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Cyclists - your experiences on the road

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PeterY

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I’ve been out on my bike a lot lately, and it seems the number of drivers who turn left or right without indicating is increasing. When I learned to drive it was drilled into me to the point that I do it automatically. Maybe they teach differently these days
Even as a cyclist, it's nice to know which way a car is going. Most drivers seem to indicate as they're starting to turn:(
 
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LSWR Cavalier

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Not personally but if they enable more people to cycle they're surely a good thing?
I certainly do not want more people cycling where I live.

A couple of old roads that were good for cycling have just been dug up. One with no alternative, the other replaced by a cycle way 170 cm wide. I do not fancy meeting a herd of 30 kmh ecyclists there.

Cyclists in groups are often very indisciplined, they use the whole width of the cycleway and appear not to perceive oncoming cyclists. Perhaps cycling in groups should be restricted.
 
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Techniquest

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I've only a couple of e-bike rides with Beryl for my e-bike experience, and I have to say I'm not a big fan of them. The boost on takeoff from a junction is really handy, I'll give them that, but in general it takes away the whole point of cycling for me. Which is exercise in combination of getting out and about exploring.

Don't get me wrong, they'd be really handy on hills, but they're not for me. Maybe one day, when the body starts to creak even more, then I might look into it but for now, I take great pride in the crafting of the legs. It's taken a lot of doing, and I'm going to have to redo some of that work eventually following an accident a couple of weeks ago. Lots of sitting/lying around lately, in combination with unhealthy food...

Nearly recovered, and soon the bike will come back out. For now, I'm not yet able to go for a ride and even then I'm going to have to dial things back a bit. In a shade over 4 months I did well over 2,200 miles on my beast. No exact figure due to a farce with Google Keep and I've lost a ton of files. Hopefully when I do get back out on it, and I'll ensure it's had a full service with new tyres and all that before then, the weather will stop being so horrendous like it was at the time of the accident!
 

Bikeman78

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Even as a cyclist, it's nice to know which way a car is going. Most drivers seem to indicate as they're starting to turn:(
It's surprising how many lorry drivers are guilty of this. One tried to turn left across me and realised at the last moment that he wasn't going to make it. I veered to the left a bit and he ended up aiming straight for a concrete bollard. He only just stopped in time. Makes me wonder what goes through people's minds when they attempt moves like this.
 

Bletchleyite

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It's surprising how many lorry drivers are guilty of this. One tried to turn left across me and realised at the last moment that he wasn't going to make it. I veered to the left a bit and he ended up aiming straight for a concrete bollard. He only just stopped in time. Makes me wonder what goes through people's minds when they attempt moves like this.

Today I saw a lorry driver who was clearly pratting with his phone or radio or whatever narrowly miss a car on the hard shoulder as he was wobbling back and forth onto it. Terrifying if you have to stop.
 

SCH117X

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I've only a couple of e-bike rides with Beryl for my e-bike experience, and I have to say I'm not a big fan of them. The boost on takeoff from a junction is really handy, I'll give them that, but in general it takes away the whole point of cycling for me. Which is exercise in combination of getting out and about exploring.
To get any decent range out of an ebike the assist needs to be off for a large amount of the time so its one heavy bike to ride unassisted for a good part of the time.
 

Bletchleyite

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To get any decent range out of an ebike the assist needs to be off for a large amount of the time so its one heavy bike to ride unassisted for a good part of the time.

Other than for mountain biking they aren't really intended for range. They are intended mainly for relatively unfit people to make local journeys, or for use in hilly areas (e.g. Sheffield) by averagely fit people.

If you are fit enough to ride a normal bike any distance you are not in the target market.
 

Techniquest

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I can't wait to be back in that market then! Currently an e-bike would be useful but slowly I'm getting strength back :D Still got a swelling on the right leg but that has nearly gone now.

Definitely not in the target market normally though, given I can do 60+ mile rides on my beast :D
 

LSWR Cavalier

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The Guardian reports a large increase in cyclists being killed in 'accidents' in the UK. Why? More fast e-bikes, more cycling, less motor traffic (= more speeding), less enforcement?

The number of people in cars killed is greater than the number of cyclists killed. As a driver in particular I really wish the cops would do a lot more no-nonsense enforcement!
 

SCH117X

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More likely due to road traffic now being greater than pre-lockdown due to people avoiding public transport and far greater numbers of staycations, There is on online petition to parliament to agree to a public campaign on reducing driver aggression to cyclists https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/588492

Legal e-bikes are no faster overall than a normal bike; quicker to 15.5mph which gives them an advantage in congested traffic but faster than that their is no motor assistance and the added weight of the motor and battery means a normal bike usually will go faster. In undulating terrain an ebike is typically quicker up hill but slower on the level.
 

dm1

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What does an Ebike have a motor for then, if not to go faster? Just for more acceleration? That is: going faster!
The motor is there to reduce the effort needed by the rider to turn the pedals, which makes cycling more accessible and attractive to those that would struggle otherwise.

A London bike courier on a road bike won't be any slower than an ebike, but not everyone is young or fit enough to ride that fast without assistance.

