“Driving a car at me isn’t the solution”: Cyclists debate filtering through traffic; “Imagine listening to Sean Kelly”: Cycling commentator sends fans into hysterics with pony sounds; Chris Morris backs Brixton Cycles fundraiser + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
“Imagine listening to Sean Kelly or Michael Wuyts instead of this!”: Commentator imitating pony over Alejandro "El Pony" Osorio’s win at Tour Colombia sends cycling fans into hysterics
Now let me get something straight: I am a huge, huge fan of Sean Kelly and he’s got nothing left to prove, whether it comes to cycling or commentating at the highest level.
…but, can Sean Kelly do a pony impression as good as this?
Victoria del Pony Osorio en la Et3 del Tour Colombia y Rodri Contreras es el nuevo líder!!#CiclismoRCN#TourColombia2024 pic.twitter.com/ZBK0gNlIlN
— Mario Sabato (@mario_sabato) February 8, 2024
This crazy moment came when Mario Sabato, commentating over the final sprint of the third stage of Tour Colombia, contested by the newly crowned Colombian champion Alejandro “El Pony” Osorio and his late-breakaway amigo Rodrigo Contreras.
As Osorio latched on to Contreras’ wheel and put up a powerful sprint to get to the finish line ahead of the rest of bunch following in just behind the two breakaway riders, Sabato, commentating for Colombian television channel Deportes RCN, decided to sprinkle some of his own magic to elevate the moment.
Spanish-speaking commentators never cease to amaze me with their romps and frolics! I’ll be back, just going to watch that Messi goal against Getafe with Joaquim Puyal’s commentary…
PS. RCN will broadcast Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España with Sabato on the mic for free! Just so you know, now that GCN+ is no more…
> What’s the best way to watch live cycling following the closure of GCN+?
The Tour de France announcement you've all been waiting for...
🙌 Plus de 90 ans après sa première participation, La Vache qui rit distillera à nouveau sa bonne humeur sur le Tour de France mais aussi le Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift pour célébrer la France qui rit !
➡️ https://t.co/C9KgGqwPQr🙌 Over nine decades after its first… pic.twitter.com/Oxs9t7DINl
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) February 8, 2024
“We’ll see a tipping point where there’s a massive increase in cycling and walking as a mainstream form of transport”: Irish Transport Minister makes strong statement on country’s active travel
A lot of words for nothing, or hope for some actual change?
Eamon Ryan, the Minister of Transport for Ireland from the Green Party, has spoken about his hopes and fears regarding the planet, climate change, and how active travel can make things a little bit better.
“Our planet is deeply in peril,” he said. “And there’s real fear we have to act on climate change, because we don’t you go over a tipping point where it turns into runaway climate change.”
Ryan added: “But there are also tipping points on the other side… I think we’re going to see a tipping point in active travel with the money we’ve been spending, that billion euros we spent in the last four years. It reaches a certain point where it changes things on the ground.
“It makes it safe to cycle and when we make it safe to cycle, I’m absolutely convinced Dublin, just like Paris or London, is going to switch to cycling. And not just Dublin, Cork, Galway, Watford, Limerick, every town around the country. And we’re very close to that point thanks to everyone in the NTA, designing it by good engineering putting networks together that connect jobs.
“That 82 per cent response yesterday in the consultation for change the city centre — I think the people are with this. Fingal and other councils around the country are starting to come around to reallocating space to making it safe to walk and cycle.
“It’s currently not safe. Talk to anyone who’s cycling. It’s not safe here to make it safe. And as we do that, it will change we will see a tipping point where there’s a massive increase in cycling and walking as a mainstream form of transport for a city. That’s what we’re celebrating here today.”
With a ban on private cars and commercial vehicles travelling through Dublin city centre to be in place by August, Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan says there will soon be a tipping point where cycling will become the main form of transport. pic.twitter.com/ANwvHQimkE
— The Irish Times (@IrishTimes) February 7, 2024
While the words are good, the reaction has been, less than ideal, let’s say. People on social media are enraged, with even The Irish Times changing Ryan’s words in their own tweet — from “a mainstream form” to “the main form” to perhaps make people continue believing that the governments are here to unleash the bane of cycling upon its people.
And it seems to have worked, judging by the response under the tweet: “Eamon Ryan says in the video “our planet is in great peril” as he packs his bags to head off to Brazil on a long haul flight,” said one person, referring to Ryan’s St Patrick’s Day government trip. “All while the Greens plan 1950s Chinese style cycling for Irish people.”
There’s a lot more vitriol, but I’m going to spare you all that but it does propose an interesting and maybe even significant point. While I’d be the last person to trust a politician’s words, maybe there is something hopeful on the horizon?
Parents angry that children are being taught to cycle in middle of lane and other “risky behaviour” by cycling instructors, says Bikeability
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Despite record numbers of schoolchildren being taught to cycle in the UK, fewer young people are riding their bikes regularly due to concerns from parents about the behaviour of motorists on the road and the lack of safe, protected infrastructure, Bikeability has warned.
