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Know of someone who's packed in UK road cycling due to safety concerns?
Have a mate who is part of our wider cycling gang; he's taken early retirement and heard he was really frustrated with the Covid restrictions as he has a small holiday flat in Germany and can't pursue his various plans. My comment was why hadn't he gone out on some long rides etc; then I was told he'd stopped, because he was sick of UK roads (safety), and was just going to cycle when he's out in Germany (which he always raves about). I was initially bemused but then, having almost being totalled on 2 rides recently (oncoming driver speeding on a lane and another speeding/not paying attention whilst I was trying to turn right off an A road; I've really lost my nerve when trying that manoeuvre), I kind of sympathised. Realised that pre-WFH etc a lot of my miles were commuting on the Bristol/Bath bike path and quiet urban roads, so I was probably slightly cossetted. I generally steer clear of A roads but, mid-week especially, the roads are like the wild-west post lockdown. Apart from group rides I've now got front/back cameras so I could hardly criticise my mate for just being aware of his own mortality.
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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94 comments
Thanks HM, yes you're right. Have been considering use of mirror for a while. It's a good shout, take some of the surprise away, flatten out the adrenaline peak.
You'te right about the reaction too, a technique I must master.
Got one of these recently https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/accessories/cateye-bm45-bar-end-mirror/
HP also has one
Thanks for the recommendation. How have you found it to use?
I think it's great. Been using it for IIRC a couple of years and once you've got it in just the right place, a quick glance down can give you an idea of what's behind you. I use it for general situational awareness and more specifically for when I'm planning a rightwards maneouvre - if it looks clear, you can then do a shoulder check to make sure.
What I've found with handlebar mirrors is that you really need to get the position absolutely correct for them to be effective and the Cateye allows easy adjustment (tap/bump it to move it a little bit) whilst riding. As it's on the end of the handlebar, I often inadvertently move it whilst locking up the bike etc. so it's great to be able to notice that it's not right whilst riding and get it back in the most useful position within a few seconds.
Fine to use. Bit of trial and error to find the best spot. There will always be a bit of knee in the way but nothing that stops a good view. Easy to give a small adjustment as HP says.
I did find my arm in the way on the flats but a quick 'chris froome elbows out' allows a view.
It is just big enough to let you see that it's not clear behind, but not enough to confirm that it is clear. So it saves a lot of head turning, but you still need to look properly before you kill yourself. Also useful to see if you've dropped your mates yet...
You don't get binocular vision since the eyes' views don't overlap. You end up just seeing through it with your dominant eye.
Also it's only enough for one hand position. I've got mine set for when I'm on the hoods, and so it's no use when I'm on the tops of the bar.
The pic gives a fair account of it.
I have this exact setup, but the 60mm B&M mirror, which is almost identical to the cateye and also recommended. Field of view is good with the convex lens, no vibration, stays put but still easy to tweak the position by just moving it if needed.
Thanks, the slightly bigger diameter is quite attractive, might give that a go
I thought Sriracha's mirror photo was quite good, so I've taken one of the B&M, with a still from thre rear Fly6 camera for comparison...
I was mulling over your point about a mirror reducing an adrenaline spike and I think you're spot on with that. It buys that little bit of time for a better chance of making a considered response, rather than an emotional reaction.
I have one of these, which is quite useful for getting a rough idea of what's behind you.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000FY05PG
Rubber strap seems to be holding up well so far, although I expect it will eventually snap.
Rubber strap seems to be holding up well so far, although I expect it will eventually snap
I thought that too!- about the rubber straps on my Aldi lights. But they're still working well years later so rubber straps don't have to fail
I see, so attaches closer to teh stem, on teh inside of the shifters?
I think this is all too pessimistic. The statistics are very clear: cycling is less hazardous per hour than walking (marginally), and we'd all walk without a second thought. More importantly, the dangers of NOT cycling - inactivity, obesity, heart disease, cancer, dementia - are much higher than the 'danger' of cycling. David Rojas-Rueda's study* estimated benefits as 77 times higher than the risks; others have since found similar results. We have an syndemic of inactivity in Britain!
I cycle on roads and have done since the 1960s. I see a few close passes, but what really strikes me is how careful and courteous most drivers are, holding back until a suitable place to overtake, often quietly without me even noticing they're behind. In return I let drivers turn in front, sometimes pull over and let them past if there's a safe place to do so, and always give them a wave when they pass wide. Yes there are idiots, but they're a minority.
