Sorry – the rule is that if you are on a BIKE you should be on the road!
The ‘Highway Code’ is not itself the law but can be used in court, as contravention of the rules therin IS covered in some law.
HC rule 54 states: ‘You MUST NOT cycle on a pavement. Do not leave your cycle where it would endanger or obstruct road users or pedestrian, for example lying on the pavement. Use cycle parking facilities where they are provided.’ (Laws HA 1835 sect 72 & R(S)A sect 129)
So we have a RIGHT to use the road and a motorist’s failing to allow us space is illegal!
Note: to have a right to this law, we must observe the laws of the road ourselves and not jump red lights, etc!
The HC goes on to make clear that we need to use any cycle routes provided and legal cases I have heard of typically use this against a cyclist that is ‘at fault’ for failing to use the cycle path/lane when a motor hits them
I didn’t say anything about riding on pavements, what are you on about?
A recent Department for Transport document advised: “As a general rule, if you want to cycle quickly, say in excess of 18 mph/30 kph, then you should be riding on the road.“
What the Highway Code actually says about cycle lanes etc. is: Cycle Routes and Other Facilities. Use cycle routes, advanced stop lines, cycle boxes and toucan crossings unless at the time it is unsafe to do so. Use of these facilities is not compulsory and will depend on your experience and skills, but they can make your journey safer.
Al I was doing is pointung out that in the HC ALL cycling should be off the footpath unless otherwise directed.
Too many motorists think that they actually own the road and cyclists have no right there.
The HC, as far as I know, doesn’t say we NEED to use cycle lanes provided, just that we CAN. (sorry, the caps make it look like I’m shouting, I’m just trying to add emphasis). Cyclists have the right to ride on the road and, especially if they judge the road to be a safer option than glass-strewn cycle lanes, they are perfectly entitled to do so and should ride assertively where possible.
re: the ‘Exeter Express’ cutting you posted – ‘But there’s something about a man on a bike that turns their minds to mush. ‘
This statement tells us all about the author. A motorist who wants us off the roads….
Note that the article was posted by ‘By Paul Nero, managing director of Exeter FM.’ who might just possibly have written this deliberately to boost readership etc?
MartynSouter wrote a good comment in reply and added ‘I can only suggest that anyone else who finds these remarks both stupid and out of order boycott companies that advertise on Exeter FM and make sure those companies know why you won’t use them‘ Yes indeed – that would hurt the paper because it printed the views of a misguided writer…
It’s not just motorists who “don’t see you”. I once had a pedestrian cross the street and broadside me as I was passing him, even though I saw him look my way before crossing, and I gave him a wide berth. When we both got up, he claimed not to have seen me, even though I know he was looking straight in my direction before he crossed. “I wasn’t looking for bicycles”, or some such rubbish, he said.
People tend to see what they’re expecting to see. I myself have had the experience (more than once) of looking all over the house for a misplaced item, such as a book, only to find that it was sitting in plain sight the whole time, but I didn’t “see” it because, for instance, I thought it was red when it actually was blue. Drivers and pedestrians are looking for motor vehicles and other pedestrians, and so their minds don’t register things they aren’t expecting to see.
A fun game I used to play before digital watches came along was to wait until someone looked at his watch, then immediately ask him what time it was. Almost invariably the person would look at his watch again before answering. That’s because most of us usually look at our watches to see how much time we have left, rather than to see what time it is. With an analog watch it’s easy to look at the positions of the hands and see “I have 15 minutes left” without consciously noticing “It’s 2:45 pm.” So when someone asks the time, we have to look again. The trick doesn’t work as often with digital watches because we’re more likely to notice and remember the time when we see the actual numbers. (I still wear an analog watch without numbers on the face, so this trick probably would work on me quite easily.)
Hah, love the idea! However, nearly all instances of “I didn’t see you” really are something that a cyclist has the power to change. Here’s some awesome animations on how to prevent the “left cross” collisions. Nearly all “I didn’t see you” situations are avoidable by the cyclists by simply changing lane positioning and behaving like a vehicle instead of a pedestrian.
Regardless of lighting or where I’m riding, I always assume that I’m invisible and stay ready to avoid the cars rather than expecting them to avoid me. In fact, I do the same when driving, which has helped me avoid numerous collisions. I can’t count the number of times I’ve moved my car from the left lane to the center lane, only to have a car in the right lane decide to move to the center without noticing that I’m alreading coming into the center lane from the left. But since I’m watching that car on the right and EXPECTING the driver to make that boneheaded move, I have time to sound the horn and/or alter my own course before a collision occurs.
