Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Why do people ride in the middle of the Wightman Road?
Coming down Wightman this afternoon a woman behind me a woman was honking and when she eventually passed she had her window wound down and shouted something about staying closer to the kerb.
The reason I ride in the middle of the lane is when it's not safe to pass. I'm in front of you and higher up, so can see further ahead. I can see oncoming cars and cyclists, so I know if you pass me you'd be putting your and their lives in danger as well as mine.
If it looks safe to pass I usually pull in a bit - many drivers don't seem to know how wide their vehicle is and pass too closely. Most of the time it isn't safe though, the chicanes and hills mean that visibility is usually not good. The chicanes are there to slow cars down, it may well have done that overall but cars still speed up when overtaking cyclists, just like they used to do around the pedestrian refuge islands.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by H on
-
A fun experiment is to put a camera on your helmet... it's amazing how all of a sudden drivers leave plenty of room when overtaking. It's almost as if they know they should leave space, and simply choose not to...
-
Permalink Reply by tigha on
-
Such a good post, and hope all. car drivers ho aren’t cyclists read this
All cyclists who have been on cycle training, will have been taught to take their space on the road. I learnt the hard way, not doing this. Car over took me, as the wind blew and I wobbled. His wing mirror caught me, and I sustained a fractured skull. I always have free insurance wth the LCC, and I got a very large pay out in compensation. No conciliation mind
we dont cycle in the middle of the road to be provocative, but if there isn’t room to pass we do, to save our lives. Also passing parked cars. Get so fed up with drivers yelling at me to move over, as they pass. Doh
but yes some cyclists do just randomly cycle in the middle of the road, but then they aren’t so. common
-
Permalink Reply by Cat A on
-
I'm sorry that happened to you. It sounds deeply unpleasant.
It's the arrogance behind close passes that really gets me. It's essentially saying that, as a cyclist, your life is less valuable than a perceived 5 minute delay to a driver. And I say perceived because all the studies show that cyclist average speed in London is the same or higher than drivers, so most of the time it's just about how long it takes to get to the next traffic light, where the cyclist probably catches up anyway
-
-
Average car speed in inner London - so including Haringey - is 11.6mph-12.5mph (As of October last year). I can't find any official figures for average cycling speed, but anecdotally most people say they're between 12mph and 15mph on their commute (I average 13mph when cycling into Central).
It's not the bikes slowing cars down!
I can't tell you the number of times I've been subjected to a close pass, only to catch up to the driver in a matter of minutes (sometimes seconds) as they sit in a queue of traffic/at lights.
-
Permalink Reply by PaulG on
-
By impeding drivers’ progress you are slowing them down, albeit only temporarily. That can lead to frustration which can lead to risky behaviour. Contrarily, assuming the centre of the road only when necessary and pulling to the left where possible lets the cars get out from behind you and surely increases goodwill between drivers and cyclists. Really, it’s just good manners.
-
-
Hahaha. I'll show good manners when drivers (all of them) show me good manners by not close passing me, aggressively tailing me and giving me abuse for going about my day.
"good manners". Absolute poppycock.
-
-
-
"If you didn't make me feel frustrated I wouldn't drive unsafely" is good logic there, pal.
Reminds me of dad saying he wouldn't have to get the belt if I just stopped annoying him.
-
-
-
You genuinely think being temporarily inconvenienced is an excuse for risky behaviour? That's nothing more than impatience.
Instead of suggesting how people cycle, you should probably pay some attention to the highway code.
-
-
Permalink Reply by Nicky on
-
Not me!! It all sounds right.
How fast can you go on wightman road in a car anyway??
And the idea that cyclists should be worrying about whether the car driver behind them is being frustrated is ridiculous. They’re on a bike. I’m in a two tonne metal box. I can wait. No Brainer really.
-
Permalink Reply by Andy Rushton on
-
An article on this from Cycling Weekly:
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/latest-news/why-do-cyclists-ride...
Also, according to the highway code, the vehicle in front has right of way over vehicles behind, no-one has a 'right' to overtake any vehicle and when overtaking *must* guarantee the safety of the people being overtaken. Amazing how many people don't know this basic code especially when the vehicle is a bike.
-
Permalink Reply by Mavic Starfish on
-
Good article - covers the main points, in particular potholes / gutters and car doors - SMIDSY (sorry mate I didn't see you), However, another reason I avoid riding in the gutters / near the kerb is tha all the deitrus/ thorns/ stones/ leaves etc gets washed to the side after it rains and you're more likely to skid or get a puncture.
© 2024 Created by Hugh.
Powered by
