Bound to happen one day I guess, had a fair few near misses, but today on way back for Croydon a mini cab driver:rolleyes: frustrated with waiting in traffic decided to cut into the bus lane straight into the side of me. I took the brunt of along with handlebars and front wheel. will get bike checked out after the holidays no time now.

 

It was, very sorry this very sorry that...I said "sorry" simply not good enough is it ? you could have killed me:(

 

I need to move, really getting fed up of sarth London

Are you ok Eddie? Has anything happened to you mate?

 

Alex

Erm, Eddieo, I don't understand your reply to Alex

 

I'm going to take a punt at asking you if you are unhurt and is the bike OK? I know you said you'd look after the hols, I mean anything obvious you can see?

 

I don't like London in a car let alone a bike

 

Hope all is well.

 

Vikki.

Erm, Eddieo, I don't understand your reply to Alex

 

I'm going to take a punt at asking you if you are unhurt and is the bike OK? I know you said you'd look after the hols, I mean anything obvious you can see?

 

I don't like London in a car let alone a bike

 

Hope all is well.

 

Vikki.

 

Thanks for your concern Viki, "knocked oft" is perhaps a bit melodramatic! lol probably you rufty tufty commuters get bashed all the time:)

 

the wheel seems all right, it rode home OK, but what do I know about bikes! Chap offered to pay to fix it so will get it checked out after the hols. (the bikes come with us - wouldn't be a holiday otherwise)

 

EDIT: Re Alex: I misunderstood what he initially said, though he was going on about the muppert pic.....long story!lol

 

I will remove, it to save further embarrassment!

 

Its the shock Girl! the shock!lol

Edited July 31, 201015 yr by eddieo

I need to move, really getting fed up of sarth London

 

I got pushed into the kerb yesterday by a lady who decided she must overtake me while a bus was coming the other way. It broke my pedal against the kerb so replacement pair cost me £13.

 

My own feeling is that London is comparatively safe to cycle so long as your riding style is suitably aggressive. Hastings was the worst place I've ever cycled, followed by Norfolk where I found the speed that locals drove around the lanes and their complete lack of regard for cyclists like stepping back 50 years.

 

Kent in the lanes comes in high on my list, too, those yummy mummies in their 4WDs don't give a damn who they mow down.

 

They are so subjective, these things, though. I've twice been brought off my bike in Norfolk (lanes near the north coast) by drivers who saw me come off but drove on at speed but as far as I know it might have been my bad luck to meet the only 2 terrible drivers in the county.

 

At least the cabbie stopped!

ACPO (Association of Chief Police Officers) have voted London's drivers by far the most skilled in Britain, and my years of very high mileages all over the UK leads me to fully agree with that

 

A move to "the sticks" could be out of the frying pan and into the fire Eddie, as Lemmy's response supports.

.

I know, I know......narrow lanes & roads frighten the life out of me, and rightly so. I much prefer main roads where I think cars have more room to get around you. nothing worse then an aggressive driver breathing down your neck unable to pass you.

 

Flecc, only thinking of moving to shirley/Sanderstead /sarf croydon area:D

 

thinking of adding a toffee hammer to the handlebars.......

I'm glad you are okay hun.

 

A very elderly bike rider gave me the only two pieces of advice for riding a bike in this centuary he thought I needed 1) claim your lane like a phycotically(sp?) jealous husband does his wife 2) if no.1 fails try to aim for a soft spot for your landing!

They are so subjective, these things, though. I've twice been brought off my bike in Norfolk (lanes near the north coast) by drivers who saw me come off but drove on at speed but as far as I know it might have been my bad luck to meet the only 2 terrible drivers in the county.

 

much better South of the Waveney (Ipswich is paradise in comparison to Reading/West London where I used to ride) but we do have rather a lot of CCTV cameras and real traffic cops (not just PCSOs, proper double/tripled crewed traffic units, some even ARVs). and they aren't just driving around for the fun of it, they are all kept busy.

 

rural areas are always bad for fail to stops if its against cyclists/peds/one of the other cars is still driveable. in todays society many people do what they think they can get away with. there is also a "might makes right" culture in many areas of Norfolk which of course crosses through to the roads.

 

Cities have more traffic but many more witnesses, both via people on the street and CCTV/electronic surveillance.

 

in all cases what the old dude told morag makes sense (especially if he's old, it must mean it worked )

Edited July 31, 201015 yr by Alex728

I wouldn't be without my AirZound. A preventative toot on that when a situation is developing is enough to get attention quickly.

Bound to happen one day I guess, had a fair few near misses, but today on way back for Croydon a mini cab driver:rolleyes: frustrated with waiting in traffic decided to cut into the bus lane straight into the side of me. I took the brunt of along with handlebars and front wheel. will get bike checked out after the holidays no time now.