My hunch is the relentless pressure of YouTube 'close pass' videos with their aggro and hype is building up a false picture of the reality of cycling on the road. Having a camera I expect makes some of the authors feel the need to post footage just to keep their viewing numbers up, when many of the passes are normal and unremarkable. I'm probably doomed now I've said this, but really, in the UK the benefits outweigh the risks by a huge factor, and we have so many quiet lanes all over the country, it's not hard to find a nice route leading to where you want to go, and the gradual increase of segregated lanes and quiet back routes in cities helps keep cycling hugely pleasurable.
*https://www.bmj.com/content/343/bmj.d4521.short
I agree with you and realise that I'm still dealing with the trauma of the road rage attack which could easily have killed me on my 50th birthday. Logic doesn't come into it when you're traumatised, and I did try the "just get back on the horse" approach but it didn't work for me. Handed over my last road bike today - a bike I specced, assembled, and upgraded myself, paying attention to every little thing. A bike I thought I'd never sell. And as the new owner wheeled it away I didn't feel any doubt or regret. Possibly a soupçon of relief but to be honest I didn't feel anything at all, other than the possibilities offered by the grand in my pocket - a shiny new Scottish hardtail frame arrives on Monday for me to build.
I really hate that I've not been able to deal with the road rage attack and effectively I've let the bastard win but I was so close to not coming home from that ride.
Let's not be "driven" off the the roads. Very well put, Matthew. I'm more concerned about the unseen many who don't even start. Turn up at a country park and see families hauling bikes by car, longing to cycle somewhere safely.
I'm fortunate in that I can chose when I cycle, although I mostly limit myself to about three principal routes. Weekday mornings when I'm not working are great, as as early evenings at this time of year - drivers have all gone home.
Have started running a cheaper camera in recent weeks. Currently I'm as concerned about cars I meet running me off the road as I am about close passes.
Re point 2: No point being brave if you're dead. Having a pair of bollocks ain't gonna save you from a close pass that ends up as a collision. And, to be honest, the red mist generated by aforementioned bollocks doesn't help defuse situations when you've just been passed by an artic at 50mph on a country lane (thanks, Tories) . That's part of why I stopped - one too many confrontations with drivers.
I haven't been scared off the roads completely, but my list of local roads I'm not willing to ride on has gradually increased. I also seem to spend a lot of time planning routes and staring at Street View to try and avoid dangerous roads.
There are some quiet roads in the countryside near me, the kind of road where you see almost as many bicycles and horses as cars.
Same here. Roads that I would happily ride on 10 years ago, I no longer bother, I can do without the stress of idiotic unaware drivers. However, during the original lockdown last year, I returned to them for a short period, but eventually they started getting busier.
And when planning a ride, I'll check what roads seem to be 'cycle friendly'.....doesn't mean they are mind you - especially when the weather is nice, and the quieter rural roads attract more motorists - who can't comprehend that they are used by cyclists, walkers, horse riders, tractors, etc
quieter rural roads attract more motorists
They don't when they're single track and a lot of reversing would be involved. I have benefitted from quite a few roads like that in the N Pennines and Lakes in the last few days.
It's not 100% "safety", but that was a big factor in my gradual switch from road to gravel; I just don't enjoy the traffic and the occasional near-miss. (A different reason is that gravel riding gets you a bit closer to scenery & wildlife).
My better half worries a lot more about safety, so she quietly encourages the shift. (She rides the safest place of all; indoors, on a Peloton).
Of course I still do a few miles on a busy A-road to get to an interesting farm-track or bridleway.
It would be a different matter if I ever go back to office-based work - rush hour urban traffic feels much less safe but on the other hand it's harder to pick a quietly scenic alternative route unless you're really lucky with your locations.
I'm not at a point yet where I would abandon road cycling, but road conditions in my part of SE England are certainly detracting more. As BB King said, "The thrill is gone..."
However, whilst drivers are often the cause, local authorities have to shoulder a lot of blame also as I spend as much, if not more time worrying about potholes and other dangerous road damage, or ludicrous 'traffic calming' measures that deliberately introduce congestion, conflict and danger between road users. In addition, roads have become significantly busier due to housing development.
In contrast, I am lucky enough to cycle a lot in west Wales, where drivers are generally courteous, cautious and the relatively quiet roads are like billiard tables.
I know many people who choose not to ride on roads and stay off-road due to safety concerns. Around Warwickshire we're blessed with some beautiful countryside and mostly 'reasonable'ish' tarmac (in comparison to other places in the UK I've ridden). Sometimes it seems there are hoards of happy cyclists out and about and I can see why that might mean more frustrated entitled drivers.
I think I must average 1:1 ratio, rides to dickheads.. at least. Earlier this year I had an exceptional morning which genuinely shook me and made me just want to get home, very close passes, abuse, being driven at head on on narrow lanes, squeezed into a verge it was the worst ride ever, maybe six or more individual incidents which scared me.
