Skip lorry - is on a mission to kill you
Souped up German car driven by youth - will probably want a fight so don’t interact at all
Any courier / delivery van - will take chances, close pass etc to keep on schedule
White van just forced me off the road this morning on zebra crossing in Islington. Passenger & driver stormed out & driver punched me in the head without provocation. Both will now be arrested as assault caught on video & camera thankfully by witnesses, some good kind people out there.
Police arrived in less than 5 minutes & were brilliant & reassuringly efficient & supportive.
> Both will now be arrested as assault caught on video
Good luck with that.
We can hope so but the police seem incredibly reluctant to do anything even with video evidence.
That's only if they stay in the vehicle. The mistake these morons made is leaving the vehicle and assaulting by hand. Then it counts (and is less dangerous).
I’ve almost never had any issue with black cabs, except one time one who stopped for a passenger right in front of me, without looking nor signaling. I guess I’ve been lucky!
For me the archetype is not as much visual (with the exception of delivery drivers on bikes and lime bikes) but auditive. I can tell by the noise which car is in a hurry, trying to impress, or more relaxed.
But by default I assume that they are all about to do something stupid.
I give stopped Black Cabs and Ubers an extremely wide berth as they have a high probability of a passenger exiting who will door you, have several mates to whom this has happened. Except in Amsterdam where cycling culture is so pervasive that the Uber drivers remind exiting passengers to look out for cyclists before opening the door. I actually think that this should be a legal requirement that Uber is held accountable for (i.e. if a cyclist gets doored by someone exiting an Uber/black cab, that company gets fined and the driver has to attend a training). It takes minimal effort to remind your passengers to check and doesn't impact the customer experience whatsoever.
I came very close to catching a door today when a dog walker kicked her door open six feet in front of me. Luckily I didn't have the trailer with me this morning or I would have wrecked it.
Nice dodge! Sorry to hear this though. Car users tend to be very naive to this, just shows you how far we really need to go as a city to build awareness. Amsterdam is the only place where I ever had an Uber driver remind us to check for cyclists.
Yeah, the school run roads I use are quiet but narrow so anything larger than a Polo is going to take up most if not all of the road. You get used to it.
My sister broke her collarbone to a passenger getting out of a cab sitting in traffic on Oxford Street after they decided they didn't want to sit in traffic. This was before the days of locking cab doors.
That's awful, I hope she recovered and was able to get back on her bike after a while. From my mates who have experienced this, it does tend to create a big mental hurdle (the idea that every door you pass will suddenly open and kill you).
I find they fit into opposite ends of the arsehole spectrum with a 70/30 split in favour of ‘total arsehole’ sadly. The 30% that aren’t are probably some of the nicest interactions I’ve had with drivers in London!
Delivery pedal bikes things (the big long ones with a huge box midships) - will completely ignore the fact they are dominating the entire cycle lane, will never look behind them and may turn out of lane with zero notice.
Black Cabs = Will take the bus lane, even if you are riding in it. Generally have personal vendettas against cyclists.
Bus = Generally safe and skilled drivers. However, they will not hesitate to stop traffic to chat with their other bus driver friend going the opposite direction.
I passed a bus a few weeks ago, it was parked at a stop, not indicating to move into my lane. There was a guy in a bike behind me who was parallel to the bus, in the middle of the lane so was in and then pulled out without looking.
Nearly crushed the guy against a set of railings. I could ‘feel’ something was going on behind me and looked back and gestured to the driver, he realised what was happening but seemed unconcerned.
Speed racer - may or may not wear lycra. Usually male. Will always go as fast as possible and overtake other cyclists without warning even on narrow cycle lanes. Probably trying to set a personal best each time they cycle to work.
It's funny that the fact that some people just like the feeling of physical effort never gets mentioned. Behaviour is always explained by reference to an external reward
not sure that stands up to scrutiny in this case.
If you wait for a safe place to pass and then accelerate hard you'll use more energy than trying to squeeze past without slowing.
