Author Topic: DOTD  (Read 210634 times)

contango

  • NB have not grown beard since photo was taken
  • The Fat And The Furious
Re: DOTD
« Reply #75 on: 07 April, 2014, 05:25:37 pm »
There's a lot of serious advice out there to have lights on flashing in commuting traffic as it gets noticed.  I read an article from a former military jet pilot once on exactly why it's a good idea (all to do with pilots being trained to look, then look again to avoid objects being unnoticed by the mechanics of how your brain interprets vision).  Having a flashing light can induce the same affect in a driver who doesn't necessarily look as carefully as a jet pilot, say when pulling out from a t-junction straight into a cyclist they haven't seen even with a steady front light.  I noted this and started using a front flasher from then on.


I was doing it until I rather discovered that others really *hate* it just the other day. I don't so it hadn't occurred to me that others do until I had a bit of an altercation with someone on an audax.


I shall adjust my lighting tactics accordingly but not everyone out there doing this is doing it from a selfish 'sod everyone else' point of view.

I didn't mean to imply that flashing lights = selfish tosser. I use flashing lights myself a lot of the time. I was thinking more of the difference between a flashing light that's powerful enough to not only be seen but also highlight road imperfections, and a flashing light that's the equivalent of driving a car with full beams on all the time.

I want to be bright enough that people can't use the "didn't see you" excuse without casting serious doubts on their ability to see at all, but not so bright/so badly set up that people can't see anything other than a blinding light.
Always carry a small flask of whisky in case of snakebite. And, furthermore, always carry a small snake.

Guy

  • Retired
Re: DOTD
« Reply #76 on: 22 April, 2014, 08:51:28 am »
While I have given up grumbling about people riding on the footpath, figuring it's better to see a bike rather than yet another car, I would like to point out to Mr Baggy White Trousers on a (clean!) BSO that it is a footpath, not your personal velodrome. Plz to be riding accordingly - schoolkids are not put there to be interesting obstacles to slalom around ::-)
"The Opinion of 10,000 men is of no value if none of them know anything about the subject"  Marcus Aurelius

HTFB

  • The Monkey and the Plywood Violin
Re: DOTD
« Reply #77 on: 23 April, 2014, 10:23:52 pm »
You know those Lane Closed vehicles, the ones with the ruddy massive great arrows on the back made out of glowing lights designed so that even narcoleptic morons hypnotised by the monotony of the road can't stay unaware of them at distances of under half a mile, and enhanced with flashing yellow beacons at all salient corners?

Guess who just nearly rode into the back of one.
Not especially helpful or mature

Marco Stefano

  • Apply some pressure, you lose some pressure...
Re: DOTD
« Reply #78 on: 04 May, 2014, 06:20:40 pm »
The BSO-riding twit on my side of the road in Ely yesterday lunchtime - I shouted 'Wrong side of the road!' at him as he passed between me and parked cars, but he just carried on. Perhaps he thought the door zone on the right was safer as you might bounce off.  ???

Wouldn't be surprised if he appears in the local paper next week. Hopefully not in the obituary column.

Reg.T

  • "You don't have to go fast; you just have to go."
Re: DOTD
« Reply #79 on: 15 May, 2014, 09:05:33 am »
My candidate last night was a lady (20s/30s) on a tidy sit-up-and-beg with basket. It was past peak commuting time, but was on the A4 in Bath, and as I was about to overtake she blithely meandered across the lane onto the hatched area in the middle of the road, for no obvious purpose (though possibly for the next right turn further up the road), and with neither a glance nor signal.  ::-)
Just turn me loose let me straddle my old saddle
Underneath the western skies

Riggers

  • Mine's a pipe, er… pint!
Re: DOTD
« Reply #80 on: 16 May, 2014, 12:15:13 pm »
I've held off jotting down my particular DOTD, as it happened at least a month ago, but if helps bring a perverse joy combined with shaking-of-head to my fellow YACFer, then so be it. Plus I have time on my hands.

Yes, this particular Gold Star goes to the young lady one evening in Brighton who, instead of cycling round the taxi, decided she "Jolly-well-wanted-to-show-the-taxi-driver-he-shouldn't-have-parked-there!"

Imagine the scene: it's around 10.30pm on a road served by numerous bars and restaurants. It allows one-way traffic for vehicles and two-way for cycles. A lone taxi comes down the road (no other vehicles on the road either) and pulls to a stop, straddling the painted dashed-lined denoted cycle lane, so other cars should they come down the road can pass, and his passengers don't have to cross the road to climb into the taxi. So far so good.

Enter, from the other end of the road (so theoretically against the flow of traffic), the female cycling knob who, rather than just cycle round the taxi, which any sane well-adjusted person would have done, decided to park her bike up against the taxi bumper.

As you can imagine, I muttered "You stupid girl", and couldn't be bothered to stay to witness the ensuing exchange of views between taxi driver and cyclist.

Bet the taxi driver won't be feeling disposed to other cyclists because of her selfish and pointless action.

