Why car drivers DO NOT see cyclists

[Ocsid]

"Panorama's Internet survey; a sampling of a population more likely to be composed of nasty lonely unhappy people looking for someone to blame. They shouldn't be allowd anywhere near a keyboard or mouse, let alone the internet."

Where did the basis of that take come from?

 

[nigelbb]

Little wonder that we've lost so many of our most valuable members, leaving in disgust at the posts of the increasing number of wilfully offensive members.

And why this forum is dying on its feet with hardly any input. Given the immense increase in e-biking over the two years of the pandemic, we should be flooded with input traffic and new members and the forum should be thriving.

Sadly all forums are dying. I have participated in many for years & years but few new users are joining as everyone uses Facebook groups nowadays even though they are vastly inferior.

 

[flecc]

Sadly all forums are dying. I participated in many for years but few new users are joining as everyone uses Facebook groups nowadays even though they are vastly inferior.

Indeed Nigel, as Soundwave commented earlier and I see in another site I use regularly. But I see this one as particularly hit. Given the huge growth of e-biking and cycling in general in 2020, '21 and '22, the lack of input traffic is extraordinary.
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[I893469365902345609348566]

Sadly all forums are dying. I have participated in many for years & years but few new users are joining as everyone uses Facebook groups nowadays even though they are vastly inferior.

Don't be lulled into thinking you're not involved with Facebook. That's true even if you don't to your knowledge have a Facebook account, as it's built into many devices at a hardware or firmware level, and you trigger being assigned a notional identity the moment it accesses the internet. There are 28 trackers before you log into this forum and 131 after you do. Rest asssured, it all contributes to a mosaic to be data mined later, no matter how anonymous it seems. You data will never be deleted, even when this forum and Facebook are long dead.

 

[I893469365902345609348566]

"Panorama's Internet survey; a sampling of a population more likely to be composed of nasty lonely unhappy people looking for someone to blame. They shouldn't be allowd anywhere near a keyboard or mouse, let alone the internet."

Where did the basis of that take come from?

We all know timid people, who surprise by driving like demons. It's the same when people with unresolved issues are allowed a mask to access the internet. Responses to other people on social media in all it's forms, which of course includes forums and some surveys, tends toward the extreme. There are unnecessary and unwarranted insults, for example. I expect such will continue.

Wild badger behaviour won't change much either

 

[jimriley]

We all know timid people, who surprise by driving like demons. It's the same when people with unresolved issues are allowed a mask to access the internet. Responses to other people on social media in all it's forms, which of course includes forums and some surveys, tends toward the extreme. There are unnecessary and unwarranted insults, for example. I expect such will continue.

Wild badger behaviour won't change much either

Perhaps, like badgers, they would be best humanely culled. Until they develop a vaccine of course. I'm not that heartless.

 

[garyroe21]

if motorists and cyclists cross or enter a bike lane, the motorist should give way or yield to the biker by default. It also applies in situations when both parties need to turn right. In this case, the motorist must exercise caution, especially when the cyclist is directly going straight through the intersection or at roundabouts.

(Spam link removed by admin)in a bike lane is cyclists’ official lane without competing with other motorists. Motorists are expected to yield to the biker when passing through a bike lane.

 

[flecc]

(Spam link removed by admin”in a bike lane is cyclists’ official lane without competing with other motorists. Motorists are expected to yield to the biker when passing through a bike lane.

Please be aware that the linked site in Gary's post is of US origin and is incorrect for Britain in some details. For example the following extracts are incorrect:

Motorists and bikers are expected to yield to pedestrians at a pedestrian crossing at all times. On the other hand, if the pedestrian is passing in a crosswalk or unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, the person should give way to the cyclist or motorist.

Pedestrians only have the right of way when crosswalks or pedestrian crossings exist.

Pedestrians here have far greater rights over traffic, detailed in the latest Highway Code.
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[vidtek]

Just came across this thread and I sent an email to the Researcher at Bournemouth University (100 yards down the road from me) about something that has been troubling me for some time.


I had a nasty fright yesterday when exiting the Talbot roundabout from Fern Barrow. I drive a Nissan Leaf which has an extremely large "A" pillar, as have many newer vehicles.

A cyclist approached unseen by me from Wallisdown Road travelling West and my sightline of this cyclist was completely obscured by the "A" pillar, as I moved onto the roundabout my vehicle's movement kept the cyclist from my view hidden completely by the pillar as they moved so did my pillar in complete syncronisation. Something made me hesitate, I just had a feeling there was something there, and stopped at the roundabout. As I stopped the cyclist appeared as if from nowhere and I realized I had just avoided a nasty accident by the skin of my teeth.


I have been motorcycling and driving since the 1970's and have recently taken up cycling after my wife insisted I sell my motorbike, saying I was too old to be getting about on one now it is too dangerous. I am constantly aware of cyclists and motorbikes when I drive and I worry about other drivers who also have these large "A" pillars on their vehicles. In the Nissan Leaf's case I believe it is inherently dangerous, more so than other newer vehicles. I understand a wider pillar is used to house the airbag systems, but it is wrong to put the driver's safety ahead of other road users.

 

[flecc]

I worry about other drivers who also have these large "A" pillars on their vehicles. In the Nissan Leaf's case I believe it is inherently dangerous, more so than other newer vehicles.

I agree. I dont know what model Leaf you have, but my one with the current body style has the same restriction on visibility. I've developed the habit of doing double takes at danger points such a entering roundabouts, also physically leaning back and forward to change the view.

Judging from your photo, I have an even worse problem. I'm much shorter and the seat elevation at maximum still leaves the door mirror obstructing my view, so I have to use an addition seat cushion to raise me more.

Nissan should have corrected these problems, reducing the A pillar size and providing more seat adjustment. Too late now, the Leaf is being discontinued next year. currently replaced only by the Ariya model, which being SUV style doesn't look much more promising.
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[matthewslack]

I drove small vans for years before my ebike came along, Transit Connect then Fiat Doblo, and routinely found it necessary to be altering head position even just in bends to have an adequate view of the road.

 

[flecc]

I drove small vans for years before my ebike came along, Transit Connect then Fiat Doblo, and routinely found it necessary to be altering head position even just in bends to have an adequate view of the road.

This problem was largely solved many years ago in the USA and to an extent here, with wraparound screens. Unfortunately the change from toughened glass to laminated made wraparound impossible, contributing to the current problem.

I never had this problem with my phase 2 Vauxhall Victor back in the early 1960s, thanks to its wraparound screen:

Take a peep at this shutterstock image to see the driver's wide range of view.
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