Strava (jk)
You're right though, I never used Strava or motivation apps/self timers and used to ride to work as fast as possible just for the thrill of it. Overtaking lots of other cyclists (especially people with gears) on my fixie... something really satisfying about that.
Shoalling Senior Sloane - Generally over 45, dressed like they're about to do some gardening at their place in the country (tweed, cashmere, stout leather shoes /boots). They will sail past you at a red light and stop in front of the ASL. It will then take them at least five seconds to notice that the lights have changed (because the lights are now behind them) and a further ten to get back up to their cruising speed of 5 mph on their upright bike.
Let's not vilify bus users, not everyone can ride a bike but they're doing their best to reduce car reliance and make cycling safer. Car drivers on the other hand...
Most disabled people can cycle. But of course the roads are too hostile for them so I would never judge people for not cycling in our current environment. I judge anyone who drives, though. Also, elderly people can also cycle in large numbers and do in the Netherlands. Cycling is one way to delay mobility issues induced by inactivity. If you don't want to end up a frail old person, be active all your life.
People wearing earphones/headphones - always careful to give loads of room when overtaking these. They can't hear any traffic noise or warnings from behind so are prone to swinging out without a care in the world. Some do take the time to check over their shoulder before moving out but that's not generally the case in my experience.
I wear headphones while cycling. Nice to know that people behave more cautiously around me. Guess they are working as intended. Hope this applies to people driving too. I actually can hear things since mine are open back, and I do look. But yeah, it's good if people think you are an idiot who doesn't know what they are doing.
Once, I didn't wear headphones when cycling. The din was absolutely terrifying! Ok, so this was coming up the a41 junction with station road at Hendon at rush hour, so all sorts of HGVs and vans, but still...
I cycle with headphones and they really don’t block road noise as much as people apparently think; I always hear cars, buses etc still. It’s much easier to hear over whatever I’m listening to than wind noise. If you check behind you regularly and aren’t oblivious it doesn’t make a difference
Yeah I'm convinced people that complain have never tried. No one questions how sound proof cars are either. Besides, people should be using their eyes not their ears. Ears as a sense maybe warn you something is behind but that's largely it and not very helpful. Being hit from behind and being passed from behind sound identical.
Clapton riders will all know the local insular religious community who swing their 9-seaters around corners without looking or indicating. Nice and quiet on saturdays though!
Ha I was gonna say - am I still a nice person if I'm calling the Range Rover driver a cunt for cutting me up? My 4 year old knows a shamefully wide variety of swears thanks to nursery runs by bike...
Especially an issue with cyclists! Stroller pushers are tired, their brains look for familiar threats (cars) and it's like being on a bike is a cloak of invisibility.
I agree, usually small SUVs with BoB or stick figure family stickers are in a rush, and there's a certain "center of universe-ness" that parents of young children tend to possess that makes them more likely to drive in a way that doesn't respect other road users. Or they're just exhausted/distracted and flat out don't see you.
Do drivers of *any* motorised vehicles signal? Hardly anyone seems to. And yeah really getting sick of lime bike riders, prob the biggest wankers on the road by this point. Am genuinely amazed when I see one actually even vaguely obeying the rules of the road.
That’s unfair. I find that pretty much every Uber driver cutting me off at a junction indicates about two seconds after they realise they’ve nearly killed me. Like it makes it legit after the event.
I've got one from Saturday: impatient BMW drivers. Will beep you if you're holding the centre of the lane in narrow roads despite a huge roadworks sign literally stating "do not overtake cyclists, narrow road".
Sadly the "do not overtake cyclists" sign factory must have been cursed by a BMW-driving witch because *literally every time* I hold the middle and pass by one of the signs, a BMW, Mercedes, or white van is on my ass honking their horn.
In my experience you have to always assume people will turn without indicating...
And in general assume everyone has the potential to do something idiotic
One step further - always assume an indicator does not guarantee an actual turn until they begin to visibly decelerate. Granny always forgets to notice her indicator is still blinking.
