Saw a bike get wedged in between two vans the other day. Sitting in some traffic with two white vans in front. No where to go as the DL-1000 is too wide to squeeze through the gap. A biker behind me gets a bit inpatient and squeezes his bike in between the vans and then realises he can’t get through. Tries to frantically peddle backwards but it’s too late, both vans pull off and nearly crush sad biker. Biker was unhurt but pride and bike dented.
I’ve had a few near misses myself recently, some of them my fault, so am trying to compile a list of things I shouldn’t do on the daily commute. The list, which I had been guilty of doing on an almost daily basis, as it stands so far
Don’t squeeze into gaps you aren’t sure you can get out of.
Do not overtake when there is a right hand turn even if cars in front aren’t indicatiing. (This one nearly had me off coming through Brixton yesterday).
Don’t try and keep up with the bike in front when it is plainly obvious they are a more competent rider then you.
Don’t feel like you need to overtake everything just because you’re on a bike.
Don’t squeeze up the inside of large vehicles as they are about to turn left! (Very scary !)
Tried sticking to these rules this morning and it took a bit of discipline but funnily enough it didn’t slow my journey down at all.
With the number of accidents I hear about every day I may be getting paranoid that I’m due an off anyday. If anyone has any other rules that may keep me out of hospital feel free to add to the list.
It’s a good idea. You have to ride how you see fit, accoridng to whatever rules you think apply. I’d suggest things I’ve learned from the past 16 months commuting across town but who’s going to listen. I see people doing things that I’d think more than twice about doing - half expecting to see them lying in the road a few moments later. I apply my own similar rules these days.
I got knocked off turning right in a filter lane, same as if I’d been overtaking. You can’t wait for the turn to get in to the lane - then you’re just asking to be rear ended. I watched a guy on a CBR600 overtake there a few weeks back. I really wanted to tell him to be careful, I’m sure he’d have scoffed at me.
Excellent advice, particularly the one about other road users not indicating before turning left or right, sigh!!! Apparently indicators are for decoration only, similar to xmas tree lights really.
Don’t try to get in front of a bus at a traffic light when it turns green before you get there and you might run the risk of getting squeezed between the bus, and a traffic island. Hang back instead and get behind the bus.
Quite common situation, and quite severe if you’re too greedy.
Hear hear. Once got a bit too tight between 2 white vans coming down the A4 at about 20 mph. It was THE scariest thing ever and I’ve never done it since. I swear one of them pulled in on me tho’.
I would add to the list: In (even very) slow moving traffic approaching a roadabout, don’t be tempted to filter. Stick to your lane.
self - discipline and slf preservation are paramount if you want to stay alive.
your a long time dead, don’t bring it forward .
Tip i can pass onto you is LGV’s…when following a car in lane 3 of a motorway back off when you catch up with an LGV in lane 2…let the car go first and clear the length of the LGV
Make sure there is a space ahead in lane 3 for you to go to, that way if anything happens (load falls off,shreds tyre etc) you can accellerate out of it
It isn’t a nice place to be between a truck and armco and a car up your backside and nowhere to go…
Along with these excellent tips, I would add courtesy. As Jay has said in another post, Karma - and I’m sure it works.
If you give a wave or nod of thanks to a car driver you’ve got in front of in a queue, they’ll more often than not give you extra space when you pull away, or back off when its moving traffic.
Good and bad will has a tendency to spread. Spread some good will, and everyone will benefit.
Having said that, it doesn’t mean that some people don’t deserve a bl**dy good slap
Now taken to screaming at them - “You kept that a bl***y secret didn’t you!”.
I would also add to other comments that just beacuse you have a green light does not mean an idiot on a bicycle will actually accept that traffic laws apply to them as well and stop when they should, likewise pedestrian crossings are also fair game as bicycle crossings so they do not feel teh need to wait for a pause and just ride straight across irrespective of what might be coming.
I have felt the urge once twice… well a fair bit, to when at the lights and a pesky peddle bike tries to squese between me and the curb or car, to spead my arms wide as if i am streaching and see him 1. go flying into curb 2. into car 3. into my hand. Horrid i am i know.
Think I see an innovations-type gap in the market though! You remember the old-style indicators that would flip out from the sides of the cars, well how about an angel-wing style attachment that you strap on your back which, on the press of the button gives the driver behind either a thumbs up or a finger!
Don’t filter too close to a line of stationary traffic. One of the cars may hate bikers and open a door, or there could be a suicidal lemming, sorry pedestrian, walking between the stopped traffic and they won’t be looking in the direction you are coming from.
I had a great one yesterday… with a Honda Civic… he cut across me without indicating - or looking… so I gently pull up next to him at the lights… do the wind down window action… . which he does at which point I politely point out his indicators are broken… to which he replies… really… bloody hell… I then point out there’s coppers ahead doing a spot check you want to be careful… so he pulls in and then tests them! ha ha ha!
At lights a lot of it is about timing. If you know they have just turned red (against you) then you know you probably have time to filter to the front/ get between that bus and trafic island.
If you dont know how long they have been red then proceed with caution.
Only other thing to add is cabbies (of the black taxi variety). However badly behaved and arrogant they seem, they will always (usually? back down in the event of any potential contact - they hate to get their shiny paintwork scratched.
, likewise pedestrian crossings are also fair game as bicycle crossings so they do not feel teh need to wait for a pause and just ride straight across irrespective of what might be coming.