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Agreed... I can be an aggressive cyclist, and I say that with pride. I'm usually slightly more assertive than the norm. However, on the road in the UK, on a bi

by Swannie 13y ago

Agreed... I can be an aggressive cyclist, and I say that with pride. I'm usually slightly more assertive than the norm. However, on the road in the UK, on a bicycle, you have to be very assertive. If a driver has seriously risked my life, or that of another cyclist (and in London, it happens all the time) - you better believe I'm cycling up to the driver side and shouting at them. The first time my girlfriend saw me doing it, she was extremely shocked... but damn it, that driver (in a big 4x4) almost knocked her off her bike in the middle of an extremely busy junction. Is that productive? I don't think so. But I'm not going to change my behaviour. If someone walked up to me in the street and threw a punch at my face, and missed by a few centimeters, I'd hope to have them on the floor in a second, restrained, and to be perusing assault charges.

tehwalrus 13y ago
I practice advanced driving[1] when cycling, which means taking my lane and making cars move over for me. It helps that I accelerate faster than most cars out of traffic lights and then tuck in to the left past the junction. (It works almost all the time, just don't ever try it with a London Taxi, they'll kill you.) [1] http://www.iam.org.uk/ http://www.iam.org.uk/
- Swannie 13y ago
  Right! Exactly as described in Cyclecraft (http://www.amazon.com/Cyclecraft-Skilled-Cycling-Techniques-Adults/dp/0117020516 http://www.amazon.com/Cyclecraft-Skilled-Cycling-Techniques-...). But some people just ignore your good cycling technique. What often happens is that cars still insist on trying to overtake you navigating junctions when you take your lane, even when there is a) no where for them to go in front of you, as you're keeping pace with traffic, b) doing so endangers you safety, as the pass extremely close, forcing you out of the lane, c) pushes other traffic out of their correct position, as they straddle two lanes. I stopped cycling in London regularly because of the sheer number of incidents like these I'd see - at least one a week, where the car driver just shrugged and sped off.

by Swannie 13y ago

tehwalrus 13y ago

I practice advanced driving[1] when cycling, which means taking my lane and making cars move over for me. It helps that I accelerate faster than most cars out of traffic lights and then tuck in to the left past the junction. (It works almost all the time, just don't ever try it with a London Taxi, they'll kill you.) [1] http://www.iam.org.uk/ http://www.iam.org.uk/

Swannie 13y ago
Right! Exactly as described in Cyclecraft (http://www.amazon.com/Cyclecraft-Skilled-Cycling-Techniques-Adults/dp/0117020516 http://www.amazon.com/Cyclecraft-Skilled-Cycling-Techniques-...). But some people just ignore your good cycling technique. What often happens is that cars still insist on trying to overtake you navigating junctions when you take your lane, even when there is a) no where for them to go in front of you, as you're keeping pace with traffic, b) doing so endangers you safety, as the pass extremely close, forcing you out of the lane, c) pushes other traffic out of their correct position, as they straddle two lanes. I stopped cycling in London regularly because of the sheer number of incidents like these I'd see - at least one a week, where the car driver just shrugged and sped off.