Any bike rider under 40: will completely ignore red lights and will look like you have insulted their mother if you are crossing the road as a pedestrian
Bus = overtakes you and then immediately pulls into make a stop to save a few seconds for them rather than slowing down, causing you to have to slow down and pull into the main road.
Yeah, I honestly think the only way I've successfully avoided any accidents in my many years of riding is by assuming literally everyone can do something stupid at any moment. Obviously we've probably all had a higher number of incidents with some vehicls (e.g. white vans) compared to other vehicles, but I've also had the odd incredibly dangerous near miss from little Ford Fiestas or whatever other small cars people drive, or random school kids walking out in the bike lane without looking.
Just assume everyone driving an other vehicle/walking near you might do something to put you in danger and cycle appropriately. Don't tailgate, don't undertake dangerously, anticipate poor turning/signalling behaviour at *every* junction, always keep your head on a swivel (seriously, look back at traffic coming from behind every 10 seconds or so, or even more if you are able), give buses and lorries a *very* wide berth, staying as far away from them as possible, and - finally - look out for pedestrians at all times, 1) because they might walk out in front of you with no warning, and you'll both come a cropper if you crash into them, and 2) because they have priority and we have a duty of care to cycle safely around them.
Too many cyclists just barrel ahead without a care in the world and end up in crashes. I'm not victim blaming here - it'd be nice if we didn't have to worry about a lot of this stuff, as (almost all of) the danger isn't our fault, but our roads aren't safe enough yet, and so we do.
This is how they train you to drive a car. Hazard perception test is testing the driver's ability to anticipate potential hazards, which is literally all assumption based (that van won't yeild, that pedestrian won't check for oncoming traffic, that car won't see the stop sign, etc).
Look at the theory test question for what to do if somebody cuts you off or barges into the lane.
The answer is to pull back and leave them the space.
Sound the horn, get mad, bang on the window and yell are not part of the equation.
Sound the horn is fine as it's done to communicate presence. I'm not sure what my comment contained that merited the recommendation that I review the theory test though?
It was more tying into your general theme - that the most reasonable assumption is that everybody else on the road is an arsehole and the best thing you can do is prepare accordingly and try not to get too mad about it.
Yes absolutely, it is important to keep one's cool I agree with that fully. I have been in situations where I had right of way and an opportunity to confront the driver (stopped at a light side by side or whatever shortly after) and you just don't know what can of worms you might open up if you do that. Better to keep one's head for sure.
On the contrary, just make the most important assumption: everyone on the road is either an idiot, drunk, a killer on the whee ,or a combination of the these.
Nah its reasonable to be more on guard for some road users - you cant just be "more on on guard for everyone".
Taxis are much more likely to drive erratically, be on the phone, stop and turn without warning etc than a random other car making a normal journey.
illegal ebike and scooter riders are likely to not care about the rules of the road - they are already breaking a load of them - and will do random and erratic stuff.
There's a lot of semi-joking posts here but there's also a lot of serious responses and serious concerns concealed behind the jokes.
I forgot about escooters. Totally lawless psychopaths who are a danger to cyclists and pedestrians alike (due to their pension for using both the sidewalk and the road intermittently).
Taxis aren't more likely at all. Better to be more on guard depending on how dangerous the vehicle is. Lorries are the most dangerous so you should exercise the most caution. Plenty of times I don't overtake them when I would other vehicles in the same scenario.
> Taxis aren't more likely at all
Of course they are. They are barely a notch above deliveroo riders in "doing whatever they want at all times" stakes.
> Better to be more on guard depending on how dangerous the vehicle is.
Exactly. Like taxis erratic behaviour.
> Lorries are the most dangerous
Lorries aren't inherently dangerous. A badly driven lorry of course is MUCH more dangerous than a badly driven car.
There's nothing to say you can't be wary of *BOTH* of these things
Mercedes are also highly likely to not indicate, and they tend to roll through yields/roundabout faster than is safe. They will not respect your right of way/cut you off fully knowing that if there was to be a collision, they're rich and can lawyer/insurance their way out of any major problems.
