What Cyclists Have To Put Up With 

It is the sense of vulnerability that makes cyclists protest verbally. Well said.

One reason is that they are so pumped up on adrenalin that they are angry little people .

The thing I've found with a lot of these 'bike vs car' incidents is that the drivers are the ultimate idiots, but sometimes the cyclist makes it slightly worse. The point I'm making is that cyclists get so much hate when in reality the drivers do a lot worse. I'm not in any way defending cyclingmikey - he's a bit of an idiot on his bike. I'm just saying that people overlook the 95% of cyclists who obey the law and are sensible, instead pointing the finger at the 5% who do something wrong. But this attitude won't change - it doesn't matter how many studies show that bikes break the law much less than cars, people will still blame the bikes for the issues cars cause. People will always hate on bikes just because they don't understand basic concepts like level of risk to bikes and induced demand. My main point is that bikes shouldn't have to share the road with cars. They also shouldn't be subject to all the same rules as cars, instead they should be protected by both laws and good bike infrastructure. UK law basically treats bikes and cars as the same thing, but they're not. *We need better bike infrastructure, or at least lower speed limits (20mph = 30km/h)*

​@@derekheeps1244 Come one man done be part of the problem like some gammon. You are better than that

That cyclist was looking for a confrontation without a doubt. My guess is he is a 'content creator'. Having been safely overtaken most of us would be happy to see the van go ahead not undertake and then take the whole lane again. As a 76 year old lifelong cyclist I find most vehicles being far TOO cautious and it is really frustrating they won't pass despite my riding in the gutter to do so even on a straight road. It gets to the point where I either have to stop and wave them past or mount the pavements. So many drivers are poor at judging clearances something is going to have to be done at driving test level. These people care frustrating to both the cyclist and those following. Often those behind the offending driver blame the cyclist and it simply isn't their fault when they have no control over a poor drivers ability to judge a safe passing distance.

Quite right. I had actually suggested elsewhere here that cycling should be required 👍Your additional suggestions are a really good idea too.

Absolute nonsense

@@jvtaxi3766 Great example of a self-referential comment.

Completely agree that a cycling course should be a standard part of learning to drive and requirement of getting a license.

That’s maybe a bit of extreme but hazard perception isn’t well enough taught. It would be valuable to consider hazards from different perspectives. How tricky it is to make turns in a truck or how buffeting is such an issue on motorbikes and bikes. Many car drivers don’t appreciate the challenges.

I would not want to try to cycle now the whole road now or end up weaving

Impatience; common misconception that only motor vehicle drivers pay for roads; in-group vs out-group effect; popular media encouraging and perpetuating "cyclists are enemy of motorist" with frequent rage-bait.

Exactly!

@@Marc-ww7cc have you got some thing to back that statnent up please

Bad attitude is not helped by deliberate misrepresentation by journalists. This headline, for example. "Cyclists kill or maim two pedestrians every week, according to statistics" Nothing whatsoever in the article of why the collisions took place, such as the common cause of pedestrians stepping out in front of a cyclist, or any comparison with motor vehicles.

Sadly, this is a daily reality for non-motorised traffic, not just cyclists. there is something about sitting in a tin box at speed which gives a sense of entitlement to a small but significant minority. Many people tell me that cycling is dangerous when in reality cyclists rarely hurt themselves and even more rarely hurt others, let alone kill them. Motorists on the other hand kill and maim thousands every year and yet belieive that their activity is safer than cycling. From a health and safety point of view, cars and lorries should be banned from the roads should they not? OK - perhaps that is a bit extreme ..... but you get my point I hope. Thank You to all of those considerate and safe drivers (who are the majority) and burn in the wreckage of your own vehicle to the rest.

its like that all the time

Not helped by the propaganda that all cyclists are rulebreakers and freeloaders who only cycle to inconvenience motorists. If a careless cyclist causes an accident it will be amplified in the media to encourage more hatred against anyone who cycles.

This is the norm, people forget that cyclists are human beings.

Well said. A to B without aggression.

Nice one! A convert is always appreciated 👏🙏

Thank you

I've done years worth of road cycling and driving and not once come across any problems either way. I dont understand either way how you can piss someone off if you're actively trying to let people just go about their day.

Oh actually one time I came out a shop and crossed the road between a van and a car and got hit by a cyclist. I was a bit stupid (hungover) for that one.

Try it on a motorcycle!

Learning to drive made me a better cyclist too. Once I became a motorist I realised how much of a d1ck I'd been on a bike when dealing with bad cyclists so on the rare occasions I am back on one I follow the same rules for cars

What about motorcycling? That has improve my driving too

@@steve00alt70 I don't doubt it! I've only had pedal cycle experience and that FOR ME has been the biggest driving improver.

