Nice Cycling #7 | Giving Up Priority 

I was taught ‘ I had right of way’ looks stupid on your headstone as part of my motorbike training

2.11. Not sure the bike had priority, as the road was probably clear when the bus started their manoeuvres. Nicely done regardless

Agreed, a lot of the clips are just congratulating the cyclist for getting out of the way of everyone else. Anyone who has spent any time in the saddle knows that a significant number of drivers prioritize themselves above all else, this just goes along with it.

You people are exactly the people these videos are aimed at. People make mistakes, people do stupid things, there are all sorts of things where cyclists can feel "put upon". The message it not to rise to it, make things better rather than make things worse. If you have to "get out of the way", do it. I do when I'm cycling. I do it when I'm driving. I try my best not to inconvenience or otherwise hold up other road users.

@@ABEH-kw2ij Again, I believe you could learn a lot from these sorts of videos. Chill out! Try and learn something. You'll find your journeys more rewarding and less stressful.

@@ABEH-kw2ij "If you're unable to drive without making mistakes then you shouldn't be driving, end of." Have you ever been on the roads or watched any of these videos?! 🙂 There's no victim, there's no victim blaming. We all do what we can to avoid accidents and stay calm. "Neither Ash or yourself have a clue about road safety." - I think you're in a minority with that view.

@@SamMason0 you can't change the way other people behave though and when riding, as you know, your number 1 priority has to be your own safety. I don't like it either that I have to compensate for shit driving on the daily but what options do we have - riding into someone because they fucked up doesn't solve the problem. I can understand the mixed feeling towards the video and I too see the "just grin and bear it" aspect but you cannot win an argument with a metal box.

Indeed. Yielding to drivers just increases their sense of entitlement.

We are not all self-centred morons.

It's about time

@@elliotwilliams7421How many drivers do you think act like the cyclists in these clips? 😂

Absolutely, now it is down to other road users to post their good walking, motorbiking, car and truck driving. BTW a copy of this should be sent to JV to teach him how to ride.

Would be great if drivers did the same

Your comment kinda shows what the problem with cyclists on the road is, most don't move out the way, yet you celebrate pedestrians moving for you. Cyclists just want full control anywhere they go

@@elliotwilliams7421 👏👏 Well done for completely missing three important parts of what I wrote while cooking up an assumed point based on what you imagine was left: _"shared_ path... _...everyone_ kept left... ...also passing or being passed by other cyclists". There weren't many cars on that path - none to be precise - so there wasn't a lot of need to face people with your tendentious mindset. Now toddle off and shout at some more clouds, they're talking about you again.

⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠@@elliotwilliams7421Your comment kinda shows what the problem is with some attitudes on the road. There is a small section in the media that thrives on keeping this divide open between motorists and cyclists. They will find, highlight and push bad cycling with fancy graphics, stop zooms and slow motion replays, the same as some cyclists do the same with bad motorists. This then reinforces the incorrect assumption that, from a motorist perspective all cyclists are bad and from a cyclist’s perspective all motorists are bad. In reality, it is a minority in each group that is that way whereas the rest are following rules. These riders and drivers go unnoticed…why…they don’t reinforce the stereotype people are trying to portray I see more bad driving on my travels, even when I used to drive through London everyday, than I do bad cyclists. The percentage of bad cyclists in relation to the total number of cyclists is probably the same as it is for motorists,

@@smilerbob this is nothing to do with the media, it's common sense. Majority of the media are behind cyclists and against drivers. In reality the majority of cyclists are poor and shouldn't be on the road. That can't be argued against. Drivers take a test and are regularly prosecuted and they have their vehicle checked once a year with the risk of random road checks. Cyclists..........nowt. So to say that two groups are the same based on them being human is nonsense. One group is trained and in road worthy vehicles the other group have no training and nobody checks their vehicles. When I walk on canal paths I don't move for cyclists and they go fkn mental, on me heels ringing their bell, I tell them they have to wait till it's safe to pass. Cyclists on the road hold up traffic cause they can(even though it's against the highway code) yet they expect pedestrians to move. Bad cyclists, easily 75%. I just think you have low standards for cyclists. There's more deliveroo and delivery cyclists than anyone now and none of them are safe on the road

@@smilerbob by the way, I am a cyclist, preferable off road though

That’s my clips in Aberystwyth, you may see me about as I’m a Deliveroo cyclist. 😉

I thought that when I first viewed the clip but then saw the curve of the road went round to the left, combined with the hedges would that restrict the view too much to know if it was safe to emerge back out? I think in this instance using the space in the right was a good choice, in my opinion

​@@smilerbob Yea true that's a fair point there is for sure some restriction of view. I don't think I could say that it was too restricted to be unsafe, but the offside space was definitely a good option still.

