S
Stevie D
Guest
<-- Wide Load --> <[email protected]> wrote:
> And yes, I usually cycle as close to the kerb as possible when on the road as I've been
> side-swiped, and it's not nice and makes me very wary and paranoid.
In general, holding a line close to the kerb is more dangerous - and makes you more likely to get
hit - than holding a steady line 2 or 3 feet from the kerb. There are a number of reasons why this
is the case, including:
- you will be more visible to other drivers;
- they have to perform a conscious manoeuvre to overtake you, they can not just carry on as though
you were not there;
- if anyone does get too close to you, you have enough room to swerve to the left to escape them.
- the road is likely to be much smoother and not full of litter, pot holes and sunken drain covers.
Maybe you've had one or two bad experiences when cycling on the road, I am not disputing that or
trying to make light of it. Accidents happen, and sometimes things go against the odds. Every now
and then, a horse wins at 100:1. You can be cycling in the safest way possible and still be hit.
That doesn't detract from it being the safest way to cycle. And on the road, a reasonable distance
from the kerb¹, is the safest way to cycle.
> Lots of people are quoting stats, but I think stats vary, certainly from country to country, we
> don't really hold a candle to NL and Germany who's cyclist numbers are much higher than ours here
> in the UK, and also from region to region, people drive differently in different areas of the UK.
The Netherlands may well have more cyclists, but that is down to a number of various cultural
factors, including the very flat nature of the land and the small size of the country. Have you
compared accident rates between the countries?
> "Peter Clinch" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
And you are still not setting out your messages properly.
¹ This is often called the "Primary Riding Position"
--
Stevie D \\\\\ ///// Bringing dating agencies to the \\\\\\\__X__///////
common hedgehog since 2001 - "HedgeHugs" ___\\\\\\\'/
\'///////_____________________________________________
> And yes, I usually cycle as close to the kerb as possible when on the road as I've been
> side-swiped, and it's not nice and makes me very wary and paranoid.
In general, holding a line close to the kerb is more dangerous - and makes you more likely to get
hit - than holding a steady line 2 or 3 feet from the kerb. There are a number of reasons why this
is the case, including:
- you will be more visible to other drivers;
- they have to perform a conscious manoeuvre to overtake you, they can not just carry on as though
you were not there;
- if anyone does get too close to you, you have enough room to swerve to the left to escape them.
- the road is likely to be much smoother and not full of litter, pot holes and sunken drain covers.
Maybe you've had one or two bad experiences when cycling on the road, I am not disputing that or
trying to make light of it. Accidents happen, and sometimes things go against the odds. Every now
and then, a horse wins at 100:1. You can be cycling in the safest way possible and still be hit.
That doesn't detract from it being the safest way to cycle. And on the road, a reasonable distance
from the kerb¹, is the safest way to cycle.
> Lots of people are quoting stats, but I think stats vary, certainly from country to country, we
> don't really hold a candle to NL and Germany who's cyclist numbers are much higher than ours here
> in the UK, and also from region to region, people drive differently in different areas of the UK.
The Netherlands may well have more cyclists, but that is down to a number of various cultural
factors, including the very flat nature of the land and the small size of the country. Have you
compared accident rates between the countries?
> "Peter Clinch" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
And you are still not setting out your messages properly.
¹ This is often called the "Primary Riding Position"
--
Stevie D \\\\\ ///// Bringing dating agencies to the \\\\\\\__X__///////
common hedgehog since 2001 - "HedgeHugs" ___\\\\\\\'/
\'///////_____________________________________________