I see it from all sides. Long ago was a cyclist then a motorcyclist followed by a car driver. Trained to become an advanced rider and driver, now riding bicycles again. On the bicycle I am fully aware of how the drivers around me are driving, 99.9% do very well. 0.1% though are dangerous, 2 of them have reported to the police due to being as serious danger to cyclists.

Exactly right. A new perspective. I wonder if a sentence for poor driving could be a cycling course? That’s a thought isn’t it? Or even better as a practical part of the driving test! Put drivers on tricycles in traffic if necessary 😄

I did a short journey to a friend, 8:13 to fix a bicycle as it happens, and it was almost impossible to avoid the potholes littering the road.

It was one road in a vast country. Spain's infrastructure is not known for being particularly amazing, to be honest.

the/ have a better road tax system and spend more on roads same with france. but toll booths are the price..

The road in Spain are like glass really smooth. If it rains they are like ice. I was just in Belgium and even then roads where better than the UK. The roads in Europe I've seen are generally better than the UK. You do see the odd pot hole or cracked road surface but what you don't see is dolloped patch work waiting to be washed out or a road surface with its top coat worn away

To be fair, the rain and freeze thaw cycle in the uk causes the road surface to break down quicker than in a warmer dryer climate.

get a car

@@Riguu9 I have a car you silly person. But I don't get fit and healthy in my car. Now go away.

how about you dont ride on fast roads then where you block cars?

@@scuffedclips1 I live in the countryside of North Wales and ride on mostly quiet country lanes Mr knowitall.

@@dangerfulmind get a car

While you might be allowed under the law, you went out of your way to be antagonistic to all other road users, when all you would have to do is be in the right most lane for most of that clip then the left lane 100-200m from when you need to turn left. Not sure about Spain, but in most countries you can in theory be cited for unduly obstructing traffic.

The driver's view of being delayed is often wrong in this urban situation. All too often they just catch up at the next light (as happened here). That said, I've followed a cyclist at 10mph for several hundred metres and been absolutely screamed at by the following driver, as we sat alongside in the next junction's filter lanes while the cyclist vanished into the distance.

There’s legal, and there’s considerate. Pot, kettle.

@@Knightyme It's difficult to move into the turning lane on a busier road, so it makes perfect sense to move into it early when it's safe. It becomes more and more unsafe to move into a turning lane as a junction is coming up.

@@Knightyme I wasn't trying to be antagonistic, I was just using the road as the law entitles me to. In other countries it may be different but in Spain I was doing nothing wrong. I however understand the ignorance of most car drivers and their proneness to road rage, so I have since avoided riding like this. I mostly stick to cycle paths where they exist and quieter roads

Not really a "tiny glimpse", come on. If you have denied prejudice up till now and you have just joined the minority activity of cycling, then the prejudice must have smacked you in the gob like a nail laden plank of wood!

I've had car drivers park in the cycle box at a junction multiple times because they want to be first and not wait extra 5 seconds. I've had on a weekly basis car drivers pull out in very slow traffic shunting their nose to force a space in traffic and block the cycle lane without looking, only looking at cars, ignoring the road markings. In my experience car drivers get tunnel vision and pay attention to nothing but what's in front of them, while the cyclist has to do everything to avoid the average drivers bad road behaviour they consider normal. One other example is some car drivers rush to get home, when it's pouring it down with rain, why you rushing, your dry in your car, let the dam cyclist have priority.

@@wormwood8071 nobody deserves to be ground in to the curb, ever! All that is required is training and education - as is the same for poor drivers.

@@The_BenboBaggins never? What if someone hurts your family? Every man has his limits... Mine are if you want the privilege of riding on the road my car tax pays for don't be a bellend otherwise your a waste of air. Most people in the world just piss me off anyway but I have a particular sensitivity to people with pickup trucks (with lift kits) entitled cyclist and parents that let there kids play tablets (with volume) in bars and restaurants.. all those people can get stuffed

What annoys me is the Police don't give a toss about bad driving or if you get knocked off your bike because you're just a cyclist.

*boils down to a vehicle that can match traffic speed and not hold everyone up

@@billybull7419 Few bicycles can do much more than 30 mph ; almost any motor vehicle can easily do twice that and many times more . Most roads flow at 60 mph or higher , except when held up by cyclists , tractors or caravans .

I have allways been taught to respekt whats bigger in trafic. Aswell as those who are smaller. If i Can see a truck that needs to regeres into a place i give space and wait. If i see people on a bike or bicycle i give space incase they Fall so i Can react in time. The reason most crashes happen is because of impatience. Which is just a Human flaw. That i see in drivers and cyclist. Driver are often impatient for no reason the same with cyclist. Often cyclist break laws for the simple reason of hitting a new pr. Where they risk life and limb. Just for time.