Class knob.
Certainly never seen cycling south of Sussex

Steph

  • Fast. Fast and bulbous. But fluffy.
Re: DOTD
« Reply #81 on: 29 May, 2014, 11:40:43 pm »
After muttering about the letter in the Metro that asked, rhetorically and cylophobically, "When did you last see a car driving on the footpath or going through a red light or through pedestrians on a crossing?*" I was walking back up Balcombe Road. The stretch in question is nsl 60, and coming towards me was a knob on a mountain bike. No lights of any kind, but a reflective waistcoat, at 2145 hrs.

I looked down the road to see what the cars behind him were seeing. The jacket was so dirty that he was only showing up when the cars were within 20 yards of him. Darwin, where art thou?

*Every bloody day, of course. Those cars parked on the footpath, for example. To quote Charlotte, they were dropped there by a bloody TARDIS? And the last time I rode a London Bus, from Vic station to Oxford St, it went through four red lights.
Mae angen arnaf i byw, a fe fydda'i

Guy

  • Retired
Re: DOTD
« Reply #82 on: 02 July, 2014, 08:31:40 am »
DOT Yesterday Afternoon.

Coming down The Greenway, approaching "my" right turn, at 25 mph. Ahead of me, on the footpath, is a white-haired bloke on an MTB, doing 7-8 mph. I look back to check it's clear to signal and move out. When I look forward again, there's this dick, about 5 feet away directly in front of me, still drifting slowly along. Brake, jink right and shout YOU COULD TRY LOOKING MATE! He jumped. (I'm not surprised - I was loud enough to get an echo off the houses alongside.) He had no idea I was there ::-) I don't think I gave him a heart-attack (though I nearly had one) cos he was still upright when I turned off.

I can only assume he's adopted that particular riding "style" because he's tired of life ::-)
"The Opinion of 10,000 men is of no value if none of them know anything about the subject"  Marcus Aurelius

ian

Re: DOTD
« Reply #83 on: 02 July, 2014, 08:54:14 am »
I'm not sure it entirely qualifies, but a young lady on the Boris Bike who sallied forth across all the lanes of Parliament Square (and what a splendid testament to our nationhood that is, four lanes of stuttering malodorous traffic) without a care in the world, and a certainly not a glance behind at what, for once, was solid fast-moving traffic.

Somehow it all conspired to not hit her. I suspect the fact that she was an attractive young lady in a flirty short skirt had something to do with the lack of rancour from braking drivers.

I presume a tourist. I kind of like her approach to traffic management, though for a moment I expected it be short-lived and grisly.

tiermat

  • According to Jane, I'm a Unisex SpaceAdmin
Re: DOTD
« Reply #84 on: 02 July, 2014, 08:56:13 am »
I'm not sure it entirely qualifies, but a young lady on the Boris Bike who sallied forth across all the lanes of Parliament Square (and what a splendid testament to our nationhood that is, four lanes of stuttering malodorous traffic) without a care in the world, and a certain not a glance behind at what, for once, was solid fast-moving traffic.

Somehow it all conspired to not hit her. I suspect the fact that she was an attractive young lady had something to do with the lack of rancour from braking drivers.

I presume a tourist. I kind of like her approach to traffic management, though for a moment I expected the worst.

Probably Italian or Parisian.
I feel like Captain Kirk, on a brand new planet every day, a little like King Kong on top of the Empire State

clarion

  • Tyke
Re: DOTD
« Reply #85 on: 02 July, 2014, 02:30:15 pm »
When can we expect ian to start commuting in a flirty short skirt.
Getting there...

jogler

  • mojo operandi
Re: DOTD
« Reply #86 on: 02 July, 2014, 02:57:01 pm »
I'm going to buy a kilt for commuting purposes ;D

caerau

  • SR x 3 - PBP fail but 1090 km - hey - not too bad
Re: DOTD
« Reply #87 on: 19 July, 2014, 01:05:42 pm »
Well yesterday coming home on the commute I nominate the arse on a  bike in front of me at the lights crossing North Road by the Music Buidling in Cardiff.


There is a segregated cycle path which of course always fills up with pedestrian groups four abreast.  Annoying but that doesn't excuse his action of riding up behind one group of lads like a bat out of hell and shoulder barging his way through them.  I found myself apologising on his behalf whilst pointing to the big picture of a bicycle on the ground and pointing out that the exclusive pedestrian bit was over there.  Nevertheless, no need for that.  A simple excuse me does the trick in my experience.  >:(
It's a reverse Elvis thing.

