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Elisa Francesca
Guest
Okay, so about 2 weeks ago I started trying to ride on the road. Now I've graduated to doing _most_
of the short (1.6 km) trip to work by bike, but I still don't feel at all "road safe".
One of my biggest current bugbears is signalling. I just CAN'T! If I take my hands off the
handlebars for so much as a blink, I lose control of the steering and start keeling over sideways.
Even just the concentration to shift gears or sound the bell perturbs me.
This has already caused problems at intersections. The other day I was turning left at a four-way
crossroad. I think the people behind me got the right idea insofar as I had moved to the left-most
side of my lane. But I was unsure what to do about the car oncoming opposite - it too was flashing a
signal that it was going to turn the same way as me. Fortuantly I got there first, otherwise we
could have slammed into eachother. I need to study the priority codes because I know there is an
order of priority for motorists in this situation. But it's such a Celtic knot that I kept getting
confused, even when I was sitting the exam for it. I know the default rule is priority to the right
but whose right when you're opposite eachother?
I've tried desperately jerking my head in the direction of the intended turn but I doubt that's very
visible and even that is rather dizzying.
Is there any special _knack_ to this signalling, or is it just a matter of having a really sure seat
on a bike? I know with coasting it was a matter of shifting consciousness from pedalling to
balancing. But I tried a number of times to lift a hand from the steering while practicing in the
parking lot yesterday and I can't get it at all.
Thanks for your patience, everyone. It's like at this stage, every little thing is a hurdle.
Elisa Roselli Paris, France
of the short (1.6 km) trip to work by bike, but I still don't feel at all "road safe".
One of my biggest current bugbears is signalling. I just CAN'T! If I take my hands off the
handlebars for so much as a blink, I lose control of the steering and start keeling over sideways.
Even just the concentration to shift gears or sound the bell perturbs me.
This has already caused problems at intersections. The other day I was turning left at a four-way
crossroad. I think the people behind me got the right idea insofar as I had moved to the left-most
side of my lane. But I was unsure what to do about the car oncoming opposite - it too was flashing a
signal that it was going to turn the same way as me. Fortuantly I got there first, otherwise we
could have slammed into eachother. I need to study the priority codes because I know there is an
order of priority for motorists in this situation. But it's such a Celtic knot that I kept getting
confused, even when I was sitting the exam for it. I know the default rule is priority to the right
but whose right when you're opposite eachother?
I've tried desperately jerking my head in the direction of the intended turn but I doubt that's very
visible and even that is rather dizzying.
Is there any special _knack_ to this signalling, or is it just a matter of having a really sure seat
on a bike? I know with coasting it was a matter of shifting consciousness from pedalling to
balancing. But I tried a number of times to lift a hand from the steering while practicing in the
parking lot yesterday and I can't get it at all.
Thanks for your patience, everyone. It's like at this stage, every little thing is a hurdle.
Elisa Roselli Paris, France