Cyclist narrowly avoids collision as lorry driver mounts bike lane to park in much-criticised infra; Spirit Halloween meme goes cycling; "Embarrassing farce": Fans unimpressed by Tour de France 'criterium'; Colbrelli retires + more on the live blog

You teach 'respect' in all cases except for drivers who don't have to respect vulnerable users, road traffic laws.

BTW we have loading bays in the UK

548 pedestrians were killed by drivers on pavements or verges in the past 13 years (at around 2020)

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/girl-killed-driver-moun...

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/delivery-driver-who-...

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/devastated-dad-slams-lo...

But hey, keep trolling

Rakia wrote:

I don't know what it is like in England, but we teach our children about how to cross the road safely, how to ride a bike safely, how to respect the traffic making important deliveries.

I'd be interested to see a comparison of your country's road fatality statistics vs the the UK if you actually encourage the above behaviour.

Rakia wrote:

We thank the delivery men for the job they do, for the supplies they provide to the local shops, for the value they provide to society.

So do we. But they don't get a free pass to ignore traffic laws and endanger other road users just to make their job a little easier.

Rakia wrote:

If they have to drive up onto a pavement to deliver their goods, so be it. It is no big deal, correct?

Incorrect. Objectively incorrect.

Rakia wrote:

Are you one of those people walking around with a clip board looking for trouble, like in Germany? I think yes.

You do realise why those "people with clipboards" exist, right? Every word of H&S legislation is written in human blood.

Rakia wrote:

I don't know what it is like in England

Yet on another thread you said you've lived in London for some time and you know that we are the rudest people in the world. Something's not adding up, it's almost like you're only posting to get a reaction…

Just in case of editing

Rakia wrote:

I don't know what it is like in England, but we teach our children about how to cross the road safely, how to ride a bike safely, how to respect the traffic making important deliveries.

We thank the delivery men for the job they do, for the supplies they provide to the local shops, for the value they provide to society.

If they have to drive up onto a pavement to deliver their goods, so be it. It is no big deal, correct? Are you one of those people walking around with a clip board looking for trouble, like in Germany? I think yes.

Seems like you find all Londoners rude and all Germans have clipboards and look for trouble.

You should have a look at yourself as you are clearly the problem

Rakia wrote:

...If they have to drive up onto a pavement to deliver their goods, so be it. It is no big deal, correct? Are you one of those people walking around with a clip board looking for trouble, like in Germany? I think yes.

Not sure about your country but in the U.K. it is a driving offence to drive over a pavement unless there is a dropped kerb to allow access to a property.  The Leith incident shows an HGV being driven onto a pavement.  A further 2 offences are committed by the driving and parking on a segregated shared use area.  The driver has also ignored the road markings which state no parking at any time and no unloading at any time. 

Gosh - busy day for the "cycling for everybody" internet task force!  You're asking about pragmatism, right?  In the UK what many people think is "pragmatic" for cycling is spending several thousand pounds on "the status quo but with the odd bike sign on a post / a painted line on the tarmac / two less parking spaces".  Or "change is permitted where it doesn't mean changes for drivers".

Thankfully someone else has explained what "pragmatism" for cycling looks like in somewhere where mass cycling exists (as opposed to the UK where it's still currently a dream).

http://www.aviewfromthecyclepath.com/2014/08/pragmatism-when-campaigners...

Rakia wrote:

I do not understand the complaining about the lorry on the cycling path. When I ride my bike I expect to react to hazards. When I drive my car I expect to react to hazards. When I walk my child to school I expect to react to hazards.

Why are people complaining about having to react to hazards? It is part of every day life.

Are you for real?

hawkinspeter wrote:

Are you for real?

No.

The nature of the hazard being a driver pulling onto a cycle path (where he's not supposed to be), over double-yellow lines, without looking probably has something to do with it.

So you're saying that if someone were to blindly pull into lane three of a motorway and park up to eat thier lunch, nobody should be complaining about that because it's "just part of life"? Or does this only hold true for cycle infra?

