foot or so of me regularly. But where I live now it’s the giant tractors with trailers who are the worst. I don’t think their drivers have to be tested as stringently as HGV drivers if they are tested at all, and they aren’t very good at judging distances.

 

When I first moved here from London in the mid nineties I bought the last of my road bike with me, and almost on the first ride I was pushed off the road and onto the gravel and almost under the wheels of an artict loaded with tree trunks on a steep narrow hill. People around here would stop dead for a horse but zoom past me at full speed within inches of my handlebars. I could ride around the North London rat runs and mix it with the traffic without any real concerns but these drivers here in the country seemed out to kill me through sheer ignorance.

 

It is a bit better here now though since the place has become more of a holiday destination and less totally agricultural. Now there are more incomers, as well as more bikes on the roads.

I enjoyed riding Boris bikes in central London.

 

The slow speed of the traffic meant I could almost keep up.

 

Lots of other cyclists give us 'traction', car drivers are more aware than elsewhere in the country.

 

I didn't see any test pilot commuters, but I suspect most of the fast riding is done on the way in to the West End or City.

 

Lots of Brommies near the big railway stations at going home time.

One of the joys of living in Milton Keynes is the wonderful city wide network of cycle paths. I'm thankful that I never have to ride on the roads. Although bizarrely the cycle paths often come in for critisism from what I call 'hardcore' cyclists and I often see those very same cyclists mixing it with 70mph traffic on the city's dual carriageway grid roads much to the dismay of motorists including myself. Each to their own but I think cyclists are sometimes their own worst enemy.

 

I have cycled in London and in general it was much easier than I thought it would be but I think it very much depends on the route you have to take. My route was Wandsworth Road to Covent Garden much of which was along the riverbank which made for a very pleasant and sedate commute, with the exception of Waterloo bridge which could be a bit frightening with all the buses and taxis in the bus lane. In my experience the main trunk roads in London are best avoided if possible and if you can pick a route through quiet back streets, riverbank and/or roads with segregated green cycle lane it's surprisingly civilised but given the choice I'd still much rather be on a cycle path.

Edited March 26, 201511 yr by 2Lazy

i am very pro cycling and allways try to put forward the cyclists point of view but there is one form of behaviour touched on above that i cannot understand .

it is ; why, when there is a wide, better surfaced than the road ,empty, segragated and very easily accessible cycle route running next to the road do some cyclists insist on using the road?

one of the roads near me has a 60mph limit and busy.

any cyclist on this road definatley holds up the traffic because of limited overtaking places and i have seen tailbacks and dangerous overtakes as a result while the supersmooth cycle path runs alongside empty.

i have cycled along this cycle route and asked fellow cyclists who are using the road why they don,t join me and the only answer so far is " i,m not breaking any law and i.m quite entitled to use the road"

well yes that is true but is that the only reason?

No, not the only reason. DfT advice given here in a consultation in 2004 about cycle paths states:

" Ride at a sensible speed for the situation and ensure you can stop in time. As a general rule, if you want to cycle quickly, say in excess of 18 mph/30 kph, then you should be riding on the road."

 

Michael

One of the reasons Stevieb is that if you are not familiar with the area it is very hard to tell where the cycle path is likely to lead you. For example, at the next roundabout it may try to turn you into a pedestrian having to stand at the side of the road waiting for a gap in the traffic, or it may just lead you down a turning that you don't want to take, with no opportunity to rejoin the traffic.

 

There are all manner of obstructions on cyclepaths and you don't know if you will meet one of these - for example one that I use has a van abandoned on it that has been there 5 weeks now to my knowledge. The police are not interested and the council say they will deal with it but it will take a while!

 

Then there is rubbish, thorns etc which are not swept up on the cyclepath, ice and snow is not cleared in the winter.

 

There are pedestrians who will not get out of the way till you have stopped and they have shouted a little abuse.

 

Slow cyclists and no way to overtake.

 

Just a few reasons that occur to me!

