Lorries overtaking too close......

cantdoitbutwilltri

Had a scary moment when a lorry overtook me while I was on my bike. It was within inches of my leg and all I could see were wheels within touching distance.
Luckily there was a dip in the pavement and I managed to go up there. Had that not have been the case I'm certain that would have been the end of me.

Anyone else had this kind of thing happen? I tend to go out early mornings to avoid this happening, but Im being put off going out at all.

Not being the bravest amongst traffic I have decided a turbo trainer is now a must. Does anyone have one they would like to sell? Reasonably priced please as OH is on my back about all the triathlon costs!

vetboy

I think most of us have that sort of experience at some time, especially when starting out.

I now ride much more assertively. I ride on the edge where possible to allow cars/lorries to overtake safely, but when there's the sort of small gap where some less thoughtful drivers will try to squeeze through, or a blind bend, I'll ride out further on the road so they don't have that option.

i reckon one of the best ways to stay safe on the roadis just to be more assertive and keep reminding yourself that you have every right to be there too.

ris

i generally find that lorries and buses are the better drivers for leaving me space while i'm commuting. i find that riding a little further out from the kerb is useful - it stops drivers trying to sneak through and gives me a space to go into if someone gets too close.

i would suggest that if the lorry was a named/liveried unit then ring them up and tell them that the driver was too close. any company with sense will take it seriously.

willtri

This is from the US but if you swap everthing over for the UK is worthy of a read!

http://bicyclesafe.com/

shadowone1

This has made me wonder if the cycling highway code is as indepth as it should be. Ok it might not be a brilliant idea but if the cycling code was more indepth then if something happened then it would be easier to nail them with.

The road I cycle on are the main stays for getting to and from the M74 so basically they are burdened with lorries constantly. Hence why the roads round my area are shite.

I often find myself creeping onto back roads to get some better roads, but then you have the opencast lorries to cope with there.

The problem is systemic from ingorance, as cycling becomes more appealing to road goers then perhaps a better highway code is needed. I had a blast at the on-line version and its crap.

Im Spartacus

I'm not that the drivers who try to kill us pay ANY attention to the highway code as it is, I think it is more down to bad driving.

I think we should bring back public flogging for them.

Im Spartacus

It'll be interesting to see how the new system in Brizzel works out.

didds

I have little faith in the Bristol thing. This is the same mob that seriously debated turning the excellent Bristol-Bath cycleway/walkway into a Bus route to further share it.

The central issue is not about the infrastructure provided (though smoother road surfaces and less potholes would be nice!) but better education and law enforcement ... which operates on all road users, not just drivers.

didds

stratoTom

I was going to say that I've got some pretty insane drivers round my routes, but reading through some of the posts on this thread, I think I may have it pretty easy! Sure, there are a good number of vehicles that shoot past so close that I could throw out my arm and hang on for a lift, but it's never ever happened on a blind corner.

There's one particularly good road (training wise) - a long steady climb with a steep incline right at the top to really knock you out - that is a favourite amongst HGV drivers as it bypasses about 4 roundabouts. I'd say the scariest thing is the wall of air that smashes into you just as you are passed by the beasts; it really swings me into the verge sometimes (not helped by the fact that it's an open windy road).

Most times if I feel uncomfortable I ride slightly more towards the middle of the road to essentially prevent overtaking as someone else here mentioned. Also if some idiot tries his luck I have a decent margin to pull back towards the edge.