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How was your cycle commute?

Orang Utan said:
If you are walking on a narrow pavement and a wobbly and slow old lady is teetering in front of you, do you slow down and patiently wait til you can pass her without alarming or endangering her, or do you tut loudy and sigh until she lets you pass or do you even shoulder her out of the way rudely? Only one of these behaviour is acceptable, isn't it?
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Ok, I'm sorry, didn't mean it to sound like I was blaming you. But I'm still not sure it's good to ride in the middle of the lane. Obviously anyone ovetaking dangerously is a prick.
 
I do the same thing when I go running as to and from my village where there's not any footpaths as the side of the road (except that when running I face the traffic). I've found that being a bit out into the road means that cars take more notice of me, give me plenty of room and slow down.

Generally I'm also given plenty of space (more than when I'm cycling!) when I'm right into the gutter - but I like to always keep a gap so I have somewhere to dive into should anyone drive right at me. That gap's also very useful on a bike - if a lorry pulls in too quickly and you need to pull over you have somewhere to go!
 
If you ride close to the kerb, the twats will still overtake you dangerously, but so will regular people, just due to bad habits and general ignorance. Riding in the middle may still get you the twat attention further up the road, but it also keeps regular road users in a safe location in the narrow bits.

Where it's safe, I'll pull in and let faster traffic past. It's polite, and I'd do the same if I was eg. driving a tractor on country lanes.
 
don't think anyone's suggesting you take up the road for shits 'n giggles. as you say - pull in when it's clear and let faster traffic pootle on.
 
Riding wide also makes you more visible to anyone pulling out from a junction in front, and gives you more time to react if they don't see you.

I've been pretty nervous around cars since I got hit a couple of weeks ago (broadsided by someone swinging across the road to do a three-point turn) and find myself doing everything possible to make myself seen and be in a position to take evasive action. If you need to hug the centre line on the approach to a junction with poor visibility (due to parked cars or whatever) then do so, regardless of whether you can see someone about to pull out or not, and regardless of whether this impedes anyone behind you (though check they're not too close before pulling out, and move out gently). If you hug the gutter or move closely along the outside of parked cars people aren't going to spot you and you put yourself in more danger.

Make sure you can see, make sure you can be seen and make sure you have some safety margin for getting out of the way if you need to.
 
There's a roundabout I encounter on my way home where I quite often now don't indicate my left turn on the approach to discourage being cut up.

I got a reply from the driving school with this video - I feel honoured.
(it was an instructor with no pupil)



I stay in primary all along there to discourage overtaking on a blind bend.
(but they still do anyway)
I'm not altogether sure what the painted bicycles signify.
 
Dogsauce said:
I love the 'randomly painted bicycle symbol' approach to cycle planning :):facepalm:
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Elsewhere in the area they paint those with coloured squares to signify it's part of a key route or other.

Up until the roundabout it's South Gloucestershire - the council that couldn't find a "cycling tsar" who was actually prepared to try riding a bicycle.
 
gentlegreen said:
I'm not altogether sure what the painted bicycles signify.
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There are some streets round here where there are more of those painted bike signs on a given street than there are lampposts. I'm still at at loss as to what the fucking point of them is.
 
On the part of my route I was talking about, in Greenwich, there are painted cycles dotted almost randomly about the road. I don't know what they really mean either, but I will take it to mean 'don't overtake cyclists here'!
 
On a couple of parts of my commute, I will also take the lane, even when there is a cycle lane cos it's always parked in and there's lots of cars that keep stopping and pulling out.
There's also one big long curve that I pull into the centre for cos I don't want anyone passing me. It's a fast section and there is a giant wall on the left that I don't want to be smashed into
 
There is a high concentration of them at the Herne Hill end of Railton Road. I keep thinking there has to be a reason, as they're not evenly spaced. Hadn't thought of the 'not overtaking' theory. I'll have a good look next time I go pass to see if they're placed at crossroads or something.
 
Some people will overtake wherever it's possible, regardless of visibility, signage, double white lines or whatever. It's a bit of a judgement call on whether you allow them to do this or not.

Sometimes when cycling (and driving), for the sake of your own survival, you have to bite your tongue and adopt the 'Let the Wookie Win' approach. Either that or try and outrun them :)
 
I had someone pull out on me from a side road on the way home tonight and the passenger saw me and grabbed the wheel to make the driver swerve out of the way. More drama than was needed since I'd already anticipated they'd pull out on me and had slowed down to filter behind them so wasn't that close. Gave them a filthy look anyway, and I think it prompted an argument in the cockpit (male/female, possibly a couple, with more in the back).

People always pull out on me at that spot, and I'm usually out in the middle as I take the next right about 20m past that junction as the main road bends to the left. Can't signal until I'm past the first junction, and as it's a wide road people often think they can pull out anyway and I'll pass on the left of them because I'm going straight on. Crap layout, but no excuse for crap driving.
 
Over the 26 years I've been commuting by bike, I've changed my morning route and lengthened my evening route by a mile and a half to have as little to do with the motoring public as possible, and I'm now starting to seriously think about starting work half an hour early so I can leave half an hour early and avoid some of the crap.
 
No one wants to play Mario Karts on an empty road. It would be well boring.
I do like the odd country ride, but it's never top on the list of things to do.
 
It started out warm and sunny, so I got another easy 20 miles in - though I put a little effort in on the way back.
I left it a bit late so was chased home by clouds, a cool breeze and even a little sprinkle towards the end...

I wished I'd taken a second tee shirt ...though it wasn't cool enough for the coat.
 
gentlegreen said:
Plenty of other thrills and spills though - potholes, slurry, the odd bit of wildlife...
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Sure, it's a bit far to go in London though.
And I've never got round to learning how to fix my bike properly on the road if something were to give, so I stay on the city streets and thrill to the chicanes and roundabouts of the city.
 
gentlegreen said:
It started out warm and sunny, so I got another easy 20 miles in - though I put a little effort in on the way back.
I left it a bit late so was chased home by clouds, a cool breeze and even a little sprinkle towards the end...

I wished I'd taken a second tee shirt ...though it wasn't cool enough for the coat.
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Did you go to work today then? ;)
 
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