It has happened to me over the years, car doored or falling off due to ice/potholes etc - I was just lucky the car behind was able to stop in time on those occasions.

 

Me too.

What are the odds of the cyclist coming off his bike at the precise moment of an overtake? - negligible. Probably one in 2 or 3 million. Possibly more. Even wider odds that they happen to fall towards the car, and wider still that their head just happens to go under the wheels. You've got more chance of being struck by lightning.

 

If you survive, it's no fun being a 1 in 2 or 3 million. Not including the badger, I've been that 1 in 2 or 3 million at least three times. Car collisions by bicycle and other highly unlikley, unpleasant and sometimes life threatening occurrences. Random isn't evenly distributed. It could be you and more than once.

Edited July 4, 20223 yr by I893469365902345609348566

Something to think about for those reading this thread:

 

https://www.cyclinguk.org/blog/abuse-roads-disproportionately-deters-women-cycling

What are the odds of the cyclist coming off his bike at the precise moment of an overtake? - negligible. Probably one in 2 or 3 million. Possibly more. Even wider odds that they happen to fall towards the car, and wider still that their head just happens to go under the wheels. You've got more chance of being struck by lightning.

 

I've had a cyclist falls off his bike INTO the road directly in front of my motorbike - approx 1-2 seconds ahead of me. They (we!) take a LOT of road space laid out, I promise.

 

It was on a motorcycle training ride on a national speed limit left-hand corner. I was following the centre line for the maximum view round the corner, and an old man (well, older than me!) was pedalling so slowly up the gentle incline that he stopped and fell into the road. I was already in the 'correct' position to ride round him (training works - hurray!). I turned around & went back to see if he was hurt. He was a bit sheepish, but OK, and said he'd just lost his balance.

 

It's never happened before or since, but since I've experienced it I'd suggest it's rather more than 1 in 2 to 3 million.

 

Actually running that cyclist over is a much lower chance though, agreed. It would need a clueless driver, plus an oncoming lorry / large vehicle taking the whole of the other side of the road up, giving no room to maneouvre.

I don't think it's helpful to say anyone in Lycra conforms to a particular negative stereotype. In any group, of any people, you will come across good people and bad people - and good people just having a bad day.

 

Fair point. Let me re-phrase The one's I've come across don't seem very friendly, when compared to other cyclists.

Something to think about for those reading this thread:

 

https://www.cyclinguk.org/blog/abuse-roads-disproportionately-deters-women-cycling

 

We set off at 8am and reached the dreaded stretch of road where we had been endangered previously. This stretch of road takes us less than nine minutes to cycle.

 

Hmm, I think I'd just find a different route. On the basis that I'd sooner be cautious and alive, than legally in the right but dead.

 

No brainer.

Fair point. Let me re-phrase The one's I've come across don't seem very friendly, when compared to other cyclists.

Being friendly takes time, so impossible.

Being friendly takes time, so impossible.

 

"Impossible"? - given that other cyclists pass the time of day, it's clearly not.

"Impossible"? - given that other cyclists pass the time of day, it's clearly not.

 

Perhaps the pain of lycra ripping hair out of their legs is too distracting? Or the shame of having super smooth legs (which they suspect you suspect) weighs too heavily on their minds?

super smooth legs

Smooth legs and lubricating their bits. Topic of conversation in both the porn industry and the cycling fraternity.

We're not all well behaved cyclists. I was surprised by no less than seven ebikes running a red light yesterday. Dizzying speeds can be reached on this particular hill.

 

I wouldn't call them cyclists in the general term as they are riding high speed mopeds, they are simply yobo's on a motorised illegal pedal bikes.

Obviously have no concern for their safety or anyone elses.

I wouldn't call them cyclists in the general term as they are riding high speed mopeds, they are simply yobo's on a motorised illegal pedal bikes.

Obviously have no concern for their safety or anyone elses.

Trouble is, many car campaigners won't appreciate that distinction.

Pretty sure most with half a brain will see them for what they are and certainly not your every regular cyclist at those speeds or riding along in that manner, I doubt plod will do anything but the film clip needs uploading to the local forces road safe web site.

Edited July 8, 20223 yr by Nealh

Another important distinction there... 'many car campaigners' vs 'most with half a brain'

I have family in Denmark, drivers there they are very alert to any cyclists near junctions.

 

As it was explained to me, in a collision between a car and cyclist the car driver is assumed to be guilty regardless of the actions (or lack of) by the cyclist. Cyclists crossing junctions without looking was said to be the most common problem.

 

I'd guess any cyclists going through a red light would be found guilty but it's just a guess...

was surprised by no less than seven ebikes running a red light yesterday

I wonder if the last two were sulky they missed the red light and had to go through green.

Whilst the Highway Code clearly states you must not cycle on the pavement the police are to use discretion when challenging offenders. Paste this into google:

 

https://news.npcc.police.uk/releases/support-for-police-discretion-when-responding-to-people-cycling-on-the-pavement.

 

i have cycled on the pavement past police and community police offices a number of times at a sensible speed, giving way to pedestrians and have only been challenged once by a community police officer and when I explained cycling past parked cars was too dangerous as i wobbly quite a bit, they let me on my way.

