Safe Speed Forums

Apologies if this has been posted before.

I came across this YouTube site:

http://www.youtube.com/user/sillycyclists?feature=watch

Its a site of videos of people being unsafe cyclists compiled by a cyclist (and most of the footage is filmed from bikes) who clearly cares a lot about road safety. Everyone (including drivers) can learn from these..

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I won't slave for beggar's pay,
likewise gold and jewels,
but I would slave to learn the way
to sink your ship of fools

On the whole agree with most of what is said - apart form the silly comments about the chap in shorts and knee warmers - surely it is up to him what he wears! Even if it is cold weather! the comment about his rear brake being unhooked is much more serious and definitely must be fixed!
It is god to know some cyclists are trying to shoe the errors of others and shows they care about how they are being portrayed.
However the danger is that everything becomes 'comment-able' and everyone then dislikes something!
I didn't have a problem with the precise circumstance of the cyclist part off bike, going very carefully down the side of a white coach who was stopped at the lights. At that moment it was not unsafe, nor dangerous, to him or anyone else. Unwise possibly, but worthy of comment not really.

What does [bicycle symbol] CS7 (in blue) mean in the road markings ? What's that all about ?

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Safe Speed for Intelligent Road Safety through proper research, experience & guidance.

The CSX is the number of the cycle route you are travelling on.

It's a Cycle Superhighway. Boris Johnson's bit of blue paint on the road.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/11901.aspx

That number one when the tw*t on the recumbent t-bones the child...

So the guy that compiled the video goes on about how people should hold back, assess the situation, slow down if necessary, and then sort of defends that recumbent cyclist that barrels down a road, on which a kid is riding on the pavement alongside him, without considering the kid might jump off or turn off into the road. As a cyclist he should know for a start that most people that go to cross roads only use their sense of hearing to check if there's anything coming.

Result of his crap cycling? Him and the child spilled out over the carriageway.

I agree with your comment here Weepy (hooray I agreed!) - my suspicion is that the chap on the recumbent is a cycling forum regular (he films what he does after all) and the chap who compiles the videos was wary of bringing the wrath of his forum mates down on himself...

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I won't slave for beggar's pay,
likewise gold and jewels,
but I would slave to learn the way
to sink your ship of fools

I have to say that reliance on hearing is a very poor strategy these days.
Even non-electric cars are far quieter than vehicles of old.

I always glance over the shoulder - and have been surprised several times to find cars waiting behind me!

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Time to take responsibility for our actions.. and don't be afraid of speaking out!

Just yesterday I had a close encounter which I’m not sure I should admit to.. There’s a road I often go down and as I was riding along the main road a cyclist came down the path from the left which leads straight onto a pedestrian crossing in front of me.

On my approach, just before the crossing, there’s a car dealership which often obscures the view of the crossing entrance on the left, (which I’ve always thought is dangerous, if not illegal). But I slow down anyway out of habit, because I know the area well and because the view there is of a bunch of cars which could hide any manner of things ready to pounce.

The reason I got caught out this time though was because if it’s a pedestrian using it, (which it should always be in theory), they always walk up to the crossing and don’t automatically start crossing or just blindly run into it. You can see them just before they approach the crossing even if they are getting a wriggle on. But this cyclist who was doing at a guess ~20mph just charged onto the crossing before stopping to look; his front wheel stopping on the crossing itself right in front of me!

Thinking he was going to ride straight across it, I braked hard and accidentally locked the back wheel up! After quickly releasing it and using more front break, I managed to stop okay but I still felt I should have been more aware. I actually apologised to him, thinking I must have sh1t him up, but when I thought about it afterwards I feel it should have been the other way around.

His careless action was undoubtedly silly, but I think I was miffed with myself for not being in full control of my bike more than anything else. It’s not like I don’t know how easy it is to overreact when you’re surprised. But I was just a bit too heavy-footed on the back brake this time for some reason resulting in a small skid. I think I know the reason actually but I’ll hold back and tease for a while.

I know I wouldn’t have been doing any more than about 25mph myself, so it’s not like I was breaking any limit or anything. You can call me a nob, I don’t mind, but maybe a picture will help explain the situation better, and my little secret which isn’t really a secret but youngsters may not be aware of it. Kinda lateral thinking plus you would have to know what the weather was like the last time I used it...

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

Okay, it’s killing me to hold it in and besides, I don’t want someone to get it.

I’ve never had the reason explained to me, (ed? Mole?), but I know the effect and have done since I was about sweet 17 never been kissed..

History - His story: The day before it happened, I got home in the rain where it stayed in the garage drying out until the next morning before the incident. The place is only about one mile away but leading up to it I didn’t use the brakes until the day before in the wet. So I got to this point by slowing down using engine braking without having to stop, until then that is.

Now, as I say, I’ve never heard a scientific explanation but as I’m sure others have found when you have used a motorbike with disk brakes in the wet and then everything’s had time to dry off, the next time you use the brakes for the first time it’s like they have been boosted and become twice as powerful.

I’ve witnessed this in cars I’ve owned too, where it’s like they’ve had Brembos or power assist fitted overnight. Unfortunately, or unfortunately, it doesn’t last.

So that’s my excuse/reason. Yes, I should have known better, but I simply forgot the stuff I should have remembered leading up to it. I'd been to bed since I was thinking of my work day ahead

Edit: The unscientific answer is they’re just a lot stickier for some reason. It’s a bit like making an electronic circuit: you don’t have to understand how a transistor or I.C. works but simply how to use them in an application. (I should be paid for these little gems)

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

Had this on the rear of one company car. And only in Fort William ( surprise,surprise -it's one of ,if not the wettest places in the UK). Next day the rear brakes were solid. No surprise to our local AA man - his explanation was that the surface of the shoe became sort of sticky with water and dried glue like to the drums.

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lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on