 

It was, very sorry this very sorry that...I said "sorry" simply not good enough is it ? you could have killed me:(

 

I need to move, really getting fed up of sarth London

 

Hope you're ok and that your holiday isn't spoiled. Even if you are not hurt physically the shock can be very upsetting.

This sort of thing is exactly what puts so many people off cycling. A car can do so much damage to a cyclist. Last car v bike I witnessed the driver was much more concerned with the dent in her car than the state of the cyclist lying in the road next to her! (He made a full recovery.)

Is there a list of cycle safe counties?

Nothing like as scary as riding a motorbike guys and gals, bicycle accidents/incidents are nothing in comparison!!!

 

Griz

I dont know what has upset me more... sob.... sob..... this incident, or the final episode of Galactica:confused:

I dont know what has upset me more... sob.... sob..... this incident, or the final episode of Galactica:confused:

 

Yeah, you're a big boy Eddie, just shaken not stirred I guess!

 

Griz

Edited July 31, 201015 yr by Grizzly Bear

It's not London drivers that worry me - it's just the huge volume of traffic that scares me and my inexperiance in said

 

Vikki.

Nothing like as scary as riding a motorbike guys and gals, bicycle accidents/incidents are nothing in comparison!!!

 

Griz

 

Yes, but - on a motor bike I seem to remember having the speed to get away from some of the b8888y idiots in metal boxes ...

Tom

Hi eddieo,

 

Main thing is your ok. Afraid there is nothing you can do with situations like that, wrong place wrong time. Anyway hope all is well.

Yes, but - on a motor bike I seem to remember having the speed to get away from some of the b8888y idiots in metal boxes ...

Tom

 

I could tell you things that will make your toes curl my friend, some times you can't get away from the nutters in cars!!

 

Griz

It's not London drivers that worry me - it's just the huge volume of traffic that scares me and my inexperiance in said

 

Vikki.

 

you dont have to worry about the volume of traffic to much, it is at a standstill most of the time....... just the odd idiot:rolleyes:

 

when we go away with the camper, the speed of traffic cycling on country roads scares the life out of us city folk

Last week a young woman driver, window wound right down, it was a very hot day, looked me in the eye from about 20 feet before starting to pull out of Tescos Faversham right in front of me. I deliberately braked late (Excellent Discs) so I stopped with my front wheel almost touching her. Even managed to make the brakes squeal. She stopped and said "Very sorry I did not see you"

As I said she had looked me straight in the eye seconds earlier.

where has your first reply to me gone Eddie, I was about to reply and I see its been removed now??? Has the admin knocked you in the head for being cheeky mate??

Eddie glad you are ok, I had three near misses today that left me wondering if I should cycle at certain times or just give up all together...first was a bus trying to push past me against a line of stationary traffic how he did not hit me was a mystery, second I was being careful down a country lane only just wide enough for a car and I met one coming waaaay too fast in the opposite direction....I stopped...in the nearside hedge and he ploughed on and had the gaul (?) to to wave 'thank you! Aaaaarrrgh! And the last was a woman pulling out of her parking spot on the opposite side of the road facing the on coming traffic and cutting across me....at least she was very very apologetic....luckily I saw what she was doing and avoided a collision.....all this in the very picturesque country side of the Chilterns!

I always ride wirh flashing front and rear lights, seems to work on the pheasants around here:D

I always ride wirh flashing front and rear lights, seems to work on the pheasants around here:D

Also works in this area. I have these fitted:

http://www.freelights.co.uk/product.html

Always on and no batteries to worry about.

Also important is wearing a Hi-Vis vest.

Be Seen.

 

 

Colin

She stopped and said "Very sorry I did not see you"

As I said she had looked me straight in the eye seconds earlier.

 

It's a matter of perception. After a long career as a professional photographer, I learned a bit about it.

 

Looking and seeing are very different things. The eyes don't see, the brain does. She did look at you, she didn't 'see' you

 

What she means is she attached no importance to your presence. If you had been on the same bike but wearing a police uniform, she would have both looked and seen (noticed) you. And not pulled out because her brain would inform her action - that there would be consequences of endangering a police officer.

 

It's why hi-viz, daytime lights etc have little effect. When everyone has lights on, no-one has lights on, ditto hi-viz.

 

When a person is encased in a protective envelope like a car they feel (and are) safe. When performing a complex manoeuvre, they cannot 'see' everything, there is too much stimulus, too fast. So they look and their brain filters out what it considers unimportant. This isn't a conscious action but a survival one. A bike is not threatening and is discounted - an HGV would be 'clocked'. Nevertheless, both bike and car were looked at and in the narrow sense, seen.

 

If the woman had herself been a cyclist she would perceive the bike differently, she could imagine being knocked off and she would not blithely pull out.

 

It's a matter of training in the end. My own view is that no-one should be allowed a car license until they have first proved themselves competent on a two wheeler.

 

Hey, eddio, only a Londoner could consider south Croydon the country