Road to nowhere

[j4]

The other day I posted about cycling, and included a fairly content-free gripe about the stupid things I see other road users do. Now it sometimes seems to be assumed that when cyclists say "other road users" in that tone of voice they mean car drivers; in fact, I meant exactly what I said: other people who use the roads. That's car drivers (and

Comments

[uitlander]

I frequently have this sort of debate with a colleague who's very active in the cycling campaign. In his books cyclists are always right, and others (especially drivers) wrong. I keep maintaining that part of the role of the campaign (of which I am also a member) should be to educate cyclists on subjects such as lights at night, red lights, one way streets, pavements, and signalling as they are also part of the problem. He's much more interested in taking photos of lorries unloading on double yellow lines.

Sharing the road

[damiancugley]

I stop at red lights, because that is the law, but I don’t entirely blame other cyclists for crossing when there is no motor traffic-it is safer then than waiting for the cars to be following you across the intersection.

I am somewhat bewildered by the sketchy or absent lights I see on many bikes around town-if you can afford the trendy jeans and iPod, surely you have enough cash to afford basic working lights that attach to the bike? On the other hand, from what I know of the circumstances of cycling fatalities in Oxford, none would have been saved by having bike lights on.

What annoys me most is unhelpful road layouts and cycle-hostile traffic-calming measures-which in Oxford should have been dealt with decades ago, but I guess gold-chased alabaster litter bins have higher priority.

Re: Sharing the road

[jinty]

I think cyclists should always stop at red lights not only because it's the law, but also because they will then be more predictable on the part of other road users. If you get some people who run a red light and others who don't then you have two lots of traffic to look out for, as a pedestrian.

If anything, I get more outraged by cyclists doing silly things than I do any other kind of road user. Though I do fear pedestrians who step out unexpectedly in front of cyclists, too.

[qatsi]

He's much more interested in taking photos of lorries unloading on double yellow lines.

"Waiting restrictions indicated by yellow lines apply to the carriageway, pavement and verge. You may stop to load or unload (unless there are also loading restrictions as described below) or while passengers board or alight. Double yellow lines mean no waiting at any time, unless there are signs that specifically indicate seasonal restrictions." (my emphasis)

In other words, unloading on a double-yellow line may be acceptable - it depends on the signage in the immediate environment. "Loading and unloading" is not, as I understand it, the same as "waiting" or "parking".

[damiancugley]

Oxford has an unusually high level of pedestrian entitlement syndrome, with students striding out in to the street magisterially expecting traffic to flow around them. But you have to assume pedestrians won’t be looking out for you anyway-because pedestrians includes children and people with impaired vision or movement.

A similar issue is bell-ringer entitlement syndrome, where ringing your bell entitles you to be on the wrong side of the road going around a blind corner at speed. This is much rarer because most bikes don’t have bells.

[jinty]

I want to put a bell on my pram to encourage people to stop blocking the pavement through incautious loitering on what should be a thoroughfare.

brilliant idea!

[cleanskies]

Octopus usually have some nice ones

[j4]

you have to assume pedestrians won’t be looking out for you anyway-because pedestrians includes children and people with impaired vision or movement.

True... though most of the pedestrians who walk out in front of me are doing so because they're turning round to talk to someone while texting, etc. :-} And the children who step out in front of me are usually being dragged by a parent who's on the phone at the time.

I am not sure why bikes bother having bells any more because EVERYBODY just has headphones on. I mean, I do have a bell, and I use it, but I used to get shouted at for using it, & now I really don't think anybody even hears it, I often have to resort to shouting "HEY!" instead.

[katstevens]

* not looking where they're going AT ALL, EVER

YES. I know the world is an interesting place to look at but DUDES please point your head in the same direction that you are travelling, just for a second. This also applies if you are pushing a trolley around Sainsburys. If people would just look in the same direction that they are moving instead of barging into stationary objects (ie ME) that would be LOVELY. See also: people casually walking backwards at crowded bus stops. The mind boggles.

[naath]

Pedestrians, I think, have more excuses. For instance it is allowed to be a pedestrian whilst blind, but not to drive a car...

[j4]

Being blind is a good excuse for not looking where you're going, yes. :-} But turning round to talk to someone while you step out into the road is a lousy excuse. And stepping off the pavement into the cycle lane to overtake other pedestrians without first checking there are no bikes about to run into you is just foolish!

[monkeyhands]

I think we have a culture of bad behaviour on the roads, and I believe this culture could be changed if there was the political will to do it.

In the meantime, I guess I'll carry on trying not to behave like a dickhead myself. My "One Less Dickhead" T-shirt is in the post.

[j4]

I believe this culture could be changed if there was the political will to do it.

I'd like to believe that that was true, but a) I really don't know how they'd do it, and b) I don't think there will ever be the will to try. I am bitter and cynical, though.

My "One Less Dickhead" T-shirt is in the post.

Fewer! :)

But, yeah, me too. I do try not to be a dick. I genuinely don't do any of the things on the lists above, and I am also trying to refrain from shouting at other people, or at least only to shout purely factual things ("That was a red light!" or "Your lights aren't working!") rather than rude things.

[monkeyhands]

I am also trying to refrain from shouting at other people, or at least only to shout purely factual things ("That was a red light!" or "Your lights aren't working!") rather than rude things.

I try too, although quite often it's "LOOK WHERE YOU'RE GOING!" which might be construed as rude. :)

A woman shouted "IT'S A LEVEL CROSSING!" at me on Friday when I rode across a level crossing. I was pissed off enough to start a shouting match but I just shouted "Sorry!" to give her the benefit of the doubt because I'm sure she saw things very differently from me.

(What annoyed me was that I'd smiled at her a micro-second before, as a gesture of solidarity for someone else visiting a sick person in hospital, and I am certain that the smile is what emboldened her to yell at me.)

OTOH maybe she was the hospital's new Pointing Out Features Czar, concerned that I'd ridden across the beautiful level crossing without seeing it.

[brrm]

A woman shouted "IT'S A LEVEL CROSSING!" at me on Friday when I rode across a level crossing

This made me curious (assuming you mean level crossing and not zebra crossing) - http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_069837 says you only have to dismount if there's a sign. I'm not sure I've ever cycled across a level crossing... does anyone know how common such signs are?