We cycle in our dotage lol. We are blessed in having several miles of reclaimed mineral railway tracks given over to cycle and walking only. We live up the valley from the seaside, so can go for a 12 mile round trip to the beach for an ice-cream, or do a 12 miler the other way and enjoy scenic tracks with the odd watering hole. We can do that whilst only crossing 2 roads. We don't road cycle, not the place for it.
Cycling campaigners welcome 'close pass' ruling
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We cycle in our dotage lol. We are blessed in having several miles of reclaimed mineral railway tracks given over to cycle and walking only. We live up the valley from the seaside, so can go for a 12 mile round trip to the beach for an ice-cream, or do a 12 miler the other way and enjoy scenic tracks with the odd watering hole. We can do that whilst only crossing 2 roads. We don't road cycle, not the place for it.
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In London I think the delivery vans,mopeds & Uber drivers are the biggest danger for cyclists. Not the “ordinary” drivers.
They are prone to stop instantly or worse, just suddenly do a u turn with no thought for anyone.
A couple of years ago I was stationary in traffic when bang! A cyclist lost control & slammed into my car.
He was fine, just really embarrassed & apologetic. As he was a home owner, the damage to my car was repaired through his house insurance. 1st I’d heard that but perfectly correct. He was a policeman!!!
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They are prone to stop instantly or worse, just suddenly do a u turn with no thought for anyone.
A couple of years ago I was stationary in traffic when bang! A cyclist lost control & slammed into my car.
He was fine, just really embarrassed & apologetic. As he was a home owner, the damage to my car was repaired through his house insurance. 1st I’d heard that but perfectly correct. He was a policeman!!!
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whether it is a car passing a cyclist or the other way around - who will come off worse if there is a collision?
I would suggest most adult cyclists have insurance, and road tax ended in 1936, if you are thinking of VED, then yes cyclists could be enrolled into that, but would be a bit pointless since with zero emissions they would pay as much as an electric car.
I would love to see some enforcement around 1.5m, any pass closer than 1.5m with a speed differential greater than 10mph and it should be a mandatory 6 months ban. It really is about time people in charge of motorised vehicles were forced to obey traffic laws, considering the amount of drivers I see speeding and playing with mobile phones, I often wonder do any of them think laws apply to them.
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Until Covid 19 I would put my bike on the train, charged same as dog for bike, session ticket for me, so £3.50 to get to Welshpool and back, and once at Welshpool could ride on the tow path, but with Covid 19 even when the train could run, it did not pick up or drop off at Welshpool, it did the run from Llanfair and back as a jolly only, which is why most go on a heritage railway of course, but as transport it has not run since summer 2019, and buses don't carry bikes.
As to insurance I did put bikes on house insurance at same time as mobility scooter, after reading about some one forced to sell house after hitting some one in a shop, I am sure there was more that the paper reported, because I know I have stood in front of mother to stop her hitting some one else, and it simply stalled without injuring me, and it was the largest pavement scooter we could get 4 MPH limit. So suspect the shop accident was not with a pavement scooter but a road scooter 8 MPH which are heavier and stronger. Since it was a shop assistance not a shopper who was injured one asks why shops insurance did not cover?
But as to 1.5 meters that does seem excessive, there is less than 5 meters width with most cycles tracks so cyclists could not have 1.5 meters clearance between each other and the sides of the track, the whole cycle lane should be 1.5 meters wide, and cycle handle bars around 700 mm wide so that means 400 mm clearance either side of bike.
As to insurance I did put bikes on house insurance at same time as mobility scooter, after reading about some one forced to sell house after hitting some one in a shop, I am sure there was more that the paper reported, because I know I have stood in front of mother to stop her hitting some one else, and it simply stalled without injuring me, and it was the largest pavement scooter we could get 4 MPH limit. So suspect the shop accident was not with a pavement scooter but a road scooter 8 MPH which are heavier and stronger. Since it was a shop assistance not a shopper who was injured one asks why shops insurance did not cover?
