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Is commuting worth the risk anymore?

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  • December 5, 2018 at 8:03 pm #29184
    srchar

    After a dark, wet, eventful commute home this evening, involving three very near misses, I found myself thinking, for the first time in nearly two decades of riding, “is it worth it?”. I’ve cycled to work for as long as I can remember, in all weathers, all year.  It’s just part of my routine and I enjoy it, for the most part; certainly preferable to the train or car.  Until now.

    There have always been inatentive drivers, drivers in a hurry, drivers on their mobiles, but I’ve never found it that hard to spot them and position accordingly in order to avoid the risk of contact.  But lately, it seems there’s genuine intent on the part of some drivers to put me in danger, or a wilful “I don’t give a fuck” attitude that is, frankly, scary.

    I’m wondering whether to put the bike away until the days get longer.  And I’m angry with myself for thinking it.  Anyone else having similar thoughts?  Anyone else actually stuck the bike in the garage until spring rolls around?

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  • December 8, 2018 at 11:23 am #932609
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    Anonymous

    kil0ran wrote:

    kil0ran wrote:

    I no longer commute because I work from home but I still try to get out and ride every weekday. The way I see it, there’s no other exercise I genuinely enjoy and if I didn’t cycle I’d be heading towards all the diseases associated with a sedentary lifestyle. That’s not a risk, that’s a certainty. So I get out there and take the risk time and time again. Since becoming a Dad I have changed my risk attitude a bit – now I’ll ride later in the day when the roads are quieter, and won’t cycle at all if its icy or very windy. Everybody has their own risk assessment framework and it’s very much a personal choice for that reason, so don’t go taking risks you’re not comfortable with just because you feel you’re letting yourself down, let alone the cycling “community”

     


    I became a parent when I was quite young, I was already cycle commuting 13-14miles a day in peak hours but this was 1990/91 and a significant portion was along country roads before a couple of miles of dual carriageway.
    TBH it didn’t even cross my mind as to risk factor cycling when my son was born but driving standards have fallen so badly since then and the general thinking(that cycling is unsafe) that is driven home into the minds of people on bikes that I don’t find it surprising people change their habits because of greater responsibilities.
    However given risks to pedestrians as well as say children in motors and parks/dchool playgrounfs compared to that of kids on bikes you have to dispel the thoughts that cycling is any more dangerous than other activities.
    Even head injuries of the population show us cycling injuries is a tiny, tiny drop in the ocean comparatively.

    December 8, 2018 at 11:08 am #932607
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    Anonymous

    cyclesteffer wrote:

    cyclesteffer wrote:

    Definitely agree with this – driving standards these days are shocking. I can totally see why people are put off cycling to work. I help run a large Bicycle User Group (580 members) of people in a large company. Every survey we ask people why they don’t cycle more.

    Number 1 reason – roads are too dangerous, every time.


    This is why despite increases in cycling in some quarters we as a country have not progressed in cycling numbers since the mid 2000s. There’s a very small increase in miles travelled but that’s the same faces going further.
    Government is complicit in this and by their inaction are responsible for deaths, injuries, pollution and billions of pounds pissed up the wall in the NHS, police, ambulance and fire dept etc.
    Address the root problem with direct action and it makes the whole country a bettwr place. Government are criminals and act unlawfully by ignoring the problem and allowing some portions of society be attacked, villified and punished unfaorly by police and so called justice system.
    It’s truly sickening, but to give in and pack it up, whilst I get why people do, even after being an injury stat twice, near death experience with a tipper driver I’ll never give up.
    It’s different for all folk so I can’t look down on those that do, I just feel saddened but as above you can only give encouragement and a different spin on things.

    December 7, 2018 at 10:29 am #932605
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    kil0ran

    I no longer commute because I

    I no longer commute because I work from home but I still try to get out and ride every weekday. The way I see it, there’s no other exercise I genuinely enjoy and if I didn’t cycle I’d be heading towards all the diseases associated with a sedentary lifestyle. That’s not a risk, that’s a certainty. So I get out there and take the risk time and time again. Since becoming a Dad I have changed my risk attitude a bit – now I’ll ride later in the day when the roads are quieter, and won’t cycle at all if its icy or very windy. Everybody has their own risk assessment framework and it’s very much a personal choice for that reason, so don’t go taking risks you’re not comfortable with just because you feel you’re letting yourself down, let alone the cycling “community”

     

    December 6, 2018 at 9:38 pm #932603
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    Simon E
    srchar wrote:
    Update: I bottled it this morning.  The train was actually reasonably quiet; I even got a seat.  Half an hour reading a book rather than half an hour on the bike.  I’m telling myself I got half an hour of mental exercise as opposed to half an hour of physical exercise.  Doesn’t feel great tbh.

    Don’t beat yourself up about it.  As others have said, you can review the situation any time, revisit the options every day if you really want to or let it go until January or even later.

    If you miss the exercise then fit something else in – a bit of turbo riding before/after work, a brisk walk in your lunch break or do more at the weekend. It’s more important that you find a solution, a compromise you can live with.

    December 6, 2018 at 4:59 pm #932601
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    hawkinspeter
    srchar wrote:
    Update: I bottled it this morning.  The train was actually reasonably quiet; I even got a seat.  Half an hour reading a book rather than half an hour on the bike.  I’m telling myself I got half an hour of mental exercise as opposed to half an hour of physical exercise.  Doesn’t feel great tbh.

