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PostPosted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 15:44 
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weepej wrote:
SafeSpeedv2 wrote:
I often rode between the yellow lines, as that gave me good space, and if a grill came up I had bags of time to take all manner of actions to deal with it.


Bit off topic, but I think you were riding way too close to the kerb.

Riding this close means : -


  • you have to swerve round drains (much better to just keep going in a straight line if you can)
  • looking behind you when you need to swerve around a drain or defect (a hard enough thing to do on a two wheeled machine, even harder when you're so close to the kerb)
  • putting quite a lot of effort into trying not to hit the kerb
  • if something happens you're going to have nowhere to go, even worse if you're riding alongside barriers.
  • some drivers might just not see you as many often focus on just what's right in front of them and not to the side.

I ride with my left bar end over the outer yellow line when in traffic, and come out further when there's nobody around or I want vehicles to stay behind me whilst I manouvre.

Of course, some drivers would say that cyclists that ride like this in London slow them down, nothing could be further from the truth of course.

http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/articl ... ioning-197


You ride so that folk CAN see you.

The glance behind - should be slight twist of torsoi - so's you get a better virew - but it also makes you look "bigger" and that driver behind knows exactly WHY you are doing this and will usually make space for you. :wink:

Bieng at least 1.5 feet from the kerb and about 3 metres out is about the norm for secondary position. Not too far out and [i]visible[/] with a darned good view of side roads and door-swinging muppets :roll:

Primary fine if you are in moving traffic and especially when approaching a pinch point or other danger ahead which would compromise your safety. You do not and should not use this with the objective of holding up traffic on faster roads though :popcorn: But it's courtesy and common sense which maketh the good cyclist and the good driver as well as COAST. :wink:


But cheer up weepej - super cyclehighways are on the way in London. And parking fees fro cyclists apparently.. :wink: (Always a double forked tongue with political slithery critters!... )

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PostPosted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 16:19 
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In Gear wrote:
You ride so that folk CAN see you.


Er, that's what I said

In Gear wrote:
But cheer up weepej - super cyclehighways are on the way in London. And parking fees fro cyclists apparently.. :wink: (Always a double forked tongue with political slithery critters!... )


Not too sure about the cycling super highways. I figure increasing the them vs us/us vs them mentality and dividing everything up is always going to be on a hiding to nothing; although I am aware many people don't cycle because they consider motorised vehicles are too dangerous to be around.

Well up for the charged parking though if it means better parking facilities.


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PostPosted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 21:00 
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weepej wrote:
In Gear wrote:
You ride so that folk CAN see you.


Er, that's what I said



:lol: I am backin' you up here. Mate .. you need a pal at times on here :lol:

Quote:
In Gear wrote:
But cheer up weepej - super cyclehighways are on the way in London. And parking fees fro cyclists apparently.. :wink: (Always a double forked tongue with political slithery critters!... )


Not too sure about the cycling super highways. I figure increasing the them vs us/us vs them mentality and dividing everything up is always going to be on a hiding to nothing; although I am aware many people don't cycle because they consider motorised vehicles are too dangerous to be around.




Intend to post CW's report up for all to at least read through... do browse or buy the cycling rags. :lol: Lots of really good stuff really.

I would say all should do Bikeabilty up to Advanced.. it makes for safety led cycling and driving of cars :wink:

Mate.. no one posting to this site is the cyclist's "enemy" Claire owns a very nice bicycle by my understanding. Paul did ride and enjoy riding a mountain bike when he felt fit enough to. I understand Paul had suffered from a heart problem for some lenghty period.

Quote:


Well up for the charged parking though if it means better parking facilities.


And some security .. knowing someone will not TWOC your pride and joy.

As an aside.. and a personal to you.. I do not regard you as a "smelly trollster" I do not agree with speed cams // and the ethos of the force with which I serve and love.. is one of "fair play, integrity, justice and pofessionalism"


I could sned the followingf to weepej via pm system// but I think fairer to him to voice in public .. and I do think weepej can be as much a pal as A Cyclist who became an Advanced driver and a pal .. because of our "persuasive influences" :lol: on him :bow:


I am being fair to you. We perhaps may not see eye to eye on speed cams.. but we do see eye to eye on safety led issues. I do not consider any reply to me from you has been rude. so far to be honest and fair to you personally -. nor do the Mad Cats over the A66 border to me. :lol: You reply to me and the Mad Cats in a manner which we do not find offensive and I trust our responses to you are not viewed by you as "insulting" either.