That was my intentions, I always make sure I’m in the view of their mirrors.

Cyclist wasn't shouting for her safety, he was shouting to prove a point and cause a scene

What I usually did in those situations where I was going to stop, was to pull into the curb and lean away from the road. That way, I wasn't taking up any space on the road.

The driveways on the left and even stopping and hopping onto the pavement for a minute to let the large vehicle pass.

Yes: always try to do something that is "standard" which helps everyone else to understand and maybe anticipate it. Crossing to the wrong side is non-standard.

And consciously shift your focus from near distance to far distance, to help not "look through" things (y)

Give an advance warning, so the rider who is responsible for their horse can make sure it's safe for you to pass, then pass at a low speed. Better than being stuck behind a horse for two miles, which i often encounter down Swansea. Also I call out verbally since my roadbike has a high pitch squal.

Another thing to do when passing horses is don't freewheel as the freewheel can spook the horse. Just pedal slowly past. I remember cycling with a horsey girl and she told me the horse usually knows the cyclist is behind and will use its hears and turn them. Many times its the rider that doesn't know that the cyclist is there and hasn't picked up the body language from the horse they then get spooked which then spooks the horse.

Offering to walk past is also an option I give to the rider. I tend to strike up a conversation with the rider so that the horse knows exactly where I am as I pass (with a wide berth)

Came up behind a horse today on a narrow road, slowed said hello, no reaction, got a bit closer said hello a bit louder, by this point I could hear her phone, turns out she was watching a video as she rode along, I followed for a while before she finally heard me. Didn't want to shout too loud as, you know didn't want to be kicked to death by one of the dumb animals or see the other fall off!

What about H3 Rule H3 - *Rule for drivers and motorcyclists* You should not cut across cyclists, horse riders or horse drawn vehicles going ahead when you are turning into or out of a junction or changing direction or lane, just as you would not turn across the path of another motor vehicle. This applies whether they are using a cycle lane, a cycle track, or riding ahead on the road and you should give way to them. Do not turn at a junction if to do so would cause the cyclist, horse rider or horse drawn vehicle going straight ahead to stop or swerve While it doesn’t explicilty mention shared paths, cycle tracks are defined as being shared with pedestrians so therefore it is safe to assume that shared paths are implied in this instance for the purposes of allowing cycles to proceed as a pedestrian would while at a junction Rule 62 *Cycle Tracks* These are routes for cyclists that are physically protected or located away from motor traffic, other than where they cross side roads (see Rule 206). Cycle tracks may run alongside footpaths or pavements and be separated by a feature such as a change of material, a verge, a kerb or a white line. You MUST keep to the side intended for cyclists as the pedestrian side remains a pavement or footpath. Some cycle tracks shared with pedestrians will not be separated by such a feature This is just my interpretation and I am always happy to allow everyone cross at junctions 👍

But it also highlights the lack of clarity and publicity given out by the DVLA to everyone about these rule changes. They should realise by now that not everyone is aware of them and what is in place is open to so much interpretation that all it really does is create confusion for quite a few people at a time that is dangerous to be confused on the road (Rant about the DVLA and nothing against you my friend) Take care out there 👍

Cyclists may have to give priority, that doesn't mean they have to stop and cannot pass in between pedestrians.

@gravis would doing that make the peds have to alter course or speed? If so, or even if it creates doubt, it's wrong.

@@AshleyNeal-JustCycling . Not necessarily, if they had to, that wouldn't be giving them priority. My point is, the cyclist would not always have to stop and wait until all pedestrians had finished crossing.

