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A cautionary tale

I’ve nearly lost my rear end doing an emergency stop when a car pulled out on me but did keep upright. Cycling proficiency is still offered in schools but I would like to see more training for car drivers in terms of how they behave around vulnerable road users. I believe this is totally inadequate, they just don’t anticipate because they don’t understand how a cyclist needs to be given room to avoid hazards in the road (potholes, uneven surfaces, glass etc which don’t really effect cars to the same degree).

I got a bollocking from my advanced riding instructor after I refused to be bullied by a white van who should have given way to me. He said "you were in the right but it won't stop you getting knocked off!"

These days most people are only interested in themselves and this includes driving. You can hope for training and empathy but the odds aren't good.
Last week a twat in an Audi, who didn't understand what the give ways lines on a motorway slip road were for, decided he was going to force his way out - and I was driving my Grand Cherokee!
What hope is there for vulnerable road users?
 
Eccy road is a death trap for inexperienced cyclists. I've seen 4 people go over the front of cars as the vehicles turned right onto rustlings road and ignored the potential for traffic in the bus/bike line coming down the hill.

One took a right cartwheel over the offending vehicle, luckily he was only going moderately slow, but still too fast to stop giving the conditions and the known fact that drivers in the main carriageway invite right turner's with a flash of the lights in they are blocked from moving forward themselves.
 
I've never heard of her but to you she's absolutely perfect then, incapable of doing anything which might upset other road users.
Are you purposely being ridiculous? Google her & then apologise. She was cycling on a road which leads to the Peak District, I fail to see how her actions could upset anyone.
 
Just yesterday some Lycra-clad prat assumed that I'd be turning left into the road he was emerging from at speed, despite my absence of signal and position in the road. The curve in the road meant I couldn't see him until the last second. I had to do an emergency stop to keep him safe.
It's about time that cycling proficiency tests were reintroduced.
 
Are you purposely being ridiculous? Google her & then apologise. She was cycling on a road which leads to the Peak District, I fail to see how her actions could upset anyone.
Like I say, I've never heard of her and can't be bothered to google her. I presume from the tone of your posts that she's an Olympic medallist but the fact that she can cycle fast doesn't mean that she is a considerate cyclist on the road.
 
Eccy road is a death trap for inexperienced cyclists. I've seen 4 people go over the front of cars as the vehicles turned right onto rustlings road and ignored the potential for traffic in the bus/bike line coming down the hill.

One took a right cartwheel over the offending vehicle, luckily he was only going moderately slow, but still too fast to stop giving the conditions and the known fact that drivers in the main carriageway invite right turner's with a flash of the lights in they are blocked from moving forward themselves.
I ride down there quite a lot, you really cannot ‘blame’ the cyclists, how fast is too fast? The answer is for drivers to be more observant & actually look. It really helps if you are a driver as you are better equipped to anticipate the behaviour of others.

If cyclists were to assume the primary position to avoid being doored & rode very slowly I dread to think what would happen. Generally I can easily keep with traffic on this road & often progress a fair bit faster if the traffic is heavy.
 
Like I say, I've never heard of her and can't be bothered to google her. I presume from the tone of your posts that she's an Olympic medallist but the fact that she can cycle fast doesn't mean that she is a considerate cyclist on the road.
She’s a Paralympian & an active travel advocate. As you can’t be bothered to do any research I am surprised you can be arsed to comment on things you have no knowledge of.

Again how can it be offensive for her to cycle on a road?
 
Just yesterday some Lycra-clad prat assumed that I'd be turning left into the road he was emerging from at speed, despite my absence of signal and position in the road. The curve in the road meant I couldn't see him until the last second. I had to do an emergency stop to keep him safe.
It's about time that cycling proficiency tests were reintroduced.
Well done you, I’m incredibly proud of your actions & offer no defence of the cyclist.
 
She’s a Paralympian & an active travel advocate. As you can’t be bothered to do any research I am surprised you can be arsed to comment on things you have no knowledge of.

Again how can it be offensive for her to cycle on a road?
I commented on a cyclist and the possible reason someone shouted abuse at her, not on the object of the abuse being famous in your world. Not everyone shares all your hobbies, you know.
Just accept that she may possibly have attracted abuse for being a trifle inconsiderate in her riding at some point. Or does your obvious hero-worship prevent this.
 
I commented on a cyclist and the possible reason someone shouted abuse at her, not on the object of the abuse being famous in your world. Not everyone shares all your hobbies, you know.
Just accept that she may possibly have attracted abuse for being a trifle inconsiderate in her riding at some point. Or does your obvious hero-worship prevent this.
My original post was about a close pass initiative that was being run by SYP. They filmed the cars passing her & then pulled in the offending vehicles, approximately 20% of the passing vehicles were found to transgress.

