That's it - I've fe*king had enough...

[Taggart]

But then I could get done when I drink-cycle home from the pub....

[Unders]

But then I could get done when I drink-cycle home from the pub....

Drinking and cycling is punishable by up to £1000 fine.

[Taggart]

No-one gets done for it tho

[Unders]

Well its a lot easier to get away with if you have only had a few. The police cant force you to take a breathaliser or blood test so it is not an offence to refuse one if you are on a pushbike. They have to use the old tests like making you walk a straight line.

But then again, if you are pretty sozzled and end up under a car or in a hedge its going to be pretty obvious you're drunk and your own fault if you get hurt.

[=^..^=]

As far as training goes I've got an NVQ in cycle coaching so I've been taught how to teach others (including road safety for groups / risk evaluations etc)

As far as insurance goes I've got BCF Ride insurance that gives me more third party liability than most car policies.

Like it or not there will be more cyclists on the road - it's risky enough out there, it can be hard work, it normally takes planning if you are commuting (work clothes etc) so you have to be pretty motivated - any extra hoops to jump through are just likely to put people off which will miss a load of the benefits (one easy personal benefit for instance is it took me the same time to escape Douglas through the tailbacks last night as normal), a person on a bike is a person not in a car which reduces congestion/tailbacks/parking problems etc, the more cyclists there are the more aware drivers will be of them etc etc. More cyclists is good not bad !

As far as incidents go in the last year I've run no red lights, ridden on no pavements, hit no cars or pedestrians but been hit by cars three times in strangely similar circumstances (vehicle decides to pass, does not get past and then pulls left into me - wonder why I have a 'thing' about vehicles passing me very closely??) This doesn't count the times where I've had time to 'fend' the vehicle off by hammering on the window to alert the driver that they are still alongside me before they pulls left when I realised what was about to happen...

I don't ride on pavements but I can see why people do, I don't ride two out from the pavement but I can see why people do and they are both to do with safety - some vehicle drivers are not risking their own health but they are risking the health of the more vunerable road users. The consequences of an accident with a cyclist for a car driver (assuming it is the drivers fault and In my experience as above it is) are a fine, a few points and maybe losing their no claims. For the cyclist it is likely to be significantly worse.

From my (limited)perspective the risk is to the cyclist being hurt not the other way around...

[Jay_VTR]

My Grandfather, Alan Kelly ( dunno if you may know him or not, lots of people do) has a theory about this time of year. I know your issue isn't with TT, but drivers in general.
So -
Bikers are alert because, they themselves no the dangers of being out there on two wheels
The old biddies who usually dont see you, lock their cars away for TT or go away.
Cars are being more alert because of the increase in bikers.

Me & him both agree some people do pass closey, but he has been cycling (guessing now...) a lot longer than you, and has never had an incident like this.... He cycles about 8k miles each year.
Just food for thought, if he has managed to cycle sooooo much and not had an injury or incident like this then maybe its a combination of the cyclist and the driver?

See where I am coming from? Not having a dig or anything like that because you are qualified etc etc.

[gazza_]

As far as training goes I've got an NVQ in cycle coaching so I've been taught how to teach others (including road safety for groups / risk evaluations etc)

As far as insurance goes I've got BCF Ride insurance that gives me more third party liability than most car policies.

Like it or not there will be more cyclists on the road - it's risky enough out there, it can be hard work, it normally takes planning if you are commuting (work clothes etc) so you have to be pretty motivated - any extra hoops to jump through are just likely to put people off which will miss a load of the benefits (one easy personal benefit for instance is it took me the same time to escape Douglas through the tailbacks last night as normal), a person on a bike is a person not in a car which reduces congestion/tailbacks/parking problems etc, the more cyclists there are the more aware drivers will be of them etc etc. More cyclists is good not bad !

As far as incidents go in the last year I've run no red lights, ridden on no pavements, hit no cars or pedestrians but been hit by cars three times in strangely similar circumstances (vehicle decides to pass, does not get past and then pulls left into me - wonder why I have a 'thing' about vehicles passing me very closely??) This doesn't count the times where I've had time to 'fend' the vehicle off by hammering on the window to alert the driver that they are still alongside me before they pulls left when I realised what was about to happen...

