Cyclists - Public Service Announcement

neil_g

neil_g

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Neil
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No
It's 6:30am and I'm walking to the station, its dark and the stars are still out. Coming towards me is a cyclist with lights literally ablaze.

The cyclist wants to turn right so safely moves to the middle of the road.

Cue Mr white van who clearly hasn't seen the guy roar up behind the cyclist and mounts the curb to avoid him, stalling his engine. How the van didn't see the cyclist is beyond me, maybe he wasn't quite awake or was lighting the fag he had on the go..

My point is for petes sake all please look out for each other now its cold, wet and dark. That could have easily ruined a loads of lives this morning.

Thanks :)
 
Having been a cyclist and a motorcyclist as such you tend to look for these on the road, i think a part of the test should be at least 1 year spent on a bike :D

Merc
 
mercmanuk said:
Having been a cyclist and a motorcyclist as such you tend to look for these on the road, i think a part of the test should be at least 1 year spent on a bike :D

Merc
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Aye, and cyclists and motorcyclists should be made to learn to drive car too!!

That way perhaps everyone will have some respect for the issues each face - its a two way street :)
 
Yv said:
Aye, and cyclists and motorcyclists should be made to learn to drive car too!!

That way perhaps everyone will have some respect for the issues each face - its a two way street :)
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Couldn't agree more. The amount of times I have driven down a dark country road only to realise at the last second that there's a bicycle in front of me only because of a slight glint of reflection of my headlights ff a few spokes or a bit of the cycle frame.

Motorists, watch for cyclists

Cyclists, make sure you can be seen by motorists
 
fabs said:
Couldn't agree more. The amount of times I have driven down a dark country road only to realise at the last second that there's a bicycle in front of me only because of a slight glint of reflection of my headlights ff a few spokes or a bit of the cycle frame.

Motorists, watch for cyclists

Cyclists, make sure you can be seen by motorists
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If he didnt have any lights on the bike, thats the cyclist fault! I dont drive (able to) but cycle. I have to confiess there are more cyclists on pavements, without adequate visability, not obeying the road rules than drivers that squeeze us right up to the pavement.

Cyclist bring it upon themselves to be hated by both pedestrains and drivers. Whilst riding i have seen some stupid actions by cyclists that if done a moment earleir/later they would be under a car/tram/bus.
 
33L said:
If he didnt have any lights on the bike, thats the cyclist fault! I dont drive (able to) but cycle. I have to confiess there are more cyclists on pavements, without adequate visability, not obeying the road rules than drivers that squeeze us right up to the pavement.

Cyclist bring it upon themselves to be hated by both pedestrains and drivers. Whilst riding i have seen some stupid actions by cyclists that if done a moment earleir/later they would be under a car/tram/bus.
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Don't start me on cyclists on the pavement, or jumping red lights....

Steve
 
neil_g said:
my point exactly :thumbs:
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As the cyclist was lit and correctly positioned, wasn't your point that drivers should keep aware?

It's very easy to demonstrate an improvement in the behaviour of road users by e.g. wearing a reflective jacket and setting up a tripod, or riding an unusual bike that causes a double-take.
 
I'm convinced the majority of cyclists have a death-wish. Why else would they go out in near pitch dark, dressed in black, with just a tiny blinking light to highlight their presence?
 
can we also complain about old people.....

they go soooo frickin slowly that I've been known to overtake them in the village (cycling) and they pay so little attention to the road that almost invariably the first they see of me is when I pass the drivers door
 
fabs said:
Couldn't agree more. The amount of times I have driven down a dark country road only to realise at the last second that there's a bicycle in front of me only because of a slight glint of reflection of my headlights ff a few spokes or a bit of the cycle frame.

Motorists, watch for cyclists

Cyclists, make sure you can be seen by motorists
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Could joggers/runners take note of this as well please. I nearly had one plastered over the front of my car last night due to him running in the middle of the road, dressed like a ninja!
The bit I don't understand though was why he was there? :shrug: Not only is is a stupid thing to be out doing :naughty:, but there was a perfectly good footpath 6 feet to the side of him :bang:
 
Flash In The Pan said:
I'm convinced the majority of cyclists have a death-wish. Why else would they go out in near pitch dark, dressed in black, with just a tiny blinking light to highlight their presence?
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Because bright pink aint my colour

TBF if I'm taking the bike to work, I have the reflector vest over my top and reflector bands around my wrists and legs.
 