That's basically me now, while saving up for a car.

There may be some element of truth in what you say. On the other side of things lots of cyclists don't drive and have no clue as to the rules of the road.

I've not driven for ages but cycle all the time. It makes a lot of sense in London. But I think cycling might've actually made me a much worse driver. You never really have to get impatient on a bike, plus you can always use any bus/cycle/regular lanes and don't have to consider your speed in the same way. If I drive like I cycle (which I occasionally do for the first couple of minutes back behind a wheel) I'm a bit of a menace. I soon take stock and calm down though haha.

There's no chance you'll find me on a road in the UK on a bike without a cycle lane.

@@stonehengemaca Some roads really are fine. No fast ones, but a lot of town roads are either really quiet or really slow moving so it's actually a breeze.

Half of the cyclists "content creator" types get way closer to cars than cars get to them at times . I'm not talking regular cyclists going to work I'm specifically talking about the ones trying to make videos , you need incidents for these channels to grow . They want incidents and close calls for followers and likes and feel like it's a wasted cycle ride if nothing dangerous happens and it's a perfectly safe ride

That is an urban phenomenon ; most of us don't drive in congested built up areas ; I pass a cyclist , I never see him again .

Its not just drivers that are impatient. Its a Human flaw i myself Can be rather impatient at times. But that is only if a Car drives 30 kmh slower than the limit. Not when a cyclist does. Cause there would be no point other than to wait til its Safe to pass.

@@christophergallagher3845 Im a cyclist i doubt i would need to invent problems for content and im in a modest sized town if i was a city dweller i would have PTSD, a decent chunk drivers are just that entitled either with not wanting to give you space or doing everything in their power to get in front regardless of whether you get killed or they darwin themselves.

@@hammerofolympia3716 there's there's decent chunk of entitled self centred ignorant yclists in city driving on pavements , running red lights , ignoring road markings etc etc you'd get ptsd from the cyclists in any city

Because a street sweeper is more likely to damage the precious car if they hit it.

@@Lazerus101 It's less likely to damage your licence though.

I drive and ride. I have no problem lettting a cyclist have the right of way, even when I may actually have it. They don't have a motor to get moving, while my car does. My car will get going much faster than they will on their bike, so that 5 or 10 seconds I'm waiting doesn't really make a big difference in the overall scheme of things.

Oh dear... "usually". Not always then. Give way means give way, always, and not just to whom or when you prefer to give way to at your whim! In an overtake situation the law requires you to pass a cyclist with a MINIMUM of 2 metres clearance (probably more than you routinely give a car). It doesen't matter what people behind you think or do. You must drive safeley and within the law. At all times.

@@nickwinn7812 Although I agree with the essence of your comment, I don't believe it's factually correct. Like many highway code rules, the rule on overtaking cyclists safely is not backed up with a law. If the police prosecute a driver for overtaking unsafely, it is for 'driving without due care and attention' or similar. Highway code 'must' rules are laws, whereas 'should' rules aren't. The relevant part of rule 163 is 163. Overtake only when it is safe and legal to do so. You should ● give motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders and horse drawn vehicles at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car (see Rules 211 to 215). As a guide: ○ leave at least 1.5 metres when overtaking cyclists at speeds of up to 30mph, and give them more space when overtaking at higher speeds ○ pass horse riders and horse-drawn vehicles at speeds under 10 mph and allow at least 2 metres of space ○ allow at least 2 metres of space and keep to a low speed when passing a pedestrian who is walking in the road (for example, where there is no pavement) So, drivers are only required to leave a gap of 1.5m below 30mph, not 2m. I totally agree though that drivers should ALWAYS leave a 1.5m gap. Many seem to think it's fine to pass closer than this if the road is too narrow, there is oncoming traffic, there are parked cars etc. Although the rules don't stipulate a gap when passing a cyclist coming in the opposite direction, clearly the relative speed between cyclist and vehicle is higher and hence the risk is increased. Where the gap is small, I believe the driver should stop (or at least slow to a crawl), so that the cyclist can pass the stationary vehicle, which is far safer than a vehicle passing them at speed.

yay, thanks for respecting cyclists, driver!

No. the best advice to all road users is "look after eveyone else one the road" Only this mentality will guarantee our mutual well-being.

@@nickwinn7812 With what I have seen on the road, all I can say is good luck with that one.

Snap! But give me a car-free route anytime 👍

I see this type of unproductive comment about every other one on a cycling video- you are not clever. Yes, there is an unwritten "moral" road user consensus in most places that vulnerable road users are 4th class citizens and could be killed at will at any second on a whim with little consequences. We're all very much aware.

