This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Touting for business.

I blame Jeremy Hunt.

Does that actually work ?

lock their bike up

So this. Lock the bike up and leave a note arranging a formal meeting with them in which you grill them and claim the bike as your own.

Bet you any money it's someone senior enough they don't need to care, if you do anything other than the British tutting and bitching on a forum you'll get into shit.

Door'ed poor lady was more worried about her phone than me laying on the road. Grazed arm but no other damage, apart from her phone.

Don't know why I bother trying to let buses pull out. I can guarantee nobody else behind me is going to pay a blind bit of notice.

Sorry to hear about your dooring, @CanonAxe. Should've stamped on the phone to make sure.

Ta, pretty sure it was broken, was an iPhone.

Agree about letting buses/cars out sometimes I sit there and think what's the point.

So this. And most of the time you just go on ahead anyway after stopping for them.

Has it been breezy this week or am I just woefully unfit?

It's been windy all fucking year.

Apart from when it was so very hot

Hope so. My legs are feeling slow and my arse is feeling fat.

Also I'm sweating a lot. Something awful is happening to me.

Someone was saying on here that you no longer need to let buses pull out. Or am I making that up?

https://www.gov.uk/road-users-requiring-extra-care-204-to-225/other-vehicles-219-to-225

"
223

Buses, coaches and trams. Give priority to these vehicles when you can do so safely, especially when they signal to pull away from stops. Look out for people getting off a bus or tram and crossing the road.
"

But there's no specific law mentioned and so (I believe) it has always just been a suggestion rather than a (legal) requirement.

Not sure there's ever been a law saying you have to let buses pull out. The highway code still says you 'should' (rule 223).

Edit: What he said ^

^ It says neither "should" nor "must".

^ Hence the inverted commas.

when you can do so safely - never

Saw a guy have the most spectacular accident I have ever seen without another party involved.

He was cycling west through here when he misjudged the pavement and clipped a bit of curb/bollard and managed to hit two different bollards with a fair amount of force. I saw the whole thing happen from a little way back. He looked to have minor injuries. Fat lip, bloodied hands, grazed face, but he was definitely in shock. Myself and a couple of others stopped, picked him and his bike up and waited with him until an ambulance came to check him over.

The worst part to watch was that when he was flung off he broadsided one of the bollards. It looked savage.

TL;DR go easy out there folks.

cyclists or drivers?
I usually pull into the center of the lane, so making it difficult for drivers to get round and then let the bus/car do their thing. If it's cyclists, shrug your shoulders at their impatience, or depending on what they do, have a quiet word when you get back upto speed for undertaking, whilst you were being polite to other traffic.

A few times in the past week or so I've slowed down and drifted into the centre of the lane to let buses pull out and then been waved on by the driver.

CSB

Nice try but I think he was talking about a child?

I read the Metro.

Full week (well, the 4 days I work) of cycle commuting this week. Haven't done a full week like this for years. Nice to be on the bike every day again and saves me from the horrors of running in.