A Qustion To Cyclists

[hamiltonjag]

Cyclists are fair game for motorists. Hitting one is excusable. Hitting one that's wearing an iPod is community service. OK, predictable jokes and jibes done.

 

Serious question..... with winter rapidly approaching with the accompanying icy road conditions, what extra care is taken by the cyclists among you? I saw a lassie this morning dusting herself down after coming off her bike. Believe it or not this nasty anti-cyclist here stopped and asked her if she was ok. She said she'd just skidded on black ice and came off her bike. As I drove off laughing (I'm KIDDING..... I didn't laugh really) I began to picture a much worse scenario for the young woman. Had a bus or car been in the wrong place at the wrong time things could have turned nasty.... or even fatal. Do cyclists spare a thought? Isn't public transport or even (Heaven forbid) a motor a much safer option for you guys and girls in the winter? (Serious question)

[Jaggernaut]

Simple solution: with the possible exception of crowded town centres, cyclists should use the pavements, with due care and consideration for pedestrians.

I often see youngsters cycling on the pavement beside a busy road where I live. It makes sense; safer all round.

[B.C.G. JAG]

I don't mind admitting to being a bit of a fair weather cyclist. Once the weather really turns then I stick to buses and trains for a while.

[gianlucatoni]

Cyclists are fair game for motorists. Hitting one is excusable. Hitting one that's wearing an iPod is community service. OK, predictable jokes and jibes done.

 

Serious question..... with winter rapidly approaching with the accompanying icy road conditions, what extra care is taken by the cyclists among you? I saw a lassie this morning dusting herself down after coming off her bike. Believe it or not this nasty anti-cyclist here stopped and asked her if she was ok. She said she'd just skidded on black ice and came off her bike. As I drove off laughing (I'm KIDDING..... I didn't laugh really) I began to picture a much worse scenario for the young woman. Had a bus or car been in the wrong place at the wrong time things could have turned nasty.... or even fatal. Do cyclists spare a thought? Isn't public transport or even (Heaven forbid) a motor a much safer option for you guys and girls in the winter? (Serious question)

 

 

Good man but I bet you did laugh you filthy barsteward.

On a more serious note the bike stays in the shed on obscenely wet days (liked tonight) and anything less than 5 celcuis due to ice problems ... far too risky ... in addition to black ice there's the crap state of the roads near the pavements where we should be, idiot pedestrians also with iPods and the altogether nastier diesel spill patch ...

... plus I'm still haunted by seeing a cyclist about 50 yards in front of me many years ago in Shawlands who collided with the door of a parked car flung open by some vacuous bint - as he fell off roadwards he was spliced into 2 bits by a bus. Was proper horrific but by the time I'd stopped he was a goner. Have never worn a helmet since that day as no bunnet would win that battle.

[hamiltonjag]

I'm still haunted by seeing a cyclist about 50 yards in front of me many years ago in Shawlands who collided with the door of a parked car flung open by some vacuous bint - as he fell off roadwards he was spliced into 2 bits by a bus. Was proper horrific but by the time I'd stopped he was a goner.

That's exactly the sort of nightmare scenario I had in mind this morning. If the 226 bus had been running on time that lassie might have been crushed under it's wheels! *shudder*

[KAWB]

I've corrected how you really meant this to read.

 

Cyclists are fair game for motorists. Hitting one is excusable. Hitting one that's wearing an iPod is a hobby of mine.

 

I swerved several times before hitting a lassie this morning. I felt obliged to stop and ask her if she was ok. How I laughed to myself.

 

I'm trying to make myself look good in light of my previous anti-cyclist posts. Please now blow smoke up my @rse.

[hamiltonjag]

I've corrected how you really meant this to read.

Seems everyone is entitled to your opinion KAWB. What I witnessed yesterday morning was a young person in distress. Whatever my jocular jibes may be about cyclists, concern for a fellow human being and their welfare over-rides your inane self-opinionated trolling. Making oneself look good/smart/clever is your bag, not mine. Once you realise you are failing in your attempts you may begin to understand others' contempt and pity for you.

