Commuting to Work - How dangerous is it

yop

Just want your opinions there lads,

I started cycling to work there last week, its only 5 miles but its all main road.
Now the road has little or no hard shoulder so I spend 90% of the commute on the main road or hugging the cats eyes so you have to watch what you are at.

The road is the main road between Westport and Castlebar, but what I was wondering is, I have an MTB and have my heart set on a Giant Defy 4, something entered my head, with an MTB riding the cats eyes or the road is not great but the wheels are wide and there is room for error, but with the Defy 4 and the 700x25 tyres I really dont want to be on the cats eyes or the road edge.

Or am I mental in thinking the Defy 4 might not now suit the "roads" I have to commute on

mloc123

Dont hug the side of the road, give yourself a bit more space. It will force drivers to overtake you properly and not squeeze by also.

seamus

Simple: Don't hug the edge of the road. Give yourself at least 1m between your left arm and the edge of the road. This should be sufficent room for you to make emergency manouvers and to prevent vehicles from squeezing by you.

Cycling on "country" roads is something I've no experience of, but I imagine what is of utmost importance is your visbility. Plaster yourself and your bike in reflective cloth and the biggest, brightest rear lights you can afford. Cycling around in the blistering sunshine covered in high-vis can make you feel a little stupid, but it does help.

short circuit

Its safe enough .. most drivers are careful .. and its getting better slowly. There are still some nut cases.

Do not go too much to the edge of the road ... it encourages drivers to pass too closely and pull in ... be a bit assertive and ride a feet or so away from the edge of the road if you don't have a hard shoulder.

700x25 tyres which are puncture proof will be just as good on the roads .. probably a little less comfortable that the low pressure MTB tyres, but the speed and the ease with which they roll will more than make up for it.

After a few days, you will be able to figure out the areas where you need to be extra vigilant ... slip roads, pedestrians jumping out etc.

Also, a change of timing such as leaving a little early to avoid the school run etc. will reduce risk and make it more pleasurable.

And same as when you drive ... assume everyone else will do something stupid ... drivers, pedestrians, other cyclist ... everyone and be prepared to take evasive action .. and follow the rules of the road ... the actual rules, not the ones which people make up on the spot ...

Vélo

Keep off the road markings, they're very slippy in the wet. 700x25 tyres are fine for the road. Apparently there's more grip on road bikes than mtb's on the road (See here under tread for on-road use). I use 700x23 on my commute and I've never had a spill.

yop

Thanks lads,
Thats good information, 1m away from edge, they will 1/2 me

even when I was say 1ft from the yellow line they were skimming by me! Its probably that I am not used to been on the road, been 12 years since I was last driving on main roads so that probably something to with it, oh but for a hard shoulder or a cylce lane!!

L'Enfer du Nord

yop wrote: »

Just want your opinions there lads,

I started cycling to work there last week, its only 5 miles but its all main road.
Now the road has little or no hard shoulder so I spend 90% of the commute on the main road or hugging the cats eyes so you have to watch what you are at.

The road is the main road between Westport and Castlebar, but what I was wondering is, I have an MTB and have my heart set on a Giant Defy 4, something entered my head, with an MTB riding the cats eyes or the road is not great but the wheels are wide and there is room for error, but with the Defy 4 and the 700x25 tyres I really dont want to be on the cats eyes or the road edge.

Or am I mental in thinking the Defy 4 might not now suit the "roads" I have to commute on

I agree with the other posts don't hog, dot-ed line/cats' eyes. Cycle a bit out and force motorists to overtake. For my experience on the main roads around Galway the ratio or “skimmers” (bad) to “overtakers” reduces considerably if you cycle further out. I have no experience of commuting on a national road like that, but I suspect that if you leave home a same time every day, many of the same people will pass you every day and get used to you

gibo_ie

mloc123 wrote: »

Dont hug the side of the road, give yourself a bit more space. It will force drivers to overtake you properly and not squeeze by also.

I have to be honest here as a driver. I am going to give a cyclist who is trying to keep in much more space when i pass than someone who is 1m out, they might as well be in the middle of the lane, either way it is blocking traffic.
At least when at the edge you can get past 90% of the time.

simply not even trying to keep in WILL result in me attempting to pass very close!! Sorry guys but it is true and you will find it is the same for many drivers!!