"Being right does not mean you are immortal" - very well put and could be deployed in a lot of driving situations.

I agree it was unnecessary to do what he did

The very next clip explains that quite nicely. It's safer for a cyclist to go to the front where they can be seen easily, rather than be mixed in with motor vehicles.

@@RpattoYT it's even safer on the side walk

@@sirmounted8499 Which is illegal.

@@MeakerSE So kids riding bikes have to do so in parks, woods or in traffic with such bad infrastructure for bikes? Where I live it's legal to cycle on the sidewalk so for me it's actually insane that bikes are supposed to go with the cars.

I visited Amsterdam last month & was impressed with how stress free the cycling seemed to be. The division of the roads to protect them was impressive, as was the lack of "Tour De France" style racing from most cyclists.

I took the left lane pretty early because there was a gap in traffic, just like a car driver would if they had a left turn coming up in a couple hundred meters. Nevertheless after several angry drivers on that road I decided to change my route and started cycling con quieter streets. It took a few more minutes but I stopped fearing for my life every day

For my experience in the UK, often when coming up to a busy junction you'll have a long queue of cars waiting their turn. If you wait until you've joined the queue to change lane, you'll find yourself stationary with a train of fast moving cars whipping past. Their vision of you is blocked by the queue behind, putting your arm out won't be noticed and risks the hand being clipped. When I come up to familiar junctions like that I change lane early while I'm still moving fast. Sometimes that queue isn't there and I'll get beeped, looks like I'm being an arrogant git.

@@LastOnSunday in the Netherlands, you have safe cycling paths almost everywhere, with lots of people riding on them. Thus, the speeds that people go at naturally tend towards a comfortably fast pace, where you reach your destination quickly enough yet don't start sweating. In countries without consistent safe cycling infrastructure, you quickly learn that if you go at this leisurely speed of ~20km/h, car drivers will keep honking at you and close-passing you whenever you ride in a street that doesn't have any safe cycling paths, forcing you to share the street with them. This quickly trains you to choose your speed to be about equal to that of the cars around you. This way, the number of cars that overtakes you is minimized, which lowers the risk of someone hitting you. I live in Vienna, where cycling infrastructure is bad and barely existent, and when I ride through the city, I typically ride at 30-50 km/h for this reason. In the Netherlands I typically go at a more leisurely pace of 20-30 km/h on a Dutch bike. Dutch bikes in Vienna are useless - they are designed for you to sit upright and comfortable, limiting the speed you can reach with them, and when you ride here (or anywhere else in Austria or Germany), you quickly learn that you need to match the speed of the cars around you to be at least somewhat safe.

Even when there is cycle lanes 99% of cyclists in the uk still cycle down the road cause they can

@@gregshearer423 the amount of cars I see parked in the few cycle lanes there is in the UK is just stupid. Most drivers ignore them it would seem.

@@BudgieandAviaryBirds can’t disagree with that but the amount of times cyclists have a cue of traffic behind them when there a cycle lanes a joke

​@@gregshearer423 says the person who has obviously never cycled for more than 20 seconds.

@@Rover200Power cycle plenty in my life just not part of the Lycra wearing Tour de France wanna be

The way it should be. It seems a lot of people forget that the say “treat others how you wish to be treated” when behind the wheel

People allways forget to be patient. Most of the time if you are patient things actually go faster.

@@OfficialWildPibehind the wheel you should expect people to so the opposite and instead expect Them to not know how to drive. Thats how i stay Safe.

This is true Christopher, to a degree. As a cyclist and a motorcyclist myself, I see many of the same issues from four + wheel users on the road. However, when cycling I have felt endangered on many occasions by the inconsiderate and entitled minority of motorcyclists. There are similarly minded people in the cycling world by the way, but their particular mode of transport, by dint of low mass and velocity represents a very low risk to others. I have been known to shout abuse at cyclists (whilst cycling myself) for using the pavement rather than the road. Thereby putting their own safety above that of pedestrians and others. Motorcyclists are as guilty as other motorised vehicle users of close passing and often at much higher speed. It is very scary indeed when on a bicycle to have some idiot wheelying toward you on a 750 at maybe 60mph in a 30 zone (although in any zone it's no fun) when you are on a bicycle. This happened to me only last week. The rider of said motorcyle seemed very impressed with himself and obviously thought that I as a two wheeler would appreciate his antics too. This sort of abuse shouild not be part of my daily commute. But it is. Don't expect cyclists to side with bikers any time soon.

As a motorcyclist, occasional cyclist and driver I completely agree.

Communities?

