"Why do cyclists get so angry?" is one thing I hear. Many of these near misses are potentially fatal collisions for a cyclist. Something that you are acutely aware of as a vulnerable road user. Adrenaline is a helluva thing in those situations.
The thing I've found with a lot of these 'bike vs car' incidents is that the drivers are the ultimate idiots, but sometimes the cyclist makes it slightly worse. The point I'm making is that cyclists get so much hate when in reality the drivers do a lot worse. I'm not in any way defending cyclingmikey - he's a bit of an idiot on his bike. I'm just saying that people overlook the 95% of cyclists who obey the law and are sensible, instead pointing the finger at the 5% who do something wrong. But this attitude won't change - it doesn't matter how many studies show that bikes break the law much less than cars, people will still blame the bikes for the issues cars cause. People will always hate on bikes just because they don't understand basic concepts like level of risk to bikes and induced demand. My main point is that bikes shouldn't have to share the road with cars. They also shouldn't be subject to all the same rules as cars, instead they should be protected by both laws and good bike infrastructure. UK law basically treats bikes and cars as the same thing, but they're not. *We need better bike infrastructure, or at least lower speed limits (20mph = 30km/h)*
That cyclist was looking for a confrontation without a doubt. My guess is he is a 'content creator'. Having been safely overtaken most of us would be happy to see the van go ahead not undertake and then take the whole lane again. As a 76 year old lifelong cyclist I find most vehicles being far TOO cautious and it is really frustrating they won't pass despite my riding in the gutter to do so even on a straight road. It gets to the point where I either have to stop and wave them past or mount the pavements. So many drivers are poor at judging clearances something is going to have to be done at driving test level. These people care frustrating to both the cyclist and those following. Often those behind the offending driver blame the cyclist and it simply isn't their fault when they have no control over a poor drivers ability to judge a safe passing distance.
Watching a load of video's via Twitter cyclists and from just driving my car, it does make me realise how bad the gutter areas of roads are for us all. If I don't want to be there, there is no way in hell a cyclist should be either. I still don't get the bad attitude towards cyclists.
Impatience; common misconception that only motor vehicle drivers pay for roads; in-group vs out-group effect; popular media encouraging and perpetuating "cyclists are enemy of motorist" with frequent rage-bait.
Bad attitude is not helped by deliberate misrepresentation by journalists. This headline, for example. "Cyclists kill or maim two pedestrians every week, according to statistics" Nothing whatsoever in the article of why the collisions took place, such as the common cause of pedestrians stepping out in front of a cyclist, or any comparison with motor vehicles.
In that last clip, did everyone notice how fantastic the road quality is? The UK roads are an embarrassment, the pot holes I've seen are sure to be a problem for cyclists.
The road in Spain are like glass really smooth. If it rains they are like ice. I was just in Belgium and even then roads where better than the UK. The roads in Europe I've seen are generally better than the UK. You do see the odd pot hole or cracked road surface but what you don't see is dolloped patch work waiting to be washed out or a road surface with its top coat worn away
I don't know why car drivers are so impatient. Most cars that punish pass me end up at red lights a few seconds later. Motorists really should be grateful that people like me are using our bicycles and not our cars which would be contributing to the traffic they already despise being part of.
Half of the cyclists "content creator" types get way closer to cars than cars get to them at times . I'm not talking regular cyclists going to work I'm specifically talking about the ones trying to make videos , you need incidents for these channels to grow . They want incidents and close calls for followers and likes and feel like it's a wasted cycle ride if nothing dangerous happens and it's a perfectly safe ride
Its not just drivers that are impatient. Its a Human flaw i myself Can be rather impatient at times. But that is only if a Car drives 30 kmh slower than the limit. Not when a cyclist does. Cause there would be no point other than to wait til its Safe to pass.
@@christophergallagher3845 Im a cyclist i doubt i would need to invent problems for content and im in a modest sized town if i was a city dweller i would have PTSD, a decent chunk drivers are just that entitled either with not wanting to give you space or doing everything in their power to get in front regardless of whether you get killed or they darwin themselves.