What I suggest is that you or your pals do not slur or stain Paul's memory and show respect to Claire who is .. and I do hope I am not betraying a private confidence to me .. but this lady is still in deep grief and shock. To her credit .. she is trying to pick up the reins of Paul's campaign and publish his work formally . which will result in "peer reviews and acclaims" :wink:

Now I hope I am asking for fair play .. I am very fair minded and rest assured.. I am safety led in my approach to life on the roads out there. But the safety message is COAST skills - and not "single focus speed kills" :roll: :popcorn: Apply COAST properly.. and speed drops out of the equation as COAST as applied as intended by all DIS programmes means we are always at the realistic safe speed for the conditions so how we choose to travel.

Weepej .. we are no one's "enemy" here. Honestly.

But I will say again./.. you do not rile me. I can counter each daft argument so who puts it to me. and usually get a concession :lol: or a meet half way .. you are meeting me half way.. and this does not make you a smelly spindrift type :wink:


Now am I being fair to you here: :P :) :?

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Take with a chuckle or a grain of salt
Drive without COAST and it's all your own fault!

A SMILE is a curve that sets everything straight (P Diller).

A Smiley Per post
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Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon - but driving with a smile and a COAST calm mind.


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PostPosted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 21:36 
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In Gear wrote:
Now am I being fair to you here: :P :) :?


Well, sort of. You're sort of insinuating I have "pals" which I don't, I post on bike forums, but I don't know anybody there, you're making it sound like I'm in some sort of gang, I'm not.

Simply riding a cycle does not make you a gang member.

If it did, I drive a car too, does that make me a member of the car gang?

You also seem to suggest that I intend to "slur or stain Paul's memory".

I've always been clear I disagree with most of the tenents of the campaign, certainly the call for the cessation of all speed camera operations, and its anti 20mph stance.

I think some people here are shocked at this, "he drives a car, but supports lower speed limits and speeding control and fines", to the point that they don't actually believe what I write.

IMO some people have also taken arguments against the campaign and spun them into "slur or stain Paul's memory", which I think is ridiculous; several times I've been accused of this, when all I'm doing is arguing against the campaign attitudes toward speeding, cameras and speed enforcement.


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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 06:47 
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Quote:
Mate.. no one posting to this site is the cyclist's "enemy" Claire owns a very nice bicycle by my understanding. Paul did ride and enjoy riding a mountain bike when he felt fit enough to. I understand Paul had suffered from a heart problem for some lengthy period.


Humm I had a very quick bike in London - mind 150m / week I needed it ! ;-) I did so enjoy the cycling far better than buses any day! Mind then you didn't have annoying bus lanes - well barely any. I found that when I made myself small the traffic flowed past and that is what I wanted. The last thing that I wanted was to make myself big.
When I wanted to do any maneouvre, I made sure that it was clear and precise. You have ample time on a bike - even going quickly to plan and organise your line. I never got into rucks with traffic. No matter how much there was.
It was quick and efficient, however if I carried work then I had to go by car - work was far too precious and expensive for me to possibly trust to the bike.

But the bike was quick and compared to other forms of transport is was perfect to get me to and from work. Many people in my industry, use the bike, to get yourself somewhere, and then use the car as soon as you have important materials to carry. I once valued it out, and it was £18K wow. I don't even know if it was insured !!!!

I was shocked to see how many railings no longer allow bikes - I understand it but how terribly sad that more police cannot be patrolling and catch the bliters that steel the railings and the bike !

I had mine stolen in the end - it had two padlocks on - good one's too. that was so very sad I loved that bike. Even did the London to Brighton bike run on it !

I managed when I bought my next *real* bike to buy the same make, and so that had to be imported from the US, - got a MUCH better deal that way, - all singing all dancing, and built for the hills too ! :-)

I was like a kid in a sweet shop! :-)


Quote:
What I suggest is that you or your pals do not slur or stain Paul's memory and show respect to Claire who is .. and I do hope I am not betraying a private confidence to me .. but this lady is still in deep grief and shock. To her credit .. she is trying to pick up the reins of Paul's campaign and publish his work formally . which will result in "peer reviews and acclaims" :wink:


No your fine no confidences broken :-) no probs.. I am still in disbelief that he is gone we were such soul mates. We lived and work (at our own things) together for so LONG ! Most of my adult life. he was a sweet and gentle terribly intelligent chap, who I shall miss forever. One of those one in a million chaps. many here have no ideas of all the wonderful things that he invented and created. All the many people that he helped. Not that he was a saint you understand ! ;-)

Quote:
Now I hope I am asking for fair play .. I am very fair minded and rest assured.. I am safety led in my approach to life on the roads out there. But the safety message is COAST skills - and not "single focus speed kills" :roll: :popcorn: Apply COAST properly.. and speed drops out of the equation as COAST as applied as intended by all DIS programmes means we are always at the realistic safe speed for the conditions so how we choose to travel.


