Walking along the Water of Leith footpath just now with the dog and a cyclist barged through a not-as-wide-as-a-bike gap betwixt me and an oncoming couple. No bell, no excuse me, no signal to let me know there was someone behind me. Just barged on through and twatted my arm with their handlebar for good measure.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
Today's rubbish cycling
(4503 posts)-
Posted 8 years ago #
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Guy on a single speed squeeeeeezed his way up the left of a slow moving Stagecoach bus at Haymarket bus stop last night. He then pulled out into traffic without looking/signalling further along West Coates before completing the hat-trick by blasting through a red light on the pedestrian crossing, just as someone was going across.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Thrice this evening between the Cannonmills/WoL junction and Sandport I was alerted to a cyclist approaching me from behind by the shadow of the wingpiglet's seat being cast on the bridges and trees above me by their overnight upward-pointing lights. The last one tried to undertake me onto the bridge, elicitng a reflexive exclamation as she pointed her helmet light into my eyes as we looked from side to side.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Me this morning as I squeezed up the inside of a small van that had stopped at the end of Leamington Road just as the driver started to reverse park, which meant that the front of the vehicle was initially swinging towards the wall with me in the gap. Luckily the driver stopped in time although they clearly didn't check their mirrors before reversing and didn't make their intentions clear - the driver's door opened as I approached and there was no sign of reversing lights which is why I went for it...
Posted 8 years ago # -
As a matter of interest, does anybody ever witness cycling that they think is good?
Maybe I'm overly harsh, but I can't remember the last time I saw a cyclist on the road who I thought would be a good example (of good cycling) to show other cyclists!
Posted 8 years ago # -
As a matter of interest, does anybody ever witness cycling that they think is good?
I followed, at a distance a cyclist on Tuesday, who took took the same line as I would through pinch points, past parked cars and through junctions. I thought he was an excellent rider ;)
Posted 8 years ago # -
There is a thread for such things, but it doesn't attract the level of business as this one so it tends to wallow forgotten in the depths somewhere...
Posted 8 years ago # -
@bikeability, you mean like shoulder check, signal, shoulder check, manoeuvre?
Posted 8 years ago # -
As a matter of interest, does anybody ever witness cycling that they think is good?
I sore someone cycle down the walk with no hands at high speed so I suppose they must be a good cyclist but not sure if that is good cycling per say possibly the opposite.
Posted 8 years ago # -
After searching exhaustively through the "Today's such-and-such" threads, we have only one that's devoted to good cycling:
http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=8284
It has only one post in it. :-(
There are some relations to that thread, referencing awesome cycling illustrations, and excellent bicycle bells, and some counter-relations such as rubbish parking, rubbish bike tampering and rubbish canal cycling. And of course, Stickman's gloriously circular 'Today's rubbish "today's rubbish" thread' thread.
Posted 8 years ago # -
On club rides I have seen some awesome hill climbers dancing past me.
Sandy cassar once won a Tour de France stage by an audacious line around a traffic island that showed he was still alive and kicking after many miles
Sagan descending can be mind blowing
Obviously Danny mccaskill
Posted 8 years ago # -
"there definitely was one. Weirdness all round"
http://www.citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=7059&page=65&replies=1596#post-193142
Posted 8 years ago # -
@gembo :-)
Not talking about by the book bikeability, just generally very sensible cycling.
I very rarely see shoulder checking, even by cyclists who take a good position on the road.
The VAST majority of cyclists I see don't so much cycle in secondary, as cycle as close to the kerb as they can without hitting it.
Thankfully, I rarely see the (silly) RLJ's and pavement cyclists my pals like to tell me about.
Posted 8 years ago # -
"my pals like to tell me about"
Having read about in the EN/DM??
Posted 8 years ago # -
@chdot I wouldnt be surprised if folk I know make up most of those EN comments. I have a few otherwise sensible acquaintances who become all plankton when you mention bicycles.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Not saying that I am a "good" cyclist but after reading lots of advice here I would hope I tick some of those boxes: I shoulder check often and I'm not afraid to strong primary and my secondary is well out of the gutter.
Although I may be falling into the same trap as those who believe they are better than average drivers.
Posted 8 years ago # -
I very rarely see shoulder checking, even by cyclists who take a good position on the road.