@@hammerofolympia3716 there's there's decent chunk of entitled self centred ignorant yclists in city driving on pavements , running red lights , ignoring road markings etc etc you'd get ptsd from the cyclists in any city
I'm a cyclist in the US who holds a standard, a motorcycle, and a recently expired (no longer needed) commercial "big-rig" license. It's my belief that before anyone can get an operator's license, he or she should be required to ride a bicycle in traffic and be a passenger on a motorbike and in a big truck, each for at least two hours. Perspective is everything.
That’s maybe a bit of extreme but hazard perception isn’t well enough taught. It would be valuable to consider hazards from different perspectives. How tricky it is to make turns in a truck or how buffeting is such an issue on motorbikes and bikes. Many car drivers don’t appreciate the challenges.
Sadly, this is a daily reality for non-motorised traffic, not just cyclists. there is something about sitting in a tin box at speed which gives a sense of entitlement to a small but significant minority. Many people tell me that cycling is dangerous when in reality cyclists rarely hurt themselves and even more rarely hurt others, let alone kill them. Motorists on the other hand kill and maim thousands every year and yet belieive that their activity is safer than cycling. From a health and safety point of view, cars and lorries should be banned from the roads should they not? OK - perhaps that is a bit extreme ..... but you get my point I hope. Thank You to all of those considerate and safe drivers (who are the majority) and burn in the wreckage of your own vehicle to the rest.
Not helped by the propaganda that all cyclists are rulebreakers and freeloaders who only cycle to inconvenience motorists. If a careless cyclist causes an accident it will be amplified in the media to encourage more hatred against anyone who cycles.
I completely agree with Ashley's sentiment. I think riding a bicycle is the single biggest thing that's improved my driving. You see the road with so many more subtleties than if you're in a big metal box.
Learning to drive made me a better cyclist too. Once I became a motorist I realised how much of a d1ck I'd been on a bike when dealing with bad cyclists so on the rare occasions I am back on one I follow the same rules for cars
I see it from all sides. Long ago was a cyclist then a motorcyclist followed by a car driver. Trained to become an advanced rider and driver, now riding bicycles again. On the bicycle I am fully aware of how the drivers around me are driving, 99.9% do very well. 0.1% though are dangerous, 2 of them have reported to the police due to being as serious danger to cyclists.
Exactly right. A new perspective. I wonder if a sentence for poor driving could be a cycling course? That’s a thought isn’t it? Or even better as a practical part of the driving test! Put drivers on tricycles in traffic if necessary 😄
All of these essentially boil down to "I use a bigger vehicle, therefore f*** you". Aside from the obvious danger these terrible road users are putting cyclists in, it's just childish. Actually no, it's not even childish, it's ignorant and entitlement. At least a child can easily learn that all road users are equal. Grown adults can be so unbelievably stubborn. Even I as a motorcyclist have been beeped by people for not close passing cyclists when doing so would've been dangerous. I give them MUCH more room than is necessary since a loud motorcycle passing them at any sort of speed can startle them. I'd rather not increase risk for them just to save a few seconds on a commute.
@@billybull7419 Few bicycles can do much more than 30 mph ; almost any motor vehicle can easily do twice that and many times more . Most roads flow at 60 mph or higher , except when held up by cyclists , tractors or caravans .
I have allways been taught to respekt whats bigger in trafic. Aswell as those who are smaller. If i Can see a truck that needs to regeres into a place i give space and wait. If i see people on a bike or bicycle i give space incase they Fall so i Can react in time. The reason most crashes happen is because of impatience. Which is just a Human flaw. That i see in drivers and cyclist. Driver are often impatient for no reason the same with cyclist. Often cyclist break laws for the simple reason of hitting a new pr. Where they risk life and limb. Just for time.
"am I a motorist that gets peeved my cyclists..."? Not since watching your channel Ashley! These cyclist-perspective videos really show how dangerous cars are for cyclists. It's definitely changed my behaviour on the road (hopefully for the better!)
I've done years worth of road cycling and driving and not once come across any problems either way. I dont understand either way how you can piss someone off if you're actively trying to let people just go about their day.
Oh actually one time I came out a shop and crossed the road between a van and a car and got hit by a cyclist. I was a bit stupid (hungover) for that one.
As a very keen cyclist, sadly this sort of thing happens 90% of the time I go out riding, but it's always the bad drivers that stick in your mind, on a (say) 50 mile ride I might have had 3 or 4 or 5 bad drivers. those bad drivers stick in my mind and not all the others who gave me space or even stopped to let me past on the narrow country lanes. Unfortunately it only takes one bad driver to put you in hospital or end your life.
