Boycott Addison Lee

Apparently, Moore’s Bike Shop, Sigma Sport and Action Bikes have all pulled their advertising from this magazine.

http://www.richmondlcc.co.uk/2012/09/08/the-richmond-magazine/

Cycle Training UK made a training video today with Addison Lee about giving space for bike riders on the road. We shot various scenes including:

Rider riding a car door's width from parked car. Message: hang back and be patient. Rider riding in the car door zone. Same message: Give rider swerving room in case the door opens.

Rider at Junction about to turn. Taxi waits patiently behind until cyclist has turned.

Avoid hooting rider (unless to warn of danger).

Keep out of advanced stop box at lights and check for riders on nearside when turning left. Be patient.

Will post video here if they let us. Seemed to be quite positive.

This will form part of the training for all new drivers.

sounds good!

Well done, David.

One step at a time Skydancer, you are single handedly and pro-actively affecting the habits of London's road sharers. Thanks. Repped and a pint when I finally meet you.

Thanks for the pint offer wrongcog. Must disagree with the 'singlehanded' since working for the cooperative ctuk means there are many of us working to make London road sharing improve by increasing the skill level of both drivers and riders. We aren't all expecting a pint from you though :)

You wouldn't be able to lift a pint single-handedly, anyway.

We aren't all expecting a pint from you though :)

I don't remember a vote being taken on that.

Looks awesome, endowing British brains with patience is the biggest ask going, nice one for starting it.

I don't remember a vote being taken on that.

No one mentioned merlot

OK pint for Will too. But everyone else can whistle.

I'm afraid we are a collective and your child-of-Thatcher divide-and-rule tactics will prove ineffective. Either we all drink together or we all go thirsty.

but i don't drink

You're talking yourself out of liquid refreshment here W.

He's talking all of them out of liquid refreshment.

Good work, much needed as I've had some close calls with cab drivers!

Fantastic, thank you for doing this and all your hard work!

strangely, I found myself giving the thumbs up to an Addison Lee driver today.

approaching a junction he was indicating left as we approached a set a traffic lights which were showing green. however, he came to a full stop about 10 metres from the lights, this was to allow about 8 cyclists (including myself) to pass him on the left hand side and ride into the junction before him. when all cyclists were out of the way he proceeded at a relatively gentle pace into the traffic junction and turned left as intended.

perhaps a sign that Skydancer's training is bearing fruits?

Clearly not his cycle training!

Why on earth were you passing a left hand indicating vehicle on the left?
Do you want to die!!??

When you're travelling straight over a junction alongside a vehicle turning left, rather than behind, you may have right of way, but the vehicle may not appreciate this or be aware of you. You often don't have a choice about being in this situation as the vehicle can pull alongside just as you reach the junction. The usual thing to do is brake and swear a bit. It sounds like in this case the driver made his awareness and courtesy clear, everyone went on their way and, for just one moment, all was right with the world.

There is no one-rule-fits-all but by and large cyclists are going to be safer if they go through a junction in the centre of their lane. This requires preparing for the junction early, looking behind and moving out in to the traffic stream, if you are not already in it, so that, as you say, a driver does not pull alongside you at the last second.
As frequently noted, infrastructure does not encourage cyclists to do this and even many riders who consider themselves confident and experienced allow themselves to be squeezed out at junctions.

It is a tricky situation, especially if you're filtering up to the ASL box on the inside of stationary vehicles, and the lights goes green. I usually stop where I am and let cars pass, but there's been times when I reach the ASL just as the light goes green and the driver of the car in front of the queue is with it and pulls out quickly.

Dunno what's best practice in theses situations?

It is a tricky situation, especially if you're filtering up to the ASL box on the inside of stationary vehicles, and the lights goes green. I usually stop where I am and let cars pass, but there's been times when I reach the ASL just as the light goes green and the driver of the car in front of the queue is with it and pulls out quickly.

Dunno what's best practice in theses situations?

if i dont know the phasing of the lights or i'm not sure how long they've been red I tend to filter until i find a bike sized gap in the traffic and stop there, not necessarily in primary but such that the car behind has full visibility of me if i'm near the kerb

it's fantastic how angry it makes the mamils on cs7 when they want to rlj and you stop 3 cars back. #doublewin

Well, putting on my cycle training hat (a rather fetching mauve concoction) and offering unsolicited advice I would say that aiming for the advanced box is not always a good thing, filtering on the outside rather than the inside should be considered, reaching closer to the front rather than the front itself can be sufficient, that if you do not know how long the lights are going to stay green for then it is impossible to know if you can get to the front without ending up being squeezed out. Overall, being in the traffic stream rather than adjacent to it makes you more visible, more able to control and influence other road users behaviour and allows you to navigate junctions with more space.

What Hatbeard said.