Lets face it, every "group" has its considerate and inconsiderate bunch. Its called people. Some people are nice, on two wheels, 4, 6 or 18... Others are assclows (sorry but that was funny AF) regardless of how many legs, arms, wheels they have. Best thing to do it try and avoid them as much as possible.

In terms of risk drivers should think if cyclists as pedestrians. I doubt an HGV would skim past a person standing on the road, whatever the reason for them being there.

Around here, I could say the same for cyclists... they need 6 feet on our narrow ancient town layout if you overtake them. Thats fair enough because, I've never ever passed a cyclist on a minimum width road without using appropriate speed and the whole opposite side of the road. Nor am I averse to holding up everyone behind me, in those circumstances. I don't intimidate easily. However, the same logic and rules does not apply to oncoming cyclists who actively choose to, (without pause), pass short groups of parked cars while taking the centre line even as I drive towards them. Cars wait in this situation if they can't pass and clear before traffic arrives. Cyclists doing this get inches of clearance by their choice, a risk of being doored or hit by peeking or reckless pedestrians and an extra 10 or 15mph, (compared with being passed at 30mph), added to the potential collision speed; all having taken some imagined priority on my side of the road to save a few seconds, (sounds familiar?). But it's always and in all circumstances, us drivers who are dangerous?

In my subjective opinion i do feel like aggressive overtakes started happening less to me once I completely stopped filtering if there were only 3-4 cars at the front (even when I see the light turn red and have plenty of time to safely filter). Sometimes the least patient drivers are already at the front, so you just save yourself the stress by staying back a bit.

I don't filter or undertake at all, cycling and driving around in a busy city I find it's not worth the hassle and risk. In traffic I'll take primary, not least because the state of disrepair of the roads is so bad that I'm otherwise constantly dodging the potholes.

Couldn't agree more. My filtering is much reduced. If I know I'll get through the next green I no longer bother. Or if the road is busy and not very wide. More so if I've been close passed - chances are the same driver still can't measure 1.5m two minutes later.

I agree with this. If you're already stuck in the traffic light grand prix with motor vehicles, using the advanced stop position when going straight on doesn't get you there any faster, and you significantly increase risk by filtering in vehicle blind spots not knowing exactly when the lights are likely to change. Motorists very rarely seem to leave the cycle advance boxes free anyway.

​@@nickramsden5366 I

On the other side of the coin , if a driver has done a risky overtake to get infront, I stay behind them at the lights as better to have the idiot infront of you.

I do think my fellow cyclists are often too keen to filter, making their way passed any slow or stationary traffic ahead when ever they can even if there is no real advantage to them and puts them at risk. Having said that one of the booms of cycling is that you can make you way through traffic meaning that you can often get to you destination in towns and cities more quickly than people in cars. You just have to be sensible.

The cyclist could quite easily have moved in to the closed lane for 10 seconds, making a non-event 😉

overtaking and i presume undertaking the leading vehicle on zig-zags is illegal anyway

​@@zakgriffiths2683you presumed wrong. Nothing in the HC about undertaking

@@philipreid2542 however, 'Undertaking' is the practice of overtaking a slower moving vehicle on its left-hand side (kerb side) still counts as overtaking

Clipped in? Isn't that how Joe Biden took a tumble a year or so ago? Surely if you are in a lot of stop/start traffic, keeping your cadence doesn't sound very safe.

Drivers treat cyclists so badly precisely because of things like this. Cyclists lives are worth less than your convenience in the eyes of the law and in the eyes of city and road planners.

Its a very common occurence, made worse by the legion of drivers that continue through after the light has changed red in heavy traffic. I sat at a green light for well over 30 seconds once waiting for all the cars (and a bus) that had clearly kept going through red.

And when people jump the red light it leaves even less time to get through on a bike and more likelihood of meeting someone coming the other way on green 🙁 The presumption is often made that 'cyclists junp red lights', which doesn't help.

Based on the video above, the one to drive doesn't entirely prove that plan is going to be effective 😂

Never stopped drivers from behaving like dicks!

I’m with you on those points. Cycling I find is a great way to shake off depression. Maybe partly because your mind is concentrating on survival😂But also it lets you experience the outdoors in a more sensual way. I’ve never been knocked of f mine (yet) but I have had to lift the bike onto the pavement to avoid being crushed by a juggernaut as it mounted the kerb during a turn.

I'm with you on all of this! I prioritise keeping myself safe, and often get off if a big lorry is approaching from behind (close passes by lorries are the worst!). I have only been knocked off twice in 20 years - once by an old man opening his door into me as I was going downhill (I stay well clear now!!), and the other a woman who deliberately crawled alongside me shouting abuse for half a mile and finally forced me to fall into a railing because I had used the forward cycle box at some traffic lights and got ahead of her. I used to get annoyed at bad driving but now I try to stay really alert and let it slide, and focus on thanking the good drivers.