Cycling on Britain's roads offers a tiny glimpse in to the world of prejudice - I've had those conversations with family and colleagues when they'rejustifying close passes etc, 'yeah,well, you're ok - it's the other cyclists that cause the problems...'
Not really a "tiny glimpse", come on. If you have denied prejudice up till now and you have just joined the minority activity of cycling, then the prejudice must have smacked you in the gob like a nail laden plank of wood!
I've had car drivers park in the cycle box at a junction multiple times because they want to be first and not wait extra 5 seconds. I've had on a weekly basis car drivers pull out in very slow traffic shunting their nose to force a space in traffic and block the cycle lane without looking, only looking at cars, ignoring the road markings. In my experience car drivers get tunnel vision and pay attention to nothing but what's in front of them, while the cyclist has to do everything to avoid the average drivers bad road behaviour they consider normal. One other example is some car drivers rush to get home, when it's pouring it down with rain, why you rushing, your dry in your car, let the dam cyclist have priority.
@@The_BenboBaggins never? What if someone hurts your family? Every man has his limits... Mine are if you want the privilege of riding on the road my car tax pays for don't be a bellend otherwise your a waste of air. Most people in the world just piss me off anyway but I have a particular sensitivity to people with pickup trucks (with lift kits) entitled cyclist and parents that let there kids play tablets (with volume) in bars and restaurants.. all those people can get stuffed
I'm the cyclist on the last clip. Thank you for featuring my clip, Ashley! Before commenting, please keep in mind that per Spanish road law, all road users may use whatever lane is most convenient to their journey (in populated areas). I did nothing wrong by riding on the left lane "for too long". I could ride there all day if I wanted to. Having said this, I have since changed my route and mostly stick to quieter streets, as I didn't enjoy the daily confrontations. I just want to commute in peace
While you might be allowed under the law, you went out of your way to be antagonistic to all other road users, when all you would have to do is be in the right most lane for most of that clip then the left lane 100-200m from when you need to turn left. Not sure about Spain, but in most countries you can in theory be cited for unduly obstructing traffic.
The driver's view of being delayed is often wrong in this urban situation. All too often they just catch up at the next light (as happened here). That said, I've followed a cyclist at 10mph for several hundred metres and been absolutely screamed at by the following driver, as we sat alongside in the next junction's filter lanes while the cyclist vanished into the distance.
@@Knightyme It's difficult to move into the turning lane on a busier road, so it makes perfect sense to move into it early when it's safe. It becomes more and more unsafe to move into a turning lane as a junction is coming up.
@@Knightyme I wasn't trying to be antagonistic, I was just using the road as the law entitles me to. In other countries it may be different but in Spain I was doing nothing wrong. I however understand the ignorance of most car drivers and their proneness to road rage, so I have since avoided riding like this. I mostly stick to cycle paths where they exist and quieter roads
I usually treat cyclists as if they were a car. In a give way situation & in an overtake situation. Though people behind me generally get annoyed (particularly in a give way situation when a Cyclist has priority) Just because they're slower moving doesn't mean they don't have priority. You'd give way to a street sweeper in the same situation, so why not a cyclist :D
I drive and ride. I have no problem lettting a cyclist have the right of way, even when I may actually have it. They don't have a motor to get moving, while my car does. My car will get going much faster than they will on their bike, so that 5 or 10 seconds I'm waiting doesn't really make a big difference in the overall scheme of things.
Oh dear... "usually". Not always then. Give way means give way, always, and not just to whom or when you prefer to give way to at your whim! In an overtake situation the law requires you to pass a cyclist with a MINIMUM of 2 metres clearance (probably more than you routinely give a car). It doesen't matter what people behind you think or do. You must drive safeley and within the law. At all times.