Lumen

gibo_ie wrote: »

simply not even trying to keep in WILL result in me attempting to pass very close!! Sorry guys but it is true and you will find it is the same for many drivers!!

No, it's just you.

gibo_ie

Lumen wrote: »

No, it's just you.

Really? you wish!

Vélo

gibo_ie wrote: »

I have to be honest here as a driver. I am going to give a cyclist who is trying to keep in much more space when i pass than someone who is 1m out, they might as well be in the middle of the lane, either way it is blocking traffic.
At least when at the edge you can get past 90% of the time.

simply not even trying to keep in WILL result in me attempting to pass very close!! Sorry guys but it is true and you will find it is the same for many drivers!!

So you admit to dangerous driving!

Ah well with an attitude like that you won't be on the road for long. When you do get banned I'd recommend buying a bicycle.;)

lukester

gibo_ie wrote: »

simply not even trying to keep in WILL result in me attempting to pass very close!!

Well done, and if you kill a cyclist, enjoy living with your conscience for the rest of your life.

I'm confused, it's not Friday, is it?

Turbulent Bill

gibo_ie wrote: »

I have to be honest here as a driver. I am going to give a cyclist who is trying to keep in much more space when i pass than someone who is 1m out, they might as well be in the middle of the lane, either way it is blocking traffic.
At least when at the edge you can get past 90% of the time.

simply not even trying to keep in WILL result in me attempting to pass very close!! Sorry guys but it is true and you will find it is the same for many drivers!!

I've never found this while cycling - staying out near the middle of the lane has always resulted in safer overtaking. The only exception I can think of is on windy country lanes, where there's a greater risk of being rear-ended by someone speeding around a blind corner.

Staying away from the kerb means that drivers have to overtake properly - they can't do it if there's oncoming traffic. You also have an emergency space to bail into if necessary.

yop

I see some boys mentioning this bike here, got wider wheels, at least they would be thinner than the tractor wheels on the MTB I have at the minute!!!

http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=38&idproduct=23645

gibo_ie

Aquinas73 wrote: »

So you admit to dangerous driving!

Ah well with an attitude like that you won't be on the road for long. When you do get banned I'd recommend buying a bicycle.;)

Why? Because i am honest? (I have never been stopped, speeding or otherwise no accidents (not even knocking cyclists off their bikes )and driving for 13 years)
I could have simply not replied, but i am trying to make a small point here, if i see a cyclist who is obviously trying to make an effort not to slow down traffic to a crawl (even if they are not successful in the attempt), i respect the effort and give them space. Whereas i see (regularly) cyclists simply plodding along in the centre of the lane, or worse still up along the white line with no effort to pull over even if there is a stream of traffic behind them; i wont give them more space than i need to when passing.
That's the truth of the matter, knock me all you want (I do cycle often too so i can honestly see it from both perspectives) i guarantee you I am not alone....

zzzzzzzz

Turbulent Bill wrote: »

I've never found this while cycling - staying out near the middle of the lane has always resulted in safer overtaking. The only exception I can think of is on windy country lanes, where there's a greater risk of being rear-ended by someone speeding around a blind corner.

Staying away from the kerb means that drivers have to overtake properly - they can't do it if there's oncoming traffic. You also have an emergency space to bail into if necessary.

+1

If you're cycling in the gutter drivers are more likely to be tempted to squeeze past without moving out - Giving you nowhere to go if you need to change course.

If they don't have the option to squeeze past they have to wait until there's no oncoming traffic.

@gibo_ie: what about people cycling two abreast - would you try and squeeze in between them to teach them a lesson?

gibo_ie

aidan.offbeat wrote: »

@gibo_ie: what about people cycling two abreast - would you try and squeeze in between them to teach them a lesson?

Now we all know that is just madness :rolleyes:

L'Enfer du Nord

gibo_ie wrote: »

I have to be honest here as a driver. I am going to give a cyclist who is trying to keep in much more space when i pass than someone who is 1m out, they might as well be in the middle of the lane, either way it is blocking traffic.
At least when at the edge you can get past 90% of the time.

simply not even trying to keep in WILL result in me attempting to pass very close!! Sorry guys but it is true and you will find it is the same for many drivers!!

