Drivers in the dock: Tonight

[Blew it]

ITV1 8pm

"With thousands of collisions involving cars and bicycles each year, is it time cyclists were better protected? Fiona Foster reports on calls for new safety measures."

 

[Mussels]

Thanks I saw this just in time and set the PVR.

 

[Mussels]

Not greatly impressed, the program was a bit bland and very predictable. The only surprise was that Quentin Wilson bought a bike. The staged crashes looked good.

 

[Marky T]

I've not long been back on the road, having just entered the realm of e-biking by buying the excellent Rush Trek. Now, is it just me, or my age (42) or lack of confidence, after all, I've not rode a bicycle of anykind for years, but most of the time when I'm now pedelling away on the busy roads, I feel intimidated and feel as if I shouldn't be on the road on my relatively slow silver machine??? As soon as I hit the less busy back country roads, I love it.
The program which was on tonight just highlighted my theory. I beleive the main reason why I get the, (I shouldn't be on the road type feeling,)is the slow speed at which we traverse on our timid two wheelers. Car drivers with the "no time for this" attitude or those that can't seem to slow down while you pull out into the road to overtake that parked car, certainly don't help matters. At the age of 19 I owned a superbike, 0-60 in 3 secs in 1st gear, 170 mph with missus on back, nothin' scared me then, but now.....well.

 

[Barry Heaven]

The parts where a 'panel' had to vote on who was responsible in a series of staged accidents between a car driver and a cyclist were predictably vox pop tabloid nonsense that is the staple of documentaries now. There was an interesting item about the Dutch way of keeping cyclists separated from cars on dedicated paths and thus bike use was much higher and deaths much lower then in Britain. A pertinent comment was made that the only thing stopping this happening in Britain was the will to do it. You might think that any Government serious about tacking climate change, fitness and obesity would put this at the top of their to-do list. Don't hold your breath though; the best we can seem to do is paint a line down the side of a busy street and call it a cycle lane.

The behaviour of some drivers does leave a lot to be desired. I'm afraid the white-van man lives up to his stereotype in my experience. They usually overtake me so close and pull in so early that it is difficult not to conclude the aim was to intimidate as much as to overtake.

Last week a car drove past me, the yobbish passenger wound his window down and threw his discarded fast food wrappings at me. If I had been able to react quicker I should have got his registration number and reported it; next time I may be more prepared.

 

[Straylight]

I find the prevalence of American style SUVs and pickups leads to many such dodgy overtaking manovers, sadly it seems that people are simply unaware of how big their "cars" are. There is, of course, the standard oafish impatience when they get 'stuck' behind a cyclist, but I think that in the most part it's ignorance rather than malice that is the root of this kind of behaviour. Maybe a cycling course should be included in the standard driving test, as it would force people to find out what it's like from the other side.

 

[Beeping-Sleauty]

unhelpful...

I've not long been back on the road, having just entered the realm of e-biking by buying the excellent Rush Trek. Now, is it just me, or my age (42) or lack of confidence, after all, I've not rode a bicycle of anykind for years, but most of the time when I'm now pedelling away on the busy roads, I feel intimidated and feel as if I shouldn't be on the road on my relatively slow silver machine??? As soon as I hit the less busy back country roads, I love it.
The program which was on tonight just highlighted my theory. I beleive the main reason why I get the, (I shouldn't be on the road type feeling,)is the slow speed at which we traverse on our timid two wheelers. Car drivers with the "no time for this" attitude or those that can't seem to slow down while you pull out into the road to overtake that parked car, certainly don't help matters. At the age of 19 I owned a superbike, 0-60 in 3 secs in 1st gear, 170 mph with missus on back, nothin' scared me then, but now.....well.

...comments like the one below don't help......

Australian ex-politician stirs up cycling controversy | Bicycle business | News by BikeBiz

roads would be safer places if all users tried to show a little more consideration for each other instead of claiming the road for themselves.

everyone leads a busy, time challenged, competitive life these days, but i am at a loss to explain the apparent anger that a lot of motorists display toward each other and anyone else in the road.

even after 50 years in the saddle, i am suprised nearly every day by the 'stunts' some drivers will perform, or simply the speed they consider OK in built-up & busy areas.

but it is no bad thing to have a little fear lurking in the back of the mind, keeps me on my toes & alert, constantly watchful for the next bozo.

it's not the cyclists that should be seperated from the traffic, it's the drivers who don't know how to drive respectfully & carefully.

rant over,

beeps

 

[flecc]

Fully agree with that Beeps, we need less moaning about other road users. It's not a battle, we are all trying to make the best of an inadequate road system and a lot more respect for other users needs and problems helps no end.

(I saw the program)
.

 

[Pete]

I find the prevalence of American style SUVs and pickups leads to many such dodgy overtaking manovers, sadly it seems that people are simply unaware of how big their "cars" are.