If you tear along without regard for others expect to rightly be fined.

Whilst the Highway Code clearly states you must not cycle on the pavement the police are to use discretion when challenging offenders. Paste this into google:

 

https://news.npcc.police.uk/releases/support-for-police-discretion-when-responding-to-people-cycling-on-the-pavement.

 

i have cycled on the pavement past police and community police offices a number of times at a sensible speed, giving way to pedestrians and have only been challenged once by a community police officer and when I explained cycling past parked cars was too dangerous as i wobbly quite a bit, they let me on my way.

If you tear along without regard for others expect to rightly be fined.

Personally, I think the situation is fine as it is. Do you want to change something? If so, what and why?

I think the police being able to use their discretion is spot on, providing they are aware of the directive. All those I have met seem to be.

Sensible courteous cyclists on footpaths don’t get fined and those endangering footpath users can, and should be.

I only posted the link for clarification on footpath cycling for those interested, wasn’t intending to start an argument ☺️.

Notice the hoodlum 'two wheeler' uniform: black gear, hood, black balaclava. They think they are hoodlum special forces.

 

The problem is, as referred to elsewhere, there is no action taken about them, other than the occasional piece of police propaganda, where they film some sort of action man arrest. You can rely on Lenny to post these in his thread about seizures.

 

It's a joke. The real situation is that if you phone in to report outrageous e-cycle or motorbike hooliganism, nothing ever happens.

 

Then there is the occasional PR, trap set up and a bunch of miserable deliveroo guys, get their bikes taken, in some easy to police, town centre concourse, by cocky cops who laud their action to 'save the public' on social media, and Lenny assists by plastering it on here. What heroes we have enforcing the law.

 

Look at the phenomenal rates of shoplifting we now have since the police declared they were not doing anything about it.

 

I was speaking on the phone to a family member this morning who said she had gone to her local Coop to replenish food supplies and they had no wire baskets for her to put her shopping in as she gathered it. On asking where they were, the poor shop worker informed her that they had lost half of their baskets to the latest thieving scam, in which thieves, targeting high value produce, fill their wire basket, and suddenly rush out of the door to a waiting car. They report to the police who do nothing and don't even attend the incident. They often have security man there - big burly chap, I've seen him, but on intervening, he got roughed up and could not retaliate for fear of being accused of assault. He is off sick.

 

Of course if he had lamped someone, guess who would be in court..... Not the scum of the earth, but the guy trying to impose a bit of order.

 

All of this deterioration, i put at the door of the police. ALL OF IT. There is a long list of crimes they treat as unimportant and don't enforce. The rates of offending in those ways increase exponentially when there is no enforcement. Take the scourge of London phone theft for example. I watched a video this morning in which a MET policeman suggested that people should never use their phone in the street..... This stuff is regarded as unimportant, low level disorder, but it blights neighbourhoods and the lives of people who live there.

 

You might blame politicians who have cut funding, but while that looks like an attractive explanation, the problem was rife long before the recent round of cuts. It was present nearly twenty years ago when previous Labour governments imposed targets on police.

 

At that time, I reported a nasty offence when I was secretary of an allotment association when a discontented, nasty member was given the red card and expelled for abusing and menacing another member, returned at night and killed and maimed about a dozen chickens. We knew who had done it, and he had driven past the next day waving triumphantly at us as we disposed of the carcasses in sacks. We told the cop all about this, he shrugged and said he was personally very sorry, but he would not be allowed to investigate this crime because his bosses would not allow this kind of thing unless it was open and shut and we had him on video doing it. He was sympathetic - the service wasn't.

 

If you don't enforce laws and punish offenders - lawlessness takes over.

 

Soon this country will be like the Middle East. Just wait and see.

 

 

EDIT: Google Edinburgh bikers fight against motorbike theft.

 

For years motorcyclists have had no help when their motorcycles are stolen. I could tell you a tale about it but there is no point. You report your bike stolen and all you get is a crime number, even when the bike is being screached around the local streets and past the cop shop, with three hoodlums riding on it at a time. Then when it is recovered burned out a week later, having been seen multiple times on the roads - you get a bill for its recovery. The cops don't recover it, they engage a private firm to take it away and YOU PAY!!

But the video showed there was no victim.

 

The pass was safe and perfectly normal and routine in cities all over this country.

 

This arbitrary 1.5 metre allowance in all circumstances is wrong. Cyclists often don't even give us six inches, even when they are travelling at speed.

.

Then what you are saying is ,a cyclist , motorist going though a red light without causing an accident hasn't broken any laws because there was no victim. It's a simple case that a law has been broken here. Most laws are there to prevent accidents. Such as traffic lights and near passes.

Then what you are saying is ,a cyclist , motorist going though a red light without causing an accident hasn't broken any laws because there was no victim. It's a simple case that a law has been broken here. Most laws are there to prevent accidents. Such as traffic lights and near passes.