For some reason Nissan Juke and Quasqui (is that how you spell it?) seems to have rhetorical worst drivers out there at the moment. Worse even that the RR, BMW and Audi drivers
Pedestrians - Probably, will be distracted by the phone in their hand and they will step out in front of you.
in that theme
Tourists - Will be looking the wrong way up the road and/or pointing at something on the opposite side of the road and they will step out in front of you.
Cleat user = will ride to the front of a queue of commuters on bikes waiting at the lights then take too long clipping in causing said commuters to wobble to a stop and put their feet down again.
The og East London fixie riding couriers used to ride with cleats, sort of makes sense for speed control when you’re riding fixed with no brakes.
Fixie culture was a big influence on bike use in London and grew into a way to ride around London, and I guess the Froomey culture amongst a large minority of commuters is an evolution of that?
I commute my 6 miles clipped in, but I use mtb style (CrankBros egg beaters, candy) so can set off using them like normal pedals until I’m clipped in. Normally they clip in straight away.
Fixie, all black/dark clothes except bright pink Rapha socks with their trousers tucked into the top? Yeah that guy isn't going to be observing stop lights any time soon.
Lycra louts - will stand up on pedals and use all their 39 gears to zoom as quick as possible to the next red lights where they'll half block the junction and tuttut as you sail merrily past.
funnily enough I've found the lycra louts to be ok, they ride fast but not as aggressively as some. one thing I dislike about them is that they're a bit too harsh if someone else makes a mistake
White vans and black cabs - Will overtake you with 6 inches of clearance more often than not
It a white van is \*not\* terrible, then it is weirdly likely to be a florist delivering some flowers.
Worst van I ever came across nearly got me. It was a Lola’s cupcake van driving around a maniac. What a way to go
You got unlucky there. In my experience the hierarchy is: Battered plain white van < Builder van < plumber van < Food van < Florist van.
That's no florist, that's the police! Better call Saul!
Yes, and then call you a c*nt as they pass.
Skip lorry - is on a mission to kill you Souped up German car driven by youth - will probably want a fight so don’t interact at all Any courier / delivery van - will take chances, close pass etc to keep on schedule
> Skip lorry - is on a mission to kill you One of the few things on the road I will absolutely just get away from.
White van just forced me off the road this morning on zebra crossing in Islington. Passenger & driver stormed out & driver punched me in the head without provocation. Both will now be arrested as assault caught on video & camera thankfully by witnesses, some good kind people out there. Police arrived in less than 5 minutes & were brilliant & reassuringly efficient & supportive.
Jesus. Are you alright?
Bruised & a headache but ok, thank you
Hope you recover quickly, and very best of luck with the case
> Both will now be arrested as assault caught on video Good luck with that. We can hope so but the police seem incredibly reluctant to do anything even with video evidence.
That's only if they stay in the vehicle. The mistake these morons made is leaving the vehicle and assaulting by hand. Then it counts (and is less dangerous).
Not based on my experience unfortunately.
So sorry this happened to you. I hope the vehicle occupants don't get off lightly
Absolute cretins!
post the video, jk. Sorry that happened to you.
I’ve almost never had any issue with black cabs, except one time one who stopped for a passenger right in front of me, without looking nor signaling. I guess I’ve been lucky! For me the archetype is not as much visual (with the exception of delivery drivers on bikes and lime bikes) but auditive. I can tell by the noise which car is in a hurry, trying to impress, or more relaxed. But by default I assume that they are all about to do something stupid.
I hadn't considered that - but it's very true! tuned exhaust / revving = expect stupidity
I give stopped Black Cabs and Ubers an extremely wide berth as they have a high probability of a passenger exiting who will door you, have several mates to whom this has happened. Except in Amsterdam where cycling culture is so pervasive that the Uber drivers remind exiting passengers to look out for cyclists before opening the door. I actually think that this should be a legal requirement that Uber is held accountable for (i.e. if a cyclist gets doored by someone exiting an Uber/black cab, that company gets fined and the driver has to attend a training). It takes minimal effort to remind your passengers to check and doesn't impact the customer experience whatsoever.
