Riding On Roads, The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

[cyclingonroads]

Hey everyone

Recently, I have been researching on the topic of cycling on roads, and the dangers and benefits of doing so. What are some of your past experiences, and how do you avoid conflict/danger?

If possible, it'd be greatly appreciated if you could fill this survey out.
It will take you only 2 minutes
The link here is in 2 different parts, so just enter them both together!!

https://www.surveymonkey.
com/r/CPPCQG3


Thanks

 

[sunshiney]

A lot of drivers seem to react negatively to cyclists on the road.
People like to yell stuff out their window occasionally, my friend and I have had someone throw a big fountain drink at us.
The drivers who actually act out like that are the minority though. For the most part as long as you respect the rules and pay attention, everyone is safe and no one has any reason to create conflict.
This is from my experience commuting in smallish town. Commuting in the city I feel is an entirely different thing and I don't feel comfortable doing that at all. The traffic is too intimidating.

 

[Damien Lee]

Fortunately, I live in an area where the roads are in a good condition as the local council maintains them well enough that potholes are no longer an issue. The biggest negative of cycling is the general treatment by motorists who act like we don't exist. They don't care that their negligent driving can physically harm or even kill us. Pedestrians are also increasingly becoming negligent and think that they can cross the roads whenever they wish. They care little if oncoming traffic is by a motor vehicle or a bicycle.

 

[Corzhens]

Fortunately, I live in an area where the roads are in a good condition as the local council maintains them well enough that potholes are no longer an issue. The biggest negative of cycling is the general treatment by motorists who act like we don't exist. They don't care that their negligent driving can physically harm or even kill us. Pedestrians are also increasingly becoming negligent and think that they can cross the roads whenever they wish. They care little if oncoming traffic is by a motor vehicle or a bicycle.

I am a rider and also a car driver. And since I rarely ride in the main roads, my observation is mostly of my being a car driver. Generally, cyclists in our town are quite safe because of the usual heavy traffic. But they are not safe with pedestrians who cross the road like they were in a park. However, there was this incident not too long ago in the marketplace where a bike was on a counterflow (on the other side of the road) that hit a pedestrian. As I saw it, the biker was definitely at fault. Fortunately the pedestrian had light injuries only.

 

[Canadian Rider]

The vast majority of motorists are patient and give at least some consideration to cyclists, but the rare bad drivers seem to go out of their way to make life harder for cyclists. On dual carriageways, I regularly encounter motorists who refuse to change into an empty lane to overtake. More than 50% of motorists tailgate with a following distance of less than two seconds. I frequently see cyclists hugging the curb, and motorists rarely give them much extra room to overtake. The two most important things about safe road cycling are a well planned route and control of the lane.