Re: DOTD
« Reply #88 on: 23 July, 2014, 11:45:15 am »
A fine reason for keeping the 'ping!' bell on my bike. It has proved very useful on the lovely path from Newport Sainsburys (Crindau) to Caerleon, and I always get a "thank you" for my troubles. I'm not sure the same would happen in the 'diff though. :-)

Re: DOTD
« Reply #89 on: 23 July, 2014, 12:14:34 pm »
I was very pleased with the generous amount of room the overtaking caravanette gave me the other day. The oncoming driver moving a little too fast round the blind bend ahead was less pleased. He managed to avoid the ditch.

caerau

  • SR x 3 - PBP fail but 1090 km - hey - not too bad
Re: DOTD
« Reply #90 on: 28 July, 2014, 12:35:14 pm »
A fine reason for keeping the 'ping!' bell on my bike. It has proved very useful on the lovely path from Newport Sainsburys (Crindau) to Caerleon, and I always get a "thank you" for my troubles. I'm not sure the same would happen in the 'diff though. :-)


I rather gave up on the bell to be honest.  I found it only worked about 30% of the time.
The rest of the time it either went unheard due to doziness/daydreaming, headphones or less generously through being ignored.  On other occasions it was interpreted as "GET OUT OF THE WAY!" or instilled panic in the pedestrians ahead.


Personally I prefer an excuse me from a reasonable distance behind followed by a second when directly behind if necessary.


Generally I dislike shared use cycle paths though - they're not good for either cyclists or pedestrians frankly.
It's a reverse Elvis thing.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: DOTD
« Reply #91 on: 28 July, 2014, 12:47:08 pm »
I said "Good afternoon" to an elderly couple walking along a narrow country lane with their backs to me, they moved aside, I thanked them and as I passed the man said, "That was so as not to scare us with your bell, wasn't it." Actually, I've taken the bell off that bike, but I do think that on the whole people respond better to an "Excuse me" or similar. Horses especially! The exception is when there's a lot of background noise.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: DOTD
« Reply #92 on: 28 July, 2014, 12:57:57 pm »
I don't usually like to say anything, so end up stuck behind whoever it is unless I use my bell. I agree it can come off as a "Get out of my way!" though. I was in the centre of Bristol the other day, walking, and was amazed at all the shared use paths, which don't seem to be segregated. It just looked like utter chaos, with so many bikes around.

Re: DOTD
« Reply #93 on: 28 July, 2014, 01:03:54 pm »
If it's shared use  I regard pedestrians as having priority. Also,  if it's shared use,  I avoid it wherever possible.

Re: DOTD
« Reply #94 on: 28 July, 2014, 01:16:58 pm »
After muttering about the letter in the Metro that asked, rhetorically and cylophobically, "When did you last see a car driving on the footpath or going through a red light or through pedestrians on a crossing?*" ...

*Every bloody day, of course. Those cars parked on the footpath, for example. To quote Charlotte, they were dropped there by a bloody TARDIS? And the last time I rode a London Bus, from Vic station to Oxford St, it went through four red lights.
It's amazing how people see only what they want to see. When I commuted by bike & train, I occasionally amused myself by totting up such incidents on my journey. It was almost never zero.
"A woman on a bicycle has all the world before her where to choose; she can go where she will, no man hindering." The Type-Writer Girl, 1897

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: DOTD
« Reply #95 on: 28 July, 2014, 02:10:58 pm »
I said "Good afternoon" to an elderly couple walking along a narrow country lane with their backs to me, they moved aside, I thanked them and as I passed the man said, "That was so as not to scare us with your bell, wasn't it." Actually, I've taken the bell off that bike, but I do think that on the whole people respond better to an "Excuse me" or similar. Horses especially! The exception is when there's a lot of background noise.

Agreed.  Polite speech, or mechanical noises (changing gear, flicking brake levers, that sort of thing - studded tyres on brick surfaces are particularly effective) tend to go down better with peds, but I will use a bell on approach to blind corners, as that's loud and unambiguously 'bicycle'.  The exception is Kool Stop brake pads, which tend to spook people.

I prefer a brrring-bell to a ping-bell, and I reckon they're more audible if you're distracted or your high-frequency hearing isn't very good.

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: DOTD
« Reply #96 on: 28 July, 2014, 02:18:04 pm »
I think a HYOOGE Dutch Ping-Pong bell would be most audible across a wide range of frequencies.
Shared use is the jbex of Stan and is mostly best avoided by cyclist who wish to go places. They seem designed to promote chaos and conflict.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: DOTD
« Reply #97 on: 28 July, 2014, 02:20:35 pm »
I think a HYOOGE Dutch Ping-Pong bell would be most audible across a wide range of frequencies.

Indeed.  Not sure how well recognised they are as a bicycle bell by the average Brit, but that may be a good thing...


Quote
Shared use is the jbex of Stan and is mostly best avoided by cyclist who wish to go places. They seem designed to promote chaos and conflict.

I reckon they're designed to promote the organisations responsible for creating shared use paths.

simonp

Re: DOTD
« Reply #98 on: 28 July, 2014, 03:15:27 pm »
Central Bristol cyclist on a BMX mounting pavement to weave through pedestrians to get past a car which had slowed to let pedestrians cross.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: DOTD
« Reply #99 on: 28 July, 2014, 03:18:05 pm »
If by "shared use" you mean the painted line on the pavement, I agree. But there are many off-road paths shared quite successfully by pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders and runners. It's true that a lot of these also don't go anywhere, but many of them are nevertheless pleasant places for a ride - and for admiring outdoor sculpture.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.