Actually, changing lanes is the usual move. If you are going from point A to point B, and they are not along the same road, the shortest path is a diaganol between the two points. The usual approximation is alternating lefts and rights along the fastest roads or the road that are diaganol in the direction you are travelling.
You make a right turn, change lanes to the left lane, make a left turn, change lanes to the right lane, restart with the right turn, until you reach your destination. The real trouble comes when traffic is so busy it is hard to change lanes, or you forget and turn across other lanes.
Going North, then East, then North, then East, etc is exactly the same distance as going all the way North, then all the way East, with only one turn. While it keeps you close to the diagonal line, it doesn’t save you any distance the way that a diagonal line would – none at all.
when I’m driving, the bikes I don’t see are always doing something illegal. Screaming out on the right hand side from the sidewalk when I’m turning left, for instance. One looks right, checks the sidewalk for moving obstacles, expecting them to be visible if they’re close enough to reach the intersection (assuming a walking pace), then turns to the traffic in the road which is generally far more concerning, watching to the left before entering the roadway. Luckily I’ve never had an impact from this but I’ve had some startles as I turn back and start driving and see a blur fly past my back bumper to resolve into yet another black-clad man on a stripped out 80s reject bike.
IM (always) HO our position on the road surface makes a huge difference in being noticed, even more so than our costumes or, perhaps, even daytime lighting. When riding far right I need to exercise even greater caution at all intersections than needed when taking the lane. Drivers naturally check the area of greatest threat and that’s not the sky, sidewalk or gutter. Does this mean I have done something wrong if a driver pulls right in front of me when I’m lane sharing? Not at all. It just helps keeps me riding safe and happy.
Yes it does. I wear a medium to long length skirt when riding my Biria to work. Between that and the huge “safety orange” flags I have on the back – I’m seen and given a wide berth!
I’ve been bike commuting for about ten years now, and have all the retina-searing lights, reflectors, etc, but my cold weather jacket is a dark color and, now that we’re flirting with the ‘teens, I’m wearing that a lot. So I did something outrageous: I went to the hardware store and bought a $10 safety vest, like the road crews wear. Hi-vis yellow, 2″ 3M reflective striping all over, and an easy velcro closure. That goes right over the jacket and never comes off. It’s only been a few days, but I swear I’m being given more room by passing drivers than before. The plus, of course, is that even Ray Charles could see me now, and there can be no believable excuse for SMIDSY.
I have to balance my desire not to be run over with my naturally-strong desire to be no more conspicuous than absolutely necessary. So I settle for an extremely bright white light on the front, a bright red blinker on the rear, and blinking valve caps (yellow on the front wheel, red on the rear wheel), plus pedal and wheel reflectors. My setup works well for me, except that the valve caps are motion-activated and stop blinking when I come to a complete stop, reducing my side visibility. So before starting off from a dead stop at a STOP sign or traffic light I swing the bars back and forth a couple of times. That sweeps the headlight beam from side to side across the intersection and makes certain that drivers on the side roads are aware of my presence. Once I begin moving the valve caps start blinking again.
When I did th kitty-litter bucket panniers one of the people I share a house with had some license plates the needed to be rendered unusable for a motor vehicle, so I cut one end off and bolted them to the back of the buckets with a red reflector stuck in the middle of them. I get passed very wide at night.
My spidey senses are tingling….
I want to try that.
The trunk bag is off the bike?
It’s on the front?
There is a front rack bag and normaly a rear trunk bag, from the begining.
In the UK they see you but think it’s their right to run you off the road. A recent example: http://bit.ly/z9feBn
(bear in mind that in the UK the law is if you are cycling at more than 18mph you are to use the road).
Sorry – the rule is that if you are on a BIKE you should be on the road!
The ‘Highway Code’ is not itself the law but can be used in court, as contravention of the rules therin IS covered in some law.
HC rule 54 states: ‘You MUST NOT cycle on a pavement. Do not leave your cycle where it would endanger or obstruct road users or pedestrian, for example lying on the pavement. Use cycle parking facilities where they are provided.’ (Laws HA 1835 sect 72 & R(S)A sect 129)
So we have a RIGHT to use the road and a motorist’s failing to allow us space is illegal!