neil_g said:
It's 6:30am and I'm walking to the station, its dark and the stars are still out. Coming towards me is a cyclist with lights literally ablaze.
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Did you give him a hand to extinguish the fire? ;) :p
 
david1701 said:
can we also complain about old people.....

they go soooo frickin slowly that I've been known to overtake them in the village (cycling) and they pay so little attention to the road that almost invariably the first they see of me is when I pass the drivers door
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Yeah, it's amazing the speed one can manage on a bicycle when it's five minutes before the off-licence closes and you've run out of vodka :lol: :exit:
 
Flash In The Pan said:
Yeah, it's amazing the speed one can manage on a bicycle when it's five minutes before the off-licence closes and you've run out of vodka :lol: :exit:
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tbh I was on my way home for a nice cold beer :p

but they dawdle like it everywhere

I really really dont like old people, I mean they have reaction times best measured in ice ages they think they're better people and they smell funny

That and tourists, they **** me off too

in fact I reckon Cornwall should be limited to locals (though mostly naked attractive tourists are allowed) and everyone gets dropped down a mine shaft at 45
 
david1701 said:
tbh I was on my way home for a nice cold beer :p

but they dawdle like it everywhere

I really really dont like old people, I mean they have reaction times best measured in ice ages they think they're better people and they smell funny

That and tourists, they **** me off too

in fact I reckon Cornwall should be limited to locals (though mostly naked attractive tourists are allowed) and everyone gets dropped down a mine shaft at 45
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You're in for a shock when the years zip by and you find yourself teetering on the edge of that mine shaft in no time at all :lol:
 
fabs said:
Couldn't agree more. The amount of times I have driven down a dark country road only to realise at the last second that there's a bicycle in front of me only because of a slight glint of reflection of my headlights ff a few spokes or a bit of the cycle frame.

Motorists, watch for cyclists

Cyclists, make sure you can be seen by motorists
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Same goes for bleedin' horses.

Not sure I've ever seen one with lights fitted (maybe once seen a rider with a bike light on its hat) and they DO get riden on the roads after dark.

I don't often cycle - we live at the top of a very steep hill and the last thing we need at the end of a ride is the thought of that climb - but if I am out on a bike, I make sure I have lights and that there's plenty of life in the batteries.
 
Nod said:
Same goes for bleedin' horses.

Not sure I've ever seen one with lights fitted (maybe once seen a rider with a bike light on its hat) and they DO get riden on the roads after dark.

I don't often cycle - we live at the top of a very steep hill and the last thing we need at the end of a ride is the thought of that climb - but if I am out on a bike, I make sure I have lights and that there's plenty of life in the batteries.
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I've never seen a horse rider weave in and out of traffic, run a red light or ride on the pavement to avoid stopping at one. Cyclists are their own worst enemy....
 
Can someone have a word with cats, please. I'm fed up of picking dead moggy from my grill as they sprint across the roads in front of my car.
 
wisemen said:
Can someone have a word with cats, please. I'm fed up of picking dead moggy from my grill as they sprint across the roads in front of my car.
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Journey yesterday saw roadkill of 2 badgers, 3 foxes and umpteen pheasants - wildlife togs better get snapping quick or it'll be all gone! :(
 
Had a visitor from Tasmania the other day, telling me about roadkill wombats, which they stop for to check there's no littl'un in the pouch.
 
Carl V said:
Some members of the public may feel the same way about us photographers too. :(
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aye but in the peoples republic of cornwall we don't care :p

Flash In The Pan said:
I've never seen a horse rider weave in and out of traffic, run a red light or ride on the pavement to avoid stopping at one. Cyclists are their own worst enemy....
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but they do ride 2 abreast fairly often :p
 
2 abreast, sometimes on the pavement and down FOOTpaths. Never seen a rider pick up the exhaust emissions (even when dropped on the pavement...)
 
Nod said:
2 abreast, sometimes on the pavement and down FOOTpaths. Never seen a rider pick up the exhaust emissions (even when dropped on the pavement...)
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id like to see you make the ponies in the new forest pick up their own "emissions" ;)

or stop them standing in the road for that matter lol
 
I'm talking about horses with people on top. Fair enough, they were around on the roads well before cars (but the introduction of cars etc cleaned the streets up no end...) but around here, they get ridden on the pavement (where they leave their emissions) and along footpaths (again, emitting noxious substances).
 