@@nickwinn7812 Although I agree with the essence of your comment, I don't believe it's factually correct. Like many highway code rules, the rule on overtaking cyclists safely is not backed up with a law. If the police prosecute a driver for overtaking unsafely, it is for 'driving without due care and attention' or similar. Highway code 'must' rules are laws, whereas 'should' rules aren't. The relevant part of rule 163 is 163. Overtake only when it is safe and legal to do so. You should ● give motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders and horse drawn vehicles at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car (see Rules 211 to 215). As a guide: ○ leave at least 1.5 metres when overtaking cyclists at speeds of up to 30mph, and give them more space when overtaking at higher speeds ○ pass horse riders and horse-drawn vehicles at speeds under 10 mph and allow at least 2 metres of space ○ allow at least 2 metres of space and keep to a low speed when passing a pedestrian who is walking in the road (for example, where there is no pavement) So, drivers are only required to leave a gap of 1.5m below 30mph, not 2m. I totally agree though that drivers should ALWAYS leave a 1.5m gap. Many seem to think it's fine to pass closer than this if the road is too narrow, there is oncoming traffic, there are parked cars etc. Although the rules don't stipulate a gap when passing a cyclist coming in the opposite direction, clearly the relative speed between cyclist and vehicle is higher and hence the risk is increased. Where the gap is small, I believe the driver should stop (or at least slow to a crawl), so that the cyclist can pass the stationary vehicle, which is far safer than a vehicle passing them at speed.
It was through cycling and experiencing all of the situations in this video that I realised I needed to change how I drive, which (eventually) led me to your channel - although I probably spent too long initially watching more "tribal" cycling youtube channels on the way here! Your channel has had a major positive impact on the way I drive now.
Im a cyclist and i think you need to take responsibilty for your own safety too. The first 40 seconds is a good example of this. When the van passed i would not have rode up the side of him at the traffic lights. Id have just sat behind him. He then doesnt have to go passed again and it only delays you a couple of seconds and you would have avoided him being frustrated. When someone is frustrated they make silly decisions and that was in part the cyclists fault
The very next clip explains that quite nicely. It's safer for a cyclist to go to the front where they can be seen easily, rather than be mixed in with motor vehicles.
@@MeakerSE So kids riding bikes have to do so in parks, woods or in traffic with such bad infrastructure for bikes? Where I live it's legal to cycle on the sidewalk so for me it's actually insane that bikes are supposed to go with the cars.
Brilliant video as usual from Ashley. One thing I'd like to add is the frequency of this crap: as a motorist I am challenged by someone else's poor driving once a month and feel in real danger maybe once a year. On a bike that becomes once a day and once a week.
It should be noted, if you are in a car and you fail to give adequate space for the cycle lane or intersect the lane while a cyclist is riding in it you'll be fined up to £2000 and lose 3 points from your license, 5 if you ignore the summons!
Anyone that knows me or has seen me drive will know I treat cyclists, pedestrians, horse riders, in fact any other user of the road network, with the same level of respect I would expect myself If I cannot pass a anyone safely I will not pass them…simple
Cycling should be part of the learner driver experience for everyone physically able to get on a bike. I think being a cyclist before I was a driver made me a better driver.
There may be some element of truth in what you say. On the other side of things lots of cyclists don't drive and have no clue as to the rules of the road.
I've not driven for ages but cycle all the time. It makes a lot of sense in London. But I think cycling might've actually made me a much worse driver. You never really have to get impatient on a bike, plus you can always use any bus/cycle/regular lanes and don't have to consider your speed in the same way. If I drive like I cycle (which I occasionally do for the first couple of minutes back behind a wheel) I'm a bit of a menace. I soon take stock and calm down though haha.
@@stonehengemaca Some roads really are fine. No fast ones, but a lot of town roads are either really quiet or really slow moving so it's actually a breeze.
Very true Ashley, I am a motorcyclist and almost all the your comments apply to us too. It is a great pity that the pedal cyclist community does not work more closely with the motor cyclist community rather than often being at loggerheads with us.
This is true Christopher, to a degree. As a cyclist and a motorcyclist myself, I see many of the same issues from four + wheel users on the road. However, when cycling I have felt endangered on many occasions by the inconsiderate and entitled minority of motorcyclists. There are similarly minded people in the cycling world by the way, but their particular mode of transport, by dint of low mass and velocity represents a very low risk to others. I have been known to shout abuse at cyclists (whilst cycling myself) for using the pavement rather than the road. Thereby putting their own safety above that of pedestrians and others. Motorcyclists are as guilty as other motorised vehicle users of close passing and often at much higher speed. It is very scary indeed when on a bicycle to have some idiot wheelying toward you on a 750 at maybe 60mph in a 30 zone (although in any zone it's no fun) when you are on a bicycle. This happened to me only last week. The rider of said motorcyle seemed very impressed with himself and obviously thought that I as a two wheeler would appreciate his antics too. This sort of abuse shouild not be part of my daily commute. But it is. Don't expect cyclists to side with bikers any time soon.