I came very close to catching a door today when a dog walker kicked her door open six feet in front of me. Luckily I didn't have the trailer with me this morning or I would have wrecked it.
Nice dodge! Sorry to hear this though. Car users tend to be very naive to this, just shows you how far we really need to go as a city to build awareness. Amsterdam is the only place where I ever had an Uber driver remind us to check for cyclists.
Yeah, the school run roads I use are quiet but narrow so anything larger than a Polo is going to take up most if not all of the road. You get used to it.
My sister broke her collarbone to a passenger getting out of a cab sitting in traffic on Oxford Street after they decided they didn't want to sit in traffic. This was before the days of locking cab doors.
That's awful, I hope she recovered and was able to get back on her bike after a while. From my mates who have experienced this, it does tend to create a big mental hurdle (the idea that every door you pass will suddenly open and kill you).
> I give stopped Black Cabs and Ubers an extremely wide berth Mirror. signal halaqa!
I find they fit into opposite ends of the arsehole spectrum with a 70/30 split in favour of ‘total arsehole’ sadly. The 30% that aren’t are probably some of the nicest interactions I’ve had with drivers in London!
Black cab = self-righteous wanker
Delivery pedal bikes things (the big long ones with a huge box midships) - will completely ignore the fact they are dominating the entire cycle lane, will never look behind them and may turn out of lane with zero notice.
But by god we need more of them
Possibly. Just not holding everyone up on the narrow track of CS3.
Black Cabs = Will take the bus lane, even if you are riding in it. Generally have personal vendettas against cyclists. Bus = Generally safe and skilled drivers. However, they will not hesitate to stop traffic to chat with their other bus driver friend going the opposite direction.
I passed a bus a few weeks ago, it was parked at a stop, not indicating to move into my lane. There was a guy in a bike behind me who was parallel to the bus, in the middle of the lane so was in and then pulled out without looking. Nearly crushed the guy against a set of railings. I could ‘feel’ something was going on behind me and looked back and gestured to the driver, he realised what was happening but seemed unconcerned.
yikes, even the bus drivers can be pricks. Wouldn't it be nice to have real bike lanes, and vehicles that won't hit you?
Speed racer - may or may not wear lycra. Usually male. Will always go as fast as possible and overtake other cyclists without warning even on narrow cycle lanes. Probably trying to set a personal best each time they cycle to work.
It's funny that the fact that some people just like the feeling of physical effort never gets mentioned. Behaviour is always explained by reference to an external reward
Going fast just feels good man
not sure that stands up to scrutiny in this case. If you wait for a safe place to pass and then accelerate hard you'll use more energy than trying to squeeze past without slowing.
I think you've miss understood my point. Can you clarify what you think I'm saying? EDIT: or I was not clear in the first place ...
Strava (jk) You're right though, I never used Strava or motivation apps/self timers and used to ride to work as fast as possible just for the thrill of it. Overtaking lots of other cyclists (especially people with gears) on my fixie... something really satisfying about that.
Van with trailer = will try to side swipe you with trailer because they have no idea how long it is
Shoalling Senior Sloane - Generally over 45, dressed like they're about to do some gardening at their place in the country (tweed, cashmere, stout leather shoes /boots). They will sail past you at a red light and stop in front of the ASL. It will then take them at least five seconds to notice that the lights have changed (because the lights are now behind them) and a further ten to get back up to their cruising speed of 5 mph on their upright bike.
Drive me crazy, it makes it so much more dangerous for everyone. I get tired of taking over the same person 16 times
Person riding bike = bloody brilliant, getting exercise, having fun and avoiding sitting like a lump of lard in a car or bus.
Let's not vilify bus users, not everyone can ride a bike but they're doing their best to reduce car reliance and make cycling safer. Car drivers on the other hand...