Bikeability’s chief executive also said she had received complaints from parents that children were now being taught “risky behaviour” by cycle instructors based on the revised Highway Code, and were teaching them to cycle in the middle of the lane to make themselves more visible to motorists when approaching junctions, traffic islands, or while riding on narrow roads.
Comedian Chris Morris big ups Brixton Cycles fundraiser, asks people to "do what you can"
A legendary cycle shop and a legendary satire specialist teaming up wasn’t on my bingo card this morning, but for once, I’m not complaining.
The Brass Eye star Chris Morris, after years of entertaining the British crowd with his deadpan and postmodern comedy (that’s how I’d describe his immaculate style), has appeared in a video posted by the 40-year-old cycling co-op shop on Instagram to promote the crowdfunding campaign launched last week on its GoFundMe page.
“It’s a fantastic place. It’s a co-op, a community asset. Twenty-seven years ago, they build that,” said Morris, wearing a hi-vis cycling kit and helmet inside the Brixton Cycles shop, and pointing to white, steel framed bike with beautiful leather bar-tape and a Brooks saddle, along with mudguards and panniers.
He continued: “They’ve been looking after it ever since. Whenever I come to pick it up from a service it’s so well tuned, it’s like a musical instrument. The idea that this place won’t be here for at least another 40 years is upsetting… it’s wrong. So please, do what you can. And if you have already, thank you.”
Brixton Cycles was founded all the way back in 1983, and today, it stands as the oldest and most resilient of all the workers-owned co-operative bike shops that popped up all over the country in the 1980s, winning London Cycling Campaign’s Best Small Bike Retailer award in 2014.
But the shop was hit by a massive power outage in the final few weeks of last year, costing the shop around £30,000 and bringing its worst financial year in the last two decades to a bitter end.
However last week, the shop once again turned to the crowdfunding method to ensure its survival.
On its GoFundMe page, it said: “Towards the end of 2023, the lights went out, literally. A three-week external electrical fault brought us to our knees. Our insurance has covered some of the loss of earnings and the damaged equipment but not all of it. We kept our doors open and did our best to repair bikes with the aid of head torches, but we are, in all honesty, struggling to bounce back.
“Now we are asking humbly for some help. Our target amount is 30k. This corresponds with about 3-4 weeks of loss of earnings from our power outage. This amount would help us to get through and bounce back.
“We have served the community for 40 years and would love to continue to do so and be at the heart of Brixton’s independent shopping experience.”
As of now, the shop has managed to draw in close to £23,000 from almost 750 donations in just five days, leaving the shop short of £7k more to reach its target. So in Morris’ words, do what you can!
"But can you carry a ten-foot ladder on a bicycle?"
Off to work in the LTN pic.twitter.com/FFocYSov9n
— Liveable Streatham Wells (@LiveableWells) February 9, 2024
The bad news keeps coming: 2023 was the worst year for bike sales since 1985, according to Bicycle Association report
2023 has dealt another significant blow to the bike industry, with Bicycle Association, the national body representing the market in the UK, revealing that last year was the worst in terms of sales, with numbers falling to the lowest they’ve ever been in almost 40 years, and further warning that the decline is likely to continue if there is no support from the Government.
In a members-only meeting of the organisation in Birmingham on Thursday, details of the yet-to-be made public Market Data Report were revealed which showed that the UK’s cycling market value fell a further six per cent, following the already cataclysmic 18 per cent decline in 2022 amidst the post-pandemic downturn.
> 2023 saw the worst bicycle sales in the UK since 1985, reveals Bicycle Association report
"It's a Mads Pedersen show!": Danish sprinter records back-to-back wins in first two stages at the Tour de La Provence
He wins when it rains
He wins when it raaaains
Mads Pedersen
He wins when it rains https://t.co/2xKgWVSrxx— Dan Deakins (@DanDeakins) February 9, 2024
Doping could be "European football’s dirty little secret”, but is it cycling’s albatross around the neck?
It’s not that serious, but watching this clip of Man United legends Gary Neville and Roy Keane talk about doping with such conviction, of course the conversation had to turn towards cycling.
“I came off the pitch and thought, that’s not right!” 😬
“They looked like they hadn’t even played a match!” 🤔 pic.twitter.com/R305YckV4C
— The Overlap (@WeAreTheOverlap) February 8, 2024
Some have theorised the pair to be talking about Dr Agricola and Juventus, and maybe even Barcelona under Guardiola, calling doping as “European football’s dirty little secret”, but cycling, with cases of doping known far and well, it’s interesting how you-know-who’s impact on the sport and people’s perception towards it still leaches into the present day.
But as much as Armstrong was involved in the EPO doping scandal, it was a sign of the times that so many professional cyclists were left with a big black stain, no one knows how many more were truly involved in rigging the game.
Case in point: Team Sky’s former doctor Richard Freeman, who was banned from all sports for four years less than six months ago, for ordering testosterone gels at the Manchester Velodrome 13, yes, 13 years ago.
The sad part of the reality is that stories of doping still get injected into today’s stream of cycling news (forgive the language). Just yesterday, we reported on the live blog about the many doping stories which have broken out lately, from Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale rider Franck Bonnamour’s dodgy blood profile to spindly Dutch climber Antwan Tolhoek turning very old school, by testing positive for anabolic androgenic steroid and being slapped with a provisional suspension.