@@theyouofyesterday6254 Sounds like good policy. Most drivers I find are polite and careful -like me!😁

Yes as you say he is in the wrong lane and should have really dropped in behind the Audi. Sometimes junctions like these have a "except cyclists" sign or the cycle lane is marked across the junction. Neither was the case here. The easiest option to help everybody (it's nice to be nice) would have been simply to swap places with the Yaris.

👍 Yes there are good, considerate, patient drivers. Well done all of you👏But some drivers make ‘mistakes’ then blame cyclists for their poor attention and bad decisions.

I largely agree, and former Danish cyclist. should also come here and cycle, and you can log many 100 KM and not even have to share the same surface as cars as we have many dedicated bicycle paths here. Mind you Danish car drivers and many cyclists are idiots too, sadly the regulatory branch here have no interest in changing this.

As both a cyclist and a motorist I can see both sides and give and take is the way forward. Cyclists have a right to insist on cycling to the exact letter of the law if they wish and take a position in the road that doesn't let cars pass but they can also be the 'bigger man/woman' and let cars pass when convenient. If I am on a narrow country road and there is a long queue of cars behind me I will often pull in to a passing place to let them pass and it will lose me a minute of time maximum. If I am a driver stuck behind a cyclist I will wait until it is safe to pass and again it will lose me a minute of time maximum. I think the main issue in the UK is that the media has set cyclists and drivers against each other for political reasons (culture wars).

Rules only work when people; A: Are aware of them, B: Actually care, C: Punished for failing to obey the rules, D: Not impatiant and aggressive (which many British motorists are)

No cyclist wants to position themselves in front of car traffic, but sometimes it is necessary for a small amount of time due to narrow spaces.

@@AndrewStride Yes , it is often completely necessary for cyclists, for safety reasons , to establish their position in front of traffic and car drivers need to respect this absolutely. On the other hand you often see cyclists riding two abreast (which is completely within their rights) but COULD if the timing is right and safe to do so move to single file to let a queue of drivers pass more easily. Most do this but some do not. It is of course a balance and the cyclist's safety must always take priority and cyclists should never be pressurised by drivers to do something that puts them in danger.

That is a great idea, but what about compulsory cycle training as well?

l used a bicycle in my later school days and my early work years. l would cycle to work in all but the worst weather....So l don't need any instructions... This was in the early sixties when the traffic was a lot less, But even so one need to be aware and careful. l believe that the modern cyclist has become very confrontational... they are their own worst enemy sometimes...l ride a motorcycle a good deal. l treat all car drivers as possible assassins, that way I'm ready for almost anything...if l get hit l will come out of the collision worse. Cyclist should think the same and act accordingly and not be so damn aggressive....

i also think that a theory test show be done every 5 years, the UK driving licence is the one of a few licences that when you get it you have it for life without a retest. people get sloppy in there driving and think it is a right to be on the road. and forget you have to be licenced to drive that vehicle.

@@stephentait8734 I will go further, and say that we should retake a driving test every 5 or 10 years. And that any non UK license holder should take a UK driving test. However, overseas HGV drivers don't have to, but will need to have a special driving "visa" or whatever 🤔

@@johndd9140 What about those from other countries who are just on business or holiday?

The most effective way by far is safe, physically separated infrastructure for bikes. That removes these types of conflicts altogether.

Great attitude to have though as a someone newer to driving. 👍

It’s a good point, Jack. I think some people are perfectly happy to wait for a safe pass but then get nervy or scared when another car is behind them, especially if it’s close.

I find most motorists are actually polite to me and will give way even when they shouldn’t. I try my best not to be a deliberate pain and not hold faster vehicles back if I can avoid it. But if need be I remind myself that I also have an equal right to the road. Plus by by cycling I do less damage to the road and the environment.

Someone did exactly this to me yesterday (while I was signalling to turn left), almost hitting a car coming the other way, then turned into a car park less than 50m further up the road! Must have been really late for work!

Someone commented on another video that as part of their training for a large vehicle - I think it was buses - they had to sit on a bike fixed upright while an instructor drove a bus past them at a fair clip. The intent was to show them just how terrifying a close pass is, and apparently it worked (on the poster, at least)

My main transport is a bicycle , but as an advanced driver am very confident. When I drive a car or motorbike, I never lose my cool , but I do on the bicycle when a car driver tries to tell me off. What makes me lose my cool is being treated as if I am clueless being a cyclist, they having no clue that not only am I riding perfectly and a car driver aswell , but trained to a higher level than them.