As I understand it, if you encourage them to cross, you might face some responsibility but if you just acknowledge their presence, with a hand wave rather than a 'cross now' gesture, the decision to cross remains theirs and of course the driver that collided with them is the real issue because unless the peds ran headlong into the car's path, the car was almost certainly not being driven appropriately. This is especially true on zebra crossings.

Don't wave people across into on coming traffic - that's psychopathic!

@@2neanderthal602 I have done that on occasion. every time it was impatient traffic behind me.

Unfortunately, what's ‘right’ in terms of whether your voice, a bell, or nothing at all is best comes down to the person whose attention you're trying to attract. I've received abuse/angry responses for all 3 in the past.

Personally I like the bell. If I'm walking, say, on a canal tow path, which is also used by cyclists, if I hear a bell I'll look round and then step aside to let the bicycle through. If I heard someone talk or shout something, I wouldn't have a clue who or what was shouting. A bicycle bell immediately notifies me that it's a cyclist and they probably want to come through.

We all makes mistakes at times. We need to accept that & try to help each other.

@@TheRip72 That is absolutely true as both a driver and a cyclist. I have misjudged and made wrong decisions but I hope I'm learning from each realisation when I do.

The best bit of advice I would give actually go and cycle with some experienced riders that have experience and confidence in traffic and watch how the deal with it. Many cycle clubs have social rides. It's not just for us racing cyclist that the club ride is useful.

@Lemstrauss where do you live? What is the cycling infrastructure like?

​@@AshleyNeal-JustCycling In Germany, small-ish town with a lot of rural villages around it. We've got a lot of "painted bicycle gutters" in my city so only paint on the ground, not much real infrastructure. At least there are plenty of separated paths with tarmac in the countryside. People in cars are very impatient and bossy especially those in more expensive vehicles.

I'd say 90% at least of the cars almost hitting you don't have any sort of hate or other feeling for you... they're just driven by idiots that don't know what they're doing, how big their car is, or assume you're going walking pace and misjudge their actions.

This might be an absolutely terrible idea so judge it against the environment you're in. But you might try to take up primary position by default and as cars approach from behind you go to the side to allow them to overtake. What this may accomplish is that you present to a driver as something to take notice of and consider rather than just blowing past. By yielding the space for them to overtake you shift the interaction from them simply ignoring you or taking liberties over you to you granting them access. The idea is not to attempt to hinder or even slow traffic down, just to be noticed and taken into account. Acting with confidence and aiming to yield in the time between being spotted and becoming a hindrance would be the trick to it. You might want to ensure you have a decently bright red tail light though, even in day time.

I’m a delivery cyclist and a lot of my videos were featured in this episode, we’re not all bad. There’s good and bad on both sides.

The 95% who are idiots give the other 5% a bad name...

But *don't* cross the streams!

Welcome back to cycling! Although 'you never forget how to ride a bike', your motor and balance skills for cycling will be rusty, so be prepared to do a bit of simple, undemanding riding (separated bike paths would be great, if available) to bring your latent skills back up - the more miles you do, the more that your balance and smoothness will improve - have fun!

@@type17 Thank you! I'm quite lucky that I have a seafront promenade, which is a joint cycle/pedestrian path and quite wide, just down the road from me. Also there are some very quiet private roads locally. So quite a lot of places to practice. Thanks again. :)