Amsuing as it is, on the same day, it was revealed that everyone’s favourite Colombian (I’m sorry, Bernal) Nairo Quintana’s former doctor is set to go on trial in France later this year for alleged criminal doping offences following an investigation which saw the Colombian’s hotel room raided during the Tour de France.
Meanwhile, another longstanding doping investigation, Operation Ilex – focused on the activities of Quintana’s compatriot Miguel Ángel López – has faced calls from a public prosecutor to be partly shelved, despite a recent report related to the investigation claiming that many cyclists are still trying to game the anti-doping system.
So my question is, with so much bad rep garnered in the last two decades, and the current scenarios indicating that the pros have maybe not learnt their lessons, can cycling ever move past the doping links?
Cyclists filtering through traffic: Your thoughts
The setting sun can bring only one thing on a Friday, and it’s the weekend (maybe a pint or two, too?). But before we get there, here’s a roundup of all the reaction and thoughts from road.cc readers on cyclists filtering through stationary traffic…
Car Delenda Est: If it’s at a red light it’s much safer to filter to the front unless the lights change at a bad time or someone decides to drive at you.
Miller: What’s the point of being on a narrow, nimble bike and behaving as if you were a 2m x 5m block of metal? That’s all the disadvantages of a car with none of the advantages. Of course cyclists are going to filter. The gaps you’ll use or, conversely, not use, are down to your personal risk threshold and as I see every day, different people have different takes on that.
ChrisB200SX: I filter down the side which seems the safest in the situation.
We all make our own judgement on when a gap is too much risk for us, doesn’t matter has small the gap looks (as long as it’s actually big enough), the driver must not maneouvre dangerously. If it’s deliberate like the video, that’s just psychopathic and assault. It’s all fairly clear in the Highway Code.
bensynnock: Filtering is actively encouraged at many junctions by the presence of a cycle lane leading up to an advanced stop box.
Watching that video though, I felt that there was very little space on the left to ride through there and I’d probably prefer to ride in the middle of the road then through that. I often find that vehicles will be at different positions on the road so it isn’t always easy to filter on one side and you have to weave in and out which drivers dislike even more.
Oldfatgit: I’ll always try to filter to the offside, and only filter nearside if there is an escape route … for this very reason.
There is no excuse for what that driver did – road rage, pure and simple – and they should be prosecuted for it as they deliberately caused a collision. There was no need for the driver to change their line other than as a “fuck you … you’re not getting I’m front of me”.
However … we all know the chances of a successful prosecution, so I’m wondering if there is any percentage in – or even if you can find out – sending video footage to the drivers insurance company?
OnYerBike: If we had proper infrastructure the whole problem would go away!
In the situation of the video, I would probably have been doing the same thing, and I would be reporting the driver. It was certainly inconsiderate, if not downright dangerous – the cyclist is already alongside the car when it starts to move, so very little time for the cyclist to react.
I tend to prefer filtering on the right, but in the video it appears to be quite a narrow road with frequent oncoming traffic, so in that situation I might well choose to filter on the left.
I won’t always filter – if there are only one or two cars at a set of lights, and I know it might be tricky for them to overtake me on the following stretch of road, I’ll just take primary position behind them. In that situation, filtering ahead would be of little benefit to me (I’m going to get through the lights anyway and can’t see that it would affect safety) so seems inconsiderate. Unless of course the drivers were “MGIFs” and overtook despite the red light ahead, in which case I’ll merrily make my way past.
“Driving a car at me isn’t the solution”: Cyclists debate filtering through stationary traffic on the left after driver moves car to block cyclist
The hot topic of the day seems to be filtering, and whether it’s a safe practice.
Right off the bat, some may say that it’s perfectly safe — after all, it’s perfectly legal to do so a cycle or a motorbike rider in the UK — that is, until you come across a motorist who’s red from being stuck in the traffic and seeing cyclists zip past.
BV13 GXY in Hatfield. She turns her car into me as I’m filtering past.
Reportable or nah? #shitDriver #cyclist #hatfield #filtering pic.twitter.com/XoPxtVpMiR— BADPASSHERTS (@badpassherts) February 8, 2024
This is what cyclist who goes by the name of BADPASSHERTS on Twitter claims happened to him, on a route that he said he filters through twice a day everyday as part of his daily commute. “She turns her car into me as I’m filtering past,” the cyclist wrote.
And there were some people who were downright against the practice of filtering and accused cyclists of being hypocrites for “not giving motorists 1.5m of space when passing them” (it’s social media, what did you expect?). But some cyclists have also raised eyebrows at the safety aspect of the behaviour and questioned if there’s enough space in the first place between the never-ending row of cars and the kerb for the cyclist to move through.
“If she tuned her car into a cyclist on purpose, that is not on. But that is a very very tight gap to be squeezing down,” said one person, while another said: “I learned early on cycling to never undertake a vehicle. It’s a death wish not understood by many cyclists.” Another cyclist said: “I always wait, it’s a lot safer when you have people like that around.”