    There’s nothing wrong with taking a break from routine. Personally, I don’t bother cycling in the rain (unless it’s just a short distance) and will get the train instead. Nothing to beat yourself up over – think of it as a recovery break.

    December 6, 2018 at 4:57 pm #932599
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    srchar

    Update: I bottled it this

    Update: I bottled it this morning.  The train was actually reasonably quiet; I even got a seat.  Half an hour reading a book rather than half an hour on the bike.  I’m telling myself I got half an hour of mental exercise as opposed to half an hour of physical exercise.  Doesn’t feel great tbh.

    December 6, 2018 at 2:24 pm #932597
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    Crippledbiker

    Last night, on two separate
    Last night, on two separate occasions, I had vehicles – one small coach, one private car – try to move left into space I was already occupying. Keep in mind, I’ve got three sets of multiple-thousand lumen headlights out front, as well as lights on my head – I’m not exactly inconspicuous.

    In both cases, my recourse was to beat the crap out of the nearest bit of said vehicle – if I can touch it, it’s too close. Left a nice dent in the second incident, 18 plate MPV. All on camera, need to see if it’s clear enough to report to the police.

    Only reason I don’t end up squashed more often is because on the main road I use with which I have problems, I take primary all day every day – lane 1 is bus lane, lanes 2 and 3 are regular traffic. If you want to overtake me, move over or bloody wait – it also means when you get a fucking moron try and move into a bit of road you’re currently in, you’ve got somewhere to go to get out of the way.

    I actually prefer to cycle when it’s dark – I know that my headlights can be seen, and they’re positioned such that from the front, they clearly show the outlying edges of my ‘chair. I can also see vehicles more clearly, especially indicators, and you don’t get that dappling effect that, whilst pretty, can make things basically invisible (‘cos the outline gets broken up).

    December 6, 2018 at 12:54 pm #932595
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    sergius

    I go on the turbo for an hour

    I go on the turbo for an hour or so and then get the train, but at 40 miles each way across London commuting via bike isn’t a great option anymore anyway.

    Have to get up bloody early though 🙁

    December 6, 2018 at 12:53 pm #932593
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    brakesmadly

    #nightstick

    #nightstick

    December 6, 2018 at 12:24 pm #932591
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    tugglesthegreat
    SpikeBike wrote:
    I think it isn’t. Then I get the train/tube to work and promptly change my mind and get back on the bike! Totally worth it. 

    Same here. Take me an hour into work on the bike and have some training in.  Take the car and It can take an hour and half.  Take public transport and it take an hour and half on a good day, usual story is that a train is cancelled, and it’s the most expensive option of the three.

    December 6, 2018 at 12:23 pm #932589
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    tugglesthegreat
    SpikeBike wrote:
    I think it isn’t. Then I get the train/tube to work and promptly change my mind and get back on the bike! Totally worth it. 

    Same here. Take me an hour into work on the bike and have some training in.  Take the car and It can take an hour and half.  Take public transport and it take an hour and half on a good day, usual story is that a train is cancelled, and it’s the most expensive option of the three.

    December 6, 2018 at 12:20 pm #932587
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    Stef Marazzi

    Definitely agree with this –

    Definitely agree with this – driving standards these days are shocking. I can totally see why people are put off cycling to work. I help run a large Bicycle User Group (580 members) of people in a large company. Every survey we ask people why they don’t cycle more.

    Number 1 reason – roads are too dangerous, every time.

    December 6, 2018 at 9:19 am #932585
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    Kendalred
    Awavey wrote:
    yeah I have had similar thoughts for sure, especially following some appalling close passes Ive had lately,though most are still in the daylight fwiw, one car last week only missed knocking me off because their wing mirror was already folded back, but part of me feels like Im letting people like that win if they bully me off the road

    I agree with this – I tend to get overtaken better in the dark. It’s as if the drivers give more room because they can’t see exactly how wide you are, and overcompensate. I have far more close passes in broad daylight.

    Conversely, on wednesday when I went out for an afternoon spin (having been, and still being in the middle of a debilitating cold/chest infection), I had a close pass by a 4×4 coming at me from the opposite direction. The moron decided to overtake another car as I was approaching, and they were in mid overtake as they passed me. I’m not sure if this is a good thing or a worrying indicment of the frequency of this type of thing, but my reaction was to just put a sarcastic thumbs-up at the driver (who was looking directly at me!) and carry on. Perhaps it was because I saw it coming that I didn’t even feel that scared, it just seemed like water off a ducks back.

    December 6, 2018 at 8:54 am #932583
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    Cupov

    Leeds isn’t great by any
    Leeds isn’t great by any stretch but the lack of alternatives keep me on the bike year round. I’d just be sat in traffic otherwise.

    December 6, 2018 at 8:51 am #932581
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    hawkinspeter

    Remember that our brains are
    Remember that our brains are very well adapted to identifying risks and as a result, we tend to over-empathise the dangerous incidents and ignore the hours/minutes between the incidents. Cycling is statistically very safe and for most people results in a longer, healthier life.

    Also, don’t let the buggers get you down.

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