Pedal bikes on the road

Coming from a cyclist myself, I disagree with other riders that are on the road 1m away from the kerb! Riding in such a manner is only ever going to annoy unpatient cagers further, putting yourself in more harm. A foot or so is more than enough i find generally and if there is a big pothole you can avoid it (assuming you are aware of the vehicles around you, as you should be). As for compulsory insurance - how would it ever be enforced? Not possible unless you have some sort of registration. Besides, its illegal to ride on the path yet i regularily see the rozzers drive past cyclists doing this and they dont tell them off. They dont have to time to persue such things..

I think there should be some sort of insurance, even if it is part of your home policy.

There was a video posted online earlier this week of a cyclist running into the back of a new Porsche (Bike filtering, cars stopped at the same time rider did a shoulder check. Bang!). Fortunately there was no apparent damage as the riders arm hit the car, but if there was, there is nothing to make the cyclist pay.

It would cost me approx £150 to have scratches removed from my cars rear bumper and then resprayed. I'd hate to think what it would be on a car like that.
And that's just a small incident, what if a cyclist is responsible for a bigger, multiple car crash?

If you use the road with other people, you should be covered for any damage or injury you could cause.

But then, again, how on earth do you police it?!? It'll never happen

The same could be said of pedestrians who walk into traffic and cause accidents. Never gona happen

[maviczap]

Originally Posted by ZER0

And that's just a small incident, what if a cyclist is responsible for a bigger, multiple car crash?

I can't even fathom where you get this idea from?

Originally Posted by EssexDave

The number of accidents caused by cyclists that require insurance are just too low compared to the amount of people it would deter. You've got the other problem of enforcement. With cars it's relatively easy, you have a database that the police can check - but how would you do it with bikes?

Yep, there's too few police about for normal traffic offences which are far more serious, texting & using mobile phones whilst driving for 2 prime examples, which cause far more accidents that cyclists are ever going to cause.

Originally Posted by EssexDave

I can understand where you're coming from, and in my opinion, for serious cyclists third party insurance should be taken out.

Yep, I don't have a problem with this, plus if you get hit, then you can use their legal services to go after the driver who hit you.

Originally Posted by EssexDave

However, out of 'my group' that cycle, in the last 3 years we've probably covered over 30,000 miles and I've not known anybody to have had/caused an accident that has affected anybody else.

I've been cycling for over 20 years as a serious cyclist & many more as an ordinary cyclist. I've never hit a car or caused an accident to my knowledge whilst on my bike. I've had close calls with pedestrians stepping of the pavement without looking, but whose fault is that?

I obey the highway code & stop at red traffic lights and cycle with caution through town. I don't cycle on the pavement, unless there's a marked cyclepath.

I know there's many cyclist both serious and commuters who flout the law & ride dangerously, I would have quite happily knocked off the guy who mounted the pavement to avoid a temporary traffic light outside my daughters school, plain dangerous as he was doing about 20mph on the pavement.

But insurance is unenforceable for the masses and generally not required, as the cyclist is more often that not the victim, not the cause.

City & town cyclists are a different breed to most cyclists. Perhaps if the Police were to stop adult cyclists riding on the pavement & jumping red lights as part of an exercise & then send them on some sort of traffic awareness course, that might cure some of this poor riding?

Hey peeps i'm back, Well having just been out today with the mrs on our new bikes of the push type, she is not fit for going on the road and we didn't, rode on the pavement, she wobbles about like it's her first time, well it is for a good few years, and on main roads some of the grates stick out about 20 inches. As said it's not the distance out but the weaving about like a drunk that causes problems.

[maviczap]

It'll get easier as time goes on, although it never gets really easy, you just get faster

I've just started riding my mtb again recently, but I'm not a fan of road riding, I'm also getting sick of militant cyclists who ride two abreast in groups and don't give a **** that there's nowhere to pass so you sit behind them for quite a while at 7-10 mph, a long line then forms behind and so they could at least drop to single file to let the queue disperse, but no, all they care about is themselves.

Originally Posted by Specialone

I'm also getting sick of militant cyclists who ride two abreast in groups .......

Suggest that you and everyone else reads this:
http://ukcyclelaws.blogspot.co.uk/p/...hway-code.html

Originally Posted by Jabba

Suggest that you and everyone else reads this:
http://ukcyclelaws.blogspot.co.uk/p/...hway-code.html

Mate I know the law regarding this issue thanks, it's about taking other road users in to consideration, just because it's legal (not all the time it's not, something cyclists could do with reading up on too) doesn't mean it's right, bit of common sense and consideration would go a long way.

On some roads it's downright dangerous to have a slow moving vehicle (two abreast cyclists are same footprint as a vehicle) on a fast road.

[MisterTommyH]

Rule 66 states you should never cycle more than two abreast, and ride in single file on narrow or busy roads.