What is your take on this? Should cyclists continue filtering and report drivers like these, or is it a no-no for you?
9 February 2024, 09:41
Handing down the sentence, Judge Caroline English said: “This offence is quite obviously so serious that nothing other than an immediate and substantial custodial sentence can be justified.”
Hit-and run driver who killed London cyclist jailed for 11 years
Jail term handed down to Martin Reilly for killing mother-of-two Gao Gao reflects tougher maximum penalty for causing death by dangerous driving introduced in 2022
9 February 2024, 09:41
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In principle, it shouldn't matter if you're familiar with a particular junction - that's precisely why we have (relatively) uniform signage across the country (I had this from a driver recently - Him: sorry, I don't know the area. Me: but a no entry sign is the same everywhere...). But in practice in a busy environment like this, simply adding another sign saying look out for cyclists is limited help. I don't love cycling on contraflows / a two way cyclelane on a one way street for that reason. In fact there's a crossing I don't love as a pedestrian which is look right (bikes) look left (bikes) look right (cars), island, catch breath, look left (cars), look left (bikes). (Yes, you could wait for a green man, but then it's still look everywhere (Deliveroo)).
I'm not familiar with Jeremy Vine's favourite cycle lane. However I do have sympathy with drivers if they have to deal with "Look both ways for cyclists" as well as "One Way" and "No Entry" signs. Especially if the driver is not familiar with the junction.
@mitsky Alas for a second there I was awarding the motorist in the window there points for wearing hi-vis in their car, then I realised they were also wearing a motoring helmet...
While I understand it in context, I quite liked this to conclude a bike light review: "it’s a reliable set for the price, so long as you aren’t looking to ride in the dark"
@Bungle_52 My note on the description states "CD20 Driving without reasonable consideration for other road users" I've chased the police to explain which specific action this relates to, close passing and cutting me up or driving onto the pavement near pedestrians.
@mitsky Do happen to know what offence the points and fine were for?
@Mr Anderson Agreed. Perfect example is this parent doing an, approximately, 700 METRE school run. I worked t out by finding where the vehicle was parked on the residential road when I first encountered it. Whilst I can't be 100% sure, I am certain the children had no physical disability that would prevent them walking. https://youtu.be/R-dp-G6W8Jk
"Old Man Mountain kit is built tough, and comes with a lifetime warranty – which really matters, when it may well be subject to being battered over many tens of thousands of miles of awful terrain, carrying the equivalent weight of a small-ish child." Obviously it depends how the manufacturer applies its warranty, and OMM might be great - but worth noting that "lifetime warranty" is often less generous than it initially sounds - it's the reasonable lifetime of the product, and only warrants against manufacturing defects. So being battered over tens of thousands of miles is not necessarily going to be covered.
0.8m of cycleway does seem an extremely selective focus. Do we know which side of the junction those 80cm fall on?
82 thoughts on ““Driving a car at me isn’t the solution”: Cyclists debate filtering through traffic; “Imagine listening to Sean Kelly”: Cycling commentator sends fans into hysterics with pony sounds; Chris Morris backs Brixton Cycles fundraiser + more on the live blog”
What’s the point of being on
What’s the point of being on a narrow, nimble bike and behaving as if you were a 2m x 5m block of metal? That’s all the disadvantages of a car with none of the advantages. Of course cyclists are going to filter. The gaps you’ll use or, conversely, not use, are down to your personal risk threshold and as I see every day, different people have different takes on that.
Yep, and thats your risk
Yep, and thats your risk tolerance. Drivers don’t seem to understand the difference between someone filtering past static cars at 2mph vs them flying past you too closely at 50.
Perhaps we should make drivers sit on the hard should for an hour as 40 tonne lorries fly past them at 70 and see how safe they feel. After all, there is no difference between vehicle types and vulnerability.
Drivers don’t seem to
Drivers don’t seem to understand the difference between someone filtering past static cars at 2mph vs them flying past you too closely at 50
As a result of this incident on a single lane one-way street…
https://upride.cc/incident/gk68uzv_peugeotboxer_closepass/
…I have resorted to ‘taking the lane’. I’m surprised that’s it’s taken until this morning for the outraged honking of the horn from a Range Rover driving dimwit who said- wait for it- you can’t ride along in the middle of the road stopping me getting past. The ‘delay’ is minimal seconds from the roundabout at the beginning of the clip to the crossing at the end, when I move over to the left. Better still, I’m fairly sure the dimwit’s RR is the one just left of the polar bear at the end of the clip, which was where he turned after this morning’s altercation. He’s probably a solicitor, estate agent or dentist, as those are the premises there. These people really do think that others, especially cyclists, must get out of their way at all times
I had to watch that to see if
I had to watch that to see if there really was a polar bear !
Hirsute wrote:
corporate firewall doesn’t allow following of links in the chat (due to data scraping I think) was there a polar bear?
Bloody polar bears taking up
Bloody polar bears taking up valuable parking spaces don’t even pay road tax can’t see them in the snow…
Yes. I assume some sort of
Yes. I assume some sort of advertising.