Lets face it, every "group" has its considerate and inconsiderate bunch. Its called people. Some people are nice, on two wheels, 4, 6 or 18... Others are assclows (sorry but that was funny AF) regardless of how many legs, arms, wheels they have. Best thing to do it try and avoid them as much as possible.
Not sure why the cyclist in the last clip was that long in the left lane. In the Netherlands we wouldn't even think of doing that. Keep to the right, and try to change lanes at the second-to-last lights only. All in all some appaling behaviour in these clips though...
I visited Amsterdam last month & was impressed with how stress free the cycling seemed to be. The division of the roads to protect them was impressive, as was the lack of "Tour De France" style racing from most cyclists.
I took the left lane pretty early because there was a gap in traffic, just like a car driver would if they had a left turn coming up in a couple hundred meters. Nevertheless after several angry drivers on that road I decided to change my route and started cycling con quieter streets. It took a few more minutes but I stopped fearing for my life every day
For my experience in the UK, often when coming up to a busy junction you'll have a long queue of cars waiting their turn. If you wait until you've joined the queue to change lane, you'll find yourself stationary with a train of fast moving cars whipping past. Their vision of you is blocked by the queue behind, putting your arm out won't be noticed and risks the hand being clipped. When I come up to familiar junctions like that I change lane early while I'm still moving fast. Sometimes that queue isn't there and I'll get beeped, looks like I'm being an arrogant git.
@@LastOnSunday in the Netherlands, you have safe cycling paths almost everywhere, with lots of people riding on them. Thus, the speeds that people go at naturally tend towards a comfortably fast pace, where you reach your destination quickly enough yet don't start sweating. In countries without consistent safe cycling infrastructure, you quickly learn that if you go at this leisurely speed of ~20km/h, car drivers will keep honking at you and close-passing you whenever you ride in a street that doesn't have any safe cycling paths, forcing you to share the street with them. This quickly trains you to choose your speed to be about equal to that of the cars around you. This way, the number of cars that overtakes you is minimized, which lowers the risk of someone hitting you. I live in Vienna, where cycling infrastructure is bad and barely existent, and when I ride through the city, I typically ride at 30-50 km/h for this reason. In the Netherlands I typically go at a more leisurely pace of 20-30 km/h on a Dutch bike. Dutch bikes in Vienna are useless - they are designed for you to sit upright and comfortable, limiting the speed you can reach with them, and when you ride here (or anywhere else in Austria or Germany), you quickly learn that you need to match the speed of the cars around you to be at least somewhat safe.
As cyclist, motorcyclist, car driver what I saw in this video was a lot of people not thinking or wanting to chill out.. most of these situations could have been avoided with a little thought, sad state of affairs.. be nice to one another ..
I worked on a bicycle for 2 years doing Deliveroo during university. In that time, I was hit and run (left lying on the road, luckily unhurt), had more near-misses than I can remember, had several punctures from broken glass etc in gutters, had a couple of crashes due to wet leaves/black ice (luckily none were serious). The way which some drivers act around cyclists is almost murderous, you can hate cyclists all you like, that’s not justification to kill/injure/knock them off their bikes, regardless of what Jeremy Clarkson and the like say. I now ride a motorcycle and while it’s also dangerous, it is nothing compared working/commuting on a bicycle. I’m still invisible to most drivers, and they cut me off and pull out in front of me, but at least I usually have enough acceleration on demand to get away from any stupid/dangerous situations that arise.
Sometimes life is more important that being right. Being right does not mean you are immortal, so I agree with your last comment Ashley “Stay safe”. Which is the best and very simple advice for ALL road users and pedestrians. Just saying, as a 71yo cyclist who wishes to stay healthy for a few more years 🙂
I see this type of unproductive comment about every other one on a cycling video- you are not clever. Yes, there is an unwritten "moral" road user consensus in most places that vulnerable road users are 4th class citizens and could be killed at will at any second on a whim with little consequences. We're all very much aware.
