My week as a cyclist - Confused.com

[cybernymph69]

I started riding a year ago in Leeds and I have had so many near misses it's scary. I have also been hit by someone trying to race me past a junction they wanted to turn into. I just wish drivers were more careful around cyclists and have a bit more thought when they are stuck in traffic by not pulling so close to the curb. I believe it should be made compulsory that everyone able should be made to cycle on the roads for 2 weeks before they pass their driving tests!

[seacowcorby]

For those advocating mandatory helmets for cyclists, I trust you'll sign my petition to make helmets mandatory for all motor vehicle occupants as well. Helmets for motorists will lead to significant improvements to crash survivability and improved accident outcomes.

[Jmziecoupe]

Also, I think "Russell" is being over optimistic.

[Jmziecoupe]

People in this country should take a look at how others drive in Italy and France and realise how good we have got it in this country.

[zivkovicable]

@Jmziecoupe Last year Paris recorded 0 cyclists deaths. Last week yet another cyclist was killed in London.

[RocketScientist79]

This video still doesn't address the issue from the proper cyclists persepctive. Half the time this guy was in the gutter which we simply don't do. Cyclecraft and the highway code says we don't belong in the gutter.

The bike lanes are utter crap. End too soon and often designed by someone who will get a bonus to his pay packet per extra metre he puts in. Poorly designed and most proper cyclists wont touch them!!

[thomase1]

The emergency stop was just a lack of forward planning tbh....but hey, not saying I've never missed something!

And...for some of the other issues Google AirZound :)

[lanzecki]

While a Helmet is a good idea, you will hit a car (or Vice Versa) with ya legs. Unless you are lying on the road after being knocked off and the next car along hits you then... Not that the helmet will do any good then. They are designed to protect the head from low speed impacts such as falling off ya bike. Not being hit in the leg by 2 Tons of steel and plastic driven by a incompetent fool.

[SkrzypczykBass]

Great video, not sure if I should feel sorry or pleased that Adam experienced the full spectrum of problems cyclists encounter in his first week! Some of it could have been avoided with a bit of experience and reading the road (blocked cycle lanes, peds crossing on the green etc.) but then that would come in time! I personally think ALL drivers should have to spend time on a bicycle before being allowed out in a car.

[nicklylak]

What model of Bell helmet is the cyclist wearing? Is it the Bell Sequence?

[config2000]

Regarding the comment, what annoys drivers about cyclists: "Not looking. Going through red lights" .. I see drivers do those things too!

From my experience the most common 2 dangers I face are:

1. Vehicles passing by too closely. Especially when roads are narrow

2. Vehicles pulling out from junctions. They just never see cyclists

Indecently, I drive too so I am not anti-driver in any way

[franciscccccc]

Stop saying cycle lanes are brilliant, they're absolute wank!

[actorsapparel]

Nice video Adam and Russ!

People who don't wear helmets clearly think they look more cool without them ;) ... that and they were most likely spoilt as kids!

I haven't done any research what-so-ever but I'm going to take an educated guess that wearing a helmet certainly wont increase your chances of injury or death? Then again I might be wrong?

[mikyt21]

@actorsapparel Hi there,

There was a study (I think by the CTC) that shows cars are more likely to pass cyclists wearing a helmet more closely than riders without helmets.

[arushandapushand]

@mikyt21

That study was by Ian Walker at Bath University.

I'm a bit dubious about it. Your helmet is just one aspect of your appearance and behaviour that might influence drivers.

Personally, I wear a helmet purely for cosmetic reasons.

People like the driver in this video perceive you as a responsible and diciplined road user if you wear a helmet. I think that helps.

[arushandapushand]

@arushandapushand

PS

If I lived in Holland or Denmark I would definintely never wear a bike helmet.

It's purely for the cultural meaning it has in this country that I wear one.

[Dancaul]

Whose your favourite, Adam or Russell? I can't decide!