I don't ride on pavements but I can see why people do, I don't ride two out from the pavement but I can see why people do and they are both to do with safety - some vehicle drivers are not risking their own health but they are risking the health of the more vunerable road users. The consequences of an accident with a cyclist for a car driver (assuming it is the drivers fault and In my experience as above it is) are a fine, a few points and maybe losing their no claims. For the cyclist it is likely to be significantly worse.

From my (limited)perspective the risk is to the cyclist being hurt not the other way around...

well thats good you got the insurance etc,
and even better you never run a red light etc.

but not everybody is so law abiding on there bikes.

i think they should have a reg plate and insurance to cover the costs if they do damage to somebody,
even in the event the car driver does not have insurance, least they be covered.

and the ones that dont abided by the law can be found and fined.

dont you think this would be a good idea


just to add, today, biker went though a red light at the traffic lights, went around the cornor crossed the road there and and came around the cornor again on the other side.

now thats 2 in 3 days i seen, havent seen a car or moto bike do that in 3 days.
If they had a reg on them i would have reported them for being dangours.

[JayJay]

I'm not surprised some people hate cyclists, a lot doddle around on the road like they own it. I was watching a large van do a 3-point turn in the road yesterday outside my office when a cyclist came up in the middle of the road and just cut in front of as the van was sideways in the road. Many a time have I been stuck behind a cyclist doing sub-20mph because I can't see whats coming and the cyclist doesn't move out of the way.

I agree with the idea that cyclists need insurance and training as well. You may be a good cyclist but many aren't.

[=^..^=]

My Grandfather, Alan Kelly Me & him both agree some people do pass closey, but he has been cycling (guessing now...) a lot longer than you, and has never had an incident like this.... He cycles about 8k miles each year.
Just food for thought, if he has managed to cycle sooooo much and not had an injury or incident like this then maybe its a combination of the cyclist and the driver?

See where I am coming from? Not having a dig or anything like that because you are qualified etc etc.

I think I've met him once but my folks know him well. In fact Dad said to tell him to "wear a helmet..."

Last year I did 7k miles just commuting to and from work never mind the other miles for fun or mountain biking or racing. I don't have the luxury that retirement provides of going out when then roads are less 'frantic' so my commuting miles are at the worst times of the day and on some of the busiest roads.

I think I'm just in the 'sweet spot' for problems. I average 22mph on my daily commute - and when you think there are climbs such as the brown cow or Crogga (should that be one g?) you might get an idea of how fast I go on the flat. Given a flat road with reasonable tarmac on a still day I'm sat about 22/24 mph. Add a 5 mph tail wind and I'm doing 27 mph on the flat. Probably if I was going a little faster then I'd probably interact with cars less but as it is when someone tries to overtake me and I'm not doing mush less than the speed limit what is going to happen ??? It's like passing an artic on a motorway - it's going to take a while... However it seems that some drivers can't cope with a bike going fast and ASSUME they have passed me when in fact if they looked left through the passenger window or even the mirror on that side they'd see me. They don't look, they make an assumption, they pull left and I have to avoid them...

If I was going faster (I guess Alan has avoided this problem by going faster than me ??) then of course they'd have to break the speed limit to pass me and I'd be perfectly safe (now where is that irony icon???) or if I was going at the speed they expect or assume I'm riding at then I'd also be safe. But the onus is on the overtaking driver to ensure that they can safely pass the vehicle ahead given the speed that it is travelling at and this is what has failed to happen.

Gazza - I love the traffc light camera they put in on Woodbourne road to catch cyclists jumping the lights. That is why they put it in isn't it? for cyclists? Jumping the red light?

However your registration plate idea has some merit so I've mocked up a suggestion of what it could look like.

[Jay_VTR]

Hadn't thought about the time tbh. Which is probably a big factor in your issues. I can see your point though, I was out on my bike and people do get incredibly close to you!