As a cyclist I think we need to be more selective about when and where we filter and/or undertake other road users. It's sometimes safer to wait at the back of a queue of traffic than aggressively filter to the front, even if there's an ASL. I'd also rather take a primary road position when stopped to stay visible and filtering often precludes that.
In my subjective opinion i do feel like aggressive overtakes started happening less to me once I completely stopped filtering if there were only 3-4 cars at the front (even when I see the light turn red and have plenty of time to safely filter). Sometimes the least patient drivers are already at the front, so you just save yourself the stress by staying back a bit.
I don't filter or undertake at all, cycling and driving around in a busy city I find it's not worth the hassle and risk. In traffic I'll take primary, not least because the state of disrepair of the roads is so bad that I'm otherwise constantly dodging the potholes.
Couldn't agree more. My filtering is much reduced. If I know I'll get through the next green I no longer bother. Or if the road is busy and not very wide. More so if I've been close passed - chances are the same driver still can't measure 1.5m two minutes later.
I agree with this. If you're already stuck in the traffic light grand prix with motor vehicles, using the advanced stop position when going straight on doesn't get you there any faster, and you significantly increase risk by filtering in vehicle blind spots not knowing exactly when the lights are likely to change. Motorists very rarely seem to leave the cycle advance boxes free anyway.
As a motorcycleist (ex cyclist and e scooter owners) i swear they see anyone on 2 wheels as a joke. I never run red lights, i obey road laws. I think people should be retested on road knowledge regularly so they know the highway code
That pre-title clip, I'd never have undertaken. You commit to a small gap in the van driver's blind spot, lose your own sight-line of the crossing so can't see if anyone has made a late lemming and the road ahead is clear so you'd be delaying the van for nothing. It's also marginal if you're filtering in the zigzag area (legal) or overtaking the lead vehicle when the light went green. Even then there was an opportunity to help traffic progress by using the bus stop to clear the lane (though I'd only consider that for a single vehicle and we can't see behind). Was the van driver wrong on the second overtake? Yes, but the rider created conflict where it wasn't needed.
I was a road cyclist for many years and always lived by my own rule that if a driver had put the effort in to pass me, I would not then go in front of them again at a set of lights and make them have to start again. Sadly, the courtesy was never repaid so I gave up and started mountain biking instead - I can take a hint
On the other side of the coin , if a driver has done a risky overtake to get infront, I stay behind them at the lights as better to have the idiot infront of you.
I do think my fellow cyclists are often too keen to filter, making their way passed any slow or stationary traffic ahead when ever they can even if there is no real advantage to them and puts them at risk. Having said that one of the booms of cycling is that you can make you way through traffic meaning that you can often get to you destination in towns and cities more quickly than people in cars. You just have to be sensible.
It would be a good idea as part of attaining a driving licence for everyone who is able, to have to do 10 hours of cycling on the road before even getting into a car for a lesson.
This is why in Denmark we have so many dedicated bike roads (cars can't enter above the curb) along most larger roads and inside cities. A painted line is almost never respected. And many motorists do not understand that bikes are equal users of the roads. BTW: I am a motorist myself, but I don't experience cyclists as nuisances - mostly it is fellow motorists who are block heads. And yes, dear motorist try to bike yourself some time, you will learn what fear is!
Far too many drivers don’t plan ahead when it’ll be safe to pass a cyclist. I was on a narrow National speed limit road the other day with a cyclist coming towards me, I slowed and stopped until he past me. I know how it feels to be on a narrow road and cars speeding past,you feel vulnerable
Around here, I could say the same for cyclists... they need 6 feet on our narrow ancient town layout if you overtake them. Thats fair enough because, I've never ever passed a cyclist on a minimum width road without using appropriate speed and the whole opposite side of the road. Nor am I averse to holding up everyone behind me, in those circumstances. I don't intimidate easily. However, the same logic and rules does not apply to oncoming cyclists who actively choose to, (without pause), pass short groups of parked cars while taking the centre line even as I drive towards them. Cars wait in this situation if they can't pass and clear before traffic arrives. Cyclists doing this get inches of clearance by their choice, a risk of being doored or hit by peeking or reckless pedestrians and an extra 10 or 15mph, (compared with being passed at 30mph), added to the potential collision speed; all having taken some imagined priority on my side of the road to save a few seconds, (sounds familiar?). But it's always and in all circumstances, us drivers who are dangerous?