One of the main reasons for cycling out a bit from the edge of the road is that if there’s an obstacle, and there often is you can go to the left of it, if you’re right on the edge you have to swerve to the right. With many motorists giving you so little space this is very dangerous.
I hope you are in a minority, in my experience you are. If you accept that cyclists are entitled to be on the road, surely they are entitled to cycle in safety. Your attitude stinks, you are basically deliberately putting cyclist in danger plus intimidating them because they’re delaying you for a few seconds.

billyhead

I cycle mostly country roads on my commute to work and I get by ok. The funny thing you will notice quite a bit is that when on these narrow roads a line of traffic builds up behind you because there are cars coming in the opposite driection. The minute they can overtake you they always rev then engine out of either rage that you held them up or frustration, and then suddenly they have to slow down again becasue the other cars that just overtok you are only a little further ahead. Feck**g egits

gibo_ie

L'Enfer du Nord wrote: »

One of the main reasons for cycling out a bit from the edge of the road is that if there’s an obstacle, and there often is you can go to the left of it, if you’re right on the edge you have to swerve to the right. With many motorists giving you so little space this is very dangerous.
I hope you are in a minority, in my experience you are. If you accept that cyclists are entitled to be on the road, surely they are entitled to cycle in safety. Your attitude stinks, you are basically deliberately putting cyclist in danger plus intimidating them because they’re delaying you for a few seconds.

I never said i am right in what i do! I certainly don't think i am in any way but it gets very annoying when you are in a stream of traffic and someone on a bike up front wont even bother to look behind them to see what delays they are causing. A simple gesture of pulling in for 2 mins and letting traffic past helps a lot (same thing for slow moving vehicles)

TinyExplosions

gibo_ie wrote: »

Random Drivel

Just....

TinyExplosions

gibo_ie wrote: »

I never said i am right in what i do! I certainly don't think i am in any way

So why do it then?

Turbulent Bill

gibo_ie wrote: »

Why? Because i am honest? (I have never been stopped, speeding or otherwise no accidents (not even knocking cyclists off their bikes )and driving for 13 years)
I could have simply not replied, but i am trying to make a small point here, if i see a cyclist who is obviously trying to make an effort not to slow down traffic to a crawl (even if they are not successful in the attempt), i respect the effort and give them space. Whereas i see (regularly) cyclists simply plodding along in the centre of the lane, or worse still up along the white line with no effort to pull over even if there is a stream of traffic behind them; i wont give them more space than i need to when passing.
That's the truth of the matter, knock me all you want (I do cycle often too so i can honestly see it from both perspectives) i guarantee you I am not alone....

I appreciate your honesty, but you'll find that cyclists in the centre of the lane are almost always doing it for safety reasons (i.e., to control overtaking in dangerous situations), and that trumps holding up traffic for a few seconds. Less confident / informed cyclists will trundle along in the gutter, putting themselves more at risk.

A bit of courtesy goes both ways. If I've held up traffic for a while a nod or a thumbs-up is a nice gesture to motorists.

Lumen

gibo,

There is a good reason cyclists make space for themselves. On a narrow road it forces cars to overtake properly, i.e. cross the centre line where it is safe to do so.

Otherwise, a car will squeeze past whilst attempting to avoid conflict with oncoming traffic. This is fine 99% of the time (in the sense that it doesn't cause an accident) but if a large vehicle appears the driver will in many cases instictively move left and hit the cyclist.

The balance of convenience, consideration and safetly obviously varies depending on road and traffic conditions, and it's difficult to talk in generalities, but by deliberately passing close to a cyclist who is riding defensively you demonstrate (at best) ignorance and a lack of skill as a driver.

L'Enfer du Nord

yop wrote: »

Thanks lads,
Thats good information, 1m away from edge, they will 1/2 me

even when I was say 1ft from the yellow line they were skimming by me! Its probably that I am not used to been on the road, been 12 years since I was last driving on main roads so that probably something to with it, oh but for a hard shoulder or a cylce lane!!

Wearing a high vis top helps

On a positive note, on the way to work this morning I saw a big sign telling motorists to give cyclists room - 1.5 meters in fact. We need a TV ad for this.

Jawgap

How dangerous is it?

Well first you'll need one of these - keeps you visible and gives you some protection. Try and get the one with the built in lights it'll save you money.

I also usually have a couple of Predator UAVs on stand-by overhead to take out any motorist who gets within 50m of me. You'll find a couple of hellfire missiles will keep even the most obnoxious driver in line!

On a more serious note - it's not dangerous at all. Cycle confidently - a bit out from the edge to give yourself room to move. Most drivers will give you loads of space - I find acknowledging their considerate behaviour works well too.

