Safety Tips for Noobs

Assume that other road users are unaware of your presence.

Assume that other road users are indifferent to your presence.

Assume that other road users are resentful of your presence.

Assume that other road users are intent on ending your presence.

As long as you are not choosing a career in cycling training ;)
I need confidence boost and inspiration from time to time so reading that other road users would happily run me over is the last thing I need to hear.

That's not really what fudge said, but nonetheless that advice is redolent of Cyclist Inferiority Syndrome. Cycling is a low-risk activity that billions of people undertake every day. Compared to how much it is done, how many miles people cover, how many trips they make, there are very few collisions.

There are still too many, of course, and there are people who do not discharge their responsibility towards others in traffic adequately. But overall there is no cause for excessive alarm on an everyday basis, especially not in generalised assumptions towards other people. It only stereotypes and causes unnecessary problems.

The fact is that it would only be in excessively rare instances of road rage that anyone would set out to hit you. Most people in cars want to get through their day without problems, just like you.

Of course, you would be absolutely right to suggest caution and circumspection. But I think as I've said a couple of times now in reply to such posts, a generally defensive and victimised attitude speculating about serious physical injury or death is not helpful.

In fact, one thing that is essential is good communication with other road users. Think of traffic as a social environment like any other, except that in interacting with most motorised participants in traffic (I quite like translating this German expression, "Verkehrsteilnehmer" into English directly, even if it may read a little unevenly at first), it's as if you're trying to talk to someone who has headphones on and can't hear you all that well.

That is one of the main things that makes traffic scary for people (whether in cars or not): The fact that quite a few people are hidden away in cars and barely visible. At a very basic level, we usually want to interact with people around us in a meaningful way, and if they flow around us in such great numbers (e.g., in London) at burst speeds, that can be very hard to handle. It's only understandable, as so many aspects of social interaction on which we normally rely in everyday life are effectively impaired and we have to make an extra effort to overcome them.

As cyclists, we've got the best of all worlds, anyway. We can move swiftly and efficiently, and we are out there in public, visible for all to see. Even when people complain about cyclist behaviour, they usually complain about the person, whereas you so often hear people say things like 'the car couldn't see me' or 'the car jumped the red light'.

they tend to cross using their ears rather than eyes

This is true, as so many people are only used to 'listening out' for motorists. It's a sad fact that one of the inherent advantages of cycling, not causing noise pollution, is seen as a cause for alarm by some pedestrians.

Also, on a general level, you've had some good advice here^^ I would add weight to the ones that say: OWN the road (but don't dawdle) when you feel you need to, right in the middle of your lane. THANK drivers, peds and other cyclists for any consideration shown to your existance. It's karmically good for all of us out there, and good for your everyday mental health. DON'T get wound up about idiotic road users, or try to intervene unless you're cool, calm and to the point. And last, but not least** ALWAYS** indicate well and **ALWAYS **look over your shoulder A LOT.

defintely the best tips, especially giving thank to anyone who show even the slight consideration, I do that not just for karma but also to ensure that the driver/peds/etc. are less likely to get aggravate by cyclists, for instance of a cyclists aggravated a driver, chance are the driver may 'take it out' on the next innocent cyclists that past him.

Not only looking over your shoulder a lots but also try not to be completely dependent on sound.

This is true, as so many people are only used to 'listening out' for motorists. It's a sad fact that one of the inherent advantages of cycling, not causing noise pollution, is seen as a cause for alarm by some pedestrians.

shit yeah, down old st at the next lights after goswell road intersection, no cars, green for me about 20 people crossed like i didnt exist and wasnt going flatout and wouldnt have caused us both serious injury if i had hit them full tilt, i do seriously think about hitting unaware fools like that to teach them a lesson...

to the OP -

i think peripheral vision is very important, always be looking for potential hazards, over your shoulder when you pass parked cars in case soemone is copming up quick behind you but also in parked cars rearvision mirros to see if anyone is going to get out suddenly.

assume no one sees you and be ready for the unexpected.

coming down old street another time full tilt an ambulance bus turning off a sidestreet without waiting cut me off and i almost ran right into him!

oh yeah if you ride fixed don't forget to NOT stop pedalling, especially when drunk... =)

most of the basics have been covered

remember the lifesaver glance before maneuvering (glance over your shoulder for other traffic)
Don't RLJ, you can hit peds, cars and makes you look like a chump to everybody waiting... if you want to get there faster train hard and cycle faster where it's safe to do so.

oh yeah if you ride fixed don't forget to stop pedalling, especially when drunk... =)

Surely this is exactly what you shouldn't do when fixed? Apply backwards pressure on the pedals to slow down your cadence, more like.

Surely this is exactly what you shouldn't do when fixed? Apply backwards pressure on the pedals to slow down your cadence, more like.

they're talking about unexpected ejection from seat... I did it the first time something complicated happened riding fixed

Surely this is exactly what you shouldn't do when fixed? Apply backwards pressure on the pedals to slow down your cadence, more like.

you're right, i did mean do not stop pedalling! although im my case maybe to not pedal when drunk is a safety measure...

• There are some safety course you can do by the TFL (i think )
  
• Always check entries and exits of the road ahead, even if the light is green... cars pulling out on you happens all the time. Look ahead as much as possible.
  
• Make sure you bike is safe.... replace anything that might render you in danger later on i.e worn tyres, brake shoes, fraying cables etc
  
• Keep a safe distance from cars ahead
  
• Look over your shoulder before changing lane or moving position in the road...
  
• Get good light for the night riding (froglights suck, no one can see them)
  
• carry ID with you all the time in case something does happen.
  
• Indicate your intentions clearly to the drivers behind you, if they don't see you wave harder !!
  
• If in Doubt, don't do it
  

Yeah found this out the hard way ;-)

Just got here last week from the states. Quite different how red light laws are carried out here. Got pulled off my bike by the collar ahh!

• when overtaking a bus, expect peds to walk out in front of you from behind (in front) of the bus.
  
  • when rolling through stopped traffic look for gaps in the line of cars and sidestreets - often cars will be letting each other out directly into your path
    
  • don't follow other cyclists closely - you can't see what they can see, and there's unlikely to be any hand signals
    
  • expect peds to walk out in front of you if they are anywhere near the kerb. they tend to cross using their ears rather than eyes
    
    

to which I'd add -

watch peds near the side of the road, especially near obvious (not necessarily official) crossing points. slow down if it looks like they might cross, even if they ultimately don't.

riding on the outside of traffic is a good way to reduce (not eliminate) the risk of cars turning through a stopped line of cars into your path - but watch out for cars that decide they're going to drive on the wrong side of the road for a hundred yards to get to a turning.

be wary of anyone on a bike who looks like they're inexperienced or drunk - they may well swing out in front of you without looking behind.