[John Blutarsky]

back on topic with a sensible answer. around glasgow, there's a relatively good and improving network of cycle routes, so it's possible to commute to and from the town centre and minimise the amount of time you share a road with other traffic - summer or winter.

for wet weather and darker nights, make sure you have the right equipment and make sure it works. some people don't follow these top tips, same as some drivers don't check their brakes, tyres, lights, wiper blades and don't abate their speed in winter conditions. this week, there has been a higher than normal spate of motoring accidents across the central belt. driver carelesness probably contributed and there were no doubt many more near misses, just like the daft lassie on the bike.

as luca-t says, if it's excessively wet or icy, don't go out. there's off-road riding for cycling folks who like that sort of gig.

jaggernaut - on a relatively flat road, say Dumbarton Road, i average about 15 - 20 miles/hour with little effort. how would it be safer, for me or the pedestrians, cycling on the pavement?

[Jaggernaut]

jaggernaut - on a relatively flat road, say Dumbarton Road, i average about 15 - 20 miles/hour with little effort. how would it be safer, for me or the pedestrians, cycling on the pavement?

For the cyclists, it's safer no matter what speed you're going at: if you're not on the road you're not going to be hit by a car.

For the pedestrians, there's clearly no increase in safety by having them share the pavement with cyclists, but if the pavement is big enough, then why not share. It of course requires courtesy and good sense on the part of cyclists as well. This arrangement is standard in Kyoto, and I've never seen any kind of even half-serious bike-pedestrian accident on the pavement, whereas I've seen several accidents involving bikes on the roads here.

 

Edited to add: Kyoto cyclists can of course go on the roads when they want to, and they do, but they flit between road and pavement as they wish, and the system works.

Edited October 28, 2010 by Jaggernaut

[Chris near Oxford]

I drive and cycle.

 

Cycling on the pavement is not a good idea. It is too slow, dangerous for pedestrians and illegal.

 

Cycle on the road, but a good distance from the kerb - approx 1m, so that you don't bang into drains and can wobble up hills. Keep a steady speed, look around you and remember that cyclists make some car drivers nervous.

 

If it is icy the best things you can do are check your brakes, make sure your tyres are fully inflated and have sufficient tread, drive more slowly. If you encounter black ice, it's probably best to dismount. And wear gloves too!

 

Cycle paths are good: cycle lanes can be a curse - particularly as you have to move in an out to accommodate parked traffic.

 

In terms of good behaviour, don't take the piss by jumping lights, not signalling, going without lights. It justs pisses off people who we need to share the road with.

 

There are lots of daft people who use bikes. Not outnumbered by daft drivers who routinely brake speed limits, fail to signal, use their horns for sport or park in cycle lanes.

 

As a cyclist my biggest bugbear with drivers is failing to signal. I understand that people think that road position means that they don't need to signal (e.g. on a filter lane), but for a cyclist it really isn't worth betting my life that they intend to turn and haven't just missed the filter sign.

 

As a driver my biggest bugbear with cyclists is pulling out without looking or signalling.

Edited October 28, 2010 by Chris near Oxford

[John Blutarsky]

It of course requires courtesy and good sense on the part of cyclists as well. This arrangement is standard in Kyoto, and I've never seen any kind of even half-serious bike-pedestrian accident on the pavement, whereas I've seen several accidents involving bikes on the roads here.

 

where it works elsewhere it's because roads/pedestrianways/cycleways are designed for shared use. that requires investment as well as appliance of common sense and courtesy from all parties. as i said, cycle routes around glasgow are improving but across the uk these examples of cycle lanes are probably a fair example of how cyclists are accommodated.

[KAWB]

Seems everyone is entitled to your opinion KAWB. What I witnessed yesterday morning was a young person in distress. Whatever my jocular jibes may be about cyclists, concern for a fellow human being and their welfare over-rides your inane self-opinionated trolling. Making oneself look good/smart/clever is your bag, not mine. Once you realise you are failing in your attempts you may begin to understand others' contempt and pity for you.

 

Get over yourself you idiot. Its abundantly clear from the amount of folk round here who 'correspond' to your biaised posts that you are the butt of most of the jokes and you fall a long way from being smart. Your wailing attempts to pretend you have a bone of sympathy fall short here once again.

 

You've only shown yourself to be apathetic here by starting a topic on a subject most people know your stance on (your hatred of cyclists) in an attempt to reverse peoples' opinions of you. Massive FAIL.

