Cycling
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Londondrz
Posts: 1,538
Joined: Apr 2006
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22-07-2008 07:29 AM
If you walk across the road through stationary traffic PLEASE look BOTH ways when you get to the center of the road. Once again this morning pedestrians were popping out in front of my bike like suicidal lemmings.
I am a cautious rider but there are other motorcyclists who are not. 250kg of bike and rider even at 5mph is very painfull.
This is directed at all pedestrians.
Thank you.
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Snazy
Posts: 1,516
Joined: Jan 2008
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22-07-2008 10:36 AM
Aaah thats right blame pedestrians... oh hang on thats not my role.
Totally agree there mate, saw a woman walk into the path of a motorcycle on Mayow Road once, not pretty.
People see stationairy cars and think "right of way", a lot of the time they do the same with moving ones too but thats another matter. I have picked on pedestrians enough.
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Londondrz
Posts: 1,538
Joined: Apr 2006
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22-07-2008 10:44 AM
Oh dont worry Vipes, your pedestrian point of view is still yours. Dont get me started on cyclists though
Rather worryingly I saw a cyclist ride straight into a Harley rider at the Elephant and Castle on Monday. The cyclist (who looked like he had made wrong turn from the Toure de France) looked suprised that someone had had the audacity to be on the same part of the road that he was. He was so clearly in the wrong as he ran the double lines as to be almost unbelievable. The cyclist had a massive rant at the motorcyclist but was shouted down by a few other cyclists who had actually heeded the traffic laws and stopped. What a nob but then cyclists are not the only nobs out there.
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baggydave
Posts: 390
Joined: May 2004
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22-07-2008 09:52 PM
My word Snazy, you appear to be a very angry person. Why not save it for the correct things in life such as bendybuses driving nose to tail over pedestrain crossings, big four wheel drives that have uneccesary and dangerous bull bars (now you will feel that if one crashes into you whilst you are crossing the road) and the white van man who ran the red at high speed whilst I was crossing today. Oh and Borris who seems to be cancelling a lot of Ken's good work.
Now if you did correct a cyclist (a) you would have the moral high ground and (b) you would have done the community a service.
All the stuff I am ranting about above I would love to ban, have zero tolerance (including pedestrains who jay walk) but then it would be like living in Switzerland and we wouldn't like that would we (oh apart from all you lot who spend your time posting about Big Issue sellers - sire they are banned in Switzerland).
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Snazy
Posts: 1,516
Joined: Jan 2008
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22-07-2008 10:09 PM
lol @ angry.
Big difference between angry and having a strong opinion
Pointing out its illegal to ride on the pavement, and pedestrians should not give way to them. Hardy anger now eh.
I will leave you to rant about the other bits, after all you do it so well.
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Perryman
Posts: 823
Joined: Dec 2006
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23-07-2008 04:21 PM
FYI, Did you know....
there is no such thing as jay walking in this country?
It was concept invented by the US car industry.
In many US states, police wrestle you to the ground if you attempt to cross a road despite it being perfectly safe. Urban myths have UK holiday makers shot in the legs to prevent them crossing against the lights.
Jay walking is defined and illegal over there.
Here in the UK, pedestrians are in effect walking give-way signs. It is not just that legally motorists should avoid running pedestrians down, (fao: snazy and foxe) but they should also concede the space in front of the person crossing too, where ever they are crossing, with good grace.[/FYI]
Anyway, for me, as long as cyclists are travelling at a walking pace, then they are more 'walking with wheels' than cycling and this isnt a problem.
I've not seen any cyclist behaving unreasonably along this stretch by the underpass.
Pavements, with all the driveways, and side-roads, lampposts, doorways, wheelie bins, litter bins, trees, tree roots, roadworks, badly parked cars and yes 'pedestrians', have many hazards.
A pavement is the last place a proper cyclist will want to ride on.
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baggydave
Posts: 390
Joined: May 2004
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24-07-2008 08:51 PM
I must remember to abuse all those pedestrians who walk aimlessly across the cycle path on the shared route down by Peckham canal. Or alternatively I'll just live with it. Odd that this started out as my rant about pedestrains not looking when they cross the road.