Great education for cyclists and motorists. We should all continue to reflect and examine our own interactions. In the last few years I have tried to strive to improve my anticipation and try not to be wound up by those desperate to win a few metres. Keep up the good work.
People’s anger in cars is one of the great wonders. Nobody acts like this walking on the streets,we open doors for people, we wait patiently in queues, we apologise when we step in front of others. Crazy
1:55 I treat cyclists passing me while I’m stuck in traffic the same way I treat motorcyclists in that situation. If I see their intent beforehand I will make room. Because if I like it or not they’re going to do it. The best thing I can do is try to make it as safe as possible for both of us.
I cycle every day and I’m very rarely affected by other road users. I watch these clips and I feel that I would never put myself in the position that these people do.
I agree with you. Staying out of danger is more important than asserting your right to do something on the road. However it is hard to avoid everything. I have been 'punished' for the actions of other cyclists, like some of those in the video...
semi agree with this, a lot of these clips were down to bad cycling as well as bad driving. As a cyclist you have to allow for bad driving as the majority of road users don't know how to deal with cyclists in my experience. However the close passes in this video are unacceptable. I experience this far too much, in the last few years this has increased 10 fold. I have had some very scary near misses, I no longer road cycle for leisure now
6:34 not only is it an Audi but its reg is 0331 BPM Or, to be more specific, a heart rate of 331 beats per minute anytime someone else uses the same piece of tarmac as them.
As a driver and cyclist, I find the absolute best thing to do on the road is this: behave like a car. Your movement will be more predictable to other road users. Adopt a reasonable position in the middle of the lane, obey traffic rules, don't cycle up the inside left of stationary traffic. We're cyclists; we're slow anyway, there's no need to squeeze to the front of the queue. Gives me a bit more of a breather anyway. But that said, the conflicts on roads in this country are caused by one thing primarily - decades of poor urban planning, road and cycle infrastructure planning. Why is it that other European countries get this so right and we get it so wrong? You can between many many cities throughout the continent on entirely separated bike lanes, away from the main road, as indeed the pavements are as well. But no, successive politicians continue to play with peoples' lives because it's essentially cheap. Reminds me of the smart motorways fiasco. We need politicians in office who are actually interested in public safety and efficient systems, and neither party seems to be arsed.
While riding to work one morning a car pulled out on me on a roundabout , I shrugged my shoulders and carried on (I used to commute 1000s of miles a year) . The driver of the car went all the way round the roundabout and chased me until he could overtake, once in front of me he stopped, got out and flagged me down- He then profusely apologised for what he had done. I was dumb struck.
1:04 that happened to me the other week, the lights at the other end changed to green just before I’d cleared the roadworks and the car driver in front blindly started driving forward without checking that the way was clear. He was hoisted on his own petard though, since there was another car behind me, so he had to reverse back the way that he’d come.
Its a very common occurence, made worse by the legion of drivers that continue through after the light has changed red in heavy traffic. I sat at a green light for well over 30 seconds once waiting for all the cars (and a bus) that had clearly kept going through red.
And when people jump the red light it leaves even less time to get through on a bike and more likelihood of meeting someone coming the other way on green 🙁 The presumption is often made that 'cyclists junp red lights', which doesn't help.
Thanks for the very interesting video, Ashley. Those were some shocking instances of very poor behaviour by motorists. I'm from the Netherlands, where cycling infrastructure is much more mature than in the UK, but I have the feeling that recent changes to the highway code, such as rules with regards to the minimum distance while passing, simply do not work and will not reduce the problems that cyclists face. As a cyclist, I always recognise and appreciate the fact that I am both much slower and much narrower than motorists. As a cyclist, therefore, I know that I cannot act as a motorist on the road. However, regulations that aim to put cyclists on equal footing with cars, such as those with respect to the minimum passing distance, do not appreciate this fact. On many occasions in the video, there was more than sufficient room on the road for a cyclist and a car to safely pass. Defensive actions, such as taking up primary position, in my view actually increase the risk in these situations. Perhaps it's a cultural difference, e.g. passing in ways that many British people would consider very aggressive is very normal in the Netherlands, but I think that the way that the UK is regulating - in my view overregulating - cycling is not conducive to a safe and easy flow of traffic. Ashley, perhaps you could try cycling in the Netherlands, especially outside of highly urban areas. I think it would be quite enlightening and also informative for the channel.
