Continuing Hassle from motorised traffic -- a little rant

Having just ( 16 November) had my second injury caused by a "blind" car
driver I have been thinking for some days about the continual hassle I
encounter on my daily cycling jaunts.

Every time I cycle on road ( which is 95% of the time) for any distance I
find that there is an "incident" (or more than one) that puts me at risk in
some way.

Most off these are caused by drivers simply not being aware of the space I
need rather than deliberate acts of "assault" ( but there are a lot of those
too).

An example -- yesterday I waited, central in my lane, on a dual
carriageway, at the stop line of traffic lights. It wasn't too busy and
there were about 4 cars in the outside lane waiting in the same way (
checked them in my helmet mirror) and no one directly behind me. As the
lights changed and we all moved off in good order when suddenly a scooter
roared by between me and the leading car travelling probably at 40 mph. His
arm brushed mine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In yellow jacket and L plates. I
was fortunate in that I was firmly mobile and already settled into riding
position ( i.e. not in the first moment off take off).

So it caused me to swear just a tad! No harm was done to me! or was it? --
didn't get his number cos it was obscured!

An inch or so further to his left would have hit me fairly and squarely and
undoubted would have had a high chance of causing me serious injury.

So what is the point I am trying to make.

It is just that, even at 69 1/2 I am continually practising ( and hopefully
improving) my cycling skills. In particular I try a practise emergency stops
to improve my chance of stopping without going base over apex in such a
procedure. ( clearly since I did that very thing on the 16th I haven't
mastered the technique -- but there was simply no time to think).

I ride very positively and I have a keen ear for traffic from behind. I use
a "retroviseur* ( mirror) because I can't look back over my right shoulder
beyond sideways ( left backwards is OK, so my trips in Europe are just that
bit safer?). I try and obey road signs and I believe that my riding provides
motorists with a good idea of my intentions. I signal my changes in
direction ( which many motorist do not -- it is apparent that most drivers
must be clairvoyant or telepathic and signal their intentions by thought
alone).

So despite my efforts and despite the fact that I enjoy riding my
Velocepanther3 ( still in its "new toy" phase) I am aware that nearly every
time I climb aboard my velo I am putting myself at increased risk.

And this is, in particular in UK. As you know, I do an annual, long
distance, camping tour in Europe every year. I have covered each year about
2500 kms in France, Spain, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. The glaring
difference between my daily trips at home and my tours in Europe is the
absence of perpetual daily "situations" in mainland Europe. I can cycle in
comfort and in a vastly more relaxed frame of mind and motoring induced
incidents are virtually absent.

But of course there is always that moment when I set foot ( set wheel?) back
in UK. Despite knowing what is about to happen it is always a shock to the
system to return to being invisible on the roads again.

I'm not sure what my point is here -- just that I am very much aware of my
vulnerability on road here every time I cycle and it is mentally wearing.

It is only too clear to me that virtually every day I encounter an incident
involving a motor vehicle which,. although minor in actuality of the event,
could injure me considerably. I know statistics show how safe cycling is --
but they don't show the continual "war of attrition" ( or "hassle" as in the
subject line) that I live with daily.

So that has got it off my chest and it will not improve things one iota


--
Trevor A Panther
In South Yorkshire,
England, United Kingdom.
www.tapan.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

By the way, next years tour is planned to be a half circuit of Italy. I
seem to think that cycling conditions in Italy is more akin to UK and I
should be grateful of any information regarding that and any other advice --
like maps, cycle routes and so on ---- CTC's website is distinctly sparse
on up-to-date information on routes etc.

--
Trevor A Panther
In South Yorkshire,
England, United Kingdom.
www.tapan.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

"Pinky" wrote in message
news
Having just ( 16 November) had my second injury caused by a "blind" car

Pinky wrote:

snipped

You have my sympathy. It seems you do have more than your fair share of
numpties around where you live, or maybe I just have a thicker skin.

It is this continuing hassle that puts a lot of people of cycling on
the road. One needs a certain degree of bloody mindedness to 'zone out'
the traffic.

The scooter rider sounds like a bit of a chancer.. I'm sure I've done
similar in the past where I have been able to nip through a gap in semi
stopped traffic at speed (I behave myself now). I tend to rely on
motorcycles and scooters knowing where they are and being unsettling
rather than dangerous. Car drivers, particularly those in older cars,
seem to have less of a clue or desire to stay unscratched.

...d

Pinky wrote:

The glaring difference between my daily trips at home and my tours in Europe is the
absence of perpetual daily "situations" in mainland Europe. I can cycle in comfort
and in a vastly more relaxed frame of mind and motoring induced incidents are virtually
absent.