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Snazy
Posts: 1,516
Joined: Jan 2008
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25-07-2008 09:29 AM
If a pedestrian walks across your path without looking, I too would shout abuse at them if I were the cyclist.
Not saying all cyclists are in the wrong all the time. But there are a great deal of ignorant ones out there, as well as drivers and pedestrians.
lol Perryman, I was not aware I have indicated I wished to mow anyone down for walking out in front of the car.
As for the jay walking laws, I am very much aware of the lack of it, and really wish one would be brought in.
FPN, tax the pedestrians too :D
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michael
Posts: 3,261
Joined: Mar 2005
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14-05-2009 11:32 AM
Written answers - Wednesday, 13 May 2009
Jim Dowd (Lewisham West, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to discourage the use of hand-held mobile phones while cycling.
Jim Fitzpatrick (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Transport; Poplar & Canning Town, Labour)
The Department for Transport advises cyclists through publications such as The Highway Code to "avoid any distractions when cycling" and to "keep both hands on the handlebars except when signalling or changing gear"; Tales of the Road?A highway code for young road users?also advises "not to use a personal stereo or mobile phone whilst cycling".
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=...g274754.q0
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Davidsroadperson
Posts: 8
Joined: Jun 2009
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26-08-2009 07:17 PM
I thought cyclists all used the pavement these days, and any who do stray onto the roads are evidently exempt from traffic regulations. I heard an unlikely story from a friend of mine recently. Apparently she was sitting next to a woman on a 171 bus who told her that her next-door neighbour had a friend whose husband had actually seen, with his own eyes, a cyclist (in Ladywell I think it was) not only riding on the road (hard to believe in itself), but who actually (so he claimed) stopped (stopped!) at a red light. Do you believe that? I'm not sure I do, but I suppose anything's possible.
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lottie
Posts: 45
Joined: Mar 2009
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26-08-2009 08:36 PM
a few months ago I was knocked to the ground by a cyclist at pedestrian crossing in honor oak (green man beeping!) not injured much fortunately and cyclist when challenged said it was raining and he skidded and couldn't stop in time, never mind obeying high way code then! Oh they dont have to do they!
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AMFM
Posts: 306
Joined: Oct 2007
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27-08-2009 09:46 AM
Let's not turn this into a cyclist bashing thread, eh? Like all road users, there are good ones and bad ones so please don't put us all in the same pot or I'll have to start making sweeping generalisations about pedestrians and car drivers.
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Cellar Door
Posts: 356
Joined: Oct 2007
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27-08-2009 10:08 AM
I heard an unlikely story from a friend of mine recently. Apparently she was sitting next to a woman on a 171 bus who told her that her next-door neighbour had a friend whose husband had actually seen, with his own eyes, a cyclist (in Ladywell I think it was) not only riding on the road (hard to believe in itself), but who actually (so he claimed) stopped (stopped!) at a red light.
You know that was a work mate of mine. I am the work mate of the husband of the friend of the next-door neighbour of the woman who was sitting next to your friend on the 171 bus. What a small world!
Anyway, that cyclist got run over by a pedestrian at the next set of lights. Never saw it coming.
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Cellar Door
Posts: 356
Joined: Oct 2007
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27-08-2009 12:45 PM
I stop at red lights, correctly signal and never ride on pedestrian only pavements. Good cycling skills promote reciprocal behaviour from other road users. I've discovered this with over 35 years of cycling in cities around the world. In London, I ride to Marylebone each day (approx. 20 mile round trip) via Elephant & Castle and Hyde Park Corner so I need to be especially aware.
This morning as I exited Hyde Park and crossed Park Lane into Upper Brook Street there were cops snaring cyclists who road through the red light. As I cruised passed on my lovely Schwinn Beachcruiser pushbike/High-Horse, I gave the thumbs up to the coppers and a cheery, "Well Done", while the law breaking cyclists were giving me a look that said, "**** off, you git". It really made my day.
