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

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

    Postby =^..^= » Thu Jun 02, 2011 6:33 pm

    I got hit by a car a few weeks ago whilst cycling to work. Opening your eyes to find yourself lying in the middle of a busy road with little recollection of how you got there is no where near as much fun as it sounds...

    Since then I've been really really stressed when cars pass me too close or they do something that makes me brake or have to swerve - a couple of nights ago there was almost a carbon copy of what happened in the crash, and then it happened yet again today.

    I've been riding with a helmet camera on for a couple of journeys and it is quite ridiculous how badly cyclists are treated. Of course tensing up, worrying about being hit etc etc are all causing me to be stressed so from now on if someone does something I don't like and the vid backs me up I'm fe*king reporting them.

    That's three people today ALONE that will soon be getting a visit from the police.

    Warn your mates, warn your family - I've declared open season on drivers treating cyclists like crap and I've got a camera to back me up.

    There are a few vids on here from the last couple of days but I'll be adding to it probably on a daily basis....

    http://www.youtube.com/playlist?p=PL696E20F4150F8FCF
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    Re: That's it - I've fe*king had enough...

    Postby Mallaby106 » Thu Jun 02, 2011 9:04 pm

    Christ that yellow truck was close! And what was the point in the cement truck passing you? There was a stop sign a few yards after, what an idiot. Good on ya for fighting back mate because thats ridiculous.
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    Re: That's it - I've fe*king had enough...

    Postby Unders » Thu Jun 02, 2011 9:42 pm

    To be honest I hate cyclists. They really do get in the way sometimes and when they are riding 3 abreast on a busy de-restricted road it becomes quite dangerous due to speed differential.

    This video at 12seconds you cut in front of an R plated Clio that I bet didn't see you.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4QjEZoA ... F4150F8FCF


    After watching your videos I do agree that people do get way too close to cyclists and need to consider them before overtaking or performing manoeuvres with cyclists nearby. I also believe that some of those drivers really do need reporting before they kill someone. Its the only way to make them aware of their actions. Good work with the helmet cam :thumbright:
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    Re: That's it - I've fe*king had enough...

    Postby gazza_ » Thu Jun 02, 2011 9:48 pm

    Unders wrote:To be honest I hate cyclists. They really do get in the way sometimes and when they are riding 3 abreast on a busy de-restricted road it becomes quite dangerous due to speed differential.

    This video at 12seconds you cut in front of an R plated Clio that I bet didn't see you.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4QjEZoA ... F4150F8FCF

    :


    have to agree,
    how can you complain when you cut up a car and an R plater at that who may or may not be the best driver in the world.

    and when you undertook the cerment wagon at the halt sign the wagon hadden stpped and you passed it closer than he did you.

    utter double standereds.

    and the one that says. "is this a good place to pass"

    well you can see the junction, you can see up the road, yes it may be a bend but you can see if anybody is there on the other side of the road,
    so really cant see any fault with that one, least they gave you plenty of room
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    Re: That's it - I've fe*king had enough...

    Postby warby » Thu Jun 02, 2011 11:29 pm

    Who will be the first to say "pay some road tax"??

    Oh, wait! :D
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    Re: That's it - I've fe*king had enough...

    Postby jamie » Thu Jun 02, 2011 11:54 pm

    The road is a dangerous place, particularly for a cyclist. The risk of accident/injury is surely far higher than for drivers of cars. If you are a cyclist, you have to accept that what you are doing is inherently risky. Cars will overtake too close, drivers will see you too late or not at all......its life! You can curse drivers treatment of cyclists till you are blue in the face, but it is your life that you are dicing with and nothing is going to change even if examples are made of drivers who cut up/pass too close/hit cyclists.

    Much as I agree that everyone has as much right to the road, I never cease to be shocked by the risks and lack of care that many cyclists take and I see it on an almost daily basis. If you are a good cyclist who rides safely, always has working lights/reflectors and wears appropriate/easy to see garments then fair play to you, but what you are doing is still pretty dangerous.

    Cyclists riding (two side by side in tandem) is frighteningly risky and doing this on twisty derestricted backroad is surely like a game of Russian roulette. When I used to cycle I'd keep in as far to the left as possible and never ride side by side. Not only is that dangerous (despite its legality) but it also selfishly in many cases restricts car and motorcyclists progress.

    If you want to keep fit, reduce damage to the environment, save money etc in getting from A to B why not take up running? You've got pavements, you can listen to your IPOD while your doing it (more safely) and you look (ever so slightly!) less of a fashion disaster without an 'Alienesque' hat on your head......which lets face it not every cyclist does!
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    Re: That's it - I've fe*king had enough...

    Postby Cret » Fri Jun 03, 2011 1:24 am

    That's sort of all beside the point though mate.

    I'm not a fan of 'some' cyclists myself (some are fine, some are utter twunts that have no respect whatsoever for drivers or the rules of the road. Swings & roundabouts), but while cyclists might well be exposed to a lot more danger, the bottom line is that they shouldn't have to be, and should be able to cycle about without worrying about being knocked off/killed (assuming they're riding safely themselves).

