The war on Britain's Roads

M1XR

Just seen the advert for this on bbc. Its something i will definitely watch but what will the outcome of its airing be.

Will it further fuel the war between cyclists and motorists?
Will it open motorists eyes to the more vulnerable on the road?

I personally think it will be a good and interesting watch for everybody. I have never had any major incidents on the road over the years of cycling around dublin so i always watch these clips with a slight air of bemusement. What you think?

jinkypolly

Prepared to see cyclists on footpaths and running red lights, cause ye know...we're all just as bad as each other.

eoin88

Looks really interesting to me, particularly as I moved to the UK about 2 months ago and am commuting 50 km a day. There's a lot of talk about drivers being aggressive towards cyclists here, but in my experience so far it doesn't seem any worse than Dublin. In fact, a lot of drivers are quite accomodating towards cyclists. For instance, when I'm squeezing between slow moving traffic and the curb, many drivers will actually move out an extra foot when they spot you in their mirror. In all my years cycling in Ireland, not once did someone do this for me! I hear Londoners are a different kettle of fish though...

piston

I don't know about England but I have found Scotland an absolute pleasure to cycle in compared to Ireland. Drivers are so considerate, it is barely believeable.

n-dawg

piston wrote: »

I don't know about England but I have found Scotland an absolute pleasure to cycle in compared to Ireland. Drivers are so considerate, it is barely believeable.

What??? have you ever cycled in Glasgow?

piston

n-dawg wrote: »

What??? have you ever cycled in Glasgow?

Not Glascow.

Ayr mostly, and surrounding roads. But what took my attention on single track roads was that any car coming towards me would pull in and wait until I passed. At home they often accelerate towards you while blowing the horn.

Lumen

piston wrote: »

But what took my attention on single track roads was that any car coming towards me would pull in and wait until I passed. At home they often accelerate towards you while blowing the horn.

Not everywhere

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=174&t=940855

n-dawg

piston wrote: »

Not Glascow.

Ayr mostly, and surrounding roads. But what took my attention on single track roads was that any car coming towards me would pull in and wait until I passed. At home they often accelerate towards you while blowing the horn.

OK I'll agree when you are on rural roads people are quite nice and patient, Ayrshire is especially nice for a Sunday cycle, have you done the lap of Arran? Heading north from Glasgow can be a bit of a pain though because the roads are so busy. City center of Glasgow is a nightmare, there is way too much on street parking and most of the cars are just off the motorway and going too fast. Around the west end is OK because the cars are generally slower and there are more cyclists.

piston

n-dawg wrote: »

OK I'll agree when you are on rural roads people are quite nice and patient, Ayrshire is especially nice for a Sunday cycle, have you done the lap of Arran? Heading north from Glasgow can be a bit of a pain though because the roads are so busy. City center of Glasgow is a nightmare, there is way too much on street parking and most of the cars are just off the motorway and going too fast. Around the west end is OK because the cars are generally slower and there are more cyclists.

I haven't done Arran (ran out of time) but it's on my to do list for some point in the future.

wendell borton

Lumen wrote: »

Not everywhere

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=174&t=940855

Post from the above link:

"Just seen a chap in a Range Rover nearly run over a cyclist. Cyclist shouts at him. He gets out his car leaving the engine running and drivers door wide open gobbling off at the cyclist. Turns round to see random man get into the drivers seat of his 60 plate range and drive off in it. Lights turn green cyclist rides off giving him the finger."

MB Lacey

Article in the Guardian about tomorrow night's programme
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/bike-blog/2012/dec/03/bbc-cycling-documentary-irresponsible-mp

Marcusm

Don't forget about the war between cyclists and pedestrians! 15 peds killed each year by an absolutely infinitesimal portion of cycling community but (ESP in London) a larger number injured especially by cyclists running red lights. I'm not anti cyclist before anyone suggests same.

MB Lacey

Marcusm wrote: »

Don't forget about the war between cyclists and pedestrians! 15 peds killed each year by an absolutely infinitesimal portion of cycling community but (ESP in London) a larger number injured especially by cyclists running red lights. I'm not anti cyclist before anyone suggests same.