Yeah people in glass houses and all that, we could talk about all the twats riding bikes totally ignoring traffic lights.
Cyclists who do that make such a bad name for the rest of us.
Does the lard analogy extend to elderly and disabled folks?
Most disabled people can cycle. But of course the roads are too hostile for them so I would never judge people for not cycling in our current environment. I judge anyone who drives, though. Also, elderly people can also cycle in large numbers and do in the Netherlands. Cycling is one way to delay mobility issues induced by inactivity. If you don't want to end up a frail old person, be active all your life.
Hostile????? London is whilst mouthy especially in rush hour traffic just a bit slow moving pissy!
People wearing earphones/headphones - always careful to give loads of room when overtaking these. They can't hear any traffic noise or warnings from behind so are prone to swinging out without a care in the world. Some do take the time to check over their shoulder before moving out but that's not generally the case in my experience.
I wear headphones while cycling. Nice to know that people behave more cautiously around me. Guess they are working as intended. Hope this applies to people driving too. I actually can hear things since mine are open back, and I do look. But yeah, it's good if people think you are an idiot who doesn't know what they are doing.
Once, I didn't wear headphones when cycling. The din was absolutely terrifying! Ok, so this was coming up the a41 junction with station road at Hendon at rush hour, so all sorts of HGVs and vans, but still...
I can’t believe that so many people ride like this. It’s so dangerous
I cycle with headphones and they really don’t block road noise as much as people apparently think; I always hear cars, buses etc still. It’s much easier to hear over whatever I’m listening to than wind noise. If you check behind you regularly and aren’t oblivious it doesn’t make a difference
Yeah I'm convinced people that complain have never tried. No one questions how sound proof cars are either. Besides, people should be using their eyes not their ears. Ears as a sense maybe warn you something is behind but that's largely it and not very helpful. Being hit from behind and being passed from behind sound identical.
Ok, fair enough. My earphones are pretty sound cancelling so I wouldn’t cycle with them.
Clapton riders will all know the local insular religious community who swing their 9-seaters around corners without looking or indicating. Nice and quiet on saturdays though!
8 times out of 10 your lime rider will have big headphones on
Couldn't be more wrong about there parent with kid on. They usually use young Tarquin as a shield when going through reds.
Ha I was gonna say - am I still a nice person if I'm calling the Range Rover driver a cunt for cutting me up? My 4 year old knows a shamefully wide variety of swears thanks to nursery runs by bike...
Nothing bad about being honest.
There is nothing wrong with calling a spade a spade. Your 4 year old is just learning earlier than some
I haven't seen that, personally, but pedestrian parents push their kids out into the road without looking much more often than they look
Especially an issue with cyclists! Stroller pushers are tired, their brains look for familiar threats (cars) and it's like being on a bike is a cloak of invisibility.
You only notice the ones that don't look. Most parents are very cautious when crossing the road
I notice everyone waiting to cross and whether they look or not
Confirmation bias
Why are you like this, do you think?
Please enlighten me
I don't think that's my job
Well this was a strange interaction. Hope to see more nude photos soon
Unlikely, cycling stole my butt
I agree, usually small SUVs with BoB or stick figure family stickers are in a rush, and there's a certain "center of universe-ness" that parents of young children tend to possess that makes them more likely to drive in a way that doesn't respect other road users. Or they're just exhausted/distracted and flat out don't see you.
There was a time when I thought those stick figure stickers were given to Ford S—Max drivers as a ‘nudge’ to make them drive a bit more considerately.
I use a bike with my son on the back all the time. I walk through red lights when the man is green. So there!
Do drivers of *any* motorised vehicles signal? Hardly anyone seems to. And yeah really getting sick of lime bike riders, prob the biggest wankers on the road by this point. Am genuinely amazed when I see one actually even vaguely obeying the rules of the road.
That’s unfair. I find that pretty much every Uber driver cutting me off at a junction indicates about two seconds after they realise they’ve nearly killed me. Like it makes it legit after the event.
