How brave are you?

Off-topic
21

The cyclist in the above film was okay, as far as I know.

22
The cyclist in the above film was okay, as far as I know. Jay
Correct, you can see him towards the end of the video on the far left road corner.  No doubt wondering how the hell he got away with it.
23

Cyclists… occasionally one will surprise you.

I was at the lights the other day, at the front no cars were behind me, well before stop line. Indicating left.

Cyclist pulled up on my left slightly behind.

Lights go green.

He only let me go first! 

I was shocked. I was expecting him to come round in front of me, from my left and turn right.

24

There are plenty of decent, law abiding cyclists around. Just let down by a minority of idiots

25
There are plenty of decent, law abiding cyclists around. Just let down by a minority of idiots Jim1974
Minority ??
26

Tiny minority - I rarely see cyclists doing stupid stuff and I can’t ever remember one doing something that posed a danger to me. I see cars, vans, buses, trucks do dangerous (to me) stuff every day, without fail.

I certainly don’t see any evidence of cyclists being any more reckless than any other group on the whole.

27
I certainly don't see any evidence of cyclists being any more reckless than any other group on the whole. monkimark
+1
28

I cycle in to work most days. I have to have a go at someone roughly once a week, and it is almost always because someone is beeping at me for being in the road in a position which they believe is wrong.
“You are in the road! Yes…?”
“You are on a bicycle, so I have right of way! No…?”
“I can’t get past you! We are both stuck in gridlock traffic, you utter cuntweasel.”

The problem is that there are so many people adhering to their own interpretation, that fallout is inevitable when those interpretations clash. I would love occasional public service announcements that just generally remind people of the basics: what the speed limit is, what the road markings mean, how roundabout priority works, etc. I was truly shocked when on a speed awareness course at just how many people are clueless about the rules of the road.

29
The problem is that there are so many people adhering to their own interpretation, that fallout is inevitable when those interpretations clash. whereisgibson
Very true.

I once got run into by a taxi who got alongside me as i was cycling at about 20mph and then sharply braked and pulled into the kerb when he spotted a fare.
He genuinely believed that I should have got out of the way (which I was trying to do incidentally) and that he had done nothing wrong because he had used his indicator before nearly crushing me.

30

ah, “the I was indicating” therefore I can do what I like execuse…

31
Why tf would they put themselves in such a stupid position??? Janey
Because that's where the piss poor cycle infrastructure puts them.

Try it. Try cycling in London. The painted “cycle lane” is in the gutter, there is a line of stationary motors, where is the bike supposed to go? If you squeeze across the stationary motors and filter down their offside you will be left stranded once they move - cyclists can’t twist their wrists like we can. Once stranded like that you will have impatient drivers behind screaming “get outta the fcuking way”. So you get back into the gutter and find yourself on the inside of another queue. What do you do? You carry on in the “cycle lane” and it brings you to the situation the OP describes.

There is a problem with drivers, and it’s implicit in the OP’s post. Even though he was careful to observe what was going on around him - and I applaud him for that - he seems to think “I was still indicating left” absolves him from responsibility and passes it onto others. It does not. The Highway Code is very clear, if you are changing direction it is YOUR responsibility to look out for other road users. The cyclists in the incident described had every right to go straight, the vehicle turning is the one which has to take care.

32
"You are in the road! Yes...?" "You are on a bicycle, so I have right of way! No...?" "I can't get past you! We are both stuck in gridlock traffic, you utter cuntweasel." whereisgibson
I get this regularly. I even had a case of it when cycling side by side with my 7 year old daughter taking her to school. We cycle, as much as we can on quiet back streets. On one typical London street, fat cars parked both sides, no space to pull in, no space to overtake, a school-run mum in a fat Volvo SUV started blaring at us to get out of her way. When the road widened and she passed us, she wound down her window, slowed down and shouted the usual crap about "not cycling in the middle of the road" - although how her fat car was going to pass us in any case was lost on her.

After we caught up with her and passed her at the next queue of cars, my daughter turned to me and asked in all innocence: “why was she angry, every one is in the middle of the road?”

33
There is a problem with drivers, and it's implicit in the OP's post. Even though he was careful to observe what was going on around him - and I applaud him for that - he seems to think "I was still indicating left" absolves him from responsibility and passes it onto others. It does not. The Highway Code is very clear, if you are changing direction it is YOUR responsibility to look out for other road users. The cyclists in the incident described had every right to go straight, the vehicle turning is the one which has to take care.M Michael748
I disagree with this slightly.... If the situation were that both parties were side by side, then the one on the right would need to make sure its clear.

However if instead one parties was ahead, indicated left, moved slightly left started braking for the corner to turn. Then a cyclist undertook… That’s clearly the cyclists fault. This is assuming that there was a good enough gap between the two; i.e the first person didn’t race infront, then slam on brakes to turn left. Anybody who does that kind of overtake is an idiot (and I include myself when I did that once; not that same situation, but similar enough to include myself.)

I wouldn’t cycle in London at all for to reasons: I’m not a strong enough pedal cyclist (i’m ok fitness wise) + don’t like the safety aspects of it… I started motorcycling after getting tired of cycling to the train station, and even though it was 3 miles each, the amount of unwarranted abuse was ridiculous.

34

I THINK the majority of the cyclist fail on one major subject, and that is LOOK BEFORE YOU MOVE.  i can count on one hand the times i’ve seen any of them doing it before changing position.

35
There are plenty of decent, law abiding cyclists around. Just let down by a minority of idiots Jim1974
Minority ?? Wise
Yer I'm with wise on this!!!!

it is far more than just a minority

36

There isn’t a need for cyclists to learn the highway code so they may not be aware of what the indication is a warning. As a lot of them ride due to high transport costs and low wages, TFL should condider free CBT for them to ride London streets.

37

There is a need for all road users to read the Highway Code

38

Reading it is not the issue … its using the information given and adhering to the relevant parts is what is the greater issue is as its not just cyclists that chance it,it’s every road user

39

I was told by a friend who is a retired police officer that the highway code is not a law but a guideline. Don’t know if it’s true but I drive like I don’t own the road and I’m quite willing to give way if it helps the flow of traffic.
I will admit that twenty year old me would be spinning in his grave at the next statement.
I think that getting rid of traffic police was a massive mistake because people don’t fear being caught and punished so they will drive like a moron

40
There are plenty of decent, law abiding cyclists around. Just let down by a minority of idiots Jim1974
Minority ?? Wise
Yer I'm with wise on this!!!!

it is far more than just a minority

The Sleeper
Agreed, I walk upto 20km a day in London, and the vast minority are the ones who stop at red lights.  I was see pedestrian crossing yesterday that the people crossing had to move out the way because three cyclists refused to stop at the red light and forced their way through.

No that it is just the cyclists, I was nearly hit by a idiot in a Ford Fiesta, as he turned left at a junction into the road that I was crossing.  I have a green light, and the sign he drove past to turn left says no right turn, no left turn, straight a head only.  I got a few choice words thrown at me for not looking where I’m going.  And earlier in the week I was a motorcycle courier approaching a red light, promptly crossed the opposite lane, mount the pavement, ride round the corner, carried on for 50 metres, before crossing back on to the road.

This is want happens when:

a) traffic officers are remove

b) police numbers are reduced

c) police budgets are hacked

d) CPS has no desire to prosecute.