But as to 1.5 meters that does seem excessive, there is less than 5 meters width with most cycles tracks so cyclists could not have 1.5 meters clearance between each other and the sides of the track, the whole cycle lane should be 1.5 meters wide, and cycle handle bars around 700 mm wide so that means 400 mm clearance either side of bike.
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It is the consequences of a motorised vehicle weighing up to 44 tons colliding with a cyclist at speed differentials up to 50mph that present the dangers, one cyclist passing another on a cycletrack is likely to result in considerably less serious consequences should they collide.
1.5m is very achievable, and if it is not then quite simply the car or lorry must not overtake, yes the cyclist may not be being very courteous by not stopping to let you past, but that would not be grounds for you to risk killing or seriously injure them.
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durhamplumber
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durhamplumber
My two penneth.I have always cycled.Always driven a car in excess of 25k miles a year..The cycling infra structure,or lack of it,is appalling in the UK..The attitude and behaviour of SOME motorists/cyclists is very bad.Compared to many western European countries,the attitude of motorists toward cyclists stinks.Change takes a long time,but for many reasons is happening.The advent of e bikes is a game changer.Coming years will see many more bikes.The 1.5m rule is the norm in some countries.Cannot happen soon enough.The poor driving and abuse from SOME drivers makes me avoid roads as much as I can but it is not always possible.Some drivers are up in arms if they so much as suffer 1 second delay from a cycle.The road tax argument is bolox..I pay no tax on my car.Any change in human behaviour is glacial.
Probably because the roads are often in a shocking state of disrepair, as well as the gutters being full of crap, litter, and even bricks and pebbles.
Risk a puncture or being bucked off, or ride a bit further out and dice with the traffic. Not a pleasant choice.
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durhamplumber
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durhamplumber
This type of attitude thankfully is a minority.It is out on the outer limits of short sighted, selfish thinking.Cycling is great for physical health,mental health and the environment.Climate change,Covid,increasing obesity levels,etc,are concentrating peoples minds toward the future..We cannot just keep churning out cars and covering the planet in tarmac forever.
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durhamplumber
Great points well made.
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I got a mountain bike, up to then no suspension, I can hear a vehicle behind me, and can see the pot hole in front, know I can't avoid it, and worried about wobble as I hit it, but no need to worry, hardly knew it was there. Bikes have improved, but not all bikes, and it is human nature to think every one is like yours, and is as steady, but they are not, OK at 10 MPH steady, but up hill pushing hard at 3 MPH and the wobble factor is greatly increased.
I however when rounding a corner and seeing a cyclist have to consider 3 options, one brake hard, and some one may run into me, pass on other side of road which is norm, or squeeze past, which is rare, with a tractor maybe same speed as cyclist I can see it over hedge rows well in advance, and he is taking up whole carriageway, so you see as soon as you start to go around a corner, but the cyclist is into hedge so further around the corner before you see him, even the main roads here only just wide enough, so it is simply not safe.
Narrow lanes are worse, if road is 4 meters wide then clearly if the vehicle is 2.6 meters wide you can never give 1.5 meters for cyclist, all well and good in a City with wide multi lane roads, but I don't live in a City. Often I simply can't pass until cyclist stops and pulls into a gateway. Even then crawling past with him nearly touching the car.
I however when rounding a corner and seeing a cyclist have to consider 3 options, one brake hard, and some one may run into me, pass on other side of road which is norm, or squeeze past, which is rare, with a tractor maybe same speed as cyclist I can see it over hedge rows well in advance, and he is taking up whole carriageway, so you see as soon as you start to go around a corner, but the cyclist is into hedge so further around the corner before you see him, even the main roads here only just wide enough, so it is simply not safe.
Narrow lanes are worse, if road is 4 meters wide then clearly if the vehicle is 2.6 meters wide you can never give 1.5 meters for cyclist, all well and good in a City with wide multi lane roads, but I don't live in a City. Often I simply can't pass until cyclist stops and pulls into a gateway. Even then crawling past with him nearly touching the car.
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