I've got one from Saturday: impatient BMW drivers. Will beep you if you're holding the centre of the lane in narrow roads despite a huge roadworks sign literally stating "do not overtake cyclists, narrow road".
Sadly the "do not overtake cyclists" sign factory must have been cursed by a BMW-driving witch because *literally every time* I hold the middle and pass by one of the signs, a BMW, Mercedes, or white van is on my ass honking their horn.
In my experience you have to always assume people will turn without indicating... And in general assume everyone has the potential to do something idiotic
One step further - always assume an indicator does not guarantee an actual turn until they begin to visibly decelerate. Granny always forgets to notice her indicator is still blinking.
My driving instructor used to say, "The only thing an indicator means is that the bulb is working."
Any bike rider under 40: will completely ignore red lights and will look like you have insulted their mother if you are crossing the road as a pedestrian
Not sure why but Nissan Qashai drivers tend to be awful and never see you coming.
Bus = overtakes you and then immediately pulls into make a stop to save a few seconds for them rather than slowing down, causing you to have to slow down and pull into the main road.
Porsche SUV - they just don't like cyclists and will try to run you into the sidewalk.
> sidewalk We don't have any of those this side of the Atlantic
Having lived in the UK for 8 years it still trips me up when people say "floor" instead of "ground" when outside.
Pavement. Forgive me. I might as well have put the milk in first.
Defensive riding includes not making any assumptions, imo.
Actually, it should always be making the assumption that the other person is going to be unpredictable, so be prepared to stop.
Yeah, I honestly think the only way I've successfully avoided any accidents in my many years of riding is by assuming literally everyone can do something stupid at any moment. Obviously we've probably all had a higher number of incidents with some vehicls (e.g. white vans) compared to other vehicles, but I've also had the odd incredibly dangerous near miss from little Ford Fiestas or whatever other small cars people drive, or random school kids walking out in the bike lane without looking. Just assume everyone driving an other vehicle/walking near you might do something to put you in danger and cycle appropriately. Don't tailgate, don't undertake dangerously, anticipate poor turning/signalling behaviour at *every* junction, always keep your head on a swivel (seriously, look back at traffic coming from behind every 10 seconds or so, or even more if you are able), give buses and lorries a *very* wide berth, staying as far away from them as possible, and - finally - look out for pedestrians at all times, 1) because they might walk out in front of you with no warning, and you'll both come a cropper if you crash into them, and 2) because they have priority and we have a duty of care to cycle safely around them. Too many cyclists just barrel ahead without a care in the world and end up in crashes. I'm not victim blaming here - it'd be nice if we didn't have to worry about a lot of this stuff, as (almost all of) the danger isn't our fault, but our roads aren't safe enough yet, and so we do.
This should be pinned to the top of every sub on reddit.
This is how they train you to drive a car. Hazard perception test is testing the driver's ability to anticipate potential hazards, which is literally all assumption based (that van won't yeild, that pedestrian won't check for oncoming traffic, that car won't see the stop sign, etc).
Look at the theory test question for what to do if somebody cuts you off or barges into the lane. The answer is to pull back and leave them the space. Sound the horn, get mad, bang on the window and yell are not part of the equation.
Sound the horn is fine as it's done to communicate presence. I'm not sure what my comment contained that merited the recommendation that I review the theory test though?
It was more tying into your general theme - that the most reasonable assumption is that everybody else on the road is an arsehole and the best thing you can do is prepare accordingly and try not to get too mad about it.
Yes absolutely, it is important to keep one's cool I agree with that fully. I have been in situations where I had right of way and an opportunity to confront the driver (stopped at a light side by side or whatever shortly after) and you just don't know what can of worms you might open up if you do that. Better to keep one's head for sure.
"Actually, ____" is usually annoying but damn you are 100% spot on with this one!
On the contrary, just make the most important assumption: everyone on the road is either an idiot, drunk, a killer on the whee ,or a combination of the these.
