I saw a biker knocked down last night...

Originally Posted by Cazza

...whenever I'm filtering I do my best to watch what the cars I'm passing are doing / look like they're about to do.

This really is almost the only line of defence open to bikes: observation and anticipation. Too many bikers just ride on oblivious to what's really going on around them and then wonder why afterwards the car driver didn't see them. Car drivers don't see us, period. Thus, ride accordingly.

Prevention is the best tactic whenever possible.

Exactly.


.

To be honest guys, he'd have needed a callback from the psychic hotline to see this one coming. You can expect the unexpected, but sometimes when the unexpected comes there's nothing you can do about it.

Sure, he could've slowed down when he saw the side road coming up, but then he would've only gone into the side of them instead of being thrown down the road. They pulled out THAT fast.

I was 15ish ft behind him and still had to emergency brake to avoid plowing into the Jag.

Originally Posted by Ping

To be honest guys, he'd have needed a callback from the psychic hotline to see this one coming. You can expect the unexpected, but sometimes when the unexpected comes there's nothing you can do about it.

Sure, he could've slowed down when he saw the side road coming up, but then he would've only gone into the side of them instead of being thrown down the road. They pulled out THAT fast.

I was 15ish ft behind him and still had to emergency brake to avoid plowing into the Jag.

On the A13? No need for psychic hotline I ride expecting every car to do it because it happens so often. Ive often maintained its MOST dangerous when cars are stationary and not moving than when traffics moving. Thats the time impatience creeps in and the likelihood of a uturn, left turn across the bus lane really increases. If traffics stationary Im really really slow and prepared for the worst.

I expect peds to walk out from between cars, taxis to change lanes, cars to stop at the bus lane/road line as their stop sign, cars not looking when turning at last minute into a side road because all of those things have happened EVERY SINGLE DAY Ive ridden that road in the past year.

Thats why I always let everyone go ahead now and go so so slowly. Id rather get to work 10 mins later than not at all given after Commercial Road I have the insanity of Aldgate roundabout and Commercial St to deal with.

[Biker Biggles]

I ride like that everywhere.There's a thread about me somewhere causing traffic/bike jams

Originally Posted by lynw

On the A13? No need for psychic hotline I ride expecting every car to do it because it happens so often. Ive often maintained its MOST dangerous when cars are stationary and not moving than when traffics moving. Thats the time impatience creeps in and the likelihood of a uturn, left turn across the bus lane really increases. If traffics stationary Im really really slow and prepared for the worst.

I expect peds to walk out from between cars, taxis to change lanes, cars to stop at the bus lane/road line as their stop sign, cars not looking when turning at last minute into a side road because all of those things have happened EVERY SINGLE DAY Ive ridden that road in the past year.

Thats why I always let everyone go ahead now and go so so slowly. Id rather get to work 10 mins later than not at all given after Commercial Road I have the insanity of Aldgate roundabout and Commercial St to deal with.

Completely agree, you really need to concentrate fully and be ready for the worst in the East End. I've probably mentioned it before but East London in general is the worst place I've seen for a biker, and the situation is made worse because there are a lot of uninsured and unlicensed drivers about as well. Unfortunately I can't avoid it as I live in the East End, probably why I ride so sloooow .

Originally Posted by Biker Biggles

I ride like that everywhere.There's a thread about me somewhere causing traffic/bike jams

I move out the way when I can.

But recently Ive been getting extremely agitated with scooters riding in my blind spot about a foot off my rear. That roads hard enough with the sheer number of hazzards as is let alone the muppets that do that.

But Im almost as slow as the traffic down that road. I see bikes nipping by at 40+ and I shudder knowing they got no chance if someone does something stupid.

[northwind]

I bet you a pound it ends up a 50/50...

My opinion? Yes, the driver should have seen the biker, but equally the biker should not have been there to be hit. That's a pretty dangerous situation, basically the same as overtaking past a junction- if you do it, you want to be 100% sure the way's clear. I use bus lanes constantly (even though we're not allowed here) but any time I come past a junction you'd better bet I make absolutely sure nobody's going down it. And I don't mean having a look as I approach, I mean slowing it right down where neccesary.

The fact is, drivers will assume a bus lane's empty unless they can see a bus- he probably did look, he just wasn't looking for bikes.

Originally Posted by lynw

But recently Ive been getting extremely agitated with scooters riding in my blind spot about a foot off my rear. That roads hard enough with the sheer number of hazzards as is let alone the muppets that do that.

The best bit is when you slow down as you approach traffic and just as you're about to move over to filter past they whizz past you .

Originally Posted by northwind

The fact is, drivers will assume a bus lane's empty unless they can see a bus- he probably did look, he just wasn't looking for bikes.

which is extremely bad on the part of the driver given there are usually pedestrians using it to cross, cyclists and taxis [and in London there are a fair few of them] and a lot of couriers on bikes still use it as there are no bus lane cameras [yet].

The other thing I would say is if this guy had got as far down the A13 as the McDonalds he would have to be EXTREMELY brain dead to be completely unaware of the constant stream of taxis, buses, bikes and cyclists at that time of night in the bus lane next to him.

And it really is irrelevant whether you should be in the bus lane or not. The fact is the aprilia guy was there and the driver made the manouever without ensuring it was safe to do so. One mirror check and it wouldnt of happened. Thats the principle I won my case in October on as well.

[northwind]

I just reread the first post, the driver turned across the bike into a left didn't he? I was thinking he'd turned across the stream of traffic for some reason (ie he was travelling in the other direction from the bike) That does change it a lot. But I'm still going to say it's a 50/50.