One of the reasons Stevieb is that if you are not familiar with the area it is very hard to tell where the cycle path is likely to lead you. For example, at the next roundabout it may try to turn you into a pedestrian having to stand at the side of the road waiting for a gap in the traffic, or it may just lead you down a turning that you don't want to take, with no opportunity to rejoin the traffic.

 

There are all manner of obstructions on cyclepaths and you don't know if you will meet one of these - for example one that I use has a van abandoned on it that has been there 5 weeks now to my knowledge. The police are not interested and the council say they will deal with it but it will take a while!

 

Then there is rubbish, thorns etc which are not swept up on the cyclepath, ice and snow is not cleared in the winter.

 

There are pedestrians who will not get out of the way till you have stopped and they have shouted a little abuse.

 

Slow cyclists and no way to overtake.

 

Just a few reasons that occur to me!

Isn't that the fun of cycling?

 

If you can't stand a laugh, you shouldn't of joined.

it is ; why, when there is a wide, better surfaced than the road ,empty, segragated and very easily accessible cycle route running next to the road do some cyclists insist on using the road?

 

As well as the reasons that 4bound gives, there is also a political reason for keen cyclists using the roads. There is a real and possibly justified fear in cycling circles that a government might make it compulsory for cyclists to use cycle paths where they exist, thus seriously limiting their common right of road use.

 

The wholely justifiable objections to such a measure are that the majority of cycle paths are ill-maintained, many have totally unsuitable surfaces, the shared paths often mean obstruction and protracted periods of very low speeds for pedestrian safety, plus all the problems that 4bound highlighted.

 

So the response of dedicated cyclists and some cycling organisations is to insist on road use for cycling as a civil right and not to "volunteer" the loss of that right by using all cycle routes all the time.

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i am very pro cycling and allways try to put forward the cyclists point of view but there is one form of behaviour touched on above that i cannot understand .

it is ; why, when there is a wide, better surfaced than the road ,empty, segragated and very easily accessible cycle route running next to the road do some cyclists insist on using the road?

one of the roads near me has a 60mph limit and busy.

any cyclist on this road definatley holds up the traffic because of limited overtaking places and i have seen tailbacks and dangerous overtakes as a result while the supersmooth cycle path runs alongside empty.

i have cycled along this cycle route and asked fellow cyclists who are using the road why they don,t join me and the only answer so far is " i,m not breaking any law and i.m quite entitled to use the road"

well yes that is true but is that the only reason?

 

You've hit a very saw point there. The worst things are the Pedestrians, who jump into your path if you sound your bell. That's if they haven't got their headphones on, so you have to get off your bike and shake them to get them out of the way. Then there's the cyclists that come at you on the same side as you. They don't know the convention about riding on the left side. That's if you're lucky enough to get over the broken glass from late night revellers without getting a puncture. I would have thought that you know about these things if you ride your bike on the cycle paths. IMHO, cycle paths are much more dangerous than the road. Also, they cause you to have to cross a lot of roads, which brings you into conflict with other vehicles, where you're stuck at low speed trying to get your pedals right. Personally, I think even 15 mph is too fast for cycle paths that are not physically segregated from pedestrians since they jump out on you when you least expect it. I prefer to take my chances on the road.

As well as the reasons that 4bound gives, there is also a political reason for keen cyclists using the roads. There is a real and possibly justified fear in cycling circles that a government might make it compulsory for cyclists to use cycle paths where they exist, thus seriously limiting their common right of road use.

 

The wholely justifiable objections to such a measure are that the majority of cycle paths are ill-maintained, many have totally unsuitable surfaces, the shared paths often mean obstruction and protracted periods of very low speeds for pedestrian safety, plus all the problems that 4bound highlighted.

 

So the response of dedicated cyclists and some cycling organisations is to insist on road use for cycling as a civil right and not to "volunteer" the loss of that right by using all cycle routes all the time.