Most of us are capable of expecting to encounter hazards, but still not being thrilled when we do encounter one.

Not just double yellows, but double no unloading signs, and I can't decide how long after he started moving across he finally decided to signal, forcing another road user to brake and change direction, which is a test for driving without due consideration. 

I agree.  A lorry blocked the entire road near my house the other day.  No-one complained - we're all used to reacting to hazards.  Everyone just drove round it using the railway next to it.  No fuss.

That sounds silly, doesn't it?  Because of course cyclists can use the road too, or even get off and walk.  But most people don't cycle at all.  The vast majority are physically capable of cycling some of their journeys, right now.  Many even have a bike.  A single temporarily blocked cycle lane or bike path isn't the reason.  Why not then?  There aren't a network of routes which feel safe, pleasant and convenient.  There are a network of routes for driving which feel safer, more pleasant and more convenient.  The few actually adequate bike paths / lanes routes in existence - which have almost all required huge amounts of campaigning for each - are regularly downgraded by drivers parking / driving in them.

For a response similar to your one - e.g. just go round and don't fuss - see the article by BikeSnobNYC.  However also recognise that this is a middle-aged man who will cycle on regardless.  Indeed he's been cycling in New York and elsewhere in the US for decades.  It's also worth noting that New York is not a cycling mecca - despite the "Bike boom" stuff and lots of optimistic stats I can't find a current modal share but in 2013 commuting by bike had a massive 1% share.  But they have bike lanes - why could that be?

When I used to drive HGV's, I had absolutely no problem in blocking the road to unload. Even to the point where I was threatened with arrest.
To which my response was "go for it. Give me a moment to shut the curtains up. Move it out the way? What ... you want me to drive on the *footpath*. Nope ... you want it moved, you move it, and if you ain't got a C+E, you ain't getting the keys"

Other images show that this has double yellows and 2 bars ... if you read the HWC you might find out what that means.

Cycle paths exist for the safety of cyclists. A vehicle on the road indicating left where there is no left turn does not mean that they can mount the kerb and drive in a protected area.

Oldfatgit wrote:

A vehicle on the road indicating left where there is no left turn does not mean that they can mount the kerb and drive in a protected area.

This is an important point. I must admit, that I would have interpreted the left signal to mean the driver was intending to pull up at the side of the road. Them mounting the pavement and veering across the bike lane would probably have taken me surprise as well.

Rakia wrote:

I do not understand the complaining about the lorry on the cycling path. When I ride my bike I expect to react to hazards. When I drive my car I expect to react to hazards. When I walk my child to school I expect to react to hazards.

Why are people complaining about having to react to hazards? It is part of every day life.

Just fuck off already.

Yep - possibly the most common road crime - although driving on footway / illegal parking might top it.  So it's predicable that people aren't seeing the problem.  Witness the speed cameras / motorists are cash cows conversations too.

I'm surprised that anyone is surprised that these events are fixed.

I guess the difference is that the old Kermesse season that used to be when the Grand Tour winners got their pay day (having given their winnings from the big race to teammates) was a patchwork of independent races with no affiliation to the Tour. This particular rigged race appears to have been laid on by the ASO. Cue the conspiracy theorists that all cycles rces are fixed...

presumably the same folk will watch all the 6day track events and not raise a murmur

Awavey wrote:

presumably the same folk will watch all the 6day track events and not raise a murmur

 That bastion of fair play and honesty? Nobody's ever cut a deal there, surely?

Delaying other car drivers in the process.

Round a blind bend, on a road with a 50mph limit and double white lines, across a cross-roads.

I reckon the scooter rider is getting his own bike back!

It doesn't look like a high value bike that a bike thief would specifically target; more likely the scooter rider left this bike momentarily unattended and it got swiped by the tracksuit wearing oik. The aggrieved party then promptly hired a fortuitously placed rental scooter and a medium speed chase ensued!