Cyclists are treated as if they are staionary.

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beardy
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Cyclists are treated as if they are staionary.

Post by beardy »

I think that most of my conflicts with non-belligerent motorists come down to the fact that they have failed to take into account the fact that I am moving. They sub-consciously plan their route as if I am a static item like a bollard rather than a moving object.

This is the most common reason for cars and more importantly HGVs cutting across me when they overtake. They did not mean to cut across me, they just complete the manoeuvre as if I was totally static rather than just going a bit slower. I bet that the majority of left hooks are down to this.
Psamathe
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Re: Cyclists are treated as if they are staionary.

Post by Psamathe »

Absolutely. Larger vehicles (lorries, busses, etc.) are far worse.

e.g. cycling along at 20 mph in a 30 limit, vehicles don't seem to realise how long it would take to pass something if they were only going at 10 mph. so they (without thinking) seem to do the same as when passing a stationary object.

Maybe cars misjudge it as well but being shorter results in things not getting so close.

And the absolute insult (a month ago) was a Travis Perkins lorry pulling in far far too close, only to present me with a real close-up view of their "Cyclists Stay Back" sticker on the back of the lorry !!!

Ian
Grandad
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Re: Cyclists are treated as if they are staionary.

Post by Grandad »

Same problem results in motorists pulling out from left hand side roads in front of approaching faster than expected cyclists. Quick look registers the rider but doesn't allow time to judge their speed.
pwa
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Re: Cyclists are treated as if they are staionary.

Post by pwa »

About an hour ago I was driving along a country road heading east at about 50mph. In the distance I saw the bright yellow top that indicates "CYCLIST" on the roads round here. I adjusted my speed downwards to avoid getting to him / her at a bend. As I got nearer and onto a straight I readied myself for a nice, clean overtake. Plenty of straight left. But there was a stiff westerly wind helping the cyclist which even I, seasoned cyclist, had failed to take into account. On the flat he was doing perhaps 30mph. And it took a good bit longer for me to get to him than I initially expected. I still had plenty of time, but I did have to retime my manoeuvre.
Tangled Metal
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Re: Cyclists are treated as if they are staionary.

Post by Tangled Metal »

I guess it is hard to judge wind and it's affects on a cyclist your are hoping to overtake. Wind does affect cyclists a lot more than motorists as you all know but it is funny how when we are in the car it is not taken into account. I suspect because at wind speeds where it does start to affect the cyclist you can not feel or hear it in the car. Plus you rarely know the direction of the wind. I admit now that as a motorist I do the exact same sorts of manoevres that I curse others for when I am cycling. I know this but I still drive that way, but trying to be better, and I also still curse drivers when I know that they too have tried to make the effort but had a case of mis-judgement just like I do as a driver.

We all make mistakes afterall and behave differently ewhen using different transport methods too.
axel_knutt
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Re: Cyclists are treated as if they are staionary.

Post by axel_knutt »

It's the thought that always goes through my mind when I'm racing down a hill at 35mph and see a slow lorry labouring up the hill and leading a trail of impatient motorists following behind.

If you point out that motorists judge bike speeds incorrectly, you're likely to get told that you should be cycling at the speed they expect.
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rjb
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Re: Cyclists are treated as if they are staionary.

Post by rjb »

And the worst ones are those with rear wheel steering. Had a close shave with one of these years ago so now i start braking as soon as the cab is past me if i get overtaken by one.
At the last count:- Peugeot 531 pro, Dawes Discovery Tandem, Dawes Kingpin X3, Raleigh 20 stowaway, 1965 Moulton deluxe, Falcon K2 MTB dropped bar tourer, Rudge Bi frame folder, Longstaff trike conversion on a Giant XTC 840 :D
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Heltor Chasca
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Re: Cyclists are treated as if they are staionary.

Post by Heltor Chasca »

Off on a tangent again, but when I'm pulling a trailer behind my pick up truck, motorists measure their braking distance from my vehicle. NOT the trailer. Grumble grumble...hc
captain offensive
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Re: Cyclists are treated as if they are staionary.

Post by captain offensive »

The thing I keep getting is people deciding to manoeuvre around me on junctions etc. I've lost count of the number of people who have overtaken me on traffic lights or roundabouts as I'm trying to turn. The best one though was the idiot who chose to overtake me on a hairpin bend. It's one where bikes can easily go round faster than cars who almost have to stop but this one guy went for it anyway. Total.......
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GrumpyGit
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Re: Cyclists are treated as if they are staionary.

Post by GrumpyGit »

OK, I know I learned to drive a very long time ago (my provisional licence was in Latin) but I was taught that when passing another vehicle you only pull back into the nearside lane when you can see the passed vehicle in your rear view mirror. How hard can it be?

Much of the behaviour I witness on a daily basis makes me question the way drivers are trained these days. If I was running the country our roads would be less crowded because it would be much harder to get a driving license in the first place (I'd include a test of candidates mental attitude, any sign of short temper / road-rage = no licence) and I'd revoke licences for offences such as mobile phone use, tailgating, applying makeup, shaving, reading the newspaper and many many more things. I could easily take 20% of drivers (and their vehicles) off the road thereby curing congestion.

I always was a liberal softie ;-)
Derek - The enlightened petrolhead ;)
flatout
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Re: Cyclists are treated as if they are staionary.

Post by flatout »

Seems to be the age old perceptional difference between whether a cyclist constitutes ‘road traffic’ to be treated with respect, or ‘road furniture’ to be passed without thought.

It is ‘all in the mind’. And given the mindset of many drivers that is a perplexing state of affairs for those of us of the lycra persuasion.

Be safe, be seen, be in primary?
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mjr
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Re: Cyclists are treated as if they are staionary.

Post by mjr »

It's worse if you're in Lycra, helmet and down on the drops. If you're in street clothes, hat and sat up (even just when you need them to judge your speed), then you get more room. I've done both.

Plus if I'm at all worried, I wobble a bit and they go well wide ;)
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
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puffin
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Re: Cyclists are treated as if they are staionary.

Post by puffin »

mjr, with the wobble idea you are in great company. Jenson Button in his championship year passed someone, then slid the car slightly to unsettle the passed driver who might be thinking of regaining his place.
reohn2
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Re: Cyclists are treated as if they are staionary.

Post by reohn2 »

flatout wrote:Seems to be the age old perceptional difference between whether a cyclist constitutes ‘road traffic’ to be treated with respect, or ‘road furniture’ to be passed without thought.

It is ‘all in the mind’. And given the mindset of many drivers that is a perplexing state of affairs for those of us of the lycra persuasion.

Be safe, be seen, be in primary?


I agree,though it doesn't matter what you're wearing I've seen young women on roadsters wearing floaty summer dresses being treated appallingly and cut up by motorists.
It's the 'get-out-of-my-way' stinking attitude of a small though significant minority of motorists that's the problem.
The sheer unwillingness to wait for even two or three seconds that's at the bottom of it all.
An 'I'm more important than you' attitude that's fostered by an ever increasing grab what you can,devil take the hindmost,selfishness that pervades UK society in a quite open and aggressive fashion.
EDIT:- That's by no means the majority of drivers but such attitudes are infectious,forcing even mild mannered drivers to take increasingly harder attitude toward others,the worst of all it's to no one's gain and everyone's loss.
Last edited by reohn2 on 2 Mar 2015, 10:53am, edited 1 time in total.
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: Cyclists are treated as if they are staionary.

Post by [XAP]Bob »

*wait*, why would I wait - I want to be in that traffic jam I can see ahead *now*
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
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