Angry with Pedestrians.

Would you believe it, this morning, a lovely clear crisp sunrise of a morning, I left home a little bit earlier than normal. Happy as Larry I was. Less traffic, lights going for me, not that it would have mattered if they hadn’t, I was in such a good mood.

It didn’t last. there’s one particular road on my cycle in that takes me down a side street along a contraflow cycle lane. Now the set up is pavement, cycle lane, parked cars, road in opposite direction. Not ideal with the parked cars enclosing the cycle lane in but better than having to go round on the main road.

People walk across the cycle lane, fine I look out for them stepping out from behind the parked cars. People walk in the cycle lane, usually get round around slower walkers blocking the pavement, fine, I slow down and ensure they know I’m there and wait until they get out of the way. I’ve even come across a father and young son riding the wrong way up the cycle lane (As it’s clearly one way as well), fine, the fathers doing it for the safety of his son, so I got out of their way!

But this morning, I was unfortunate enough to come head to head with the most despicable jumped up mid-to late forties twat that I have come across for sometime. This guy was walking in the cycle lane towards me, initially to overtake slower pedestrians, but once he got past them he continued in the lane. Now he saw me and I saw him with plenty of distance between us.

I slowed down waiting for him to step out of the cycle lane, he didn’t, I did the old two tings on the bell just to make sure he had seen me, maybe he was day dreaming? He carried on. Now the only place I can go to get out of his way is onto the pavement or on top of a parked car.

I had to stop, he gave me the must dirty look you could imagine, stepped round me and carried on. I commented “f**k’s sake”. He took complete offence and started having a go at me.

Needless to say a slagging match occurred with him walking right up to me in a very confrontation manner. I tried to point out that this was a cycle lane put there for the safety of cyclists, he replied “what about my safety”. Hello! that’s what the f**king pavement is for!!

I really wanted to hit him, he just had an attitude of arrogance and one of those faces you really want to hit. Eventually he walked off. My morning spoiled. I assume he walks that way to work regularly, and I cycle it every day, so no doubt we’ll meet again. I’ll keep you posted.

Next blog entry will be about why, despite all the problems and dangers, I love cycling.

Until then,

VC.

Got to get past the Cyclist

Every cyclist must notice the same thing day in and day out. Motorists just HAVE to get past the cyclist at any cost. Now, this is one of those things that you expect right? I mean, bikes are slower aren’t they? They cause delays to the motorists’ journey.

Wrong wrong wrong. When cycling in a city during rush hour, the cyclist is the second faster vehicle on the road (behind organ donors). We don’t get as delayed in traffic jams (they do slow us down as well) and we can move LEGALLY to the front at red lights.

So, why do motorist just have to get past the cyclist? Because they are idiots! The number of times that I could count where a car or van speeds up to try and pass me only to then slam on their brakes as they nearly pile into the traffic queue ahead. I would laugh if it wasn’t so dangerous to me and my fellow cyclists.

You see, the problem is that the motorist won’t take the road conditions into account when speeding past. The usual bad driving is over taking when there is a traffic island just ahead. The motorist will speed up to overtake, and some of them even pull out and give the bike room, but then the traffic island will loom suddenly in front of them and they pull hard in again and slam the brakes on, great! What you get is a cyclist suddenly with no room and has the choice of mounting the kerb or going into the back of the car.

To be fair, most times a sharp pull on the brakes and feet down will suffice, but not always, and certainly not in wet weather.

Let’s take this further, who are the worst offenders of this practise? Worst in terms of could cause the most damage? Easy, bus drivers. All too often I either myself or other cyclists are literally forced onto the pavement, if there are no railings, due to a bus driver just having to get past the cyclists and then finding either a traffic island, or queue or more often than not that surprising bus stop that suddenly jumps up in front of them. Now this is truly dangerous, put a railing in the way and you are talking serious injury or even death for the cyclist. And this isn;t a cyclist riding up the inside of a bus, this is dangerous driving and an offence.

Do they care? Do their bosses care? No is the answer. I think currently there is one borough in the city that gives bus divers a couple of hours cycling training. I have noted down times, route numbers and bus numbers of a few of the more serious incidents and reported them. I never hear anything back, even after following it up.

When I drive (yes I do, often and even pay my road tax) I look out for the situations mentioned above. It’s not hard, and against popular believe it doesn’t delay my journey to wait for a safe place to overtake a cyclist, safe for the cyclist that is! What slows down a car journey is the sheer volume of traffic, the queues to the badly phased traffic lights, the buses stopping every couple of hundred yards.

So, next time you’re driving to work or even driving for work. Before speeding past that cyclist in front of you, have a look, is it safe to do it? Is it worth it? Should you just hold back and wait? It’s not hard to do.

VC.

Vigilante cycling in the City.

I felt compelled to start writing a blog for one reason and one reason only. But before I divulge that reason, let me tell you a bit about myself;

I’m male, in my thirties, family man, good job, great friends, very mild and happy with my life. I enjoy cycling for fun, exercise and commuting to work.

Now, there is the reason for starting a blog. The cycle commute to work. I live in a city which is currently seeing an explosion in the number of cyclists, which is great. I myself have been commuting by bike to work for over 5 years now. You would think that it should get easier and safer with more cyclists on the road. Unfortunately this isn’t the case.

Over the past 5 years, I have always had a few problems with over road users (cars, buses, lorries, motorcyclists, and hairdryers with wheels), but now it appears that these fellow commuters are starting a backlash against the boom in cycling.

Last night, I had three occasions where I had to break hard to avoid drivers (cars on this occasion) that, had clearly seen me (eye contact made) but proceeded to try and run me off the road instead of giving me the correct right of way. The third driver fully expected me to mount the kerb to get out of their way as they drove around parked cars on their side of the road.

I am a courteous rider and driver; yes I do drive as well and pay my road taxes like everyone else.  I’m not saying that I never make a mistake, of course I do, but when I do I will apologise.  I obey the laws of the road and know my highway code pretty well.

Back to last night, on the third occasion of being run off the road, my temper got the better of me for an instance and I shouted abuse at the driver. Now, this wasn’t bad abuse but something like “if you can’t drive it, don’t buy it” (the driver was tucked comfortably inside a too large for our roads MPV).

Of course I got a reaction of the kind “what are you doing on the road, I pay my road tax”. So, I chased the person in question, and chased and chased, and caught up with them at the next set of lights. Let’s face it, in the city it’s quicker to cycle than to drive.

And then shouted more abuse at the driver, who turned out to be a middle aged lady and her husband. They were looking a little frightened by this point. Still, I was in the right and after three attempts at my safety I felt pretty annoyed and ready for a fight. Anyway, they apologised and I went off feeling a little better.

My decision to start a blog is simple. I will use this blog to vent my anger at other road users, and this will include fellow cyclists when the need arises, and hopefully after an incident I will be able to concentrate about what I will write in this blog instead of thinking of ways to damage the guilty parties vehicle (keys down the side, break the wing mirror and for the worst offenders the D-lock through the windscreen!).

So, come back and read about the everyday dangers of the road to cyclists, post your own experiences, frustrations and even methods of revenge! I’ll be listening, even if no one else is.

VC.