Given the context I have provided your comments are ridiculous, how can she have offended anyone? It was a police operation. Just accept it & stop being such a prat.

Her ‘fame’ probably garnered some extra coverage & that is a good thing.

I do wish SYP would take other video submissions more seriously but they don’t have the resource.

It is not about ‘my hobby’ it is about road safety which we should all be invested in. As a car driver & regular cyclist I take this pretty seriously. You obviously think it is a big joke or that she was somehow deserving of abuse.
 
I commented on a cyclist and the possible reason someone shouted abuse at her, not on the object of the abuse being famous in your world. Not everyone shares all your hobbies, you know.
Just accept that she may possibly have attracted abuse for being a trifle inconsiderate in her riding at some point. Or does your obvious hero-worship prevent this.

Probably best to stop digging as you're doing a tremendous job of acting like a dickhead here.
 
I commented on a cyclist and the possible reason someone shouted abuse at her, not on the object of the abuse being famous in your world. Not everyone shares all your hobbies, you know.
Just accept that she may possibly have attracted abuse for being a trifle inconsiderate in her riding at some point. Or does your obvious hero-worship prevent this.
Have you read the article or are you just being obtuse? She is an Active Travel Commissioner for Sheffield City Region since 2019 and was participating in South Yorkshire Police's safe passing operation on the A57 in Sheffield.
When you’re in a hole, stop digging.
 
I gave the cyclists I encountered today more passing room than the car in front of me which I thought was a bit too close, I winced slightly.. This car had already crossed the double-white lines so there was no reason no to give more room.
As I was on my bike and the view ahead wasn't clear enough (bends) I passed but kept just to the left of the double-whites, easily more than 1.5m.
 
Woodface, slow enough to be safe is whatever speed you need to be under to be able stop in time when a car crosses lanes to run you over with less than 5m visibility, if there's a Chelsea tractor on the inside.

I'm not assigning blame, the car crossing lanes is at fault legally, but this simple precaution stops you getting hospitalised. And being right is funk all concilation for a broken face and leaving a 10m streak of your arse cheek down the tarmac.

The left turn at the newbold lane lights after the botanical gardens at king Edwards school is another belter. I love watching other cyclists push up the inside of traffic to reach the bike box at the front. That's another suicide move.
 
An agent provocateur then…
I don’t consider her to have been employed to induce others to break the law so that they can be convicted. They made that choice. It’s demonstrating that 80% of drivers were perfect and aware of the law. A further 20% chose to over take illegally. Their decision. I’ve been knocked off my bike numerous times, including once by an HGV travelling at nearly 50mph, which gave me zero clearance when he overtook, never mind the required 1.5m. I was lucky that it was a soft verge that I fell on. However, my bike was wrecked. It could have been me. If this exercise stops one person then that’s success in my book. How would you feel if one of your daughters was knocked off by a driver failing to give them 1.5m clearance?
 
Woodface, slow enough to be safe is whatever speed you need to be under to be able stop in time when a car crosses lanes to run you over with less than 5m visibility, if there's a Chelsea tractor on the inside.

I'm not assigning blame, the car crossing lanes is at fault legally, but this simple precaution stops you getting hospitalised. And being right is funk all concilation for a broken face and leaving a 10m streak of your arse cheek down the tarmac.

The left turn at the newbold lane lights after the botanical gardens at king Edwards school is another belter. I love watching other cyclists push up the inside of traffic to reach the bike box at the front. That's another suicide move.
We have different views on this but I fully get what you are saying. I don’t ride in commuter hours, I will generally be passing through at around 7ish in the evening so a slightly different challenge. The one thing that really gets my goat is when cars squeeze into the left when they see a cyclist coming from behind.

It’s a funny thing cycling as timidity often does more harm.
 
Yup, at rush hour I ride in the main lane, at speed, but still assume every car doesn't know I'm there unless they are directly behind me and I act accordingly at junctions and when passing parked vehicles.
 
Last week a twat in an Audi, who didn't understand what the give ways lines on a motorway slip road were for, decided he was going to force his way out - and I was driving my Grand Cherokee!
What hope is there for vulnerable road users?
I’m not sure the line between the slip road and the motorway is a give way line, is it? A give way line is two rows of parallel dotted lines, the slip road line is one row, which is usually a lane divider, not a give way line. Joining traffic is not expected to approach the line and stop if necessary, but rather to merge at an appropriate speed.
 


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