If it’s at a red light it’s
If it’s at a red light it’s much safer to filter to the front unless the lights change at a bad time or someone decides to drive at you.
Some car drivers just don’t
Some car drivers just don’t like cyclists filtering through traffic. Call it jealousy or stupidity if you like. I’ve had similar incidents when on my bicycle and on my motorbike as well. Some drivers think filtering isn’t allowed because they’re ignorant. Some don’t like filtering because they’re ignorant.
To adapt a famous quote:
To adapt a famous quote: “Envy is their Sin.”
They hate us because of our
They hate us because of our freedom.
Cars have to overtake bikes
Cars have to overtake bikes because they are more powerful and faster at the same time as cars having to stop the faster mode of transport when in congestion. Love the selfishness of england!
How would these drivers cope on European streets? Barcelona or Madrid, for example, where you’d be swarmed my moped riders on the left and right at each and every set of traffic lights.
don simon fbpe wrote:
“Blue passports” I hear my brain saying for some reason…
Change (in “culture”) can be frustratingly hard to achieve, but if we can get to where everyone else is doing it (and you are sometimes) I suspect it’s either irrelevant (like being passed by people on a train) or just in the mildly irritating category. Luckily most people are sensible, but there is definitely a significant minority in the UK for whom this provokes “I will bring righteous vengance upon these cheating tosspots – even at the cost of interrupting my own (urgent) journey!”
It’s interesting that the
It’s interesting that the more I travel, the more I meet chilled out people and realise how selfish england is, these people may have voted to isolate themselves further from travel, broadening the mind and learning about new cultures.
don simon fbpe wrote:
It isn’t so much the English, as the people we elect to rule us. Without doubt they are utterly selfish, isolated from real life, rich in money but not experience, and because of their position, those are the ones seen most.
But the people voted for
But the people voted for Brexit… Smaller nations were outnumbered by the english vote.
don simon fbpe wrote:
if you decide instead to look by country it was a tie, 2-2. So what are you asking for 5m people in Scotland to have a veto over national decisions.
As much as I hate brexit, it was a democratic decision, and the fault lies with the Brexit campaign for not spelling out the benefits (other than financial), the people that didn’t vote due to complacency, and the people who voted leave just to give David Cameron a slap in the face.
I don’t even fault David Cameron for holding the referendum. It needed to be held and it needed to be won, it was impossible to keep sweeping it under the carpet, even now when they have “won” there is still significant political support for the seperatists.
wycombewheeler wrote:
I can definitely fault Cameron for trying to appease the far right members. The conditions of the referendum weren’t spelled out as most binding referendums have a minimum margin for the winning side. Also there was the vagueness around which type of Brexit that people were voting for and that led to years of mucking around until people had had enough of the nonsense.
The Welsh didn’t vote to
The Welsh didn’t vote to leave, but this is a whole different discussion.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/sep/22/english-people-wales-brexit-research
don simon fbpe wrote:
“If you look at the more genuinely Welsh areas, especially the Welsh-speaking ones, they did not want to leave the EU”
No true scotsman, has become no true welshman. Many areas of England did not want to leave. My town did not want to leave, no one is saying it isn’t genuinely English.
Rural areas generally tended to vote leave, and urban areas more likely to remain, so if the English that retired to Wales are choosing to relocate to scenic rural idylls rather than Port Talbot, Swansea or Newport (seems likely) it could just be a case that rural areas with few europeans were voting on the fear whipped up by leave, while those living in towns with the europeans realise it isn’t a problem, just the same as in England, and that English retirees happened to live in those areas.
Wales was 52.5% leave 47.5% remain. so that’s a 5% difference, are you saying that 5% of the population of Wales is retirees from England who all voted leave?
One of the interesting hipocracies of the time was leavers berating remain MPs in leave constituencies for not backing the exit, meanwhile brexiteer MPs in remain constituencies had no qualms in going against the people they represent.
wycombewheeler wrote:
No, only about half of them.
If everybody in Scotland who
If everybody in Scotland who voted to leave had voted to remain instead the result would have been different. They decided the outcome.
bensynnock wrote:
If everybody in England who voted to leave had voted to remain instead the result would have been different. They decided the outcome.
We are supposed to be, ahem, in a united kingom where the kingdom of England and the kingom of Scotland are equal. How does that play out?
Whatever England wants, England gets and f**k Scotland.
If everyone in england who
If everyone in england who voted to leave had voted remain instead the result would also have been different. Take responsibility and stop being silly.
How the hell has a cycling
How the hell has a cycling filtering debate ended up about Brexit and Scotland ?
The history is important –
May be something to it although obviously it’s complicated and the history is important. Lots of much more knowledgeable people have written about it. Perhaps being physically apart – and possibly having “lost our prestige e.g. (much of our*) empire” in the last century – is … a bit toxic? Bit like the “respect my authority!” of some drivers?
(Wildly OT) Living in Scotland now it’s interesting that while a smaller place than England and (arguably) with a more “obvious” tradition the culture feels more accepting. Perhaps many people are less twitchy about who they are? Perhaps it’s a history of being multi-ethnic and multilingual? (English, Scots, Gaelic – and previously Norse and whatever Pictish was.) There’s certainly a long tradition of valuing the knowledge and skills that immigrants could bring (and the ice cream!)