I'm lucky enough to live near Steyning in the South Downs so have the choice of almost unlimited off road trails and some pretty quiet roads to ride on. I do about the same time on each, but because my mtb is ancient and heavy it's slower, so the distances are less.
I don't think drivers are any better or worse than before lockdown. Some of them take the time and care to pass you properly, some of them only avoid running you over because they don't want to scratch their cars, and most are in between.
I do think more about the type of roads I am using, and the time of day I use them. I personally think the close pass on a relaxing Sunday morning ride is less forgiveable than during rush hour. Why do drivers take risks when presumably they aren't in a rush to get to work?
About a year ago, on a narrow country lane, an oncoming car deliberately forced me off the road, I punctured and crashed. And it was raining. The scumbag stopped about 50m up the road, but as soon as I started to get up, he sped off. I then bought a cheap camera to use, but it is close to useless on all but perfect days at gentle speeds on smooth roads. The battery only lasted just over an hour, and as most of my rides are longer than that, I was always wondering which bit of the ride to film in case a nutter tried to kill me. I also didn't lime spending time viewing the footage, and editing it if anything was worth while. For me, the camera was taking away some of the fun of riding.
My lane speedster stopped around the corner; whether it was out of guilt or to check they hadn't hit me I don't know as I just cycled on as I couldn't bear one of those pointless conversations/disagreements that ensue. I'm in my metal box therefore I'm superior and wiser than all other road users!
Its funny how different people have different perspectives. The group of lads I ride with and I were just commenting on Saturday about how much nicer the drivers seem to be this year?
I don't know if it is a geographical thing (we are Suffolk based) but all the drivers seem to be more courteous & give us plenty of space if possible.
We always as a matter of course go to single file when drivers approach and always give them a friendly thumbs up if they wait to pass us. I don't know if that has helped?
My commutes into work on the busier roads is always a bit more stressful, but even then, they feel more forgiving then they did last year.
Only ever had one bad instance where a driver in a Land Rover to exception to us being on the road and steered into us....then got out of the car and started remonstrating with us. Though, he soon changed his tune when a) he realised how many of us there were and b) most of my mates and riding companions are in the police force.
iIknow it is is different for everyone but it really feels, for us at least, that the roads might be a little bit safer??? *Touches wood*
Depends on the bit of Suffolk you ride in, Ipswich is fairly rubbish & hostile to cycle in most of the time & there are plenty of roads you'd avoid cycling on in some parts of the county,but then you can easily ride to places where you feel like you are literally the only person for miles around.
I bike through Ipswich for my commute, always a little 'hair-raising' but generally ok.
Did increase my route length though so that I wouldn't have to cycle on the A137 or London Rd (old A12) as I just don't feel safe on them.
I was heading out in the car (+ 2 others & bikes) to a cycling meet-up (on a weekend) and came across a club ride; 15ish riders all strung out so it was v difficult to overtake; hence a significant tailback of cars. One of our group remarked this was bad club riding (I wasn't sure what else the riders could do) but they said that they should be in pairs (abreast) leaving gaps to allow the cars to overtake (hop between gaps); must admit I hadn't heard that one before but they do ride weekly with a large local club so I wasn't going to disagree. The cars were being pretty patient (ref overtaking) but I did think that mid-week (cue the commuters) that wouldn't have been the case!
definety 2 up to keep the group length short, not so sure on the splitting up. quite happy for a group to be 10 strong, once it reaches 20 (oh for a club run to be that big) then its probably better to be in 2 groups and by that size there is probably a natural split for a slow and fast group. With 15 riders its kinda in the middle.
I think the worst is a group that is split into lots of 1s 2s and 3s with 4 or 5 bike lengths between them.
the worst I have seen was a an entry level triathlon with staggered starts (for the swim leg in a pool) and the bike leg had about 3 miles where the out and in legs were on the same road, there were riders everywhere at everyspeed (from TT bikes to mountain bikes) all 2-3 lengths apart on both sides of the road. I was in the car and had quick riders wanting past while I didn't want to overtake with oncoming riders obvs
There are 2 pieces of equipment that I would turn back for should I have forgotten them and was more than 5 minutes into a ride of any duration. My gloves and at least a rear facing camera.
The roads are only dangerous due to the tiny but significant minority of motorists who are either fundamentally incompetent at driving or who apparently see punishing any cyclist they come across for infractions imagined or real or even just for having the cheek to cycle on the public highway, as their God given duty.
This sort of behaviour is all too common: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS1Rnwjzdl4 and it is condoned regularly by vicious arsehats in main stream media looking for new victims to bully in an age of protected characteristics.
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