Cyclists stay back! stickers

There are so many advantages filtering right over left and on a bike where you are (should be ) moving not much faster than the moving traffic you can react to drivers moving through the stationary traffic and have time to check when passing high sides vehicles.

What he actually said was that it would likely be a 50-50 and the dink in his Audi would probably come to more than my wheel and a bump on the head, so it wasn't worth pursuing. Sorry - bit lazy with the facts there.

Twice in the last few days I've been shouted at for filtering carefully on the right. One was on the Isle of Dogs. Traffic was at a stand still in my lane and I pootled at about three mph along the central line, judging oncoming cars and moving over where necessary. One guy coming the other way was flashing me and waggling his finger from a long way out. when he got square he said "that's why you keep dying". Nice guy.

Today on the Eastway from Leyton approaching the Wick, traffic was pulling up to the red light and I looked over my shoulder, signalled and started to pull into primary with a view to moving out and filtering the entirely empty oncoming lane. The car behind raised the revs and started trying to race me to the back of the traffic jam so I very decisively signalled again and took the lane. She went absolutely batshit! I mean car shaking fury. So I stopped and asked calmly what all the fuss was about and she said "I shouldn't have to slam on the brakes for you". That level of complete lack of logic and fury at someone just carefully going about their business with zero effect on driver's journey is what we're up against people. She was livid - absolutely spitting!

Weird.

People often feel challenged or threatened when unexpected things occur. It is a shame that best practice is so surprising to many road users, and clearly public education on these matters is desperately needed.

That someone behaving in a clear, safe manner causes such ire is indicative of their short term perspective.

Good point Dancing James
People's reactions when their expectations are not met, when what they consider a norm (such as when riders don't stay near the kerb) is transgressed (http://www.lfgss.com/thread130694.html) , they go into a flight/fright mode and the red mist rises. Many regret any actions done while in this state. When you do get such a reaction from a driver and they hoot or swear, it's good accept that they are confused and not engage with them as you can't explain anything when they are in that state.

Which is why education drivers to understand what cyclists need to do to minimise risk is crucial for future road-sharing

Indeed, when someone is in a state of adrenalised heightened anxiety they are not going to be teachable or welcome a viewpoint which conflicts with their understanding.

The education has to come when people are less challenged and amenable to perceptual change.

...car rage

I had one on the bridge in Feltham last week where I filtered until I was behind a bus (if you know the bridge it gets very close at this point) a few minutes of it still not being safe to filter I just settle in when the driver behind me beeps and when I pay no attention she beeps again.
I ask "what's the problem?"

"You're stopping me from moving forward"

Her husband holds his heads in his hands and mouths sorry to me.

As we stop start over the bridge I turn to check every now and then and I could count the veins in her head steadily growing, husband still holding his head.

So she's losing the plot while someone with a reasoned perspective is actually in the car with her! What hope do we have?

I had a similar one, I filtered at some lights and pulled in behind the front car as it was over the stop line and there was no room for me, this stretch of road is fairly slow moving and I'm normally going at at least the same speed as the cars until it opens up a little further along. The car I pulled up behind is going pretty slow so I'm right up behind him and the woman in a little red VW fox thing is revving like mad and trying to overtake me despite the fact I'm in primary. She does so a bit further up whilst shouting manically at me as she passes, I ask her where she is going in such a hurry and why she wants to sit so close to the car in front? I then follow her down this stretch of road with her shouting at her rearview mirror as she is now stuck behind the car in front and I'm right behind her, I found it all very amusing and did shout back a couple of times to see if she was enjoying being so far ahead of me, I also stuck right behind her for the next mile or so as she continued shouting back at me, I gave her a cheery wave as she pulled off up a side road. Such anger for no reason.

My new favourite game is helping people wreck their cars over speedbumps when descending College Road.

All it takes is to overtake a car going down the hill and they'll do their level best to 're-take their position', oblivious of the fact that I can go round the bumps and they can't so they'll never catch me.

I've literally seen sparks coming off body work as the red mist descends.

"Another sump bites the hump ..."

"You're stopping me from moving forward"

Wut? That's astonishing. Did you point out that the stationary bus was preventing you from moving forward and yet you were somehow managing to keep it together?

I did say where are you going pointing at the big red bus but her husband's apology was enough for me.

"You're stopping me from moving forward"

All it takes is to overtake a car going down the hill and they'll do their level best to 're-take their position', oblivious of the fact that I can go round the bumps and they can't so they'll never catch me.

I've literally seen sparks coming off body work as the red mist descends.

I get this A LOT in norwood / dulwich. I'm sure it happens a lot elsewhere too. This kind of pettyness seems unique to car drivers though, large vehicles I find are generally just thoughtless.

Good point from Dancing James on the difficulty of educating a group who feel angry and threatened. Ed's response to my post about the undertaker ad was quite a good example of this.

Sleeping dogs.

"You can't teach sleeping dogs new tricks."

Scoble wasn't built in a day.

I did say where are you going pointing at the big red bus but her husband's apology was enough for me.

I was stationary behind some also stationary traffic the other day and a car pulled up along side me and basically shunted me out of the way.

I asked him why he did that just to be one extra car length further along the road and his respone was

"what am I supposed to do? there isnt enough room"

umm yes exactly, there isnt enough room so you should probably have just waited behind me until the traffic started moving and it was safe to pass.

Sleeping dogs.

hm?

Stop poking the snoozing dog. The flaming has been minimal for a couple of days.

Good point. Apologies to Ed.

Passed a taxi that was stopped at some temporary traffic lights with one of these on the back.

Tapped on the window and told the driver his sticker was awesome. He laughed so I'm guessing he must have put it there himself. Made my day.

csb

Though taxis are one of the few professional driver groups that have hardly engaged with any cyclists awareness training . A gap in their knowledge which according to TfL cycle safety action plan (http://www.lfgss.com/thread31959.html) means they are involved in proportionally the most ksi's

Here is an update from TfL to the Cycle safety Group Members about their plans including a consultation on some new improved stickers that say things like 'cyclists take care etc

• Guidance will be provided on the reverse of the freight stickers about (a) which vehicles they should be put on and (b) the approximate location it should be placed.

• Guidance as to which vehicles the freight stickers are suitable for is included on the FORS website at point of ordering the stickers.

• We are drafting the website content now and will update this once the final sticker design is known. Draft text will be shared with you(*)

• The members of the CLOCS working groups (which include the FTA and RHA) have agreed to support the new freight sticker.

• The new freight sticker will be sent out to all FORS members with instructions to remove their old sticker and replace with this one.

• A statement was sent out to all taxi and private hire trade associations on 19 June to inform them that these stickers should not be used on their vehicles.

• At the end of June we advised all our taxi and private hire inspection staff that the cyclist stay back stickers are not approved (so they will be told to remove these if found).

• We will send email updates to taxi and private hire trades to remind them of the correct cycle safety stickers that should be displayed (e.g. the ‘dooring’ stickers).

• We are pursuing legal action against the individual selling the current freight stickers on eBay.

• The Buses team will replace all stickers on buses on a rolling basis until they are all updated.[

I've searched this thread and it doesn't look like this one has been mentioned (forgive me if it has)

I saw a truck today with two stickers, the one on the left had an arrow pointing left
'cyclist suicide'
And then one on the right, pointing right
'cyclist safe side'

Feel quite angry about this - as though it is the cyclist at fault if they find themselves on the inside and the driver is completely devoid of responsibility. Grrrr.