* The English still clearly feel they “have” in some way the older “posessions” e.g. Wales, NI, Scotland. Not a union of equals…
Without filtering, bike
Without filtering, bike commuting in traffic is rather pointless.
I’ve always done it – even the much-maligned cycle proficiency taught it – but do find myself on the right more often these days. That also has its risks of course – frustrated drivers pulling a U-turn eg. But mostly I approach each queue on its merits, depending on where the space is, or where potential hazards lurk.
Re cars blocking: it does happen – not often as blatant or potentially dangerous as the vid though. Generally, it’s not a major issue as they’re just widening the gap on the other side, and I take great pleasure in winding past them, sometimes giving a little farewell wave as I trundle off. Very encouragingly, though, the number of drivers who do this is far outweighed by those who actually take the trouble to move over to let me past – not only super polite, but aware of their surroundings and RV mirror despite being stationary!
Unless there is a cycle strip
Unless there is a cycle strip on the nearside I always filter on the offside.
Easier to see issues, more space and faster.
S13SFC wrote:
And your presence is going to be more obvious to the driver, as you are in their line of sight.
You are also at less risk of a driver pulling out of a side road or driveway; and pedestrians stepping into the road, whether they intend to cross or simply to go round something blocking the pavement.
I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t filter along a static / slow-moving queue of cars on my way home from work. Tough shit if they don’t like it. They are the ones blocking the road and causing the problem, not me. I always acknowledge a driver who pulls in a little or leaves a gap for me in front of them.
Even when turning left?
Even when turning left?
Unless it’s this arse and
Unless it’s this arse and they shove you into speeding oncoming traffic.
I’d report that as it was
I’d report that as it was deliberate and caused another road user to brake and change their line.
I go on the right as a default.
One of my bugbears is going towards a set of lights where it becomes 2 lanes. You get drivers hugging the kerb well in advance of the split with the others on the centre line. Makes progress awkward and the drivers gain nothing by hugging the kerb.
When the traffic queue looks
When the traffic queue looks like that then I will tend to wait, right of primary (so, in the position in the lane where all the drivers are sitting), and if there’s a gap in oncoming traffic then I’ll pass on the right but always be ready to slot back into the queue. No way would I go down the left in traffic like that.
I wonder what would have happened had the cyclist actually been knocked off by the driver of the white SUV. With it all being on camera…
Hirsute wrote:
Like when a driver is waiting to turn right, and the following car can’t get past them, but still moves right over to the kerb, as if they might just be able to squeee past if they try
Most drivers are ok. Some
Most drivers are ok. Some drivers make mistakes, we all do. Some drivers are just bad people, frustrated that owning and driving a car isn’t like it is in the adverts, and for some reason they blame cyclists for that. Filtering is ok, where and when to filter is a matter for the cyclist. Riding a bike is an ongoing dynamic risk assessement with one overarching priority…stay alive.
And where are those painted
And where are those painted
murder stripscycle lanes that we “nEvEr usE” but should be obligated to apparently?Oh that’s right, down the left hand side of the road. So, unless the bike lane is “segregated” (I forget the term we’re supposed to use now but you know what I mean) then are we to undertsand that according to the frothing drivists, cyclists should arrive at the back of a queue of cars (in the bike lane because it’s a crime to be anywhere else) and then come to a halt just behind the last vehicle in the queue & proceeding to shuffle along a couple of metres at a time along with them?
The only answer is to make all painted cycle lanes wide enough to allow us to ride down them with 1.5 metres of clearance from the vehicular flow. Sounds reasonable enough.
If we had proper
If we had proper infrastructure the whole problem would go away!
In the situation of the video, I would probably have been doing the same thing, and I would be reporting the driver. It was certainly inconsiderate, if not downright dangerous – the cyclist is already alongside the car when it starts to move, so very little time for the cyclist to react.
I tend to prefer filtering on the right, but in the video it appears to be quite a narrow road with frequent oncoming traffic, so in that situation I might well choose to filter on the left.
I won’t always filter – if there are only one or two cars at a set of lights, and I know it might be tricky for them to overtake me on the following stretch of road, I’ll just take primary position behind them. In that situation, filtering ahead would be of little benefit to me (I’m going to get through the lights anyway and can’t see that it would affect safety) so seems inconsiderate. Unless of course the drivers were “MGIFs” and overtook despite the red light ahead, in which case I’ll merrily make my way past.
Totally agree! Infrastructure
Totally agree! Infrastructure wouldn’t even be needed if everybody drove considerately and thought about other road users who can use the road in a different way than how you are forced to in a car.
One example would have stopped this which is to always leave space for someone on a bike to filter through if you are queuing.
Another is a favourite bugbear where someone passes you even though they can see (if they looked!) a car waiting to turn right and no space to pass them. There’s a stream of traffic coming the other way but they insist on being up to the left kerb which means I can’t get past even though it’s clear for me. I have gone to the right of the MGIF driver and then left of the turning car if I felt it was safe.