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Isn't the flip side of that stance the very real risk of aggravating motorists (further eroding what little goodwill there is toward cyclists) and reducing the likehood of future investment in dedicated cycling infrastructure? In other words the policy makers and politicians say 'look we built them a cycle lane and none of them use it, what's the point in building more, it's a waste of money'. We've had some of that in Milton Keynes, which is why it's frustrating to see cyclists riding on 70mph dual carriageways when there is a perfectly good city-wide network of cycle paths. And I'm a cyclist who is sympathetic to the cause. I can only imagine what the average motorists thinks.

A mate of mine is a former Sustrans ranger.

 

He claims no inside knowledge, but his view on cycle paths is: "Use them or lose them."

I depends on the cycle paths. I agree about the crap ones in most cities, and never used the joke painted line ones in London. But it you have good wide segregated and dedicated cycle paths in MK like they have in other parts or Europe it makes sense to use them.

It utterly baffles me why on cycle paths, loads of cyclists try to ride on the right.

No bike lanes here.

Click on pic to start video.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=983124001701708

Isn't the flip side of that stance the very real risk of aggravating motorists (further eroding what little goodwill there is toward cyclists) and reducing the likehood of future investment in dedicated cycling infrastructure?

 

I agree that when good cycle lanes like those in Milton Keynes exist, they should be used. But it's a fact that they are an exception.

 

Throughout my area I have numerous cycle paths, but the majority are substandard and unusable by those with narrow road bike tyres and some are unacceptable for anything other than a dedicated mountain bike ridden with skill. Once built they are usually never maintained or swept so decline into unusability. One that was created in my area had it's tarmac capped with a sharp grit layer than ensured regular punctures for a couple of years until the grit was worn or washed off onto the grass flanks. There is nothing unusual about this, the same exists in many areas.

 

Governments are ignorant of detail and don't care, so long as there are nominal cycle paths in existence they could happily rule their enforced use which would be disastrous.

 

Hence the political action that in most areas in this country is justified with narrow tyred road bikes. It's part of a protest by cycling bodies to get government to provide usable cycling facilities, not just token unusable ones, and any upsetting of motorists is an unfortunate cost of that action.

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Edited March 26, 201511 yr by flecc

I depends on the cycle paths. I agree about the crap ones in most cities, and never used the joke painted line ones in London. But it you have good wide segregated and dedicated cycle paths in MK like they have in other parts or Europe it makes sense to use them.

Unfortunately the Cycle paths in MK are mixed use i.e., shared with pedestrians and dog walkers etc., with no centre line, although they are wide-ish and well away from traffic with the exception of the occasional (almost always) minor road crossing. It's fair to say that you have to keep your wits about you when turning blind corners etc., but I've never had any major problems (touch wood). In fact cycling in MK is usually a joyful experience, especially on a nice sunny summers day, no fumes or noise etc. There again it's not like I'm riding around like Evel Kenivel, I can understand that for a more experienced cyclist the pace at which you can cycle safely might be a bit frustrating. But ultimately, do you want to ride fast, or do you want to ride safe? I much prefer the latter and if it means riding at a sedate pace on a cycle path then so be it.

We've had some of that in Milton Keynes, which is why it's frustrating to see cyclists riding on 70mph dual carriageways when there is a perfectly good city-wide network of cycle paths.

 

I'm pleased to see you mention the limitations, for a minute I was starting to believe what you'd said.

 

Unfortunately the Cycle paths in MK are mixed use i.e., shared with pedestrians and dog walkers etc., with no centre line, although they are wide-ish and well away from traffic with the exception of the occasional (almost always) minor road crossing. It's fair to say that you have to keep your wits about you when turning blind corners etc.,

I'm pleased to see you mention the limitations, for a minute I was starting to believe what you'd said.

 

I don't see those two statements as being mutually exclusive. Yes the cycle paths in MK are not perfect but they're perfectly good and usable, generally well maintained and swept monthly. I hazard a guess most city councils and most cyclists in other city's would give their eye-teeth for a cycle network like the one in MK.

 

http://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/assets/attach/3752/North_MK_Redway_Map.doc

 

http://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/assets/attach/3753/South_MK_Redway_Map.doc

They are indeed very good, and on 25th December 2013 Cyclezee at MK posted a long video of a Christmas ride around MK on those cycle paths.

 

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