[chunkyfecalbreakfast]

1:29 the reason more people DON'T cycle to work

[BristolTraffic]

As for the uphill, Colston st to Park Row. when the BRI work is finished go through Terrel St, along to Dighton St, Dove Street and finally nine tree. It may be the second most brutal climb in Kingsdown, but its closed to cars and quiet. You are free to get off and walk. That and use wider tyres for better stopping power.

[BristolTraffic]

Given Adam appears to live on St Matthews Road, Kingsdown, why is he commuting up and down Park St? Horfield Road - park row, drop to colston st, and you are the centre. Still hazardous, but easier:

[iYateszy]

nice video, shows the sort of things cyclists need to anticipate when on the road. the more you ride the more you can predict what will happen next. what annoys me the most are drivers who don't dip their headlights in the dark for a cyclist meaning I can't see any potholes in the road so I am forced to slow right down.

[growingvegetable]

{grin} - given it's Confuseddotcom, they MIGHT just have mentioned insurance for a bike can cost as little as £25-30 ............. yup, for a year!

[londonplayer]

"It really annoys me to see cyclists who don't wear helmets" WTF?! Why on earth would that annoy you?! Bizarre comment.

[bluefoam]

b1blancer1, no offense, but that is hearsay & your evaluation of all those crashes are absolutely theoretical and I doubt they have any scientific value...

[bluefoam]

It seems to me that the whole video is peppered with not so subtle negatives about cycling and is probably designed to discourage motorists from giving up their cars - while mascarading as a lifestyle peice... But that would be rather cynical.

[xchopp]

Good video (but rubbish report: cyclo-paths-and-two-wheel-tant­rums).

[Cefn]

im glad i dont live in london as i ride 70% of the time on the pavement. why risk your life? in bham the old bill dont even bother to stop you if your riding on the pavement. and for good cause - cycle lanes are shared with busses & taxis who are driven mostly by immigrants who havent got a clue - i dotn knwo why this upper class moron thinks that its annoying when cyclists are ont he pavement.

[vousden]

@Cefn I genuinely believe that in many cases riding on the pavement can be more dangerous, not just to yourself but to others too. If you're confident enough to be on the road don't be on two wheels.

[Cefn]

@vousden well i genuinely believe that its more 70-30 with 30 being the time you go on the road, we all take risks, i drive aswell as ride and you just cant mix the two together. there is a cycle lane by me that goes over a motorway junction and is shared with double decker busses. its quicker to ride that way but i allways go round on the pavement - the speed limit in the lane next to the cyclelane is 30. and everyone, busses included totally ignores it. why should i risk my life??

[andycats]

it only takes a bumb on the head to do you harm! all ways ware your helmet



[CyclingMikey]

Both Russell and Adam need some cycle training, IMO. Riding in the door zone of parked cars is one of the big sources of injuries and deaths in London. Parked cars should be passed either at 5mph or less, or with 7 feet of space. Anything less and you're risking a severe collision and being catapulted to the right into the path of motor vehicles behind you.

See watch?v=CudJvSbS2aY

[bluefoam]

Helmets will rarely protect a cyclist in a collision with a car, they are only tested on impacts up to 12 miles per hour. After that they focus the force of any impact onto the skull. They cause rotational injuries which can have severe effects on the neck and spine. Having to wear a helmet is touted by the uneducated and those who stand to make money from it. I do wear a helmet when mountain biking, as the likelihood of having a low speed crash and knocking my head on a tree or rock is greater.

[b1blancer1]

@bluefoam I know several people, ROAD cyclists, who most likely would not be here today had they not been wearing a helmet when they crashed.

[KatsDekker]

Cycling peeps should not complain about pedestrians. Here's who's caring for who: drivers >> cyclists >> pedestrians... the UK's got a long way to go. The big ones look after the little ones. Not so, in selfish UK.

It's true about the patience! What's the rush? Next red light, or car jam... and you catch-up with them again. And again. And... so forth.

A female UK cyclist.

[zmurowski]

Being annoyed at someone not wearing a helmet is like being annoyed at someone for going barefoot. Even if you step on their toes - you are still responsible regardless if they wear shoes or not and if you drive over their feet no shoes will help...