Edited October 28, 2010 by KAWB

[Jaggernaut]

 

 

Cycling on the pavement is not a good idea. It is too slow, dangerous for pedestrians and illegal.

 

 

Hmm, it's actually not officially legal in Japan, where like here most pavements are NOT designed to accommodate cyclists. But in fact everybody, police and pedestrians included, agree that it's a GOOD idea for all concerned. If speed is your priority, then a bike is probably not a good idea anyway.

Edited October 28, 2010 by Jaggernaut

[hamiltonjag]

Get over yourself you idiot. Its abundantly clear from the amount of folk round here who 'correspond' to your biaised posts that you are the butt of most of the jokes and you fall a long way from being smart. Your wailing attempts to pretend you have a bone of sympathy fall short here once again.

 

You've only shown yourself to be apathetic here by starting a topic on a subject most people know your stance on (your hatred of cyclists) in an attempt to reverse peoples' opinions of you. Massive FAIL.

[Ember]

Cycling on the pavement is not a good idea. It is too slow, dangerous for pedestrians and illegal.

Only in England and Wales.

Edited October 29, 2010 by Ember

[Wee Gus]

I cycle right through the winter. Only weather I wont cycle in is snow. Ice can be tricky, but keep it slow and look ahead for potholes and i feel fine.

I-pod is an essential piece of my cycling kit. It prevents me hearing the horns and shouts from car drivers when i jink through the red light. The green man means go for me, and a wee jink up the pavement to get to front of a queue should surely be included in the cycling proficency test !!!.

[gianlucatoni]

I cycle right through the winter. Only weather I wont cycle in is snow. Ice can be tricky, but keep it slow and look ahead for potholes and i feel fine.

I-pod is an essential piece of my cycling kit. It prevents me hearing the horns and shouts from car drivers when i jink through the red light. The green man means go for me, and a wee jink up the pavement to get to front of a queue should surely be included in the cycling proficency test !!!.

 

 

cycle a bit faster Gus - and then you can wait at the lights like you should be doing - and the ipod idea leaves me well speechless

[Wee Gus]

cycle a bit faster Gus - and then you can wait at the lights like you should be doing - and the ipod idea leaves me well speechless

I had the rozzers pull me once for stopping in front of the green cycle box at a red light at Cardonald. --- Told him he would have to speak up, cos I couldn't hear him !!!--- then the light changed to green, an off I went !!! He was delighted !

Edited November 1, 2010 by Wee Gus

[soapy]

Must admit i get pretty angry at the cyclists down here that refuse to use the cycle lanes. oor toon spends over 500k a year (of our money) maintaining and improving cycle lanes, yet they still use the roads.

 

colleagues at work, who are cyclists, have tried to explain to me that cycle lanes are not for cyclists!! They're for people with bikes!!

cyclists are just arrogant road hogs as far as im concerned.

 

dont get me wrong, im not a road rage person, and always give them plenty room, but they do piss me off.

[hamiltonjag]

Must admit i get pretty angry at the cyclists down here that refuse to use the cycle lanes. oor toon spends over 500k a year (of our money) maintaining and improving cycle lanes, yet they still use the roads.

 

colleagues at work, who are cyclists, have tried to explain to me that cycle lanes are not for cyclists!! They're for people with bikes!!

cyclists are just arrogant road hogs as far as im concerned.

 

dont get me wrong, im not a road rage person, and always give them plenty room, but they do piss me off.

Careful soapy.... you're leaving yourself open to torrents of infantile abuse from the paramilitary wing of the cycling brotherhood.

[gianlucatoni]

Careful soapy.... you're leaving yourself open to torrents of infantile abuse from the paramilitary wing of the cycling brotherhood.

 

 

seems you're only interested in the cycling sisterhood - showing concen for the top-heavy super-jugged female of the species on 2 wheels while she lies on the tarmac legs akimbo - opportunist!

Edited November 2, 2010 by gianlucatoni

[hamiltonjag]

seems you're only interested in the cycling sisterhood - showing concen for the top-heavy super-jugged female of the species on 2 wheels while she lies on the tarmac legs akimbo - opportunist!

Nah. She was too young for me! And who told you she was "top heavy"?

[Jaggernaut]

Nah. She was too young for me! And who told you she was "top heavy"?

Most of the ones around here are definitely pear/avocado-shaped.