Unfortunately the "majority" of drivers being great around cyclists is simply not good enough. It only takes 1 in a 1000 drivers to kill a cyclist by their arrogance, ignorance and hatred of cyclists. We will never have all drivers even want to be good around cyclists, since their hatred is ingrained into their brains, so what we need is proper legal consequences for close passing, swerving, verbal and physical abuse. Police need to respond to 100% of these issues and need to fine, points on license, take vehicles, imprison drivers who do these things (depending on the severity of the infraction). For example, a driver close passing a cyclist should be fined and have points in their license. It could 100% end up with the cyclist dead.

@@Pattoe i would like to hear your opinion on bad cyclist behavier and how to create legal consequences for them. example, i got verbal abuse while in london, my crime, sweaving and braking to avoid cyclist who jumped red light to my right and nearly hitting cyclist who come up on my inside very close to my truck.

@@Pattoe That it only takes one driver to kill or hurt a cyclist is a point that I was going to make. I decided not to on this occasion because I am trying to avoid fanning the flames of hatred between road users. Your points are all valid but your solutions won't stop hatred. I'm not sure anything will stop it to be honest. I'm a very reasonable person' except, when faced with other peoples aggression, be it face to face or on the road, I have had many confrontations and fights that I won 99.9% of the time. But, I bet you that I never really changed one persons behaviour or attitude. So now I lead by example. So when I'm driving, I make a point of how I overtake a cyclist. So that every other driver see's me do it properly. When I cycle, I make sure that I obey the rules and am friendly and respectful. I advocate mutual respect on the roads. So whilst I agree with your views, I think that Ashley's approach is a better way forward.

​@Pattoe considering that the threat of jail does not deter murderers, how successful do you think your suggestion would be at making 100% of car drivers safe around cyclists?

That's called confirmation bias my friend. You don't remember the overwhelming majority of cyclists who do obey the laws, you remember the cyclists that confirm your beliefs. The numbers show the most dangerous thing on the road is a car. Also, a cyclist running a red light only endangers themselves really, whereas a car doing the same can, and does, have deadly consequences

No doubt there are some people who do egregiously run red lights on bikes. However, there are also times when as a cyclist, you know the lights are about to change and although it is strictly illegal, it's far safer to get outta there before the cars have a chance to left hook, close pass etc. Junctions are super dangerous to cyclists.

This sort of presumption is a big problem. I never run red lights and always follow the rules (of course I make mistakes sometimes), but some people in cars pre-emptively treat me as though I've done something wrong and need punishing. When I'm on my bike, I don't see myself as a 'cyclist' but a person trying to get somewhere. Yes, some people break the rules, and it is annoying, and they are making the roads more dangerous for others who cycle, but please try to see people on bikes as individual humans and judge us based on our individual actions 🙏 After all, some car drivers jump red lights (I've almost been hit several times walking on pedestrian crossings) but I don't automatically brand all car drivers as people who jump the lights, even though it is far more dangerous when they do so than when a cyclist does it.

⁠@@MrOlympuse410You’re not his friend and statistics don’t mean jack sh*t when you have to slam on the brakes because some idiot cyclist blows through a stop sign or red light. You’re not thinking about statistics when you’re driving, nor should you. You are, and should, be paying attention to the road. Your comment about some nebulous statistics, which I also notice you fail to cite, doesn’t invalidate OP’s experience. Statistics aren’t going to save a cyclist who blows through a stop sign and get hit by a car.

@@MrOlympuse410 To further expound, yeah the cyclist will be the most prone to injury from a collision with a car. Physically, the driver will most likely be fine, though that’s not a guarantee. Doesn’t mean they won’t suffer from anxiety, stress and/or guilt from hitting a bike when it wasn’t their fault.

This is actually a very good point. I understand that a cyclist is allowed to use the footpath if 'they' consider it too dangerous to use the road. Of course, context is everything.

But in this clip there was NO way to go.

I agree with you. Staying out of danger is more important than asserting your right to do something on the road. However it is hard to avoid everything. I have been 'punished' for the actions of other cyclists, like some of those in the video...

semi agree with this, a lot of these clips were down to bad cycling as well as bad driving. As a cyclist you have to allow for bad driving as the majority of road users don't know how to deal with cyclists in my experience. However the close passes in this video are unacceptable. I experience this far too much, in the last few years this has increased 10 fold. I have had some very scary near misses, I no longer road cycle for leisure now

Sad to hear

When I go out for walk I watch out for drivers parked up waiting in a que of traffic and there are many of them using their phones. there was one who saw and the lights changed to green and then panic and dropped the phone causing the car to move fast some one crossing in front it could be fatal.

@@itsonlyme9938 If you watch drivers as you cycle or walk, you will notice A LOT of them have phones in their hands. In heavier traffic it can be over half.

