This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Maybe he was just late?

I once had someone be sarcastic at me because they thought I (putting the effort in on an old MTB) was racing them (roadie). I wasn't winning and they didn't approve of my road positioning at the lights - it was probably someone on here. But I was just trying to make a train.

Commuting in sprint trains thread >>>

Always a possibility but the way he was jumping on to people's wheels as well as slowing down every now and again until someone went past him suggested promuting.

Cyclesurgery on Holloway Road

Used to be managed by one OG forumer @furious_tiles, back then it was shit though, they never had any rear lights in.

/privatejokesoz

Srsly though I like it when chain shops are well run, makes such a difference. I too popped there in an emergency recently, needed pedals as I was driving to Sotland with bikes, had taken mine off and left them at home, suddenly remembered as I was going up Liverpool Road towards the A1. #csb

Reckon there is a thread for bikeshop love. Staff change a lot so not sure how much use it is long-term.

14 mile roundtrip to get mini me from school via the means of a 25 kg tandem on a green way with uphill slopes.

Who needs leg day... ;)

It's really good as it got him interested in cycling (he sits upfront) i nearly wished for a pedelec engine at some point though...

(Confession thread.... >>

Own up, who was the total fucking fixie lord dressed in dark kit on a dark bike who practically brushed past me to skid up the left side of a left turning tipper truck at E&C about 08:30 this morning. Only to have to wobble to a half assed track stand directly under the passenger side of the cab when he realised there was no more room to filter. There was a reason I was waiting behind the fucking thing you bulb! Poor fucker had to wait for you to wobble on your way again before he could move off.

Witnessed ped-cycle collision on Old Street. Cuts and bruises on both sides, cyclist came off slightly worse and was in shock, and livid with the pedestrian. Classic combination of filtering through stopped traffic a little too exuberantly and ped not double checking there were no 2 wheelers coming by as they crossed the road.

Anyway thankfully not too serious for either party.

Left my details as a witness. Who's generally 'at fault' in these situations or would it be considered 50-50?

In the court of public opinion the cyclist will always be at fault.

I reckon the pedestrian is at fault. This happens to me all too often on Upper Street near angel station where people are too impatient to wait for a red light and dart across the road from the island strip in the middle. Last time it happened I got a nasty gash on my elbow, ripped a huge hole in my fairly new waterproof jacket and wrecked the ratchet buckle on my shimano spd shoes. All the guy could do was shrug it off and say 'sorry, I'm a bit drunk'
This always happens to me by the lights near angel station/Liverpool Road heading north. It's pedestrians being careless and not looking, they know cyclists use the road.

In the court of public opinion they would need more evidence.

Was the cyclist wearing a helmet, etc.

In all seriousness there's a duty of care to more vulnerable road users which suggests you should be anticipating a dumb ped so shouldn't go so fast that you can't stop in an emergency. But since this is a bike forum, deffo the peds fault. Dumb ass fucker, I bet he was checking out his breakfast upload on Instagram.

I've never really understood the idea that a cyclist is less vulnerable than a ped

I generally come out worse in these situations...

This issue cropped up recently in relation to a very sad incident also on old street involving a pedestrian hit by a cyclist travelling through a green light. As @Ramsaye says, there is a duty of care to more vulnerable road users, which means slowing down and anticipating potential hazards. Surely this would still be a sensible action even if you consider yourself to be the more vulnerable road user in the situation.

If the traffic is moving slowly enough for a ped to conceivably (rightly or wrongly) walk through it, I always assume that it will happen and try to ride accordingly. Be careful filtering past stopped buses etc. There will of course always be the likelihood that there is someone I don't see or they run smack into me, but at least I can say that I did everything in my power to prevent a collision. I'd rather be slightly slower in heavy traffic than having to argue a case in court that could have been avoided.

Filtering at normal road speeds is fucking stupid.

Yes I'm aware of that sad case - this one this morning was in pretty much the same spot by the Reliance pub. Interestingly all the bystanders today seemed to be dishing out more sympathy to the cyclist rather than the ped, but that might just have been because they were the slightly more injured party and were immediately ranting (the cyclist, not the bystanders) at how 'irresponsible' the ped had been.

So this very shitty morning, I'm 'driving' to work (I know!); just about to join a slow moving queue of traffic.
A dopey student type on a hybrid is slowly riding out of a junction on my left. He obviously realises he doesn't have right of way and slows to barely moving until I pass.
So now I'm sat at the end of the queue, handbrake applied minding my own business.
Next thing, crash bang wallop! I look in my rear view and this dopey twat has fallen into the back of my car! Presumably trying to scoot between me and the other car queuing behind me.
Before I can open my door he scoots round, nods and smiles at me and mouths sorry.
Once he's passed I open my door and shout stop at him as loud as I can to no avail.
Arrive at work to find a decent sized scratch on my rear window and great chunk missing out my bumper; courtesy of his pedals no doubt.
As you can imagine, unless I or the police can identify this mong I have absolutely no recourse whatsoever short of trying to hunt him down and get him to admit his stupidity.
Now I'm all for people cycling instead of driving but jeez! Learn to control your fucking bike. Twat.

Wait at that corner for him tomorrow. When he comes past, get his details?

when he comes past, hurl a paper bag filled with poo at him

Agreed. I rode motorcycles for years. Filtered too. On very nice motorcycles. It only took 1 slow speed wobble and bump with a pedestrian and I was slowly toppling into tarmac. Both ped and I were unharmed. No shoutiness on either side. But the cost of repair and re-painting of my gravel-rashed bike was really painful. Lesson learned. Always anticipate and prepare to deal with it. As a ped. As a motorcyclist. As... er... anyone using the roads.

The cyclist fell over and scratched your rear window?

First commute in about 5 months. Uggghhhh.

Weather nice though.

Much better idea.

In fairness, not an issue exclusive to cyclists doing it. I'm sure you've gone back to your car in a car park to find a chunk taken out of it on at least one occasion.

Yup. I think that's really my only option now. Will see if I'm still riled enough at 7am tomorrow to go to the trouble. I kind of hope I am.
Trouble then is, unless he's an extremely honest chap, he could simply plead ignorance and be on his merry wobbly way!

Yes. As he toppled, the end of the handlebars on his hybrid hit the window. I think that took most of the impact so I'm lucky it wasn't cracked.
I think his pedals must have eaten the bumper.