Note: to have a right to this law, we must observe the laws of the road ourselves and not jump red lights, etc!
The HC goes on to make clear that we need to use any cycle routes provided and legal cases I have heard of typically use this against a cyclist that is ‘at fault’ for failing to use the cycle path/lane when a motor hits them
I didn’t say anything about riding on pavements, what are you on about?
A recent Department for Transport document advised: “As a general rule, if you want to cycle quickly, say in excess of 18 mph/30 kph, then you should be riding on the road.“
What the Highway Code actually says about cycle lanes etc. is: Cycle Routes and Other Facilities. Use cycle routes, advanced stop lines, cycle boxes and toucan crossings unless at the time it is unsafe to do so. Use of these facilities is not compulsory and will depend on your experience and skills, but they can make your journey safer.
Al I was doing is pointung out that in the HC ALL cycling should be off the footpath unless otherwise directed.
Too many motorists think that they actually own the road and cyclists have no right there.
The HC, as far as I know, doesn’t say we NEED to use cycle lanes provided, just that we CAN. (sorry, the caps make it look like I’m shouting, I’m just trying to add emphasis). Cyclists have the right to ride on the road and, especially if they judge the road to be a safer option than glass-strewn cycle lanes, they are perfectly entitled to do so and should ride assertively where possible.
re: the ‘Exeter Express’ cutting you posted – ‘But there’s something about a man on a bike that turns their minds to mush. ‘
This statement tells us all about the author. A motorist who wants us off the roads….
Note that the article was posted by ‘By Paul Nero, managing director of Exeter FM.’ who might just possibly have written this deliberately to boost readership etc?
MartynSouter wrote a good comment in reply and added ‘I can only suggest that anyone else who finds these remarks both stupid and out of order boycott companies that advertise on Exeter FM and make sure those companies know why you won’t use them‘ Yes indeed – that would hurt the paper because it printed the views of a misguided writer…
In the UK we call motorists who ‘didn’t see you SMIDSY. Sorry Mate I Didn’t See You. http://www.stop-smidsy.org.uk/
Can we borrow “SMIDSY” for use here in the States?
I have another solution – bubble riding!
http://chillikebab.wordpress.com/2011/01/04/bubble-riding/
highly recommended for increased visibility…
Fairy lights are great too.
I know that people notice my bike. It gets photographed quite often (by people in the city, including both pedestrians and car passengers).
Dear, @Foska_Com could I please have…..
It’s not just motorists who “don’t see you”. I once had a pedestrian cross the street and broadside me as I was passing him, even though I saw him look my way before crossing, and I gave him a wide berth. When we both got up, he claimed not to have seen me, even though I know he was looking straight in my direction before he crossed. “I wasn’t looking for bicycles”, or some such rubbish, he said.
People tend to see what they’re expecting to see. I myself have had the experience (more than once) of looking all over the house for a misplaced item, such as a book, only to find that it was sitting in plain sight the whole time, but I didn’t “see” it because, for instance, I thought it was red when it actually was blue. Drivers and pedestrians are looking for motor vehicles and other pedestrians, and so their minds don’t register things they aren’t expecting to see.
A fun game I used to play before digital watches came along was to wait until someone looked at his watch, then immediately ask him what time it was. Almost invariably the person would look at his watch again before answering. That’s because most of us usually look at our watches to see how much time we have left, rather than to see what time it is. With an analog watch it’s easy to look at the positions of the hands and see “I have 15 minutes left” without consciously noticing “It’s 2:45 pm.” So when someone asks the time, we have to look again. The trick doesn’t work as often with digital watches because we’re more likely to notice and remember the time when we see the actual numbers. (I still wear an analog watch without numbers on the face, so this trick probably would work on me quite easily.)
It is called http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inattentional_blindness , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahg6qcgoay4 is a good example. 25% of the people do not see the 7th person.
Hah, love the idea! However, nearly all instances of “I didn’t see you” really are something that a cyclist has the power to change. Here’s some awesome animations on how to prevent the “left cross” collisions. Nearly all “I didn’t see you” situations are avoidable by the cyclists by simply changing lane positioning and behaving like a vehicle instead of a pedestrian.
