I also get very irritated and the continual floating of traffic lights. I
ride to the station at 5am on some mornings but still wait for the traffic
lights to change to green before proceeding even though most times there is
no traffic on the roads. I'm sure a cyclist 'jumping' a red light would soon
have something to say to the, for once innocent, Volvo driver! I wonder if
the police might turn a blind eye if I were to 'jump' a red light in my car?
(No responses please!). As for the pavements, the preserve of the
pedestrian, what is up with grown adults (who should know far better) who
insist on riding on the pavement without a by or leave for the people who
are walking on it? I refuse to get out of their way (so long as they ain't
hurtling towards me at great speeds of course. I aint THAT stupid). Time to
dismount my soap box now!
"Martin Underwood" wrote in message
s.com...
"Jeff Mowatt" wrote in message
...
I used to wonder why the subject of cyclists on our roads raised such
strong
emotions. I've been cycling to work myself for the past 10 years, in all
but
the most inclement weather.

Certainly there are quite a few that break the rules and it irritates
many
including myself. Sometimes I've had good reason to offer a driver a
piece
of my mind, if I managed to catch up of course. The usual scenario is
the
overtaking and left turn manouver that fails to take account of a
cyclists
presence.

As a cyclist and as a driver, I do everything in by power to prevent the
conflict between a cyclist going straight in and a driver turning left,
because I'm never sure who has priority over whom but the cyclist would
come
off worst:

- as a cyclist I will always look for a driver's left-turn indicator if
I'm
alongside him approaching a left turn: if he indicates, I will hang back
instead of being alongside him

- as a driver, I will move close to the kerb if I see a cyclist in my
rear-view or door mirror and I want to turn left, forcing him to overtake
on
the right as traffic should do - although I believe the Highway Code has
something to say about overtaking traffic that is turning at a junction


In terms of cycling on pavements, I can't help thinking that on a quiet
pavement on a fast road with no pedestrians around, the pavement is the
best
place for a cyclist to be - he's less of a hazard to drivers who may be
doing three times his speed. On a crowded city street, it's a differnt
matter - few pedestrians (except me) look out for other pedestrians, never
mind cyclists - and cars and cyclists are likely to be going at much more
similar speeds so cyclists are less of a hazard to drivers.

I fell foul of an irate woman when I was out cycling the other month. I
was
riding on a fast A road and, being tired as I approached the top of a hill
at a mere 10 mph, I pulled off the road onto a pavement at a convenient
dropped kerb - I judged that it was safer to stop and dismount away from
the
traffic. I'd ridden about 2 yards onto the pavement before stopping. The
woman was about 100 yards away and there were no other people around. As
she
approached while I was getting my breath back she gave me a real
ear-bashing
for "riding on the pavement".