What annoyed you today?

[greypoint]

You mean there are cyclists out there who actually use the road and not the footpath??

[hevans]

You mean there are cyclists out there who actually use the road and not the footpath??

Sure, almost all of them use both the roads and footpaths, depending on what is most convenient for themselves and most inconvenient for others.

H.

[hevans]

        I replied that if it was Uttoxeter Road then it was probbably me and that I was'nt weaving over the road but trying to avoid last winters potholes, and further that any motorist "Confused" by a cyclist's flashing light should reconsider whether they should be on the Queens highway at all!

I find the flashing of the lights to be confusing than steady lights - bicycle lights should not flash but remain constantly on as it then allows you to continually track the motion of the light, helping to judge location speed and direction. The lights that flash a pattern are even worse. The human visual perception is biased strongly to moving/changing objects, and adding the flashing element to the light unnecessarily adds confusion with no real benefit.

I saw a cyclist yesterday using her mobile phone on a sling around her neck as a "light". While it did make her more visible than she would have been without it, the swinging motion and occlusion of it when it twisted around made immediate identification more difficult and distracting.

That said, the number of cyclists here that don't use their lights in complete darkness (particularly in the wet where there are multiple reflections) is mind boggling. Good combination: dark clothes, a bicycle and no lights and driving like a tit.

H.

[krennon]

I do believe that over here the flashing lights are not supposed to be used (so why do they make lights that flash?) when on a bicycle the reason for which I don't know but Hughs response makes a lot of sense.....I have to say judging distances in the dark and wet when all you can is a flashing light can be a little awkward...
So High Vis Clothing for all "riders" be it bike, trike, horse or other...constant lights not flashing ones and a basic insurance.....I may be writing to my MP in the new year about this....no point now they've just broken up for about 6 weeks for the Xmas break.....(thought Xmas was only supposed to be 12 days)

"Aren't we forgetting the true meaning of Christmas. The birth of Santa" Bart Simpson.

[Jonathan]

I do believe that over here the flashing lights are not supposed to be used (so why do they make lights that flash?)

You have to have a steady light.  Nothing to stop you using a flashing light as well but there has to be one that's on all the time.

If I had my way then bikes would be completely covered in Scotchlite and have at least one solid and one flashing light front and rear.  I have a horror of hitting one and when I ride a bike at night it's pretty visible

WMMFGT?

Bought myself a Christmas pressie on "another" forum.  An exotic bit of volcanic rock that Gitzo have battered about into a tripod and a Think Tank bag for it.

IMO there are no better tripods than Gitzo - on paper some look similar but nothing compares to their quality.  Same thing with Think Tank.

[spinner]

Ah so the bike thing appears universal. It's the same on this side of the pond. I blame lack of traffic enforcement. They want the same rights as car drivers (which our vehicle code allows) but want to ignore traffic laws when they wish. Like going through red lights etc. Riding the side walks (footpaths?) which is actually forbidden under the vehicle code. You never see the Police pulling one of them up for it.

WAMT? These password logins. For whatever reason my password won't be 'remembered' by the software and of course it isn't very well remembered by the operator either, so here I sit punching in several password attempts before I can access the site.

[ABERS]

Agree cyclists are oblivious to other traffic and rules, however we have another frustrating problem around here.

I live quite near Ember Court where the Met keep and train all their police horses and their riders. Consequently nearly every time you go out in the car there are long hold ups of traffic at the head of which are two horses and riders two abreast leisurely sauntering along the road at about 2mph. The coppers are invariably chatting away seemingly totally without a care in the world and totally oblivious to the 20 -30 cars behind them.

It's when you have managed to progress up the queue and are the car that's next to try and overtake when one of the horses decides it's time for an enormous dump! Great lumps  of steaming turds just miss your bonnet!

You can always hope the next cyclist runs into them, but hardly likely since they're on the path! 

[Alfonso_Frisk]

WAMT? These password logins. For whatever reason my password won't be 'remembered' by the software and of course it isn't very well remembered by the operator either, so here I sit punching in several password attempts before I can access the site.

Spin
use the log in section half way down the page on the right. This gives the drop down box with option to log in forever.
Its only visible pre log in so you may have to log out then log back in using that option

[Graham]

        "Agree cyclists are oblivious to other traffic and rules"

Jeez Alan! Are you familiar with the words tar and brush?  

        Anyway. I wear one of those flourescent jacket things that make you look like a traffic cop, I have two steady red lights on the back, and three steady white lights on the front, and my word their bright!
        Once this morning and twice tonight I had to take evasive action to avoid hitting cars pulling out in front of me at junctions, and by evasive I mean swerving into the center of the lane, or brakeing hard, neither of which you want to do on potentially icy roads.
        So, thats 3 out of maybe 500 cars I encounterd today. The other 497 were just like you and I; Perfectly responsible and considerate motorists.
        If you encounter a cyclist behaving in an irresponsible manner, wearing inapropriate clothing or generally behaveing like a kn*$head then you have my express permission to give them a gentle nudge into the gutter as you pass (I always do!) but for the rest of us please just give us a bit of space and we'll be happy.
        I think generally most cyclists (And by the way, I don't regard those BMX things with a feral teenager on it as cyclists.) are more considerate and most certainly more aware than most motorists; they have to be otherwise they end up like a pizza in the middle of the road!
        While I'm on a roll. What kind of parent allows their child to go out on these dark and frosty mornings to do a paper round on a bike with no lights fitted, let alone switched on!

                                     Peace and Goodwill to all men. (Even those on two wheels.)

                                                    As ever.  Graham.

  Oh and by the way.  Welcome back Sue and Mark.

[skellum]

Had a 6.00 pm portrait session booked for this evening who did'nt show up. Waited till 6.45 not even a phone call 

[Graham]

Had a 6.00 pm portrait session booked for this evening who did'nt show up. Waited till 6.45 not even a phone call 

       Do you have?
                          a)    Their address.
                          b)    A brick.
                                                          Graham.

[anglefire]

Actually yesterday..

2.5hours to get 15miles from Croyden to the M25 - Partly the 1/2" snow, and partly cos Londoners don't seem to get the concept of not blocking every junction and jumping every red light to get another 10'.

Took another 3 1/2 hours to get round the M25 and M40.

Only took 2 1/2 to get there in the morning.

[ABERS]

Us Londoners are terrible, although you shouldn't come across too many between Croydon and the M25, unless you took the long way round.

[spinner]

Thanks Alf, that seems to have fixed it!

[krennon]

OUR VET!!!...
Took Salem there a few weeks ago due to an abcess on his leg, which he allegedly sorted out, took him back a couple of weeks later as Salem was still limping and the vet said it's just where his leg is a bit stiff from the abcess/bite and it will heal up and he was happy with it....last night Salem was hobbling around and wouldn't let us touch his leg, the wife took him to the vet there and then....abcess is back with a vengence it had moved round to the back of the leg, gone septic to the point where there was dead flesh around the wound....vet has kept him on overnight....and charged us £237.00 for the privilege add that to the £80.00 odd quid we've already forked out and we are now screwed for xmas....yes we get most of it back on insurance but we still have to stump up the cash....so Xmas is screwed and I am seriously wondering if our vet is just in it for the money as our poor Salem must have been in some serious pain and discomfort for the past 4 weeks or so which really really annoys me (more than the fact that Xmas is screwed can't bear the thought of one of our cats being in any pain or discomfort) b l o o d y v e ts.....7 years of training and he didn't pick up on it which means he's incompetent or he did know about it, in which case he's ripping us off....either way me and the Mrs are not happy.....