Assume drivers coming out from gateways and side roads haven't seen you unless you make direct eye contact with them.

Listen for what's coming up behnid you - beware of cars with flower pot exhausts who slow down when there's no apparent reason for it.

A helmet is probably a matter of personal choice but I reckon you're better off with one than without one.

Enjoy the nice weather.

the_syco

OP: gotta say IMO you're a bit retarded hugging the side of the road. If a pothole comes up, you serve right? Wrong. Serving right puts you in the way of a car, a blind spot of a truck, etc, etc.

I used to hug the side of the road myself, but started to keep a foot out as I can then avoid the majority of potholes.

If I'm driving, I overtake cyclists if they're a foot out, as opposed to driving past you if you're hugging the yellow line.

DePurpereWolf

Isn't there any way you can go onto a smaller road? I try to avoid big roads, I'd rather take a detour than cycle with heavy metal objects speeding next to me at 100 km/h.
I see people bike on dual carriage ways and I just think they are lunatics. Where is the fun? And yes, whenever you're close to cars that drive +80 km/h, it is dangerous.
It only takes one lunatic.

seamus

gibo_ie wrote: »

Really? you wish!

In my experience, skimmers abound.

When the cyclist is closer to the edge, the driver will have the chance to pass between the cyclist and the white line or by slightly crossing the white line, regardless of whether there is incoming traffic. Where there is oncoming traffic, they will drive closer to the cyclist so as to squeeze between them and the oncming traffic.
Where the cyclist is out far enough so that you absolutely cannot pass without crossing the white line, the driver is forced to wait until any oncoming traffic has passed, before they can overtake the cyclist, thus meaning that they will pass on the opposite side of the road and leave more room.

I've seen it a number of times in my rear-view mirror: I hang behind a cyclist and wait for the oncoming traffic to clear, then I overtake. Then the guy who's been up my ass for the previous 30 seconds forces his way through, squeezing between the cyclist and any oncoming traffic.

zzzzzzzz

DePurpereWolf wrote: »

Isn't there any way you can go onto a smaller road? I try to avoid big roads, I'd rather take a detour than cycle with heavy metal objects speeding next to me at 100 km/h.
I see people bike on dual carriage ways and I just think they are lunatics. Where is the fun? And yes, whenever you're close to cars that drive +80 km/h, it is dangerous.
It only takes one lunatic.

I'm not sure what dual carriageway you're talking about, but I regularly cycle the N11 south of Bray and have never even had any close calls, let alone accidents.

It may seem a bit daunting at first but it's really not bad at all. You've a whole hard shoulder to yourself!

mossym

DePurpereWolf wrote: »

Isn't there any way you can go onto a smaller road? I try to avoid big roads, I'd rather take a detour than cycle with heavy metal objects speeding next to me at 100 km/h.
I see people bike on dual carriage ways and I just think they are lunatics.

i have the same issue, just bought a bike to commute to work some days. it's a 20 mile run. 10 miles of country road plus the single carriage way N7, but the last 10 miles are the dual carriageway ring road around limerick. i'm planning on leaving before the wife, cycling to the start of the dual carriageway, and meeting her there(we normally commute together anyway) and driving the rest of the way. i don't see much problem with the roads up until the dual carriageway, but having to deal with the slip roads onto the dual carriageway and the roundabouts i think i can do without

yop

Retarded.... thanks for that So you admit that you used to hug the road too, does that mean you are retarded

I know what you are saying, Its probably a confidence thingy.

There is an alternative route but its brutal surface.

I have to agree with Gibo_ie, there was a car which was inches from me this morning, he didn't swerve!

unionman

gibo_ie wrote: »

Now we all know that is just madness :rolleyes:

DePurpereWolf

yop wrote: »

There is an alternative route but its brutal surface.

Than yo have to ask yourself the question, is safety more important than a comfort ride, or not.