Nod said:
I'm talking about horses with people on top. Fair enough, they were around on the roads well before cars (but the introduction of cars etc cleaned the streets up no end...) but around here, they get ridden on the pavement (where they leave their emissions) and along footpaths (again, emitting noxious substances).
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I bet you wouldn't be complaining if you grew roses :lol:
 
Flash In The Pan said:
I've never seen a horse rider weave in and out of traffic, run a red light or ride on the pavement to avoid stopping at one. Cyclists are their own worst enemy....
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and I'm sure you've never seen a car speed or jump a red light or break any of the rules of the highway code. There are eedjits in/on every mode of transport. Drive/ride like most people might be eedjits and everyone will be a bit safer.
 
And don't get me started on Sun readers..............
 
I used to cycle to work a few years back, I had more trouble with pedestrians than I did with other vehicles. I've had people step off the kerb, right in front of me without looking and I've also had people walking towards me down on the road and refuse to get out of the way even though there is a perfectly good clear footpath both sides of the road.
Having said that recently when I'm on an early shift and I've been driving to work at 4:30 am, I've come across a bloke walking towards me in the road, again when there is a perfectly good footpath either side of the road. I nearly ran him down one morning because he'd stepped straight out further into the road to walk round a parked car. He must have had a few near misses with other cars though, as I've noticed he's started using the pavements now.
 
I have horses and don't have enough time to ride during the shorter winter day light hours. I would NEVER ride in the dark, I could never forgive myself if one of them were injured, or worse, because of my stupidity!
 
I walk, ride a bike and know what a horse looks like from seeing photos of them.
I have just as many near-misses in my car as I ever did when riding a bike, especially on dark mornings. Most commuters are still half-asleep til they get to work and get a couple of coffees in them and that's the sad truth of it...
You think you've got it bad, try negotiating in and out of fast moving traffic with slow Polish lorries pulling into the middle lane without indicating and having to watch for Audi/BMW/Merc drivers doing 180mph in the fast lane - that wakes you up in a hurry...

People are the problem. Get rid of 50% of all people and the problem will be solved. Trafffic will be eased, pollution will be lower and natural resources will last longer.

My vote for an enforced cull goes towards the USA, France (apart from those really hot French chicks) and China.
 
BazEP said:
and I'm sure you've never seen a car speed or jump a red light or break any of the rules of the highway code. There are eedjits in/on every mode of transport. Drive/ride like most people might be eedjits and everyone will be a bit safer.
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Not sure about the rest of the country these days, but here in London, such a sweeping generalisation is actually fairly accurate. I never really noticed problem cyclists until I moved here, where successive London councils have given them [ok, many of them, not all] some kind of god complex.

Just as an example this morning, the 8 miles driving into work in the dark - 6 with no lights, luminous bits, or anything to be seen in. 4 red light jumps, 1 total **** that rode across a zebra crossing the traffic had stopped for and nearly took out the pedestrian he had no chance of actually seeing because he came from up the inside of a truck! :bang:

this is daily, every journey! Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of idiocy displayed by other road users too, from pedestrians to cars, to taxis, to wagons, but certainly in the case of cyclists and pedestrians, they really are their own worse enemy because they are the ones that will end up most hurt, or worse, dead.


However, the real reason I came to this thread was to relate a cycling story that is supreme in its irony and amusing. A few weeks ago I had collected a car from a customer and was returning to the garage with it. We are based down with the Hampstead and Highgate luvvies, so see a lot of 30, 40 and 50 something year old ladies riding around on the bicycles that belonged to grandad, wicker shopping basket on the front, bohmeian print skirts flying in the breeze. You get the idea. I was driving down a road that is quite horrible for the residents, very narrow, no off street parking and therefore cars packed tightly each side of the road, most with smashed door mirrors. IN front of me is aforementioned tir-dyed skirts riding cyclist. This one was even better than normal - she was wearing a tabbard decrying something about 'cut pollution - ride a bike' or something to that effect. So, between the cars, I was busy polluting her air space while I sat behind her very leaisurely pedalling - BUT, did she move over nearer to the the curb once we got to the bit where there was no parking? Not a chance! She continued to ride down the middle of the road, ensuring I [and the queue of horrible polluting cars that had built up behind me] had no chance of getting past and was up and down between 1st and 2nd gear.... I mean FFS lady, THINK about it! :bang:
 
biker.bmp
 
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