How I cured my bike rage.

gmoorewest

At some point all of us have considered mounting machine guns on the handlebars, for me it was when a car/lorry passed me too close for comfort. Notice I was spending more time annoyed at this and even starting to get pre-emptively annoyed.I live just off the N61, which is a National route, 100km speed limit but no hard shoulder, infact in many place's in would be hard for car to pass me without moving into other side of road. In looking out for cars coming up behind I've notice that they slowed down more when I look around. Then noticed that I didn't have to look around, just move my head to the right, as in moving your chin to your right shoulder, so you don't have to take your eye's off the road ahead and no vering off line as tends to happen when you do actually look around. It's more about head movement than actually seeing the car behind. Over the summer I've been doing this and can really notice a differents when I do it and when I don't. I've found that a "double look" when a car is approaching from behind around will result in the car slowing down.
I can appreciate this is no use on a busy dualcarriageway in Dublin etc, but would be interested to know if others find that it works.
As a driver I pressume it makes a connection between me and the driver and so make their passing off me less anonymous. As a cyclist, maybe all it does is gives me a feeling there is something I can do to take control of my safety and influence the drivers around me.

2nd thing I've done is when a car passes me giving me room, slowing down etc, in my head I compliment them - "fair play to you" " good on you" etc. This just highlights that the one idiot a fortnight I meet is in the minority and leaves me feeling safer that the majority of drivers are considerate. For awhile I was looking for the idiots and of couse would find them and it was putting me off going out on certain roads, but these two steps have made me feel safer and enjoy my bike more.

It's also easier than mounting machine guns!

papac

Reminds me of a song.
E2A. Cramcycle is right. Should have warned about VERY STRONG LANGUAGE. Not gratuitous though imo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYUe8VxPDMY

I laughed but be careful if you have kids or people sensitive to a certain bad word in the house

Victor

Turning the head creates a human connection, as opposed to someone 'ignoring' you.

Motorists will somewhat willingly side-swipe you out of negligence, but are hesitant to run you over. Being respectful and letting people pass, means people will also respect you.

Johnners1878

I ride on the N61 regularly (mainly bits of the Boyle-Tulsk stretch) but try to keep my time on it to a minimum. It's exactly the most dangerous width to cycle on, just wide enough to tempt impetuous, inexperienced or careless drivers to sneak past you, but not wide enough for them to do it safely.

You could do a nice 50k+ run into Carrick, out to Croghan, Frenchpark, N5 to the N69 back to Elphin through Mantua, crossing the N61 twice without ever having to cycle down it. Might be better in reverse, as the long drag from Carrick out to Croghan can be tough.

Slydice

jaysus, I remember a few years ago when it was one of them bat gun things that was attached to my handle bars that I wanted.

fire them, clamp on to a truck and have it pull me along:rolleyes::D

Alanstrainor

gmoorewest wrote: »

I can appreciate this is no use on a busy dualcarriageway in Dublin etc, but would be interested to know if others find that it works.

Definitely works. I commute from Rathfarnham into Dublin City centre daily, and use this tactic everyday, and it most definitely works.

If i notice a car has slowed down/given me extra space etc, i'll give them a thumbs up if I can. There's no better way to do it imo. Shouting the head off someone will just end up with two pissed off people; you and the driver. No one learns anything from the interaction, both lose out.

gmoorewest

Johnners1878 wrote: »

I ride on the N61 regularly (mainly bits of the Boyle-Tulsk stretch) but try to keep my time on it to a minimum. It's exactly the most dangerous width to cycle on, just wide enough to tempt impetuous, inexperienced or careless drivers to sneak past you, but not wide enough for them to do it safely.

I'll be grand as I'm just going to use the lead car from the Leitrim cycle on Sunday. No worries with that in front. Everyone should do it.

galwaycyclist

This type of looking behind is variously called "checking your six" or a lifsaver. It is standard technique and in cycle training it is viewed as more important than teaching hand signals etc. It can be either a quick glance or a full stare where you take one hand off the handlebars and turn as fully round as you can. You should not just look but try to make eye contact with others. It converts you from a "cyclist" to person who is communicating something and is aware of the other drivers presence. (some motorists act on the basis of "if he cant see me I'll pretend I havent seen him" the stare removes that as an option) You practice doing it both sides and throw one out every so often regardless.

On the machine guns thing. When I was younger I used to cycle wearing a World War II RAF pilots flying helmet and in my imagination I had a reflector gun sight and four 20mm Hispano Suiza cannon.

Dakadakadakadakadakadakadkadakadakadakadakadakadakadakadakadakadakadakadakadakadaka

nomdeboardie

Yeah, I’ve been thinking I should employ the ‘look-back’ myself more often, with the idea that it may suggest I’m thinking of moving out to turn right or suchlike, but the “connection” thing makes sense too. Not really possible with continuous-stream traffic, though. [Fantasises about rapidly spinning head Exorcist-style head for 360 vision, or, more feasably, a lifelike Halloween mask mounted on the right side of the head…]

John_Rambo

Deffo... makes the cyclist/driver a human, that's why I don't really like blacked out windows, that and you can't see if there is someone in the car when it's parked on the side of the road or if they are actually looking before they pull out! Eye contact makes a big difference.