I know that real road racers will get out of there way to get the best surface, even if it is dangerous.

ednwireland

dont forget the drains they manage to put with the holes just the right size for racing wheel, they scare the C**p out of me - another reason for not being in the gutter,
i dont commute (not that it would be that long) but did 80k yesterday rond donegal town on some fairly busy roads (for donegal) and country lanes and just one soaking when caaught in a heavy showerC (and it was a northern reg). but my evening rides (around 40k) apart from i hardly see a car the ones i do always give me room. and i never wear a visvest you cant see em on cyclists in the day. but i do wonder why so much cycling clothing is black (like, most of mine).

nitrogen

billyhead wrote: »

I cycle mostly country roads on my commute to work and I get by ok. The funny thing you will notice quite a bit is that when on these narrow roads a line of traffic builds up behind you because there are cars coming in the opposite driection. The minute they can overtake you they always rev then engine out of either rage that you held them up or frustration, and then suddenly they have to slow down again becasue the other cars that just overtok you are only a little further ahead. Feck**g egits

It's to do with their frontal lobe being too small and their reptilian adrenaline glade being too large.


You pass them again, and the sequence continues.

Raam

While cycling I regularly get stuck behind slow moving cars in traffic and at lights. No amount of aggressive pedal spinning or vrooming noises can make these jerks get out of my way.

yop

Raam wrote: »

While cycling I regularly get stuck behind slow moving cars in traffic and at lights. No amount of aggressive pedal spinning or vrooming noises can make these jerks get out of my way.

Thats true!!!

What takes 10 mins in a car is taking me circa 17 mins on a bike! Cars should stay at home

billyhead

I timed my route to work in a car and bike and using the car saves me only 5 mins. Drving a car to work nowadays is a joke

yop wrote: »

Thats true!!!

What takes 10 mins in a car is taking me circa 17 mins on a bike! Cars should stay at home

Vélo

It takes me 30mins by car and 45 by bike.

I just prefer the bike.

TinyExplosions

Takes me 10 mins by bike, and about 25 by car (have done it in a taxi on occasion).

Ryaner

It takes me on avg 15 minutes by car. And then on avg 15 minutes by bike on the way into work. Home is usually about 2 minutes slower as I tend to miss one of the 8 sets of lights on my journey

Raam

It takes me 25 minutes by bike, but I do it in 20, just cos...

unionman

15-20 minutes by bike depending on weather, traffic lights, and how tired I am. Inchicore to Dorset Street.

Minimum 25 minutes in a car, and anything up to an hour or so. Depends how many damn cyclists get in my way:mad::mad:*

*;)

seamus

Takes 30 minutes on the bike. I can't drive to work (no parking), but combination of drive + bus takes usually an hour on average. Firhouse to IFSC.

Beasty

For what it's worth about half my journey is on country lanes, and half on N roads - 40-45 minutes by bike, 25-40 by car.

One of the problems I find with skimmers, particularly lorries, is they cause turbulence, which actually draws you in towards their vehicle if they are going particularly fast. I keep about 2 feet away from the roadside, but the potholes do force me out further on occasions - drivers are more qften than not oblivious to these, and you need to pull out in plenty of time (A quick glance over the shoulder suffices to make sure nothing is too close behind).

The most dangerous driving I find tends to be on some roundabouts. I often encounter problems with the Swords roundabout over the M1 (both directions), where some drivers (incorrectly) use the outside lane to go onto the motorway. They sometimes seem to think cyclists will also be going down the slip road, cutting straight across you from the outside lane (which is not supposed to lead on to the motorway). They often do not see you, because their visibilty is obscured by vehicles in the inside lane
.

L'Enfer du Nord

Takes me less than 10 mins to cycle to work, I'm told it takes about 30-40 mins to drive at rush hour, less than walking pace in other words. I also save time on have tp look for parking. Plus several hours a week saved by not having to bitch and moan about parking, attend union meeting about parking etc.

blog_blog_blog

Only 5 miles castlebar to westport? Thought it was more. you must live out on westport road? Thats a killer of a hill on mtb up to the garage,Sure you can free wheel down into the town then..

They arent the widest roads either. I be very carefull cycling on that road.Especially in winter. Speeding trucks and drink drivers I,d be most afraid of! :pac:

Civilian_Target

Why are you cycling on the main road?

Fact is, cars there are going very fast. It's unlikely you're hit, because visibility is good, but if you are hit, your forked!

Frankly, I would take a quieter route, if at all possible!

Húrin

OP, why not use the R311, then go through Derrycourane, Clogher and Monamore instead of using the N5? (all place names taken from google maps, not local knowledge)

yop

Thank Hurin, I live just off the Westport/Castlebar road so this is the fastest route, the other routes are a nice bit out of my way and would still mean I am on the main road.