Traffic Calming or Cycle trap

[Gubbins]

Riding on the flat here so my e-bike is slower than most conventional bikes, but again I seem to be "in the way" of other road users. The council has deployed these traffic calming chicanes around Skipton and introduced a speed limit for obvious reasons, but why do I feel like I am very much at risk when going through them. There must be a better more bicycle friendly way of slowing traffic...

 

[KTM Bike Industries UK]

as you approach features like this in the road you need to move our a bit to prevent drivers thinking they have the room to squeeze through.

I ride around Skipton quite a bit on my road bike and its no worse than anywhere else in Yorkshire, or even the UK for this. You just have to ride a bit differently to ensure you get the space you feel comfortable with.

Its been observed that drivers pretty much give the same distance as you ride from the kerb. So if you ride close to the kerb you end up actually getting less space.

 

[oriteroom]

Do you get the feeling that YOU are the traffic calming especially ifyou cycle defensively by maintaining road position and not cycling in gutters. I know we have similar ones around Bournemouth and I feel like I'm being used as a moving traffic calming measure at times. Bournemouth also use stuck out bus stops (with car parking bays alongside) in busy shopping road so the buses become mobile traffic calming measures. Traffic calming is a bit of a misnomer, as sometimes it just frustrates impatient drivers even more.

 

[flecc]

as you approach features like this in the road you need to move our a bit to prevent drivers thinking they have the room to squeeze through.

I agree and do the same, but it does risk getting the occasional abuse.

On one such occasion a construction truck was arriving rapidly behind me and having to be slowed. The driver hung out of the side of his cab and screamed a stream of hysterical abuse at me, illustrating how right the boffins are when they say chimpanzees are almost genetically identical to us.
.

 

[KTM Bike Industries UK]

I agree and do the same, but it does risk getting the occasional abuse.

On one such occasion a construction truck was arriving rapidly behind me and having to be slowed. The driver hung out of the side of his cab and screamed a stream of hysterical abuse at me, illustrating how right the boffins are when they say chimpanzees are almost genetically identical to us.
.

its true, but the abuse can always be mocked with a polite way and a smile, which just reminds me how lucky I am to be a happy individual.

getting wiped out because some fool thought the gap was big enough, is less easy to deal with

 

[mfj197]

Its been observed that drivers pretty much give the same distance as you ride from the kerb. So if you ride close to the kerb you end up actually getting less space.

I'd heard drivers leave on average twice the gap, but the same premise holds. I've been pretty conscious of this on my commute recently and have purposely adjusted my riding style ever since I was knocked off a couple of months ago. British Cycling have some good tips to effective traffic riding, Part 1 on correct road positioning here and Part 2 on filtering in traffic here.

Michael

 

[Gubbins]

Unless Mr Angry is behind the wheel, in which case all common sense goes out to window... And it looks like Mr Angry is following me about...

 

[pdarnett]

And Mr Angry is busy throwing tins of dogfood at me!

 

[Gubbins]

In the case of the video clip the car behind me was holding back when Mr Angry overtook this car as well as me by speeding up the filter lane. When confronted with this sort of behaviour it's probably best to get out of the way...

 

[anotherkiwi]

Carry a gun bag slung over your shoulder at all times. Yes guns are heavy so use a bit of broomstick to give it the right shape.

Works wonders with drivers

Tony

 

[Gubbins]

If you ride too near the kerb you may get a surprise from the front, or, Farmers trying to discourage cycling on the footpath..
Just for a laugh..