Stagecoach apologises after disabled cyclist harassed by driver for not using cycle lane; Paris "unrecognisable" as cycling hotspot; Van Aert: Remco didn't stick to plan at world champs; Roubaix on-bike highlights; Women's Tour TT + more on the live blog

I was predicting no breakaways yesterday as the course was small and with no climbs as such. So welcome to the corner for making wrong guesses about the stages significances. 

Almost all the really scary near misses I have experienced have been Stagecoach drivers. I have had so many double decker buses overtake me in the pinch points where a crossing island is in the road centre.

AlsoSomniloquism wrote:

Re:WVA and the World Championships. 

I have always wondered how the national organisations decide who will be put forward to try to win this. And how are they coached being as they come from different teams.

Countries like Slovakia where you have an obvious great rider, the choice is easy, although I suppose because he is so good his team mates can't keep up with him to offer much support. But ones like Italy, Belgium, France or the Netherlands where you have such a selection of talent, who all could win it, then it must be a nightmare of a selection and getting them to follow orders as shown above. 

I've always wondered that... and thought it would be more interesting if there were no team orders allowed and everyone just raced.

well you pick a selection of riders who feel able to have open and honest conversations with each other, know what there own strengths and weaknesses are, have rapport with one another, team build together and are willing to put aside personal ambition for the betterment of the overall goal, difficult obviously when theres a world championship at stake as that is a life changing thing for any rider that you cant really share with other riders on your national team.

but thats the ideal, I suppose you could argue the evidence is well none of them really work like that at all, and we know mostly from biogs of riders in these pre race team discussions the riders generally just default to what they know themselves or have worked out between each other rather then listen to what the coach says they should do and play it by ear as the race unfolds.

I've always felt its not a great idea when councils mark 'dedicated' bus lanes up as being shared with cyclists. 

Get the cyclists out of the way of the cars but force them to 'share' with speeding double decker buses trying to be kept to an unrealistic timetable...  What could possibly go wrong? 

brooksby wrote:

I've always felt its not a great idea when councils mark 'dedicated' bus lanes up as being shared with cyclists. 

Get the cyclists out of the way of the cars but force them to 'share' with speeding double decker buses trying to be kept to an unrealistic timetable...  What could possibly go wrong? 

I stated on another thread that general incidents on the road don't fall under HASAWA. 

However, when the driver is doing so whilst in the line of their work, they most certainly should, and could, be prosecuted by the HSE.

Edit: It would be interesting to know whether these near-misses have been logged in teh accident book....

I hear this complaint a lot, however my experience of cycling a busy bus corridor, variably with shared bus/cycle/taxi lanes and unseparated two-lane traffic, was that I experienced an improvement in behaviour from buses in the last decade or so.  In that time, CPC was introduced (2008), bus drivers were required to complete regular training, and some of that was (freely available) cycle awareness.  Buses also began to sprout cameras, incident recorders and wireless transmission, so in many instances, the fleet manager could have investigated an incident before the driver was back at the depot.

There will always be some idiots in the fleet - we've got some examples here - but I am very satisfied that cyclists and buses can mix in relative safety.  Ideally, full segregation, but if there's a compromise, I'll mix with the buses rather than the idiots who think their personal travelling embassy enjoys immunity from other people.

When cyclists and buses do mix, it takes some give and take on both sides.  I can tell a bus driver appreciates that I've gone some way to anticipate his needs, and a wave back when he gives me a wide berth or hangs back builds the rapport.

The bus lane I use most frequently isn't a problem as ironically the buses rarely use it as it merges back with other lanes at a roundabout and it clearly causes them issues with other vehicles not wanting to yield to them.

But on the road itself, different picture, full of close passes, left hooks and must get in fronts, just like this example, for context that strip of what looks like dirt on the left is actually a pavement.

brooksby wrote:

I've always felt its not a great idea when councils mark 'dedicated' bus lanes up as being shared with cyclists. 

Get the cyclists out of the way of the cars but force them to 'share' with speeding double decker buses trying to be kept to an unrealistic timetable...  What could possibly go wrong? 

Agreed. But they are great for breezing past all the traffic when they are not blocked by a row of buses.

Fallacy - bus lanes are great for cyclists! Tons of links there for the interested but we probaby all know.

I'd disagree. I use bus lanes in North london and find its an easier run when the lanes are in operation than when they arent.

I think a common mistake is to ride right up the back of a stopping bus and try to pull out . Its better to pull out early. 

nicmason wrote:

I think a common mistake is to ride right up the back of a stopping bus and try to pull out . Its better to pull out early. 

I see the same with parked cars and people leaving it too late.

Though when the bus lane is operating there should be no parked cars which is one of their advantages.

nicmason wrote:

I'd disagree. I use bus lanes in North london and find its an easier run when the lanes are in operation than when they arent.

Good for you and I personally do OK in bus lanes but I know people who don't and won't. They're not a solution to "but where do we put the bikes" (for reasons put more effectively than me in that link).  Aside from the argument when you say you find it's easier when they're in operation is that because there are no cars parked there?

nicmason wrote:

Though when the bus lane is operating there should be no parked cars which is one of their advantages.

At least round Edinburgh they seem to operate be pretty variable hours. What surprised me is that the amount of bus lanes where parking is permitted.  Also even bus lanes aren't continuous - they come and go like cycle lanes.

I think in Edinburgh we benefit from decently trained drivers. I really hate leaving work just before the bus lane hours end at 6.30 pm because all the arses decide to rush into the bus lane (Queen Street / York Place east bound in particular).

I didn't mean in a bus lane. Just another example of leaving it too late.

nicmason wrote:

I'd disagree. I use bus lanes in North london and find its an easier run when the lanes are in operation than when they arent.

I think a common mistake is to ride right up the back of a stopping bus and try to pull out . Its better to pull out early. 

True.  I'm more concerned when I have a double decker bus being driven about four feet from my back wheel, on a long straight bit where the bus driver could overtake but won't because bus lane.

Where I was talking they actually do have a reasonably good cycle lane for people who average lower speeds. Unfortunately it is so good in places that most of the peds use it as it is smoother and actually further from the traffic then the normal pavement. Add to this there is one section of shared path with lots of street furniture and recently a temp bus stop which makes people queue over the path means that it is faster in the bus lane most times. 

Although if I use my shopping hybrid, I do use the cycle path as I'm invariably slower anyway. 

Yeah - I can see that understandably they've tacked something new on the side of a shit footway. Obviously they should have them the other way round, upgrading the footway to a cycle track.  If this is actually a suitable place to do this of course. Often see the results of "it's easier to do if we put it here" mindset. Maybe also a tipping point effect where until there's sufficient infra and thus cyclists then the greater numbers of people on foot will nab it.

I hope stuff like this will all come out in the wash if Birmingham seriously get to their plan - or is it too far out from the centre?

Maybe we could redirect the energies of these yoof who've got PSPO'd from the town centres to claim the lanes here? For extra coverage rope in the time triallers / triathletes - with automatic bike bells of course.

hawkinspeter wrote:

There's just no excuse at all for bullying other road users.

Absolutely.

I wonder if that aggressive piece of sh*t would like it if the roles were reversed. Stagecoach needs to sort their act out immediately.

The fault probably lies with Stagecoach. They'll be monitoring drivers on timeliness no doubt and so drivers feel under pressure to meet those targets. No excuse of course.