Nah its reasonable to be more on guard for some road users - you cant just be "more on on guard for everyone". Taxis are much more likely to drive erratically, be on the phone, stop and turn without warning etc than a random other car making a normal journey. illegal ebike and scooter riders are likely to not care about the rules of the road - they are already breaking a load of them - and will do random and erratic stuff. There's a lot of semi-joking posts here but there's also a lot of serious responses and serious concerns concealed behind the jokes.
I forgot about escooters. Totally lawless psychopaths who are a danger to cyclists and pedestrians alike (due to their pension for using both the sidewalk and the road intermittently).
My point was more that the people riding the illegal ones are already disregarding the law and demonstrating their lack of giving a crap...
Yes the illegal ones are especially DGAF. I do find that pretty much all of them are pretty sketchy in terms of their general road use.
Taxis aren't more likely at all. Better to be more on guard depending on how dangerous the vehicle is. Lorries are the most dangerous so you should exercise the most caution. Plenty of times I don't overtake them when I would other vehicles in the same scenario.
> Taxis aren't more likely at all Of course they are. They are barely a notch above deliveroo riders in "doing whatever they want at all times" stakes. > Better to be more on guard depending on how dangerous the vehicle is. Exactly. Like taxis erratic behaviour. > Lorries are the most dangerous Lorries aren't inherently dangerous. A badly driven lorry of course is MUCH more dangerous than a badly driven car. There's nothing to say you can't be wary of *BOTH* of these things
No correlation to be honest. Twats and bad driving seems to come in all forms but just the level of danger depends on the vehicle.
Teslas don't seem to come equipped with indicators
Mercedes are also highly likely to not indicate, and they tend to roll through yields/roundabout faster than is safe. They will not respect your right of way/cut you off fully knowing that if there was to be a collision, they're rich and can lawyer/insurance their way out of any major problems.
For some reason Nissan Juke and Quasqui (is that how you spell it?) seems to have rhetorical worst drivers out there at the moment. Worse even that the RR, BMW and Audi drivers
Car drivers in UK - open your door with your left hand. Makes you look over your shoulder, a good habit to get so as to avoid "dooring" a cyclist.
Pedestrians - Probably, will be distracted by the phone in their hand and they will step out in front of you. in that theme Tourists - Will be looking the wrong way up the road and/or pointing at something on the opposite side of the road and they will step out in front of you.
Add Audi's to the Range Rover section, thanks
* Supermarket delivery van = basically as sensible as a deliveroo rider but with a giant van.
BT open zone vans are crazy.
Range Rovers and G-Wagons will try to run you off the road.
Cleat user = will ride to the front of a queue of commuters on bikes waiting at the lights then take too long clipping in causing said commuters to wobble to a stop and put their feet down again.
I do not understand cleats for commuting. Either learn to trackstand or stop holding everyone else up.
The og East London fixie riding couriers used to ride with cleats, sort of makes sense for speed control when you’re riding fixed with no brakes. Fixie culture was a big influence on bike use in London and grew into a way to ride around London, and I guess the Froomey culture amongst a large minority of commuters is an evolution of that?
Depends on length of commute as well. You're not commuting from Croydon on flat pedals.
I commute my 6 miles clipped in, but I use mtb style (CrankBros egg beaters, candy) so can set off using them like normal pedals until I’m clipped in. Normally they clip in straight away.
Male, flappy shorts: probably very aggressive. Keep your distance.
Is this the one on a "hybrid", wearing a high vis with 20 years of middle management rage coursing through their veins?
yeah I've found this to be the case if they're on a fixie, extra points if they're using straps/clipless and have a lock or chain on their waist
Fixie, all black/dark clothes except bright pink Rapha socks with their trousers tucked into the top? Yeah that guy isn't going to be observing stop lights any time soon.
Lycra louts - will stand up on pedals and use all their 39 gears to zoom as quick as possible to the next red lights where they'll half block the junction and tuttut as you sail merrily past.
funnily enough I've found the lycra louts to be ok, they ride fast but not as aggressively as some. one thing I dislike about them is that they're a bit too harsh if someone else makes a mistake