[rghjones]

@zmurowski Unfortunately accidents happen, and wearing a helmet is the difference between a motorist coming home from work having killed someone and having injured someone.

[smsm1986]

@rghjones um then explain why some of the cyclists that have been killed or seriously injured in London so far this year have had helmets and not come away seriously unscathed?

[rghjones]

@smsm1986 Because head injuries aren't the only killer? But they're certainly the most common and the easiest to protect against

[CyclingMikey]

@rghjones Head injuries are not the most common cause of death. If you took cycling fatalities, and removed the effects of head injuries, the majority would still have died from massive trauma to other parts of their body. Deaths are caused by drivers of motor vehicles, and only very rarely by the cyclists themselves, by a factor of several thousand.

[smsm1986]

You don't need to wear a helmet as a cyclist. All collisions that I've had (including going over the bonnet of a car), a helmet would not have helped whatsoever. There's far more important things that can be done to improve your probability of survival, such as using lights, and your road position.

If you go to The Netherlands or Denmark which have high cycling rates, you'll find very few people have helmets, yet have a tiny fraction of collisions or deaths compared to the UK.

[Testedecazzo]

helmets won't do anything above 12mph, address the problem of agressive driving and the problem is solved

[rghjones]

@Testedecazzo That's not quite true. I know someone who was knocked off at 30mph and his helmet undoubtedly saved his life and the trauma of the driver who accidentally hit him.

[th275]

@Testedecazzo Ah, here we go!! Please don't comment with complete rubbish. What evidence do you have to back this up exactly!? All you have to do is search "a personal appeal from James Cracknell" and you will see just how important wearing a helmet is at all speeds and in all situations.

[Testedecazzo]

@th275 it's not complete rubbish, wear a helmet by all means but acting safely is going to save your life before any helmet will.

[seelochan]

@Testedecazzo ? I've crashed on my roadie doing 25-30mph. landing on my helmet wearing head and walked away. Always wear a helmet!

[Testedecazzo]

@seelochan You not heard of democracy, ridden since i was 5, not fallen off at high speed, respect the decision of the individual........

[ian8354]

@Testedecazzo Here. Here. ! A friend of mine attended a local Cycle Club meeting to discuss helmets and the gaffer of the Club told members that they have to wear a helmet when out on the bike, In the club it was 50/50 of 'wearers' and 'none wearers' within five minutes there was mass arguing and then a fight broke out because they were being forced into wearing a helmet. Other vehicle users should respect Bikers/Cyclists and this will save lives not kill lives.

[ian8354]

@Testedecazzo How many bikers on todays roads are spotted who wear their helmets on the BACK of their head ? Hundreds ! You may aswell wear it on your ass. I made it aware of the pro's and con's of wearing a helmet recently on a facebook page and within hours i was threatened by so called friends who said i know nothing about the statistics of helmets. Some bikers refused to hear that helmets DON'T save your necking from breaking at speeds above 15MPH.

[Testedecazzo]

@ian8354 true, i do own a helmet but i've only worn it twice, once when i was legally required too and the other mtbing (on large trails with lots of stones etc) with friends who i didn't want to have to deal with me injuring myself in the middle of a forest) but I still didn't ride thinking it'd save my life.

[NathanTouring]

@Testedecazzo Helmets certainly do do something at any speed.. Try this test: headbutt a brick wall at faster than 12mph and slower - which would you rather - wearing a helmet or not?

[Testedecazzo]

@NathanTouring answered this before, isn't relevant to cycling.

[MrPorhtnasim]

I have been commuting by bicycle most of my life - to school, university and work. However, when I lived in London from 2007 to 2009 I was too scared. Drivers, cyclists and pedestrians there are complete nutters. What I always wondered: why do so many cyclists in London commute on racers. Yes, they allow you to go faster, but in my experience they are not made for an urban environment. Being bent down means you have a bad view of the road and the wheels are too thin - bad for emergency braking.