Regardless of lighting or where I’m riding, I always assume that I’m invisible and stay ready to avoid the cars rather than expecting them to avoid me. In fact, I do the same when driving, which has helped me avoid numerous collisions. I can’t count the number of times I’ve moved my car from the left lane to the center lane, only to have a car in the right lane decide to move to the center without noticing that I’m alreading coming into the center lane from the left. But since I’m watching that car on the right and EXPECTING the driver to make that boneheaded move, I have time to sound the horn and/or alter my own course before a collision occurs.
Actually, changing lanes is the usual move. If you are going from point A to point B, and they are not along the same road, the shortest path is a diaganol between the two points. The usual approximation is alternating lefts and rights along the fastest roads or the road that are diaganol in the direction you are travelling.
You make a right turn, change lanes to the left lane, make a left turn, change lanes to the right lane, restart with the right turn, until you reach your destination. The real trouble comes when traffic is so busy it is hard to change lanes, or you forget and turn across other lanes.
Going North, then East, then North, then East, etc is exactly the same distance as going all the way North, then all the way East, with only one turn. While it keeps you close to the diagonal line, it doesn’t save you any distance the way that a diagonal line would – none at all.
when I’m driving, the bikes I don’t see are always doing something illegal. Screaming out on the right hand side from the sidewalk when I’m turning left, for instance. One looks right, checks the sidewalk for moving obstacles, expecting them to be visible if they’re close enough to reach the intersection (assuming a walking pace), then turns to the traffic in the road which is generally far more concerning, watching to the left before entering the roadway. Luckily I’ve never had an impact from this but I’ve had some startles as I turn back and start driving and see a blur fly past my back bumper to resolve into yet another black-clad man on a stripped out 80s reject bike.
IM (always) HO our position on the road surface makes a huge difference in being noticed, even more so than our costumes or, perhaps, even daytime lighting. When riding far right I need to exercise even greater caution at all intersections than needed when taking the lane. Drivers naturally check the area of greatest threat and that’s not the sky, sidewalk or gutter. Does this mean I have done something wrong if a driver pulls right in front of me when I’m lane sharing? Not at all. It just helps keeps me riding safe and happy.
Hey that is a cool balaclava spidey. Are those tights made of Wool?
I find riding in a kilt always increases the local drivers awareness!
Yes it does. I wear a medium to long length skirt when riding my Biria to work. Between that and the huge “safety orange” flags I have on the back – I’m seen and given a wide berth!
John Forester and “Effective Cycling”. ’nuff said.
I’ve been bike commuting for about ten years now, and have all the retina-searing lights, reflectors, etc, but my cold weather jacket is a dark color and, now that we’re flirting with the ‘teens, I’m wearing that a lot. So I did something outrageous: I went to the hardware store and bought a $10 safety vest, like the road crews wear. Hi-vis yellow, 2″ 3M reflective striping all over, and an easy velcro closure. That goes right over the jacket and never comes off. It’s only been a few days, but I swear I’m being given more room by passing drivers than before. The plus, of course, is that even Ray Charles could see me now, and there can be no believable excuse for SMIDSY.
If you stick a ten inch by three inch blue panel printed with the word ‘PLEASE’ in white lettering on the back you get even more space from motons.
I have to balance my desire not to be run over with my naturally-strong desire to be no more conspicuous than absolutely necessary. So I settle for an extremely bright white light on the front, a bright red blinker on the rear, and blinking valve caps (yellow on the front wheel, red on the rear wheel), plus pedal and wheel reflectors. My setup works well for me, except that the valve caps are motion-activated and stop blinking when I come to a complete stop, reducing my side visibility. So before starting off from a dead stop at a STOP sign or traffic light I swing the bars back and forth a couple of times. That sweeps the headlight beam from side to side across the intersection and makes certain that drivers on the side roads are aware of my presence. Once I begin moving the valve caps start blinking again.
If you fit Schwalbe marathon tyres they have a reflective sidewall. Very Tron-like!
When I did th kitty-litter bucket panniers one of the people I share a house with had some license plates the needed to be rendered unusable for a motor vehicle, so I cut one end off and bolted them to the back of the buckets with a red reflector stuck in the middle of them. I get passed very wide at night.
Oh wow! Just stumbled across this last week:
http://www.podiumcycling.com/sites/default/files/SpiderMan.gif
You can really do it!
Excellent! Although that URL didn’t work for me, this one from the same site should: http://www.podiumcycling.com/cycling-jerseys/spiderman-inspired-cycling-skinsuit
As long as I’m already wearing spandex…