Justice served

[dashy]

Sure the cyclist has the same rights as the motorist, but why would you want to challenge a small SUV? At what cost will you hold your ground?

I have ridden near the gutter many times (both fast 60kph and slow 20kph)and was nearly clipped those two times, and maybe many other times too. The cyclist didn't expect to get tailgated as he was riding fast, tailgating a cyclist is very dangerous TO THE CYCLIST, anyone who does it is simply stupid.

 

[sludgeguts]

Sure the cyclist has the same rights as the motorist, but why would you want to challenge a small SUV? At what cost will you hold your ground?

Local authorities have spent £millions creating cycle paths away from the road - OK, these are generally footpaths that have been widened, but all the same, these shared spaces are generally pothole (and vehicle) free.
And yet, our lycra-clad chums seem to prefer to slow the progress of vehicles on very fast roads.
Knowing how many morons there are out there, why would you put yourself in a situation where there is a chance that one of these morons will simply blast by, inches form your bar ends?

 

[flank]

Yes it is a good lesson for all of us that feeding fuel to the fire is not good.

The smarter thing for the cyclist to do would have been to pull over and take a break for a minute or 2 and let that group of cars pass. If you look at all of his videos, the guy has a death wish. He has way too many close calls to count.

I try to live stress free as possible. I actively work at it. Driving or riding your bike through the city streets can be as stressful as you want it to be. Apparently, he feeds on these types of battles.

 

[dashy]

Local authorities have spent £millions creating cycle paths away from the road - OK, these are generally footpaths that have been widened, but all the same, these shared spaces are generally pothole (and vehicle) free.
And yet, our lycra-clad chums seem to prefer to slow the progress of vehicles on very fast roads.
Knowing how many morons there are out there, why would you put yourself in a situation where there is a chance that one of these morons will simply blast by, inches form your bar ends?

Here a bicycle is a vehicle.
I actually had several close calls in cycle paths with pocket rocket bikes and dirt bikes illegally using it and coming at you at 60kph even near blind corners.
When I started to cycle I used the local cycle paths but due to too many close calls with pedestrians dirt bikes and me getting faster I resorted to using the road to get to the M7 cycleway.

 

[sludgeguts]

When I was a cyclist (about 10 years ago) I always used the cyclepaths wherever I could. On the occasions that I was on the road, I always hugged the kerb. If I had to pull out around parked cars, I always made sure I pulled back in again as soon as possible. Today's cyclist, though, seems to want the middle of the lane, well away from the kerb!
I was more than aware of what could happen if a vehicle were to hit me - then I got knocked off - twice! cars overtaking me then immediately turning left across me (rather than waiting a second longer!

 

[M---]

From my perspective as a cyclist (and I drive daily), I'll note that in this jurisdiction, the rules of the road say that cyclists have to stay as far to the right as "practical and safe."

1. If the road I'm on has a shoulder, that's where I ride. <-- out of the way of traffic
2. If the road I'm on has no shoulder, but a wide traffic lane, I ride on the right. <-- traffic can pass me safely
3. If the road I'm on has a narrow traffic lane, I generally ride in the middle of the lane. <-- traffic has to change lanes to pass me.

In scenario 3, I can understand traffic getting angry that I'm taking up the lane, but here's my perspective: it's a narrow traffic lane, so a car can't safely pass me without changing lanes. I have been hit twice in this manner (nobody ever stopped; thankfully I wasn't injured, but their cars were scraped by my handlebars), and had several close calls.

Since it's unsafe for them to pass me while staying in the lane, they should change lanes. So if they have to change lanes to safely pass me, I might as well ride in a manner that forces them to change lanes. So I ride in the center of the lane.

If the driver is in a rush to get to the next traffic light, they can change lanes and pass me SAFELY. So far I haven't encountered any psychopaths who are willing to completely run me down. Assholes sometimes honk.

One other situation gets me riding in the middle of a traffic lane: parked cars. I've nearly been "doored" several times, so I ride SAFELY away from parked cars. Many drivers don't check the mirror for cyclists before opening the door. Rear passengers NEVER check. If the lanes are narrow, it might mean that I end up riding in the middle of the lane.

All that said, I try to avoid roads where I know I'll have to ride in the middle of the road, and especially if that road goes up a hill. And one thing I NEVER do is pass cars in a narrow lane at a red light-- if they've taken the effort to pass me safely, I'm not going to slow them down again. I'll only pass them if there's a shoulder.

As far as dedicated bike lanes or paths go, if they are close enough to be useful, I generally use them. As long as it's not one of those meandering routes with kids and off-leash dogs. Putting a cyclist who's doing 30-40km/h on one of those paths would be dangerous.

One other note: as much as drivers might be frustrated by my presence, I don't really slow them down. It takes me about 35 minutes to drive to work. On bike, it takes 38-42 minutes, depending on my luck with traffic lights. It would be quicker if I took the main roads, as the bike routes have a lot of stop signs. And I've got a big hill to climb (~90m elevation gain) along the route, with stop signs every second block on the way down.