 

No, what I am saying is that this law is impractical and should never have been made. Where I live in London cyclists rarely get anything like 1.5 metres, even a full metre is rare, but that doesn't worry them, as the tiny gaps they routinely go through shows.

 

They commonly ride in bike lanes barely wider than their bike, with a busy traffic lane alongside hedged in by abundant street furniture like road islands or occupied right turn lanes, both making even a 1.5 foot gap difficult to achieve and 1.5 metres impossible. 86% 0f us live in towns and cities where such situations are commonplace.

 

How many of the cyclists shown below can get a 1.5 metre pass?

 

Notice the hoodlum 'two wheeler' uniform: black gear, hood, black balaclava. They think they are hoodlum special forces.

 

The problem is, as referred to elsewhere, there is no action taken about them, other than the occasional piece of police propaganda, where they film some sort of action man arrest. You can rely on Lenny to post these in his thread about seizures.

 

It's a joke. The real situation is that if you phone in to report outrageous e-cycle or motorbike hooliganism, nothing ever happens.

 

Then there is the occasional PR, trap set up and a bunch of miserable deliveroo guys, get their bikes taken, in some easy to police, town centre concourse, by cocky cops who laud their action to 'save the public' on social media, and Lenny assists by plastering it on here. What heroes we have enforcing the law.

 

Look at the phenomenal rates of shoplifting we now have since the police declared they were not doing anything about it.

 

I was speaking on the phone to a family member this morning who said she had gone to her local Coop to replenish food supplies and they had no wire baskets for her to put her shopping in as she gathered it. On asking where they were, the poor shop worker informed her that they had lost half of their baskets to the latest thieving scam, in which thieves, targeting high value produce, fill their wire basket, and suddenly rush out of the door to a waiting car. They report to the police who do nothing and don't even attend the incident. They often have security man there - big burly chap, I've seen him, but on intervening, he got roughed up and could not retaliate for fear of being accused of assault. He is off sick.

 

Of course if he had lamped someone, guess who would be in court..... Not the scum of the earth, but the guy trying to impose a bit of order.

 

All of this deterioration, i put at the door of the police. ALL OF IT. There is a long list of crimes they treat as unimportant and don't enforce. The rates of offending in those ways increase exponentially when there is no enforcement. Take the scourge of London phone theft for example. I watched a video this morning in which a MET policeman suggested that people should never use their phone in the street..... This stuff is regarded as unimportant, low level disorder, but it blights neighbourhoods and the lives of people who live there.

 

You might blame politicians who have cut funding, but while that looks like an attractive explanation, the problem was rife long before the recent round of cuts. It was present nearly twenty years ago when previous Labour governments imposed targets on police.

 

At that time, I reported a nasty offence when I was secretary of an allotment association when a discontented, nasty member was given the red card and expelled for abusing and menacing another member, returned at night and killed and maimed about a dozen chickens. We knew who had done it, and he had driven past the next day waving triumphantly at us as we disposed of the carcasses in sacks. We told the cop all about this, he shrugged and said he was personally very sorry, but he would not be allowed to investigate this crime because his bosses would not allow this kind of thing unless it was open and shut and we had him on video doing it. He was sympathetic - the service wasn't.

 

If you don't enforce laws and punish offenders - lawlessness takes over.

 

Soon this country will be like the Middle East. Just wait and see.

 

 

EDIT: Google Edinburgh bikers fight against motorbike theft.

 

For years motorcyclists have had no help when their motorcycles are stolen. I could tell you a tale about it but there is no point. You report your bike stolen and all you get is a crime number, even when the bike is being screached around the local streets and past the cop shop, with three hoodlums riding on it at a time. Then when it is recovered burned out a week later, having been seen multiple times on the roads - you get a bill for its recovery. The cops don't recover it, they engage a private firm to take it away and YOU PAY!!

 

You mention motor cyclists. How many times I see them in the box at traffic lights meant for cyclists is a joke. It's the ones that stop past the solid white line that really are pushing it. I'm not talking front wheel over it I'm talking whole bike.

 

Why is there little or no moaning about these bikers, I do get it for cyclists light jumpers. The bikers will have had to get a license pass a test. Yet the amount that go through red lights is astounding. Even if it's only past the solid white line, it's breaking the law. Damn now Judas Priest are in my head.

No, what I am saying is that this law is impractical and should never have been made. Where I live in London cyclists rarely get anything like 1.5 metres, even a full metre is rare, but that doesn't worry them, as the tiny gaps they routinely go through shows.

 

They commonly ride in bike lanes barely wider than their bike, with a busy traffic lane alongside hedged in by abundant street furniture like road islands or occupied right turn lanes, both making even a 1.5 foot gap difficult to achieve and 1.5 metres impossible. 86% 0f us live in towns and cities where such situations are commonplace.

 

How many of the cyclists shown below can get a 1.5 metre pass?

 

[ATTACH type=full" alt="Sample.jpg]63376[/ATTACH]

 

I live in London also and sometimes It's not practical , but then there are times when yes the close pass was completely unjustified. If I had cameras I would have reported the drivers. The law is a protection and cyclists do need protection. Yes more often from themselves but certainly from bad drivers.