reducing fear when cycling?

Make sure is fairly much synonymous with must.

And it's fairly synonymous with should too.

I've started using 'quiet' routes more and more (mainly because I can't stand the noise and air pollution on main roads) though it's annoying how much some are used as a rat run for impatient drivers, even when there are speed humps. These routes are also usually lined with parked cars and have poorer road surfaces and lighting, so positioning and awareness are as important. I agree though, making use of these and prompting our local authorities to make them better for cyclists is the way to go (I think we can agree Cycle Superhighways are NOT for everyone).

@Miss_Mouse I had been taking a funky route to avoid west croydon on the way to work but then they closed the road I was avoiding and my almost unused route is now like a gauntlet of pissed off drivers who are trying to make up lost time. The best routes I find are ones that have a very short cycle only section, it sort of makes the entire road/route redundant unless you cycle or live on the road so want to park up. Mandela way with the tank on the corner that way is one that comes to mind over OKR way.

Since you started by childishly insulting the OP's girlfriend (and continued with that), while posting pictures of your rad bikes to show how much of a he-man you must be(so obviously your arguments are righteous), your desperate insecurity is pretty obvious. I'm sure there are many other aspects of your life which might induce that behaviour beyond the stereotypical one.

@dan @skydancer I just don't enjoy being treated like a cunt on the road anymore... You can't win, give them room and they'll buzz you, ride primary and they'll punish pass you... I'm sick of it...

Same. I wish I could get over this but I'm at a point now where I've asked myself "is it worth paying 40 quid a week to not be abused, driven at, or treated like an insect by drivers on my daily commute", and the answer so far has been "yep, that's worth 40 quid a week".

Cunts in cars have ruined everything for me, incrementally, over a long period of time.

Cycle training tho...

I've done cycle training already :(

Try cycling in France for a bit - rejuvenating.

Or headphones. Crazy noise cancelling headphones. Block out the world, embrace the lack of control.

Cunts in cars have ruined everything for me, incrementally, over a long period of time.

@>>>>>>

I sometimes think this too. It bothers me that we get so marginalised. I am also very aware that myself and many of my colleagues have been attacked, driven at, etc for riding according to the national standard.

It pisses me off that I am now contemplating installing cameras on my bikes so I might have a record of driver aggression.

Hi viz tho
Helmets tho
Small easily hidden handguns tho

But yeah - cycle training is not the panacea that it is often painted as.

True, it helps but cannot protect us from some of the utter weapons in cars.

I almost dislike cycling places where drivers are considerate and hold back for bikes, I feel im in the way or like they are about to just snap and floor it. when cars shoot past at least I know the douche is gone... That said I'm sure I could get used to it were it to happen here more

Try cycling in France for a bit - rejuvenating.

I was in Belgium at the start of the year with some of the forum's finest. Even there I found myself getting really twitchy approaching junctions when I was on the cycle lanes because right turning cars would pull up to the junction mouths and wait for us all to clear the junction before turning. I couldn't shake off the feeling that they were just going to blast through - and that's even though I know that they have strict liability, and that we had priority, and that I was worried about something that just doesn't really happen in Belgium. And I was worried about that automatically, thanks to the glut of cunts in cars in London.

But yes, headphones with soothing music could work. I'll give it a try.

Small easily hidden handguns tho

For many, many months, I've been thinking "I wonder if I could maybe begin a campaign of destroying cars. Not so anybody gets hurt, and not so they blow up in the streets, but some small act of sabotage that renders the vehicle useless and that would be prohibitively expensive to fix. I could do this to cars that are driven by either dangerous maniacs or oblivious clowns, and by doing so, make the roads gradually safer for everyone"

Luckily I know nothing about cars so wouldn't be able to put this into practice, and I'm too slow to chase down any of the drivers I would like to dispense this kind of justice to, but fuck me that little voice is a tempting one to listen to.

Of course we can just hibernate for ten years and wake up to the sweet, collision free robocar future.

@Howard

Of course we can just hibernate for ten years and wake up to the sweet, collision free robocar future.

But then we have to worry about Replicants murdering us.
Wait, what?

I have seen fireworks on the shoulders of Brian

blaze.cc beams glitter in the dark near the Lancaster Gate

All those moments will be lost down the drain, like leaking stan's fluid

Bloody replicants, coming here and doing the jobs we don't want to do

This but I've mastered the art of switching my brain off something I learnt at my current job ..

I've asked myself "is it worth paying 40 quid a week to not be abused, driven at, or treated like an insect by drivers on my daily commute", and the answer so far has been "yep, that's worth 40 quid a week".

Woaahh

Reality check time..

Trains >>>>>>>>>>

£40 a week? RUMAD? That's a Izumi ST chain every week.

We can't just leave that there like that, if you get the train from now on that means we've lost :(

I'm going to presume that you're a really good cyclist, it's your route that sucks, like big time, like a whole bag of dicks.

I've got a ton of roads/routes I can choose from to do my daily A to B, a lot of them are warzones. I've adapted and micro managed my route over time to the point that it's super fast while being nearly completely hassle free. Yeah it means I've got a bit lost a few evenings trying to map my way around but it's paid off.

All of the shit you're putting up with is distorting your view of the road so don't kid yourself, trains are long, try and sort your routes out and don't ever forgot that cycling is RAD.

Cycling is rad, commuting in London is shit...

And I've ridden here for over 30 years, I'm just beginning to question if it's actually worth it for me... Cycling mojo at an all time low... It's happened to me before, the last time I didn't get on a bike for over four years...

commuting in London is shit...

I disagree, and it's completely subjective because my route is awesome, my commute is super fun (mostly). Waterloo road can be a bit ped heavy but that's about it now.