As another big guy at 2 metres tall who got back into general commuting and utilitarian cycling a few years ago, good luck with finding your road wheels again. I recommend getting two very good quality motorbike mirrors for each handlebar. They are really great for keeping you aware of what is behind you or approaching in the distance. I got mine after I wobbled and crashed (thankfully my only incident) looking behind on a narrow laneway. I wouldn't be without them now. Although when there are vehicles behind me I still glance behind to reinforce my intentions to following traffic along with full clear and extended hand signals. I also got a 70cm length of light flexible plastic water pipe which I attached to the back of my carrier rack using two pipe clips. It's the same width as the handlebars plus mirrors. I attach a very bright 150-200 lumens flashing led light to each end day and night which helps make my bike appear wider to traffic approaching from behind. Much more so than a single centered light under the seat or on the carrier rack. It really adds to my sense of safety and visibility on the roads. In the dark winter days and nights I also add Bluetooth separate right and left indicators as well to enhance my hand signals. I can loosen the pipe clips enough with a little spanner in just a few seconds so I can slide the pipe around so it's flush with the side of the bike rack when not needed. Easy peasy. Having panniers on my bike makes it look bigger too. And a good quality daytime flashing light on the front is essential too and a good headlight for night time. Plus I always wear an orange hi-vis vest and helmet. I cycle in Ireland in a rural area with surrounding small towns and no bike paths or lanes or hard shoulders so I'm mixing it completely with everything from cars to 40 tonnes trucks coming from behind and visibility and clear communication of my intentions is a priority. This may seem a little too much bother but last October or November I pulled into an underground car park of a local supermarket and I noticed a car that had followed me in pulling up in a bad position blocking two car parking spaces. A woman got out of the car and came straight up to me and straight away told me that the previous year her brother had been killed whilst out cycling in broad daylight on the hard shoulder if a straight stretch of road when he was hit from behind by a car and killed. She saw me cycling down the main street in daylight and thought that if her brother had similar lights, perhaps he would still be alive. And then she got back in her car and drove out and I've never seen her again. This is what I'm doing and perhaps it might be of some help to you?

@@tconnolly9820 Thanks for all the great advice, I really appreciate it. I already have 3 lights, reflectors and helmet and have more items planned. This morning I actually fell off so for now I'm injured and can't ride. I'm so angry at myself, it was a stupid mistake. All the best.

@@explorewithgeoff Perhaps if you find a large car park when it's mostly empty or an industrial estate or similar where learner drivers practice you could spend time practicing your own skills? Good luck and stay safe.

Slow down and follow. Make it a non event. In fact, when I'm cycling, I prefer it because my mantra, when cycling or driving, is not to hold anyone up if I can help it, so there's no way I'd want to be in front of them only to be holding them up.

Thanks for your comment however, I am more than content knowing the people who have changed how they operate on the roads. You support is much appreciated! 👍

@@AshleyNeal-JustCycling yeah, but still👍💙

People usually upload the footage to Google Drive or similar and then send me a sharing link!

There’s no guarantee that the motorist would pull into the break to allow the cyclist to continue. I’ve plenty of clips that show this. Even if the cyclist was to stop just before it. The motorist would still maintain a straight line and not jink into the passing place to get by. This is a regular occurrence on unclassified roads with passing places. Far to many motorists will not use a passing place when approaching a cyclist and force them off the road.

Which they do but in similar numbers to cyclists giving up priority.

@@AshleyNeal-JustCycling that doesnt reflect the reality that the 10% that dont can kill you, whereas the other way around it doesnt. It should not be equal give and take because the playing field is not level. Both road design and vulnerability puts cyclists at a disadvantage. This is the same point I have argued with you many times now - you always present from a driver’s perspective conveniently forgetting their great weight and metal overcoats as compared to flesh. Its NOT equal. Fortunately things are moving in a good direction now with the greater recognition of vulnerability in the highway code - it *is* making a difference.

A normal response from an uneducated cyclist. You want more priority because you're more vulnerable, yet in the highway code it states all road users should be ready to give up priority for safety. Keep riding into danger then.

@@AshleyNeal-JustCycling Ashley, when anyone puts a counter point to yours or anything you disagree with I observe (as shown well by your response here) that you try to insult them, call then uneducated and so on. If you want to make useful knowledge dump your ego man. You are not THE source of all knowledge and there was no need to turn what was a friendly comment explaining a very slightly different perspective into a conflict. Other people have experience and knowledge, not only you. You would do well to listen not just objectify everyone in order to rationalise your own view. Your comment to me is very offensive, in what was a friendly exchange of experience.

@@AshleyNeal-JustCycling how dare you call me uneducated and presume to know what I want and whats in my head. Rule 204: Rule 204 The road users most at risk from road traffic are pedestrians, in particular children, older adults and disabled people, cyclists, horse riders and motorcyclists. It is particularly important to be aware of children, older adults and disabled people, and learner and inexperienced drivers and riders. In any interaction between road users, those who can cause the greatest harm have the greatest responsibility to reduce the danger or threat they pose to others.