That's a travesty- I think if one is more than 50% responsible for another road user's death, one should have a permanent license suspension.

This is a big part of the problem. The punishment does not fit the crime. A friend of mine was out on a club run and was at the back of the group. He was taken out by a car from the rear. His bike was a right off and he was hospitalised with a back injury from which he will never fully recover. The car driver could not be procecuted because of lack of evidence! Work that one out.

@@gordonashcroft5757 disgraceful.

You get what you give and I’ll leave it as that.

Utter nonsense. Whatever happened before, the van driver should still have overtaken safely.

It'd be an extraordinary blessing if it was limited to one country.

​@@UnbeltedSundew Or one brand of cars. Idiotism does not discriminate whatsoever. 😂

@@em0_tion True, but some how certain types of idiots are more attracted to certain types of cars. So typically in Audi's you know what kind of idiot your going to get, if they drive like an idiot, and in a Golf you know what kind of idiot your likely to get, if they drive like and idiot, etc. etc.

​@@UnbeltedSundew Oh, I definitely get the stereotypical POV, I've just seen SOOO many idiots that I started judging just on merit. Adult lady almost got ran over next to me because young chicks blew a red light on a big crossroad and she yelled "Fvcking women drivers!" 🤣😂 Disagreed with her right there on the spot - idiotism is king. I was aware and held back, so she was able to see them too and not step forward. Otherwise we were both toast. We just gotta be aware and try to be better people, things will only get better if we don't give up. 🙏 FYI, my brother drives an AUDI and he's a very patient person, my father's been a career driver for over 40 years, he's driven every brand under the sun. Still tailgates people, constantly ignores the seatbelt, gets mad at other's mistakes and makes things worse. 🤷‍♂ Expect the unexpected. ✌

Yes, but what's with the cyclist trying to overtake that van later when the van is indicating a turn and there's car approaching from the front. Conveniently the video ends there. Half the cyclists in this video are just looking to get riled up on purpose. Sometimes someone else makes a genuine mistake on the road and every road user should just try to keep everyone else safe. "I AM RIGHT" cycling isn't helping.

Even more reason not to go past a bike if you are gonna turn left up ahead

@@problemchild1976 . Especially where, to turn left, they have to cross a cycle lane.

“bikes can pass on the left, while cars can’t undertake on a dual carriageway/motorway because it’s dangerous” two difference scenarios - if the car is waiting to turn left due to obstructions and the cyclist appears on the scene, the cyclist shouldn't pass on the left if the vehicle is stopped there with a left indicator on. But that's nothing to do with the updated rules. Undertaking on faster roads is about blind spots and isn't illegal - just advised to exercise care while doing so. Ash has done videos on this.

Absolutely right on both points. Chapeau

But it still happens the other way to. Cyclist & bikers will try to squeeze past as they think they can fit through. It's not an excuse, but it does happen often.

4 minute bike ride I would probably walk. Sad reason why? Because it's not worth the risk because some people are so ignorant and selfish. I really wish we would 1. paint zebra crossing on every junction 2. get rid of cycle lanes and put dashes in the middle of the road so motorists know how much they need to overtake cyclists by and to enable cyclists to take up primary whenever necessary

@@Aaron-sl9ov No it's a 10-15 minute walk and I'm just a bit lazy lol. I like to walk a lot and try avoid using my car but I don't like walking to work as it takes up (slightly) more of day.

​@@Bluemoon_19 It's not lazy, sounds like it's to maximize your time :) I keep thinking about getting my bike in working order... but then I remember what it was like cycling to work and back all the time...

@@Aaron-sl9ov Interestingly the risk of injury or being killed on the road for cyclists and pedestrians is more or less the same mile for mile. Clearly it depends very much on the road and pavement for these 4 miles though. In theory under the new highway code rules, there is now a zebra crossing at every road junction. I agree though that an actual zebra crossing rather than a virtual one would make crossing much safer. I understand that Chris Boardman proposed exactly that in Manchester. Possibly that led to the change in the highway code and a virtual zebra crossing is a much cheaper option and instantaneous rather than taking years to install an actual one.

Agreed. But there’s likely an equal number of motorists triggered by a cyclist in the middle of the lane ‘blocking their road’ 😢

@@CycolacFan They might be triggered, but very few of them would then deliberately punishment pass you. If you're close to the kerb, a significant proportion of drivers will decide they can get through the gap even when there is oncoming traffic, a parked car or a traffic island, which means the pass will be much closer than 1.5m. Also in the centre of the lane you can swerve left if a vehicle does get too close. If you're a foot from the kerb you can't.

@@southwirralcyclist1986 let’s hope you’re right…

@@CycolacFan I've never had anything worse than a blast on the horn for taking the lane, but loads of close passes when I haven't.