The most strenuous part of cycling is starting from a standing start, as it takes a lot of effort to get the momentum going. This is the reason why well-designed cycling routes keep forced stops to an absolute minimum. This is also the part where the motor makes the most difference.
 

SCH117X

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Many ebike users are cyclists with knee problems or commuters not wishing to arrive at work a sweaty mess. My 70 mile road bike ride last Sunday with 2178ft climbed was at 15.4mph avg (almost equivalent to an ebike max assistance speed), and a top speed of 32.4mph. The last time my ebike moved further than its normal short commuting and shopping trips was a 18 mile outing with 1211ft climbed and an avg speed of 13.8mph; top speed was 25.1mph.
 

JohnMcL7

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What does an Ebike have a motor for then, if not to go faster? Just for more acceleration? That is: going faster!
The motor is to give a more consistent effort so the rider can pedal at a very low power and the motor will help out on hills, head wind etc. but while the e-bikes are fast up hills, they lose out elsewhere because once the motor cuts out you're left with a heavy bike where a road bike can go quite a bit faster. In practice that means e-bike riders will cycle longer distances and over tougher routes with hill climbs they may have avoided but not much faster .

I've barely been out on the road this year and still sticking with mostly indoor riding on the road bike and outdoor riding on the mountain bike, it's difficult to tell whether I'm having more near misses than usual or just not used to them again but either way it's putting me off outdoor road cycling at the moment.
 

Bald Rick

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The Guardian reports a large increase in cyclists being killed in 'accidents' in the UK. Why? More fast e-bikes, more cycling, less motor traffic (= more speeding), less enforcement?

The number of people in cars killed is greater than the number of cyclists killed. As a driver in particular I really wish the cops would do a lot more no-nonsense enforcement!

It can only because the number of cyclists on the road is much, much higher than it was pre Covid.
 

SteveM70

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I was up in Scotland a fortnight ago and was out on my bike every day. It was noticeable how much more considerate drivers * were compared to what I’m used to at home. By comparison, I cycled Scarborough to Hull today and got fed up with impatient drivers right on my back wheel, and almost killed by a lunatic who overtook me about 5 metres before they turned left across my path


* there was one. Overtook when there was zero space and went the wrong side of a bollard in the middle of the road. It was an Audi
 

75A

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It can only because the number of cyclists on the road is much, much higher than it was pre Covid.
I think it's because some cyclists are morons who think they own the road. Came across a group near Wellingborough yesterday around 8 o'clock in the morning riding 3 abreast on country roads. The sooner they have to have a licence & insurance, the better.
 

Bald Rick

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The number of cyclists is not the cause.

What is it then? (Genuine question).

In my (admittedly simple) mind, if the accident rate per hour or km of cycling remains constant, and the amount of cycling hours or km rise (as it surely has done, significantly) then the number of incidents involving cyclists must also rise.
 

Haywain

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I think it's because some cyclists are morons who think they own the road.
Some motorists are like that too. Or is that because they pay the mythical 'road tax'?
Came across a group near Wellingborough yesterday around 8 o'clock in the morning riding 3 abreast on country roads.
Don't know the roads and wasn't there, but was there room to overtake? If the answers's no that suggests the road wasn't wide enough and therefore there is nothing wrong with that behaviour.
The sooner they have to have a licence & insurance, the better.
No licence is required for cycling, as you well know, and the requirement for one for driving isn't a hindrance to many who drive cars. As for insurance, much the same applies.
 

AM9

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I think it's because some cyclists are morons who think they own the road.
When of course motorists do. :rolleyes:
Came across a group near Wellingborough yesterday around 8 o'clock in the morning riding 3 abreast on country roads. The sooner they have to have a licence & insurance, the better.
Dream on. Cyclists are the same in road traffic terms as pedestrians, i.e they don't pollute, and rerely come off better in a conflict with a driver in a protective steel box. The old licence/insurance argument get trotted out by anti cyclist motorists with monotonous regularity, presumably they think that it might reduce the number of cyclists that inconvenience them and get in their way.
 

Bald Rick

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I think it's because some cyclists are morons who think they own the road. Came across a group near Wellingborough yesterday around 8 o'clock in the morning riding 3 abreast on country roads.

That works both ways.

I was cycling on a country road yesterday - the sort with high verges where two cars can pass more or less anywhere but only if one of them stops or nearly so - when a 4x4 pick up presented itself on my side of the road doing 30mph overtaking some cyclists coming the other way on a blind bend. Missed me by about 5cm. The sooner people like that have to give up their driving licence the better.
 

py_megapixel

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I think it's because some cyclists are morons who think they own the road. Came across a group near Wellingborough yesterday around 8 o'clock in the morning riding 3 abreast on country roads.
And? What's wrong with being out for a ride on a Sunday morning? If a tractor had been similarly blocking the road would you have come onto an online forum to complain?

The sooner they have to have a licence & insurance, the better.
Quite aside from the fact that making adopting active travel more of a hassle is a bad thing for environmental - assuming the conditions would be similar to driving licenses, to require that for cyclists would deprive quite a large number of children - particularly teenagers - of their freedom.