I've a somewhat ambivalence to (obvious) shoulder checking.
For some drivers, it seems helpful to make them think you're worth extra caution on their part. Sometimes appearing to be oblivious to their existence, or a well timed wobble, can garner extra space.
Of course, being actually aware of their existence is indeed essential, but if they're in some doubt, that isn't necessarily a bad thing!
I think one of the Walker studies showed a similar correlation between passing distance and looking like you know what you're doing on a bike.
Robert
Posted 8 years ago # -
Every day I try to cycle well, and every day even though at the moment I only cycle a few miles a day I have to make judgements about road position or filtering. In an ideal situation I could follow bikeability and do the "correct" thing, but our road design in general doesn't allow everyone to always make the correct decision. Sometimes I hang back and sometimes I go for a right hand side filter, and sometimes that goes a bit wrong and annoys people - it's inevitable it will sometimes. I get it wrong sometimes just as everyone else does, because we're all concurrently making judgements about shared road space. I try to cycle well, but I have no doubt that often gets me labelled as a bad cyclist by some people who don't realise strong road position is advised.
To me given our flawed road system a good cyclist is one that navigates unambiguously and confidently - much the same as a good car driver.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Hmm. My wife drives 'confidently' and it scares the jeebles out of me as a passenger. I drive warily.
Posted 8 years ago # -
ok - I hear you - perhaps I mean confidently but in only in association with other tempering adverbs such as warily... I'm sticking with unambiguously though, but obviously that also requires qualification :-)
Posted 8 years ago # -
"Awarely"?
I was given a reference on the spotted thread for my NEPN cycling. So far I haven't had any replies from my Lothian Buses complaints along the lines of "yeah, we pulled the CCTV and though our driver did try to squish you we've also studied the way you were cycling and it was frankly appalling" and semi-coherent ignorant road-froth from vexed motor vehicle drivers tends to be "you were in the middle of the road" rather than "you were wobbling all over the place".
Posted 8 years ago # -
I think the wingpig yardstick is well known on this forum... wingpigly?
Posted 8 years ago # -
Don't know why, but recently I have been holding my right arm out as straight as possible well in front of various right turns.
This increases the chance that the person behind will notice and also signals to people coming the other way that I want to cross in front of them - might persuade some not to go into the yellow box (at certain junctions).
(I am aware that some people don't have the ability/confidence to hold a hand signal and control their bike to their satisfaction.)
Posted 8 years ago # -
...or want to keep control when cycling on rubbish road surfaces...
Posted 8 years ago # -
Ah yes, perhaps this is a factor - one place I do it is the newly resurfaced Morningside Road!
Posted 8 years ago # -
https://wisob.wordpress.com/2015/07/17/on-getting-cycle-space/
I've been doing this for a while - it sometimes confuses people. I don't mind confusing drivers, in a sense, because at least they're looking at me, but sometimes I feel I've slowed someone who was going to pass me safely anyway. But then you have to assume all other road users are incompetent anyway, and apologise to the competent ones...
Posted 8 years ago # -
"Considerately and unambiguously" is what I'd go for.
By which I mean, not being hesitant or indecisive in your manoeuvres (if you don't know what you're going to do then what hope has everyone else on the road?) but doing so in a sensible way and not forcing your way into spaces or bullying your way around.
Posted 8 years ago # -
@fimm I've taken to occasionally (when I feel it's necessary) making a direct point to the road space I'm about to occupy (firm point downwards at 45 degrees) when I'm moving out but not turning. No idea if following drivers understand what I mean, but I hope it attracts their attention to me and the fact that I might be doing something.
Posted 8 years ago # -
@PS - I do exactly that for exactly the reasons you state..... (and yes - considerately - I concur)
Posted 8 years ago # -
"if you don't know what you're going to do then what hope has everyone else on the road?"
Hmnrm. Depends how well-travelled you are on the roads in question, particularly in the city where simple roads become multi-lane reservoirs near junctions. See also
NEW ROAD LAYOUT AHEAD. Some roads seem designed to provoke confusion amongst people encountering them for the first time or insufficiently regularly to know how to cope with them, often with their view of lane markings and any faded arrows therebetween obscured by other vehicles.Posted 8 years ago #
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