I wish. You are welcome to join up with this Thorn Raven on it's daily
60km commute through Luxembourg, town & country, and then tell me about
how nice and safe it is here on the kontinont. I just got to work and
read your mail, and much of it could have described my trip this
morning - or yesterday when I pulled over for an oncoming ambulance,
blues&two's going, just to have the follwing car overtake me and miss
the ambulance by about 6inches.

Maybe on you jaunts here on the mainland, you are able to choose ideal
times and places to ride, plus its well known that motorists' skills
drop as the weather gets worse...?

Pinky wrote:
...
So despite my efforts and despite the fact that I enjoy riding my
Velocepanther3 ( still in its "new toy" phase) I am aware that nearly every
time I climb aboard my velo I am putting myself at increased risk.

And this is, in particular in UK. As you know, I do an annual, long
distance, camping tour in Europe every year. I have covered each year about
2500 kms in France, Spain, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. The glaring
difference between my daily trips at home and my tours in Europe is the
absence of perpetual daily "situations" in mainland Europe. I can cycle in
comfort and in a vastly more relaxed frame of mind and motoring induced
incidents are virtually absent.

But of course there is always that moment when I set foot ( set wheel?) back
in UK. Despite knowing what is about to happen it is always a shock to the
system to return to being invisible on the roads again.

Part of the problem in the UK is the lack of a /comprehensive/ motorway
network, ensuring that most inter-urban motorised traffic has to use the
shared use public 'main' roads.

Take a look at a map of Europe, especially the northern part including
northern France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and increasingly
Spain and Italy. The motorways look like a fishing net thrown over the
land. Contrast that with the UK and you'll see vast areas with no
motorway at all. Those few of reasonable length that do exist (with the
exception of the M5) radiate from London, with nothing much of note
joining directly towns and cities on different radials, or not on a
radial at all.

We all know the magical transformation a new motorway or by-pass makes
to the lives of those living alongside old main roads, and to the safety
of those using them for local-only journeys.

Imagine the country with no inter-urban motorised traffic on the shared
roads! The 'main' roads would be transformed!

--
Matt B

"Pinky" wrote in message
k...
By the way, next years tour is planned to be a half circuit of Italy. I
seem to think that cycling conditions in Italy is more akin to UK and I
should be grateful of any information regarding that and any other
advice -- like maps, cycle routes and so on ---- CTC's website is
distinctly sparse on up-to-date information on routes etc.


I cycled a wee bit in Tuscany. Not as pleasant as cycling in France. Lumpy
terrain. Road surfaces can be *abyssmal* even on the equivalent of our
A-roads. Motorists: lunatics. Less lunacy towards cyclists than towards
other motorists, but still had the odd hairy moment. Also, whilst The Unfit
Family met some thoroughly lovely people over there, there was a minority of
*obvious* 'let's rip-off the tourist' and 'let's verbally abuse the
foreigner' Definitely a minority, but it happened enough to mar the holiday.
But the people who owned the place where we stayed were truly welcoming,
friendly and helpful.

Pinky came up with the following;:

It is only too clear to me that virtually every day I encounter an
incident involving a motor vehicle which,. although minor in actuality of
the event, could injure me considerably. I know statistics show how safe
cycling is -- but they don't show the continual "war of attrition" ( or
"hassle" as in the subject line) that I live with daily.

So that has got it off my chest and it will not improve things one iota

I also cycle (and live) in your neck of the woods (Doncaster) and am also
finding it increasingly hard to enjoy cycling with as carefree an attitude
as I'd like to. I dunno if it's a local problem but I have noted recently,
and posted about a couple I think, that there are much more frequent near
misses and 'brushes' as you describe every time I go out.

It certainly didn't seem that way in Nottingham, where I used to live and
cycle a lot, indeed, I posted many a time poo-pooing the ideas that some
cyclists posted saying they get lots of hassle from other road users. In
Nottingham I got very, very little grief, but in Doncaster (and Sheffield)
grief seems to be an inclusive part of every cycling journey.

I also ride so motorists 'know' what I'm going to do, I'm in the centre of a
lane, I signal at every lane change or turn, I ride at speeds commensurate
with other traffic and yet I'm also still not seen, or if seen dis-regarded.

I fear there's no easy answer, but talking (posting) about it might have
some personal, cathartic benefit.

--
Paul ...
(8(|) Homer Rules ..... Doh !!!