Compare the words of Eamon
Compare the words of Eamon Ryan, the Minister of Transport for Ireland from the Green Party, to those of Mark Harper, Minister of Transport for the UK from the tory party:
and weep.
Filtering…
Filtering…
I’ll always try to filter to the offside, and only filter nearside if there is an escape route … for this very reason.
There is no excuse for what that driver did – road rage, pure and simple – and they should be prosecuted for it as they deliberately caused a collision. There was no need for the driver to change their line other than as a “fuck you … you’re not getting I’m front of me”.
However … we all know the chances of a successful prosecution, so I’m wondering if there is any percentage in – or even if you can find out – sending video footage to the drivers insurance company?
Oldfatgit wrote:
Would be a shame if the collision which the driver deliberately caused with a vulnerable road user resulted in a massive scratch down the side of the car and/or a smashed wing mirror.
Maybe they would learn from the consequences of their dangerous and unhinged actions?
People like that driver don’t
People like that driver don’t learn.
Without a shadow of a doubt, that “driver” does not feel that they had done anything wrong, and that the cyclist would be solely responsible for any damage.
Cocks like that “driver” never learn… there’s always someone or something else at fault.
What’s people’s take on when
What’s people’s take on when filtering on the right when they come to traffic islands with keep left arrows on them? I normally go round them on the right but also feel a bit naughty in doing so.
If you have a camera, keep
If you have a camera, keep left !
Last time I went on the right it was because the road was flooded.
And you should feel naughty
And you should feel naughty too.
You should be obeying the road sign unless there is a good reason not to.
Circular sign, blue background, white arrow?
It’s giving you an order, so you need to obey … obey … obey [sorry, inner Darlek leaked out for a moment]
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/traffic-signs
Thanks, yeah it has them. In
Thanks, yeah it has them. In my defence, if I have one, the island is there purely as a traffic calming method on a stretch of straight road, it’s not incorporated into a junction or crossing and I do navigate it with caution. But will think twice next time…maybe.
NotNigel wrote:
I can be guilty of not obeying a few traffic rules when riding, but it’d be very rare for me to do that. Usually there’s too much traffic on the wrong side for it to be safe and there’s nearly always space on the left or right of the queuing traffic.
Most of the drivers I
Most of the drivers I encounter on my commute filter past the island on the right, if they can’t beat me to the pinch point
Yup, had that done numerous
Yup, had that done numerous times…a bit of difference a cyclist slowly going round an island in stationary traffic to a motorist steaming through be cause they can’t wait two seconds to go round me after the island. Usually causing oncoming traffic to slam on as they haven’t looked further up the road than getting past me.
Just because *they* do it, it
Just because *they* do it, it doesn’t make it right or legal.
Be better than *them*.
Oldfatgit wrote:
I’ve never done it.
So I am better than them
If that was me she would be
If that was me she would be looking for a new mirror as I rode off.
Same.
Same.
OMG the comments on that
OMG the comments on that Irish Times piece…!
One of the thickies, with no hint of irony, even suggests killing the MP who said- “there will soon be a tipping point where cycling will become the main form of transport” !
I have very little hope for active travel in Ireland! Who’d be a Green in the Emerald isle?
On the park and ride in
On the park and ride in Oxford wishing I had my bike !
No wonder the council wants ltns and restrictions – the traffic is awful.
Filtering is actively
Filtering is actively encouraged at many junctions by the presence of a cycle lane leading up to an advanced stop box.
Watching that video though, I felt that there was very little space on the left to ride through there and I’d probably prefer to ride in the middle of the road then through that. I often find that vehicles will be at different positions on the road so it isn’t always easy to filter on one side and you have to weave in and out which drivers dislike even more.
Ladder on the bike …
Ladder on the bike …
FFS … just because you *can* doesn’t mean you *should*.
Especially on a bike that has not been adapted or manufactured to be able to carry such an object.
The rider is irresponsible and a danger to themselves and especially to others …
This type of dangerous behaviour should not be glamourised and should be condemned when ever it is encountered.
Some people do daft things.
Some people do daft things.
I watched a bloke earlier this week perched up a tree that was more of a shrub ie no central trunk, almost to roof level.
Using a electric power saw, no gloves, eye protection or fall protection.
Was trying to work out which garden to direct the ambulance to.
I think the longest thing I
I think the longest thing I’ve carried on my bike was a new floor-mop. I used cable ties to strap it along the length of my top tube, with the mop-head at the front.
It didn’t go beyond the end of my carrier rack, but I did feel like I ought to have some sort of Monty Python-esque armour on…
I have an aluminium
I have an aluminium retractable walking stick that goes on my rack [its held on by a pump clamp – the under water bottle type things with a strap] and it sticks out maybe 50mm from the rear wheel.
The rubber on the foot gives it a somewhat artillery-like appearance and its always a source of mental amusement to me when I’m being tailgated to pretend it is.
I’m 54 for feck sake ….
Oldfatgit wrote:
Do you fancy an upgrade?
https://gundeal.co.uk/unknown-walking-stick-.410-x-miscellaneous-items-for-sale-8469
Hmm… tempting ?