I think you are absolutely spot on there. I live in a rural area and the combination of very narrow roads and the high proportion of land Rovers/SUV type vehicles is my biggest worry.

Maybe a cycling course should be included in the standard driving test, as it would force people to find out what it's like from the other side.

This will never happen of course but is another valid point. I think most of us 'older generation' cyclists graduated to cars via bikes/motor bikes/scooters and so developed a healthy respect for speed when not cocooned in a car. Many of the younger motorists have probably never had that.

 

[lemmy]

This will never happen of course but is another valid point. I think most of us 'older generation' cyclists graduated to cars via bikes/motor bikes/scooters and so developed a healthy respect for speed when not cocooned in a car. Many of the younger motorists have probably never had that.

That hits the nail on the head, I think.

Plus, there is still the 'class' thing in British heads, so that car drivers feel that you only motor-cycle because you can't afford a car and only cycle because you can't afford a motor-cycle. Thus making motor-cyclists and cyclists somehow 'inferior'.

My brother in law, living in Germany and commuting to his office on his BMW found the German take on motor-bikes very refreshing. No-one considered it unusual or eccentric or infra dig or even remarkable.

I lived in France for 5 years and was astonished at how different the French attitude to cyclists is. Normally the French are impatient s**ds as drivers but cycles simply don't engender the anger they do in the UK. Like motor cycles, cycles are a normal form of transport for people to use as they think fit.

 

[Haku]

If that guy is advocating that roads are too dangerous for cyclists, isn't that just another way of saying there's a very high porportion of dangerous drivers out on the roads? if so, isn't that a job for the police to spot+stop dangerous drivers?

I do find that having good lights on my bike really helps, often I've approached mini roundabouts just after two other cars from the other directions and the one that has right of way has fully stopped and let me go first.
I would find cycling in large towns/cities daunting though, I like the general quietness of rural areas.

 

[Pete]

Plus, there is still the 'class' thing in British heads, so that car drivers feel that you only motor-cycle because you can't afford a car and only cycle because you can't afford a motor-cycle. Thus making motor-cyclists and cyclists somehow 'inferior'.

I had to chuckle at this because it is so true and I doubt you would find the same attitudes in any other country. There is a definite attitude in this country that any adult who chooses to ride a bike is somehow weird. You could probably have added at the front "and only drive a car because you can't afford a SUV"
Pete

 

[FatMog]

Recently I sold my e-bike because I couldn't justify the cost of a new battery, but I enjoyed it a lot and it's inspired me to take up conventional cycling with a renewed will.

I have to say, I am rather preferring the human-powered bike for a whole variety of reasons (smugness is one!), but the main reason is that I now ride on the cycle paths. My short (7 mile round trip) journey can be undertaken entirely on pedestrian-and-bike paths if I choose, but on the electric bike I moved too fast for these. The pedestrians were a hazard and I got completely frustrated by having to stop and cross a side road every few minutes.

So I rode on the road. And it was much better, but on almost every trip I would suffer some form of abuse or intimidation. I reviewed my riiding style but I really couldn't see that I was doing anything wrong other than just being there. And I wouldn't go out at rush hour because it was just no fun.

So now I puff along slowly on my push bike, on the cycle path, not minding the brief pause at junctions and enjoying the ambiance on the more rustic parts of my route. And I can go out at whatever time I please, even in the dark.

I'm not knocking e-bikes, not at all, I loved mine while I had it, I just think they compound the problems experienced by all cyclists on the road since they move too fast for cycle paths and not fast enough for road traffic.

And I cycle purely for fun and exercise, I can afford to take my time or swap into a car whenever I don't feel like it. Obviously others don't have that option - for daily travel there isn't much alternative to the road, and all road users deserve to be safe.

 

[Alex728]

I think a lot depends on region. I moved from the region where FatMog lived to East Anglia. when I lived in Reading I used to regularly ride on an unpowered push bike to West BErkshire, Maidenhead and even on occasions West London, but some bits of the journey were hairy to say the least.

Here in suffolk its so much nicer and safer to cycle [I suspect a lot of this is due to traffic being filtered on to the A12/A14 trunk routes] Even urban Ipswich isn't too bad if you plan routes well and there is a very active and persistent cycling campaign group lobbying for improvements. (they are way better than Berkshire which suffered from being balkanised into 5 unitary authorities just over a decade ago.

 

[flecc]

I had to chuckle at this because it is so true and I doubt you would find the same attitudes in any other country. There is a definite attitude in this country that any adult who chooses to ride a bike is somehow weird. You could probably have added at the front "and only drive a car because you can't afford a SUV"
Pete

Ultimately leading to "only drive because you can't afford a chauffeur.
.

 

[lemmy]

Ultimately leading to "only drive because you can't afford a chauffeur.
.

Or beyond that, don't need a chauffeur because I don't go to them, they come to me!

 

[flecc]

............................

 

[Barnowl]

Spot on Lemmy and others and thanks for the .

Cyclists are just people that cycle bikes.