I always glance back before pulling out for parked cars, I may not see anything, but Gmoorewest is dead right, they see you lookin... they 'spect you. The odd friendly wave helps too, especially on a Friday.

droidus

Surely motorists slow down when you glance to the right because they assume you're going to pull out or turn to the right?

check_six

Fishermen in a swampy tiger infested part of India (Sundarband, I think) wear masks on the back of their heads to help mitigate against being eaten by a stripey Frosties munching monster. The tigers are supposed to prefer sneaking up on people from behind so they see the mask and get put off.

It doesn't always work, loads of people get eaten there every year. Apparently, the terrain has never allowed effective hunting of tigers so they have never become wary of humans and just treat us as tasty snacks! Grrreat!

My point? The next Boards.ie jerseys should have stripes (and maybe a tail).

Kintarō Hattori

A few weeks back I was waiting at the roundabout I started a thread about. I was out in front and said to myself I'll turn around and look at the driver in the car behind me. It was an older guy who was looking out his side window rather than ahead. When he turned around I made eye contact and signalled that I'd be turning right around the roundabout. He smiled and nodded, I gave him a thumbs up and as I took off he carefully kept his distance behind me until he took his turn off for the motorway.

I really must do that more often.

Icyseanfitz

check_six wrote: »

Fishermen in a swampy tiger infested part of India (Sundarband, I think) wear masks on the back of their heads to help mitigate against being eaten by a stripey Frosties munching monster. The tigers are supposed to prefer sneaking up on people from behind so they see the mask and get put off.

It doesn't always work, loads of people get eaten there every year. Apparently, the terrain has never allowed effective hunting of tigers so they have never become wary of humans and just treat us as tasty snacks! Grrreat!

My point? The next Boards.ie jerseys should have stripes (and maybe a tail).

i though tigers where all pretty much dead? how can they be so much of a threat

nerraw1111

This works for me too. Creates a human connection and reinforces the idea that both you and the driver want to get home safely and that you're both nice people and capable of being responsible road users.

The driver is probably reasurred that you're a competent cyclist who's making the effort to look around etc so will be happy to bide their time before passing. I also try to give a flick of the hand to say thanks if a driver is stuck behind me but was patient.

Works quite well too if you feel a car is getting a bit too close.

check_six

It's just the one particular area where this sort of thing happens. It's like a big swamp with ten foot high grassy stuff everywhere. A person going into the middle of this has a visibility of about 3-4 feet around them. If there is something bitey nearby, no one is going to see it until it decides to spring out. There was a good documentary about it a couple of years ago. They had soldiers doing some kind of tiger patrol who wore this body armour stuff with high metal collars to give them a few extra seconds of being alive while being mauled so that their mates could shoot the beasties. As I said earlier, the local fishermen just wore halloween type masks on the back of their heads.

There was an enormous amount of tiger hunting back in the time of the British in India which shrank other tiger populations in India to very little. Any tigers that remained were very wary of humans and stayed away from them, and that has continued to today. Except in this bit with the swamps. Hunters couldn't go in there without a very big chance of being eaten so the local tigers were never conditioned to be afraid of humans. They don't really know how many are still living in there, but there's enough for a local to disappear every so often.

Slightly more on topic... I tend to cycle furiously, but not so much cycle furious, if you see what I mean.

part time punk

Being polite and courteous to drivers and expecting the same in return is probably the way to go but I do quite enjoy my short daily commute swearing as I go.

blorg

Icyseanfitz wrote: »

i though tigers where all pretty much dead? how can they be so much of a threat

Wikipedia reckons 100-250 people killed yearly in the Sundarbans by a population of only 270 tigers. When I was in Rajasthan I went looking for the feckers in Ranthambore National Park but couldn't find any.

Wishbone Ash

nomdeboardie wrote: »

... Not really possible with continuous-stream traffic…

That's my problem. I travel on the very busy R127/R128 in north Co Dublin. It's narrow and twisty with no hard shoulder and a poor road surface. There's a continuous stream of traffic passing/attempting to pass making looking around futile. I tend to concentrate on avoiding the potholes.

In saying that I was passed at speed on several occasions in a dangerous manner by a van driver from a well known company (liveried van). I decided to email the company about it. I recieved a very pleasant email in return apologising for the employee's conduct. I haven't been passed by that van since then.

NeedMoreGears

+1 on the thumbs up.


Lately I'm seeing a lot more polite behaviour from cars. I was even let out to make a right turn recently. A big thumbs up cheered up both our commutes.

+101 on looking over your shoulder and making eye contact. To me this is essential if you are making a lane change, passing a bus etc etc.