Author Topic: Forced to consider helmet cam?  (Read 2430 times)

handcyclist

  • watch for my signal
Forced to consider helmet cam?
« on: 08 December, 2012, 09:58:43 pm »
 >:(

5-4-3

Four rides in the space of five days. 3 near misses.

I ride defensively. You know the kind of stuff, making eye contact with drivers/riders/peds and covering the brakes at junctions, looking ahead, looking for escape routes, assuming the primary at pinch points, the stuff most of us do.

I've still had three butt-clenchingly close calls recently. I'm not talking the 'battleground' that London is oft portrayed, but sleepy, rural Hertfordshire,

All three on my commuter/shopping bike, a hybrid bought from Tim C of this parish, that has a hub dynamo, LED lights always on.
The incidents
1) Daytime, dry, passing through crossroads on road with right of way. Cars waiting to cross/turn on both side roads. I'm within 4 feet of the junction when the driver of the car in the RH side road floors it and then slams on the anchors, stopping 2 feet to my right halfway across the junction. He shouts something indecipherable at me and waves his arms around like a mad man. Female in passenger seat looks shocked.
2) Daytime, damp, crossing mini 4 exit roundabout on edge of town. Two lane entrance to my left, first car (turning right) stops, car to her left (going straight on) does not stop at give way line. She was still entering roundabout at some speed as I cross her path, and given that I'm towing a trailer, I fear the worst. She hauls up in an intermittent screech of ABS assisted braking.
3) Nightime, frosty, 4 way traffic lights, I'm waiting to go straight on at red light. I am wearing an Altura Night Vision jacket. Another, lit, cyclist pulls up behind, same lane. We have a brief chat about ice before lights turn green. Halfway across the junction, driver of car turning right from opposite direction doesn't give way, forcing braking from me to avoid having my front wheel taken out.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking to become part of the next 'War on Our Roads' doco. Most of my fellow road users have been nothing but considerate, waiting for good places to pass or conceding way even when though don't have to. There again, these are not the run of the mill close passes or other aggressive but (sadly) accepted behavior from less vunerable road users, but driving that's been fractions of seconds/a few feet from me being wiped out.

Hopefully I would have had witnesses to all 3 incidents had a collision happened. Next time I might not be so fortunate.

I'm a bit shaken tbh.

Doubt is is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Forced to consider helmet cam?
« Reply #1 on: 08 December, 2012, 10:00:37 pm »
Bad things happen in threes.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Re: Forced to consider helmet cam?
« Reply #2 on: 08 December, 2012, 11:58:29 pm »
Bad luck, Handy.  But as Roger implies, that's probably it for a bit!  Hope so!

Re: Forced to consider helmet cam?
« Reply #3 on: 09 December, 2012, 10:28:17 am »
Having a camera is also a good way of improving your own riding imo. It has also taught me to be polite even in the most provoked situations. 
I use a cheap one for my commute for the simple reason some of the driving in Southend is shocking.

Speshact

  • Charlie
Re: Forced to consider helmet cam?
« Reply #4 on: 09 December, 2012, 10:54:49 am »
I regret that I am also considering getting a handlebar cam after getting abuse from different white van drivers on Lambeth's backstreet London Cycle Network route 3 near the Oval on two occasions within a week.

In the first the driver in the van behind me shouted for me to get in the cycle lane; I shouted back that it was a contra-flow cycle lane for cyclists going the other way. He shouted again and I decided to move as far to the left as possible to let him squeeze past and get out of my life. Instead he squeezed past, stopped his van and got out then shouted at me, including saying 'don't you know what kind of day I've had'.

The new van driver behind me shouted at the bloke to move on and he did.

I talked to a pedestrian who had observed the whole thing and we both agreed that the driver and the van stank of weed/skunk so I called the police to report suspected drug impaired driving. I hope the driver's day got a whole lot worse.

A few days after that I was going on the backstreet around the Oval where you have to take a prominent position in the parked up single lane road to see what might be coming towards you. A van came towards me and we both slowed and I moved to the side to let it through and the driver gave a torrent of abuse.

In neither occasion was I doing anything unreasonable, needlessly taking space, dressing in lycra, not having lights etc. etc. Children don't cycle on this route which should be really cycle friendly and clearly isn't while it's a rat run.

The advantage of having the footage would be two-fold. One, that it could be given to the police when merited; but perhaps more usefully that it could really help to push for filtered permeability to stop motorists being able to use these streets as a rat-run.




Re: Forced to consider helmet cam?
« Reply #5 on: 09 December, 2012, 11:03:18 am »
Having a camera is also a good way of improving your own riding imo. It has also taught me to be polite even in the most provoked situations. 
I use a cheap one for my commute for the simple reason some of the driving in Southend is shocking.

+1

Weeks at a time can go by with me just deleting the footage unseen, but still sometimes I get home, watch a bit of a fracas where I thought I was hard done by and end up thinking, well, it  wasn't all that bad in hindsight*.

I've definitely become a lot more assertive (mostly) yet smarter about when to 'cower' compared with 2009 pre-camera days.

I originally got mine after I was taken out in a hit and run with two other drivers coming forward as witnesses and the police took no action. Typically, I haven't been run over since. I mainly use it to harass my local councillors these days.


* and if it was to be, I'd have it all on tape :)

handcyclist

  • watch for my signal
Re: Forced to consider helmet cam?
« Reply #6 on: 09 December, 2012, 11:55:27 am »
In neither occasion was I doing anything unreasonable, needlessly taking space, dressing in lycra, not having lights etc. etc. Children don't cycle on this route which should be really cycle friendly and clearly isn't while it's a rat run.

