War on Britain's roads

Originally Posted by Winder

Agreed, he is a complete love organ the whole way through that programme and was kicking off as often as he could

As was the 'Traffic Droid' bell end, he went looking for arguments IMHO.

Must admit I've changed my attitude to cyclists a bit now I'm on two wheels myself but with some of the idiots last night, it does paint a negative picture.

My biggest complaint about cycling on the roads in general is there is no official training, no guidance, nothing.

A complete novice with no experience at all of the road on/in any vehicle can buy a bike and start cycling on the road, to me that is a hazard waiting to happen.

No other vehicle on the road can be taken on there without some license or training etc, fair enough I know a big chunk of riders probably have a car or motorbike license so they know the road a bit.

My biggest annoyance with cyclists is when they take up formation three or so abreast on main roads! Maybe i'm just a big grump though.

[jambo]

Some of the caught on camera moments were pretty horrific, and I'm very glad some of the incidents (including the one on the roundabout with the artic, and they guy who got assaulted) turned out OK.

Some of the issues faced are much the same as for motorcyclists in London. Defensive riding is pretty key in these shared spaces. If you don't want a car to come past your handlebar with a few inches to spare, don't leave a space a few inches wider than a car beside you. The inevitable will happen, leaving you to argue about who was "right" after the incident. Just don't put yourself in the situation if you can help it!

The guy in the thick glasses with the smug attitude I could probably hit quite a lot without feeling guilty. The "Traffic droid" had poor defensive riding skills and a confrontational attitude. He then acted utterly shocked that people got aggressive with him.

I was actually pleasantly supprised how balanced some bits of it were

Jambo

Actually I expected last nights program to be biased towards the cyclist but in fairness I thought it was a balanced view.

[fizzwheel]

Originally Posted by specialone

A complete novice with no experience at all of the road on/in any vehicle can buy a bike and start cycling on the road, to me that is a hazard waiting to happen.

thats very true and not a point I can argue against. However...

Alot of cyclists also have car licenses and have taken to cycling for the commute. What I dont really understand is that when in their car they obey the rules of the road and then for some reason when they get on their bike everything they have ever learned goes out of the window.

And dont get me started on Cycling Ninja's...

[yorkie_chris]

Originally Posted by specialone

My biggest complaint about cycling on the roads in general is there is no official training, no guidance, nothing.

The highway code?

[chris8886]

Originally Posted by jambo

Some of the caught on camera moments were pretty horrific, and I'm very glad some of the incidents (including the one on the roundabout with the artic, and they guy who got assaulted) turned out OK.

Some of the issues faced are much the same as for motorcyclists in London. Defensive riding is pretty key in these shared spaces. If you don't want a car to come past your handlebar with a few inches to spare, don't leave a space a few inches wider than a car beside you. The inevitable will happen, leaving you to argue about who was "right" after the incident. Just don't put yourself in the situation if you can help it!

The guy in the thick glasses with the smug attitude I could probably hit quite a lot without feeling guilty. The "Traffic droid" had poor defensive riding skills and a confrontational attitude. He then acted utterly shocked that people got aggressive with him.

I was actually pleasantly supprised how balanced some bits of it were

Jambo

i couldn't believe it either, i was really expecting it to be a programe bashing all road user with a motorised engine!

Originally Posted by specialone

Actually I expected last nights program to be biased towards the cyclist but in fairness I thought it was a balanced view.

as above, drives me crazy what SOME cyclists do on the roads in london. i would never dream of getting on a push bike in central london and riding it on the roads, i think it's far to dangerous. 'tis bad enough having a fairly powerful motorbike beneath you, at least you've got the power to get out of trouble if you were to need to.

[Winder]

For anyone that missed it. This is the one that made me think it's not always the car driver at fault.
This guy is a complete doughnut

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2UsaO9vEJs

I missed it but if its showing gems like that I'll have to watch.

Thats epic (only because the cyclist survived).