Now if I could get all my biking pals to also use COAST plus, then we would be really getting somewhere !
Good planing is always so crucial as of course are sticking to the rules of the rd. ;-)

As I see it - Good Debate is excellent - thoroughly encouraged, anything else is not for these boards...
:-)

Peddle to the metal - until you are too tired anyway !! :-) :lol:

I have a hankering for a really good racing bike again - but that's have to wait I think .... had a look at some when I was in Cumbria recently - they have changed somewhat since my last one.

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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 11:08 
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Weepej
Apologies if you thought I was singling you out or whatever. Couple of the Swiss DO post on those cycling fora :twisted: . They read the garbage on the "soapbox" over there - but sit on their hands. :lol: and do not respond as thye'd give themselves aways there :lol: They post opinions mostly on actual cycling stuff and bike rides :lol: But we know what does go on over there :wink: But at least most of it cannot be read unless one registers as a member now.

Your comment about "gang membership"

:loco:

Sigh,.,.. there is no Cyclist v Driver warfare out there. Should be road users sharing the roads without raging conflicts. Mostly this is the norm. There are a handful of nasty criminals - yob culture. :banghead: These are the ones who think it "funny" to chuck a can at a cyslist or kick someone to death. :furious:



Now ... speed cams. We do not have fixed scameras here. We know that only one thing happens... Folk brake for the camera no matter what their speed - even if legal and then speed up again.

We also know from our pulls with some people that they believe they are safe so long as they do not speed. We have pulled folk who are NOT speeding.. but the manner of the vehicle's handling suggested fatigue.. substance abuse.. or a defective vehicle. SO by focussing only on "speed" - we are not addressing any of the real safety issues at all. In fact, a PEER REVIEWED article by Loughorough Uni last year
supported Paul's claim that road safety in the UK had not improved at all in the last decade. (The decade of speed cam forests.. :roll: in many areas - clustered together and not actually doing anything more than pinging the blue rinse brigade. :roll:)

Its conclusion was that we need to have a serious re-think about our objectives in promoting road safety and what we should actually be enforcing in terms of road safety.

Now do discuss this comment :wink:


In our patch - we think we do focus on the essentials required to keep things as safe as we can. But accidents do happen and we actually thought the one with the terrified pigs - burning pigs - on the motorway was one of the most shocking seen here.

20 mph? As said.. cyclists will not be keeping to this limit. Personally it might be more disconcerting to have the car crawling behind you all the time .. especially when there are also speed humps and speed cushions.. not to mention the pot holes in these humps :banghead:


Incidentally the cars would be travelling slower in such conditions as it costs a fortune to repair suspension and exhausts. :roll:


But residentials/urban heart of city centres with parked cars and humps apart.. main A roads should be kept to existing speed limits with 30 mph as the basic staple - just as on the mainland continent.


We support safe driving skills.. COAST and usually if you follow COAST values - you will almost/probably always be at the safest speed for the condition and usually compliant to whatever limit's in place within a tolerated average fluctuate. Unfortunately speed cams do not recognise the fluctuate if you pass at the wrong end of the blip. A police officer will always look at the whole drive and the average speed of that drive and use his essential professional training there. That's the difference between a safety led approach which delivers what it says on the tin and an automated one which does not actually achieve that much in real terms of comprehensive safety as it only measures speed and relies on the vehicle actually being registered or the driver actually possessing a driving licence. :banghead: along with the little matter of "co-drivers sharing and not keeping a log" :popcorn:

_________________
Take with a chuckle or a grain of salt
Drive without COAST and it's all your own fault!

A SMILE is a curve that sets everything straight (P Diller).

A Smiley Per post
FINES USfor our COAST!


Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon - but driving with a smile and a COAST calm mind.


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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 12:15 
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In Gear wrote:
Your comment about "gang membership"

:loco:


So, what did you mean when you wrote: -

In Gear wrote:
What I suggest is that you or your pals do not slur or stain Paul's memory and show respect to Claire who is


Serious question, who do you think "my pals" are?