Paul - xxx wrote:
Pinky came up with the following;:

It is only too clear to me that virtually every day I encounter an
incident involving a motor vehicle which,. although minor in actuality of
the event, could injure me considerably. I know statistics show how safe
cycling is -- but they don't show the continual "war of attrition" ( or
"hassle" as in the subject line) that I live with daily.

So that has got it off my chest and it will not improve things one iota

I also cycle (and live) in your neck of the woods (Doncaster) and am also
finding it increasingly hard to enjoy cycling with as carefree an attitude
as I'd like to. I dunno if it's a local problem but I have noted recently,
and posted about a couple I think, that there are much more frequent near
misses and 'brushes' as you describe every time I go out.

It certainly didn't seem that way in Nottingham, where I used to live and
cycle a lot, indeed, I posted many a time poo-pooing the ideas that some
cyclists posted saying they get lots of hassle from other road users. In
Nottingham I got very, very little grief, but in Doncaster (and Sheffield)
grief seems to be an inclusive part of every cycling journey.

I also ride so motorists 'know' what I'm going to do, I'm in the centre of a
lane, I signal at every lane change or turn, I ride at speeds commensurate
with other traffic and yet I'm also still not seen, or if seen dis-regarded.

I fear there's no easy answer, but talking (posting) about it might have
some personal, cathartic benefit.

Maybe have a word with the local police senior officers (join the
masons?). A PR campaign announcing the use of undercover officers on
bikes to target antisocial driving [1] should have drivers leaving more
space for all cyclists ;-)

...d

[1] You don't actually need more than a token few police officers on
bikes for more than a token few arrests. Public perception is what
counts.

My own "wish list" is not cycle paths or more road engineering /
improvements.

I reckon we need a really big spend on driver education - like the short
lived "think bike" campaign that tried to improve driver behaviour toward
motorcyclists.

Oh! And much better legal protection to remove the ineducable drivers..

--
John Clayton
www.calder-clarion.co.uk


"David Martin" wrote in message
oups.com...

Paul - xxx wrote:
Pinky came up with the following;:

It is only too clear to me that virtually every day I encounter an
incident involving a motor vehicle which,. although minor in actuality
of
the event, could injure me considerably. I know statistics show how
safe
cycling is -- but they don't show the continual "war of attrition" (
or
"hassle" as in the subject line) that I live with daily.

So that has got it off my chest and it will not improve things one iota
Maybe have a word with the local police senior officers (join the
masons?). A PR campaign announcing the use of undercover officers on
bikes to target antisocial driving [1] should have drivers leaving more
space for all cyclists ;-)

..d

[1] You don't actually need more than a token few police officers on
bikes for more than a token few arrests. Public perception is what
counts.

wafflycat wrote:

"Pinky" wrote in message
k...
By the way, next years tour is planned to be a half circuit of Italy.
I seem to think that cycling conditions in Italy is more akin to UK
and I should be grateful of any information regarding that and any
other advice -- like maps, cycle routes and so on ---- CTC's website
is distinctly sparse on up-to-date information on routes etc.


I cycled a wee bit in Tuscany. Not as pleasant as cycling in France.
Lumpy terrain. Road surfaces can be *abyssmal* even on the equivalent of
our A-roads. Motorists: lunatics. Less lunacy towards cyclists than
towards other motorists, but still had the odd hairy moment. Also,
whilst The Unfit Family met some thoroughly lovely people over there,
there was a minority of *obvious* 'let's rip-off the tourist' and 'let's
verbally abuse the foreigner' Definitely a minority, but it happened
enough to mar the holiday. But the people who owned the place where we
stayed were truly welcoming, friendly and helpful.


I spent two weeks cycle touring and camping in Tuscany and a bit of
Umbria last May, cycling south from Florence to Pitigliano, then east to
Spoleto, Norcia, across the Piano Grande and back to Spoleto. I sought
out strade bianche (and equipped the bike with fat tires to handle the
gravel), and avoided like the plague anything marked in red on a
Michelin or TCI map. Cycling into and around Florence was hairy at
first, but no more so than driving would have been and once I got the
hang of it I was fine. There were one or two spots where the people I
dealt with had a fairly cynical, hardboiled attitude towards tourists
(Camping Michelangelo in Florence being the most blatant example), but
otherwise very friendly people. I did make a point of greeting people in
Italian, and asking "Parla inglese, per favore" instead of just walking
up to people and speaking English, and I saw myself getting *much*
better treatment than my countrymen who just walked into a shop or cafe
and started speaking English as if they expected the whole world to
understand them.

I hope to be back in spring '08 for a longer visit, covering more of
Italy than just Tuscany this time.
mark