I commute daily into London. Chose it over taking the train, as A) cheaper, B) wakes you up WAY better than a double expresso, C) I'M ON MY BIKE!Usually everything is fine, until you get off the M11. From then on it's like running the gauntlet. The cagers are bad enough, but throw in the couriers, deliveroo types, and other mad scooterists and it's Mad Max. And not forgetting the 'IZombies'... (pedestrians)
I used to courier myself, back in the day, when I lived in L.A, and learnt back then to take the 'Pepe le Pew' approach. For those under a certain age, it was a cartoon about a skunk and a cat. The cat was always trying to get away from the skunk, so would go at top speed, all the time. But ol' Pepe would just kinda amble along, taking his time. And still catch up with the squid.... er, cat.
F*%ing stupid Filterers! Giving the rest of us a bad name.
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FatFreddy
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Re: F*%ing stupid Filterers! Giving the rest of us a bad name.
I always ride as if I'm invisible to car drivers. If you just assume they haven't seen you, you're far more likely to get home safely.DaveCon wrote: ↑Fri May 18, 2018 6:12 pm The three times I've been hit while commuting were when I was in a lane riding normally. Car drivers don't see us on bikes so move in to what they think is a gap. I actually feel safer when filtering. However when traffic speed gets above 30mph I drop in to a lane and stop filtering - I think 30 is fast enough to constitute moving freely.
One thing I'd add to the advice above is I always cover my brake and clutch, a bit like offroad style, just in case
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FatFreddy
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Re: F*%ing stupid Filterers! Giving the rest of us a bad name.
Saw another one this morning. Saw him in my rearview approaching at speed (I was doing close to 70) on a dual carriageway. I was overtaking a lorry and just as I passed it he cut in behind me and passed me on the inside.
The van in front of me had also just overtaken the lorry and was indicating he was moving back into the left lane. He was halfway across the white lines but the prick on the bike accelerated through the decreasing gap and only just made it.
He obviously frightened the van driver who over-reacted and was weaving all over the place for a few seconds, causing me and the lorry to have to brake, and in turn, the traffic following us would have had to slow down.
That's several car drivers, a white van man and a trucker who are likely to treat bikers with less respect and consideration from now on.
(Oh god, I have turned into a fully fledged grumpy old man!)
The van in front of me had also just overtaken the lorry and was indicating he was moving back into the left lane. He was halfway across the white lines but the prick on the bike accelerated through the decreasing gap and only just made it.
He obviously frightened the van driver who over-reacted and was weaving all over the place for a few seconds, causing me and the lorry to have to brake, and in turn, the traffic following us would have had to slow down.
That's several car drivers, a white van man and a trucker who are likely to treat bikers with less respect and consideration from now on.
(Oh god, I have turned into a fully fledged grumpy old man!)