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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 12:17 
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Quote:
Incidentally the cars would be travelling slower in such conditions as it costs a fortune to repair suspension and exhausts. :roll:


This only applies to responsible drivers who own their own cars.
Drivers of company vehicles are not bothered - the firm buys them a new one, or repairs the old one whatever the cause.
Young drivers dont bother either - they are usually in cars which are cheap to maintain or replace. On our estate they race between humps to keep their average speed higher than it should be.

Of course our local police dont have the manpower to police this all the time - although one enthusiastic community policeman does spend time on the estates, and a vehicle was seized last week - which nearly led to a riot... yes in Windermere!
The participants appear to have been summoned by mobile phone. :(

Having spent time in an ambulance recently through our estate - I can personally attest to the uncomfortable ride over the bumps, even at slow speeds! Councils who want to put these things in place should ALL get to make a journey in an ambulance! :x

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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 12:21 
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Ernest Marsh wrote:
Having spent time in an ambulance recently through our estate - I can personally attest to the uncomfortable ride over the bumps, even at slow speeds! Councils who want to put these things in place should ALL get to make a journey in an ambulance! :x


Rip them out, replace them with average speed cameras and ANPR systems.

When I can drive at a sedate 15-20mph around my residential area without having to put up with speed humps (edit: or being closely followed by some idiot who thinks roads are like train tracks, and that I should be travelling much faster) I'll be a very happy man.


Last edited by weepej on Sun Feb 17, 2008 13:10, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 12:54 
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Ernest Marsh wrote:
Quote:
Incidentally the cars would be travelling slower in such conditions as it costs a fortune to repair suspension and exhausts. :roll:


This only applies to responsible drivers who own their own cars.
Drivers of company vehicles are not bothered - the firm buys them a new one, or repairs the old one whatever the cause.
Young drivers dont bother either - they are usually in cars which are cheap to maintain or replace. On our estate they race between humps to keep their average speed higher than it should be.



True. But I think the lease hires do charge back over write-offs and have some penalty in the lease contract. Insurance probably conver this cost .. which basically means we all pay indirectly :banghead: in higher premiums.. :banghead:

Young drivers :banghead: Only :boxedin:/../ we've all probably done similar daft things in our own day. I do know my Dad told me off for fixing a rather throaty exhaust to one car I had when aged about 19. :hehe: and use to go near ballistic at the hi-fi blaring out at full mega-ghetto- blast out of all our bedrooms .. (i've brothers and sisters) and guess what .., I've turned into my own Dad as I tick off my own for drowning out my music. :rotfl:

Quote:
Of course our local police dont have the manpower to police this all the time - although one enthusiastic community policeman does spend time on the estates, and a vehicle was seized last week - which nearly led to a riot... yes in Windermere!
The participants appear to have been summoned by mobile phone. :(



Bl0oming texters :roll:

Quote:
Having spent time in an ambulance recently through our estate - I can personally attest to the uncomfortable ride over the bumps, even at slow speeds! Councils who want to put these things in place should ALL get to make a journey in an ambulance! :x



I agree... they should try it. Most of them are way too high :roll:

I do not want unsightly ugly SPECS or any other cam device on our road either.

The only peopls "racing" on residentials are .. the residents in reality - and again we are back to the breakdown in decenccy, decent manners, courtesy, neighbourliness.

_________________
Take with a chuckle or a grain of salt
Drive without COAST and it's all your own fault!

A SMILE is a curve that sets everything straight (P Diller).

A Smiley Per post
FINES USfor our COAST!


Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon - but driving with a smile and a COAST calm mind.


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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 13:25 
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weepej wrote:
Ernest Marsh wrote:
Having spent time in an ambulance recently through our estate - I can personally attest to the uncomfortable ride over the bumps, even at slow speeds! Councils who want to put these things in place should ALL get to make a journey in an ambulance! :x


Rip them out, replace them with average speed cameras and ANPR systems.

When I can drive at a sedate 15-20mph around my residential area without having to put up with speed humps (edit: or being closely followed by some idiot who thinks roads are like train tracks, and that I should be travelling much faster) I'll be a very happy man.

If your estate is like ours, then there is little chance of you choosing to go faster than 20-22 mph, so the speed cameras would be redundant.
ANPR would not achieve much unless there were "wanted" vehicles on the estate - the police SEIZING offending vehicles is by far the most effective measure!!

However the council have a part to play in not imposing ridiculous steps - like a particular corner which in response to complaints parking was prevented with yellow lines. Now there is more "space" on the corner, people are driving around it like morons without a thought for what might be around it - like people expecting to turn of into a little lane on the same corner!

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