Hmm… tempting ?
I used to fancy a sword stick, and it’s only in the last few years that they have been made illegal
Did you use coconut shells
Did you use coconut shells too ?
A step too far, you think?
A step too far, you think? Would you have rung the police? (There’s my coat…)
Are we at risk of elevating
Are we at risk of elevating this above the safe zone here?
Maybe we should rail against this kind of stuff at the feet; lock it down before it gets a chance to slip?
(my coat appears to be under yours)
Is that THE Chris Morris,
Is that THE Chris Morris, allegedly according to People with money magazine, the highest paid comedian in the whole world ?
I filter down the side which
I filter down the side which seems the safest in the situation.
We all make our own judgement on when a gap is too much risk for us, doesn’t matter has small the gap looks (as long as it’s actually big enough), the driver must not maneouvre dangerously. If it’s deliberate like the video, that’s just psychopathic and assault. It’s all fairly clear in the Highway Code.
With the greatest respect to
With the greatest respect to Brixton Cycles, and wishing them all the very best in their efforts to weather the financial storm, Edinburgh Bike Co-op has a stronger claim to being the oldest and most resilient of the bike co-ops. Originally founded in 1977, I’ve been using them for around 10 years and have always found them well informed and helpful.
Had a summer job in the 80’s
Had a summer job in the 80’s cleaning windows in Olney. Used to wheel my double ladder around on my bike. That guy’s an amateur ?
A couple of controversies –
A couple of controversies – Yay !
Ladder man. I think he’s a bit of a dick, and I call that an unsafe load, which I think the police may be able to get him for, or cycling without due care. It’s a tiny ladder and all he needs is a foldup one and a trailer, and he could do bigger windows.
Filtering & the blocking driver. I wouldn’t be filtering up a gap so narrow, but the driver is the dick here. Tempting to have the pedal on the right high and keep it that way whilst the car moves left and the nutty driver dents her own door. That one’s also without due care.
Fltering – I’m quite tactical and would only do it where I see a good benefit and a safe finish point. But then I utility cycle rather than commute.
I call that an unsafe load,
I call that an unsafe load, which I think the police may be able to get him for
But they shouldn’t, because they don’t for illegal loads on motorised vehicles- such ‘getting’ woud be akin to the publicised ‘drives to eliminate the Terror Cyclists’ which the police/ hyper-junk press indulge in when they search for cyclists going through red lights while ignoring HGVs, for instance, charging through red lights at speed because ‘everybody does it’
https://upride.cc/incident/g16dht_hgvtrainer_redlightcross/
This is an illegal load which, you won’t be surprised to read, was ignored by Lancashire Constabulary- along with the close-passing of course
https://upride.cc/incident/bg61ugv_vwcaddy_closepassillegalload/
Re filtering – you are
Re filtering – you are cycling too close to the car. That is unsafe and inconsiderate. I don’t see why cars cannot hog the lane to prevent unsafe cycling in the same way that cyclists hog the lane to prevent unsafe driving.
Quite right, just think how
Quite right, just think how traumatic a cyclist going past you in your motor is, and the consequences to you if they cocked up!
Sauce for the goose is sauce for the feather, after all!
Fortunately most motor vehicles are already big enough to “hog the lane” without any special effort by the drivers. And getting heavier, if not bigger.
Quote:
I get held up by single occupancy motor vehicles on my commute all the time. B*stards!
Is this yet another shadow
Is this yet another shadow account by ‘our Nige’?
it certainly bears the hallmarks of a troll.
it certainly bears the
it certainly bears the hallmarks of a troll
You’re right. Guilty!
You are obviously riding all
You are obviously riding all wrong ,I suggest you take up the style of the highly intelligent chap we saw last week who decided it was better to ride down the wrong side of the road forcing others to move over to avoid him whilst holding a cup of coffee in his right hand and past the point at which the road became one way only. Apparently a lot of undertakers favour this style to increase their business
Gosh. I feel your pain. One
Gosh. I feel your pain. One day last week, I think it was Tuesday but it may have been Wednesday, I saw a guy cycling with a big bass drum strapped to his back, and playing a slide trombone at the same time. He played the worst version of Summertime I’ve ever heard. I don’t think he was concentrating because he was juggling three fire sticks with his free hand. And he was cycling uphill on a downhill stretch of road.
Just before Christmas I saw
Just before Christmas I saw an entire symphony orchestra sharing a single unicycle ride straight through an orphanage for baby orangutangs. The bassoons were the only ones wearing helmets, only a couple of flautists had hiviz and the lights were obscured by the conductor’s tailcoat. To make matters worse they were playing excerpts from bloody Wagner. It’s time this all-too-common menace was subject to a crackdown.
And I bet they rode the wrong
And I bet they rode the wrong way up a one way street.
OTOH the last lot I saw were
OTOH the last lot I saw were on a bicycle but had a more military air.
Are you sure? If they were
Are you sure? If they were undertakers like the OP mentioned (cyclists are always undertaking) I would have expected a New Orleans jazz-type ensemble.