This is my Schwinn Cruiser Pushbike:
This is my High-Horse:
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Snazy
Posts: 1,516
Joined: Jan 2008
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27-08-2009 02:01 PM
Cellar Door, that bit about the police finally clamping down on the cyclists in town has made my day. And may I say well done on that daily commute too
Wish I had the courage to do it.
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Cellar Door
Posts: 356
Joined: Oct 2007
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27-08-2009 02:55 PM
...that bit about the police finally clamping down on the cyclists in town has made my day.
Yes, it made my day, too.
If you ever see me around town, then I'm that grumpy old bloke at the set of lights obeying the red signal, going "Tsk" and generally tutting under my breath, as my lycra-clad fellow cyclists whizz through. If they happen to look back, then they'll see me shaking my head and looking at them with the most disapproving face that I can muster.
Even though I don't have children, there is a part of me that believes that we have a collective responsibility for each other. This law breaking behaviour sends a highly irresponsible message to children who may be watching from, say, inside a car. And may cascade down into their minds to ultimately replicate this action without having the true skill level of an adult to handle the situation. Saying that, the few accidents that I have witnessed, including one truly grisly accident scene at Vauxhall Cross, involved an adult cyclist going through a red light.
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Snazy
Posts: 1,516
Joined: Jan 2008
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27-08-2009 04:56 PM
Cellar Door, working in Vauxhall, just up the road from the Cross, I have also seen some shocking accidents with bikes, and see near misses daily.
One of the reasons I cant bring myself to get on the bike again these days. Shame really, I love cycling.
If I ever see you, I will shout something at you
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Cellar Door
Posts: 356
Joined: Oct 2007
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28-08-2009 09:48 AM
Snazy, Vauxhall Cross is rather a complicated junction. The grisly accident I witnessed had the cyclist not availing himself of the well-constructed cycle lanes and safety positions all around the Cross. He was certainly at fault by breaking the law by cycling right through the red light.
I was stationery in the pedestrian/cycle island on the east side going north waiting for the green cycle light to cross. It's amazing how EVERYTHING slows right down when you are standing in front of a collision.
In the mayhem of witnessing the whole thing, I think that I might have met some 007's. Because people poured out from that MI6 building on the northeast corner of the Cross. That's still MI6 there, isn't it?
One Lady "spy" or maybe "M", quickly sized up the area then pulled the cyclist off the road out of the way of the oncoming traffic, I fetched his mangled bike and others assisted the motorcycle rider that had impacted into the cyclist. This all happened just before 7am in the week before Easter 2008.
The motorcyclist and his beautiful Yamaha had somersaulted right over after the impact. Moving in a slow arch like Trinity could do from The Matrix. I think he even landed on his feet. The motorcyclist was completely ok as he was literally in top to toe titanium and leather.
I didn't know how much work and documents were involved as a witness. I had to attend the scene of the accident a week or so later and complete what seemed like a dozen pages of a witness statement. And draw sketches and other things.
Such a lot of work for everyone. Such pain for the cyclist. Just for one simple irresponsible and unskilful action.
I look forward to hearing you shout something at me.
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Snazy
Posts: 1,516
Joined: Jan 2008
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29-08-2009 09:13 AM
Lovely piece of writing there my friend
Sad occurance, but I do tend to think that a lot of cyclists involved in accidents play a large part in the event. As you say, not sticking to cycle lanes, ignoring lights, cutting through moving traffic etc.
Who knows, maybe one day I will be brave enough to try it. Lots of issues with my hand to overcome before I can consider it though.
Getting back to offroading is my first hope
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IWereAbsolutelyFuming
Posts: 531
Joined: Oct 2007
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01-09-2009 12:04 PM
Funny that you single out the lycra-clad bunch as the red light jumpers (RLJs). The RLJs that I see while waiting patiently in my attractive lycra are at least 50% made up of middle-aged(+) men and women on shoppers, cruisers and 'leisure' bikes.
Either way, rules are rules, whether they like it or not.
p.s. There are very few, if any, cycle lanes that cyclists are obliged to 'stick to'.
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