    When I was a kid I used to cycle absolutely everywhere. It should be a healthy fun thing for kids to do, but I'm not so sure I'd want my little uns cycling along most of the roads here once they're a bit older as it's very different now. Point is though that they should be able to, but while I agree there are plenty of selfish cyclists, there are more selfish or just plain brain dead drivers about.

    I usually try to give them the same space as I would do a motorbike (ie the same as a car) although I have to confess that's not always the case. I'd hope to never be going as close as some of the cars in those clips though.
    Some of the clips would be useless as evidence since it's hard to get a gauge of just how close they are, and I suspect that even with the more condemning videos they'd still be useless for getting someone done as while they certainly look dangerous, it's impossible to tell how close they are.

    I do sympathise with cyclists though, even if I also get annoyed being stuck behind them from time to time.

    The guy's already been knocked off once so you can't blame him for being upset about it. I sure as hell would be as well if it was me, and I think most on here would be if they were in that position.
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    Re: That's it - I've fe*king had enough...

    Postby =^..^= » Fri Jun 03, 2011 1:54 am

    Unders wrote:This video at 12seconds you cut in front of an R plated Clio that I bet didn't see you.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4QjEZoA ... F4150F8FCF

    You can't really judge it well from the vid but the clio remained stationary 2 foot from the centre line and I went down the centre line to the right of the golf. But from the vid it's a fair point. Weird how there is no comment about someone clearly running a red light though...

    gazza_ wrote:and when you undertook the cerment wagon at the halt sign the wagon hadden stpped and you passed it closer than he did you.


    Ok - the cement mixer did not give me the room specified in the highway code - unless Rizla have started making cars and last time I checked they hadn't, as you can see he is on the brakes when he comes past me as he has to be to stop in time for the halt sign, as soon as I realised he was alongside me and I knew he was going to have to slow down ( probably realised before he did...) I hit the brakes and slowed down whilst he was alongside me. And what would have happened if I hadn't slowed down when he pulled left in front of me - yes, he'd have hit me... So, I hit the brakes earlier than I normally would of done and still got to the halt sign before them. Figure out the implication that has in their pass.. Yep - he could have stayed behind and probably arrived there at the same time...

    It's known as bike blindness - a driver gets so fixated on passing a bike they forget about the other hazards out there. I've had cars fly past me and then immediately lock the wheels trying to avoid hitting a stationary car turning right...

    gazza_ wrote:and the one that says. "is this a good place to pass"
    well you can see the junction, you can see up the road, yes it may be a bend but you can see if anybody is there on the other side of the road, so really cant see any fault with that one, least they gave you plenty of room.


    So you can't see a problem with passing on a junction or on a bend ??? And it wasn't plenty of room - they passed me right on the apex of the bend - all it would have taken is for me to have had to move 6 or 8 inches right due to a pothole or a manhole cover and I'd not be sat here typing this.

    And it's not once I've been hit in the last year - its THREE times - the last one was the first one that put me in hospital though. In each case it was the same thing, vehicle starts to pass me, gets alongside, assumes they have passed me and pulls left whilst I'm either by the passenger window (I kid you not - I was hit on the arm by the door pillar of a car...) or the rear passenger window.. Imagine what would have happened if I hadn't braked when the cement truck passed me. He pulls left and I end up under his wheels....

    But see what you want, you weren't there, you weren't the one at risk so what do you care ?

    And I didn't come here looking for sympathy - fair warning has been given - cut me up, make me brake or swerve or even hit me and the vid will be used to back up what I tell the police actually happened not what you think happened.
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    Re: That's it - I've fe*king had enough...

    Postby =^..^= » Fri Jun 03, 2011 2:37 am

    Cheers Cret - part of the problem is that I don't want to get in anyones way - I'm doing this as one day we are probably going to run out of petrol and right now I'm fit and healthy enough to make an (admittedly) minuscule contribution to eking it out a bit longer by commuting to work (nearly 7.000 miles last year just commuting) - so slowing people down is not something I want to do. Look at my position on the road - I'm pretty much as far left as I can get. Two mornings this week I've ended up with cuts on my left arm from brambles etc sticking out of the the hedges catching my arm as I pass - I'm riding that close. I'm normally cycling on the left hand white line or on the left hand yellow line. I'm riding in the dirt, the crap, the stones, the shards of glass, the rubbish, avoiding drain covers etc etc so that I don't get in peoples way.

    But it also means that some people will try and squeeze through a gap and leave me a lot less space than if I rode a foot further out as then they would have to slow down, they'd have to give me room.

    Although as you say the vid can't show precisely how much room the driver has given me if you watched it and went "fe*king hell that was close" then so will the policeman who'll be knocking on the drivers door..

    Jamie - fair comment on the clothing. The day I wound up on the road I had a bright red jacket on, reflective tape on the seams, the brightest cat eye rear light you can get on flash mode strapped to my camel back so it's about drivers eye level and out of all the road crap that gets thrown up and it still made no difference...
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    Re: That's it - I've fe*king had enough...

    Postby Toxic-Motorsport » Fri Jun 03, 2011 8:45 am

    Like people say swings and roundabouts.

    If i was on one of these videos and seen this thread tbh i think it would only make things worse for people getting a knock on their door from a police officer.

    I will be posting up a video response to this video of what cyclist are like on our roads up north every wednesday as there must be case for that too.
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