Riding abroad - dealing with maniacs!

I should start I guess with a short intro - I am British but living in Poland and I teach, cycling around the city to all my classes, which has brought me many new cycling experiences.

I found your forum whilst searching for a replacement bicycle for my winter damaged mountain bike, the winter here is really strong and I had real trouble during the winter with parts freezing, and salt and grime destroying almost everything but the frame of my bike!

So, I decided to buy a single speed road bike, which hopefully will be much more easily maintained and much more suitable for my completely flat city(Wrocław).

I have cycled since childhood in the UK and was always road confident and considered myself a fairly safe rider. After moving here I had a fearful introduction to maniac drivers, horrific road conditions and suicidal peds like nothing I have seen in the UK. I have since lost most of my road confidence and want to read up on road safety to improve my odds against what are pretty lethal conditions here.

The roads here are something else - I have had 3 shock absorbers break from city driving - most drivers here swerve to avoid potholes, which can be 20cm deep(a consequence of quick fixing for 50 years, laying asphalt on top of cobbles)
This is my first cycling problem, the next is the fact that most drivers are insane - think, blind, stupid and arrogant.

In all my cycling I have had three falls, all three in the last 6 months due to people opening doors into traffic, pedestrians wandering into cyclepaths, and deadly snow conditions.

I now want to read up on better road riding techniques and saw cyclecraft on amazon. Do you think that the ideas in this book could be easily transferred onto european roads? Are there any better resources, believe it or not, the highway code is pretty tough to read and there is no translation. I even heard that the law for cyclists is not particularly clear anyway.

Is there a point when road conditions are bad enough to stop riding?

Thanks

try this

cycle training i believe is based on cyclecraft, but you may wish to check with *mf. or wiganwill multigrooves or skydancer who are all cycle trainers

cycletraining would be really useful in developing your confidence but it sounds like you are also dealing with a non cycling culture, so it will be very much about making yourself as visible and prominent on the road as possible - though at times this can have the effect of antagonising drivers

speak of the devil and he pops up before me

hello prescient friend of satan

So Cyclecraft is the one to get then. I'll get a copy asap.There is a definate lack of cycling culture here, although I am in one of the best cities for cyclists in the country - they have at least pledged to make the city more cycle friendly, although if that will actually amount to anything I don't know.I see very few cyclists on the roads here - most opt for the cyclepaths, which are strewn with rubbish, dogs and pedestrians who don't realise that it is a cyclepath. If there is no path they ride on the pavement, much to everyones annoyance. Most of the road riders seem to be couriers, but I see so few of them that I can hardly stop and chat to them for some advice!Poland has one of the highest cyclist death rates in europe despite having so few cyclists, which doesn't seem like good news for me.

nicky

this is a key issue, the fewer cyclists on the roads leads to a lower awareness in the minds of drivers

there is a safety in numbers aspect

I even heard that the law for cyclists is not particularly clear anyway.

I live in Norway and the cycling law here is vague to say the least. Most foot paths have these signs encouraging their use by both peds and cyclists alike. Something I've never agreed with. So keep to the road.

Also, as there is not always a footpath available it is far more accepted that peds use the side of the road occasionally.

These factors lead to drivers treating you as a slightly faster moving ped. This usually means cars stop for me, when they in fact have the right of way. Which puts me in a uncomfortable but not dangerous position. Its has lead to dangerous mix ups though. The usual being overtaken on round-a-bouts, by drivers taking the first exit, when I am heading for a later exit. I think they assume as a 'wheeled ped', that I am about to stop before 'crossing' the exit.

The only answer is to be more assertive in your bike positioning. To remove any doubt that you are in fact a road using vehicle.

Drivers are generally far less aggressive here, then I was used to in the UK. So this works fine for me. I guess most aggression is a result of not knowing how to deal with a cyclist on the road. Assertive positioning should help give motorists an idea of how to deal with the situation, without too much irritating confusion.

Is there a point when road conditions are bad enough to stop riding?

I would like to believe, no.

Sounds like Melbourne with snow and bigger potholes. London (dunno about the rest of the UK) has far more cyclists so drivers are more likely to think about where they turn their tonne of steel. It also has lots of red lights so you can have words with the drivers if they don't :)
Polish roads are pretty bad and their road safety seems non-existant but it will change with time. There's not exactly a great deal of money kicking around to be spent on awareness campaigns and such (Polish friends would have me believe it's all pocketed by the corrupt government).
Grab your cyclecraft, ride wide, hold your position, stop running into snow and potholes and enjoy your cycling. :)

The money is not so much of a problem now Poland has become an EU member, however the use of the money is still an issue. One road I had an accident on was left in a terrible condition after they 'ran out' of money to finish renovating it. Simply put, they screwed up the organisation and pissed away all the money.

Happens all too often that bureaucracy wastes money that was intended to be put to good use.

Things have improved greatly since I arrived 3 years ago though. I wouldn't have dreamed of cycling then as there were so few roads that were ridable. I think that the Euro football tournament has put the boot up a few butts to do something so they don't feel ashamed when the rest of europe visits in 2 years.

Hopefully attitudes will change with better road conditions.

Hopefully attitudes will change with better road conditions.

I would guess that attitudes would change with an increase in the number of cyclists. Hopefully an improvement in road conditions will encourage this increase.

Untill then be safe :)

I had a fearful introduction to maniac drivers, horrific road conditions and suicidal peds like nothing I have seen in the UK. I have since lost most of my road confidence and want to read up on road safety to improve my odds against what are pretty lethal conditions here.

The roads here are something else - I have had 3 shock absorbers break from city driving - most drivers here swerve to avoid potholes, which can be 20cm deep(a consequence of quick fixing for 50 years, laying asphalt on top of cobbles)
This is my first cycling problem, the next is the fact that most drivers are insane - think, blind, stupid and arrogant.

Sounds a lot easier than London...