Not that my lycra is on display this time of year, but has it become anti-social? :P

I get your meaning, but there's a difference between wearing it (MAMIL anybody?) and being a lout. ;)

Having a camera is also a good way of improving your own riding imo. It has also taught me to be polite even in the most provoked situations.

+1

Weeks at a time can go by with me just deleting the footage unseen, but still sometimes I get home, watch a bit of a fracas where I thought I was hard done by and end up thinking, well, it  wasn't all that bad in hindsight.

I've definitely become a lot more assertive (mostly) yet smarter about when to 'cower' compared with 2009 pre-camera days.

Interesting points I hadn't though of - I feel better about getting one, thanks.
Doubt is is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.

Speshact

  • Charlie
Re: Forced to consider helmet cam?
« Reply #7 on: 09 December, 2012, 01:32:05 pm »

Not that my lycra is on display this time of year, but has it become anti-social? :P

I get your meaning, but there's a difference between wearing it (MAMIL anybody?) and being a lout. ;)


You know that, I know that. However I suspect some drivers are more aggressive to differently-dressed people they perceive as 'cyclists' than they might be to people who look like them but happen to be riding a bike.

Re: Forced to consider helmet cam?
« Reply #8 on: 09 December, 2012, 02:17:47 pm »
Speshact, I know the roads you are talking about because they're on my commute. I get hassle on them too and I'm usually pootling along on my Dutch bike/Rob's Brom in normal clothes. It's obvious that drivers use them as a rat run.

jane

  • Mad pie-hating female
Re: Forced to consider helmet cam?
« Reply #9 on: 09 December, 2012, 02:27:31 pm »
I am one of most unlikely people in the world to even consider using a helmet cam. However, on Friday, I and 3 other Lewisham cyclists set out to make the sequel to our first feature (still showing at a Lewisham cyclist website near you; http://lewishamcyclists.co.uk/is-this-a-safe-junction/
   The sequel to this epic (entitled Is This A Safe Junction?) only has a working title at the moment (Trundley's Rd: The Horror).  One of us has a pretty good "proper" camera and was doing the videoing. While he was setting up the equipment, we witnessed a couple of near misses and I thought, if only one of us had been wearing a helmet cam, we would have got much more evidence to support our case for improving this junction, for cyclists and pedestrians.  I might consider splurging what's left of our limited budget on one.  Our video of Deal's Gateway did get TfL out of their ivory tower and on the streets with us and they are at the moment considering our proposals. 
    However, our use of video footage so far, as a campaign group, has been carefully targeted at specific areas where we have felt road design is the problem. Often bad driving itself results from poor road design, anyway.   It's a useful tool for us,  used in this way.  I have considerable misgivings about plonking one on my head and just pulling out examples of individuals driving badly.  I can't see how that will help change anything longterm.  Although, it might help an individual cyclist in situations that end up with police or court involvement.

handcyclist

  • watch for my signal
Re: Forced to consider helmet cam?
« Reply #10 on: 09 December, 2012, 04:12:44 pm »
Jeez, I hadn't seen that footage before.

Very scary and a blatant example of bullying on the roads.

Horrible.
Doubt is is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.

jane

  • Mad pie-hating female
Re: Forced to consider helmet cam?
« Reply #11 on: 09 December, 2012, 04:34:14 pm »
Our aim in filming it, however, was to show TfL how their decision to.remove the dedicated green light for traffic emerging from that road created the conflict that  gave rise to the bad driving here.  Motor traffic faces the same conflict.  We were not interested in "calling out" bad drivers as such. 

Re: Forced to consider helmet cam?
« Reply #12 on: 09 December, 2012, 10:43:29 pm »
Well, in good news last week, I found out that not only did the dastardly German car registered owner that nearly had me off on purpose not formally identify the driver and is thus liable for 6 points and a £500 fine if convicted of this, but the lovely PoPo handling the case have decided to formally interview him. All of this IMO, allegedly, etc.

Thanks to video cameras, and a shocked witness as well of course.
Your Royal Charles are belong to us.

Re: Forced to consider helmet cam?
« Reply #13 on: 10 December, 2012, 08:58:02 am »
Thats good news Wendy.

gibbo

  • Riding for fun, cake and beer.
    • Boxford Bike Club
Re: Forced to consider helmet cam?
« Reply #14 on: 10 December, 2012, 12:30:13 pm »
I too have been considering a helmet cam. I tend to shout abuse as soon as anything happens but am aware that could potentially inflame the situation, I've recently had a shoulder op so couldn't fight back even if I wanted to, having the camera would probably help to cool my temperament in these situations.

I was recently told to fuck off by this apparently well-to-do lady after she overtook me and immediately turned left. To this day I don't know how I wasn't hit - I've put it down to my considerable skill as a rider ;) . I would have liked to have captured the incident and shown her the error of her ways.

Can anyone recommend a camera?

Gibbo.

Speshact

  • Charlie

handcyclist

  • watch for my signal
Re: Forced to consider helmet cam?
« Reply #16 on: 11 December, 2012, 08:04:55 pm »
Just ordered a Contour Roam (the Mk1, discounted at the mo as the Mk11 is out).

I also considered the Roadhawk Ride, which is smaller and lighter but only does 720p. Seems designed specifically as a 'witness' camera, can do 5 minute loop recording. Bargain price with a SDHC card and more mounts than you need.

The Contour does full 1080 Hd, so I can use it for other things and even get my company to fund it.

Hopefully I'll never need it as a witness.
Doubt is is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.

Datameister

  • EU Cake Mountain
Re: Forced to consider helmet cam?
« Reply #17 on: 12 December, 2012, 04:33:12 pm »
Contour Roam HD rocks.

Not used for 'safety purposes' per se, but more to record splendid places like the TdF in the French Alps.

Good choice, although you might find the battery doesn't always last the published time (but will still give over 4 hours @ full HD)