And all for what gain? To appease some drivers who take offence at the idea that they should have to slow down, give other users space, or drive defensively. A licensing system would do very little to combat cyclists that are actually posing a danger (they do exist) - the number of blatantly incompetent drivers on our roads is testament to how ineffectively enforced such things are, and no doubt would continue to be.
 

75A

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And? What's wrong with being out for a ride on a Sunday morning? If a tractor had been similarly blocking the road would you have come onto an online forum to complain?


Quite aside from the fact that making adopting active travel more of a hassle is a bad thing for environmental - assuming the conditions would be similar to driving licenses, to require that for cyclists would deprive quite a large number of children - particularly teenagers - of their freedom.

And all for what gain? To appease some drivers who take offence at the idea that they should have to slow down, give other users space, or drive defensively. A licensing system would do very little to combat cyclists that are actually posing a danger (they do exist) - the number of blatantly incompetent drivers on our roads is testament to how ineffectively enforced such things are, and no doubt would continue to be.
I pay £500 a year in Road Tax cyclists pay nothing and deserve everything they get,
 

py_megapixel

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I pay £500 a year in Road Tax cyclists pay nothing and deserve everything they get,
You have done an excellent job of avoiding all of my specific points, and just jumped to citing a misconception.

You don't pay road tax. You pay duty on your vehicle. There is no such thing as road tax, and vehicle excise duty has nothing to do with specifically funding roads. In any case, the wear a bicycle causes on the road is negligible compared to a car.
 

75A

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You don't pay road tax. You pay duty on your vehicle. There is no such thing as road tax.
And........................................ your point is?
Doesn't matter what it's called, I also have to had passed an test and have insurance, what does a cyclist have, a holier than thou attitude and with a bit a luck an incident that will scare the life out of them. Surely common sense would see them wear head protection and maybe high viz clothing and maybe even use lights at night, but oh no, I'm a cyclist therefore I'm infallible or should that be imortal?
 

py_megapixel

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And........................................ your point is?
Sorry, I wasn't realised I wasn't very clear there so I edited my post, presumably you just got the unedited version when you loaded the page.
My point was that vehicle excise duty has nothing to do with specifically funding roads. And in any case, the wear a bicycle causes on the road is negligible compared to a car, so if cyclists were going to pay this mythical "road tax" they'd have to pay only a tiny amount for it to be fair.

Surely common sense would see them wear head protection and maybe high viz clothing and maybe even use lights at night, but oh no, I'm a cyclist therefore I'm infallible or should that be imortal?
I wear head protection and use lights wherever possible.. as do most of my friends who get around on a bike. Please don't tar everyone you happen to see on a bike with the same brush. It's true that some cyclists behave dangerously and inappropriately on the road. The majority that I see are being perfectly sensible. I don't think I see more cyclists failing to use lights in the dark, for example, than I see motorists failing to use indicators when turning.

Let's not forget, in a collision between a car and a bicycle, the driver possibly gets a dent in their bodywork, while the cyclist is likely to recieve a serious injury. The solution to this is to narrow the vehicle lanes and provide separate cycle routes separated from the road by kerbs/bollards. Which always elicits complaints from closed-minded drivers who don't realise two important facts - firstly, doing this can actually make it faster for cars, and secondly, if they don't like being stuck in the traffic they can just jump on a bike (or an e-bike).
 

AM9

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And........................................ your point is?
Doesn't matter what it's called, I also have to had passed an test and have insurance, what does a cyclist have, a holier than thou attitude and with a bit a luck an incident that will scare the life out of them. Surely common sense would see them wear head protection and maybe high viz clothing and maybe even use lights at night, but oh no, I'm a cyclist therefore I'm infallible or should that be imortal?
The point is that any VED that you pay is because of the pollution that your type of vehicle inflicts on everybody in its vicinity.
You have to pass a driving test to assess your ability to take a potentially lethal vehicle on the public highway. You have to insure yourself to take that vehicle on the public highway as despite most drivers having passed a test, there are may innocent road users who are killed or receiving life-changing injuries from an imbecile treating them to incidents that scare the life out of them.
Some cyclists wear safety helmets and some don't, - interestingly, there is evidence that in some circumstances, helmets can result in wise injuries than riding without, but either way, quote a few cyclists are being culled and that makes the roads clearer for certain types of motorists.
By the way, nobody is iMMortal.
 

Failed Unit

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I pay £500 a year in Road Tax cyclists pay nothing and deserve everything they get,
I pay £0 road tax to drive a car. if you pay £500 perhaps get a less polluting motor vehicle.

by the way I has hit by a car on my bike. Broken back, many thousands of pounds in NHS treatment. If I didn’t have the helmet on I would be dead. The car driver was convicted for dangerous driving. The fact is on car versus bike the car always wins.

I do also have insurance as I can cause accidents as well. There are bad cyclists and bad motorists out there. I despise the red light hoppers. But the difference is with a bad driver the are protected by a metal box. The cyclist is normally heading to A&E
 
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