If you look at that link above and watch the vid, it shows some idiot messanger cyclists speeding through red lights, straight through people trying to cross the road :eek:
Like you said, they're in the minority, but my sisters in London have said how scared they feel crossing at a pedestrian crossings because of these morons.

Chips Lovell

I'll reserve judgement until I see it but I think the guy from the Guardian is blowing it out of proportion. So what if the footage was commercially released, it was still footage of a real alleycat.

enas

Vladimir Kurtains wrote: »

it was still footage of a real alleycat.

And is that footage, shot 6 years ago, for the intended purpose of commercially releasing it, representative at all of cycling in the UK?

The problem, as I understand it, is that they make no disclaimer about what this footage is about. They pretend their documentary is a compilation of "real" (or amateur) footage taken by real cyclists showing real cycling in the UK -- this footage really doesn't fit in that description, and you wonder what message it sends.

Chips Lovell

According to the Guardian, the BBC presented it as "real footage of couriers racing recklessly through London". Is that not what the alleycat was?

thebourke

i was over in Berlin,Germany for the last few days...the cycle paths are not on the roads but are kept seperate.lots of people cycling to work and lots of bikes at train stations, you can even bring your bike on the train....they cycle very old but sturdy bikes, but not many people wear helmets...the city is very flat to cycle....

Wishbone Ash

eoin88 wrote: »

For instance, when I'm squeezing between slow moving traffic and the curb, many drivers will actually move out an extra foot when they spot you in their mirror. In all my years cycling in Ireland, not once did someone do this for me!

In my experience drivers do that regularly over here.

thebourke wrote: »

i was over in Berlin,Germany for the last few days...the cycle paths are not on the roads but are kept seperate

Unfortunately here segregated cycle lanes become a magnet for walkers, joggers, dog lovers, buggies etc.

ashleey

I'm in London tomorrow and I'm absolutely petrified. It sounds dreadful over there. With any luck it will be icy and only HGVs will be flying along the roads.

Chips Lovell

Berlin ain't perfect either. There's an epidemic of footpath cycling going on there.

monument

Vladimir Kurtains wrote: »

According to the Guardian, the BBC presented it as "real footage of couriers racing recklessly through London". Is that not what the alleycat was?

In the preview footage at least, it is reportedly not made clear these races are rare and not normal behavior: http://www.bikebiz.com/news/read/i-m-a-human-like-anyone-else/014027

Chips Lovell

That story you linked to said this, which isn't correct:

This illegal, staged, stunt-riding footage is on loop in the programme, which would be little different to the producers inserting a Hollywood car chase and asserting that was normal behaviour from motorists.

It wasn't a movie. It was a real race.

monument

Vladimir Kurtains wrote: »

That story you linked to said this, which isn't correct:



It wasn't a movie. It was a real race.

I don't think a Hollywood film was the best think to compare it to. But his point wasn't that the footage was fake, but that it is such a rare event.

The makers apprently make no distinction between the commuter helmet cam footage and a very rare event.

Chips Lovell

It happened on public roads. And while there may only be a few alleycats a year, that kind of riding by some couriers isn't rare.

monument

Vladimir Kurtains wrote: »

It happened on public roads. And while there may only be a few alleycats a year, that kind of riding by isome couriers isn't rare.

It's quite different showing individual couriers acting the mick and a large bunch if them in a rare race, and then not bother including any context at all.

MPFG

I live in London and it can be a bit hairy...black cabs are the bane of my life....and buses/lorries are not much better .....

However having said that I was nearly knocked down by a cylist at a traffic light crossing on the south circular road in S London.....All traffic stopped, it was dark and I went to cross as pedestrain light green , this Bradley Wiggins wanna be came flying by, no lights and dressed all in black just in case he would be seen...I fell backwards on to the pavement ...he didn't care about obeying the traffice lights..My language as he spedaway was a bit Bradley Wiggins ...

London is difficult as the roads are so crowded ...
But when I was in Beijing some years ago several cyclist died every day ,,,,, including one right in front of us....it was almost considered the norm....but I have never seen so many bicycles in one spot...just piled high outside the train station...always wondered how anyone ever found their own bike