I largely agree, and former Danish cyclist. should also come here and cycle, and you can log many 100 KM and not even have to share the same surface as cars as we have many dedicated bicycle paths here. Mind you Danish car drivers and many cyclists are idiots too, sadly the regulatory branch here have no interest in changing this.
As both a cyclist and a motorist I can see both sides and give and take is the way forward. Cyclists have a right to insist on cycling to the exact letter of the law if they wish and take a position in the road that doesn't let cars pass but they can also be the 'bigger man/woman' and let cars pass when convenient. If I am on a narrow country road and there is a long queue of cars behind me I will often pull in to a passing place to let them pass and it will lose me a minute of time maximum. If I am a driver stuck behind a cyclist I will wait until it is safe to pass and again it will lose me a minute of time maximum. I think the main issue in the UK is that the media has set cyclists and drivers against each other for political reasons (culture wars).
Rules only work when people; A: Are aware of them, B: Actually care, C: Punished for failing to obey the rules, D: Not impatiant and aggressive (which many British motorists are)
@@AndrewStride Yes , it is often completely necessary for cyclists, for safety reasons , to establish their position in front of traffic and car drivers need to respect this absolutely. On the other hand you often see cyclists riding two abreast (which is completely within their rights) but COULD if the timing is right and safe to do so move to single file to let a queue of drivers pass more easily. Most do this but some do not. It is of course a balance and the cyclist's safety must always take priority and cyclists should never be pressurised by drivers to do something that puts them in danger.
Recently I passed a pair of cyclists, then there was another group where I wanted to turn. After they left the space, there wasn't enough time for me to get around the corner before the first group caught up. So I waited for them to pass and the lead rider gave me a thumbs up
As a solo cyclist I’d like to thank you for that. If only more drivers were like you, I'd feel a heck of a lot safer when riding. If drivers would just realize that the moments (even seconds) they might lose from slow or stopping for a cyclist are negligible. They are still going to get where they’re going minutes (even hours) before the cyclist will.
no such thing as a cyclist just a person or people riding a bike the whole definition takes away from the fact that people are just people no matter what transport they use on the road
In terms of risk drivers should think if cyclists as pedestrians. I doubt an HGV would skim past a person standing on the road, whatever the reason for them being there.
The van safely over takes the cyclist... So at the lights the cyclist passes inside of the van to deliberately get in front again making the van slow and have to try overtake... Again! Nevermind the cyclist didn't even bother to be sensible and allow best flow by moving over into the bus lane briefly. Cyclists need to hold position in the road after being passed. They expect cars to pass wide and safely but will pass on the inside right next to a vehicle that could move at any moment?
People commenting about being better drivers because they cycle. Well I think being a cyclist makes you empathetic to cyclists. One warning to cyclists because you may be in the right don’t jump in. I would rather be alive and right rather than dead and right. Going up the inside of cars vans trucks with indicators is risky. I know that the Highway Code says. So let’s all be safe and considerate rather than entitled.
Some months ago I went for a bike ride in the morning, went on a 4 lane road with a 25 or 30 mph speed limit this road was straightforward, you could see a few miles easy, I was on the right most lane as far over as i could be. Every single car was not only speeding, but waited till they were on me to move over, it was very stressful, then a group of cars came along that was all on each others ass, the first two cars waited till they were on me to move over and the third didn't seem to see me, maybe he wasn't gonna hit me, i can't say for sure, but I didn't take the chance, I ran myself off the road. Thats cycling in the US for you.
Temporary traffic lights are a nightmare for cyclists, particularly if the single file length of road is long. They're guidelines on the timing of the lights that assume a minimum speed of something like 20-25mph, which of course few cyclists can achieve. It's therefore highly likely that the cyclist won't clear the section covered by the lights before the oncoming traffic light goes green. In this situation I'll often therefore nip behind the cones where possible. Strictly I should probably walk when behind the cones, which is presumably what pedestrians are supposed to do. It seems the safest option though providing you move outside the cones wherever actual work is in progress. On my commute there was 1 2 mile section of dual carriageway where one lane would be coned off from time to time. I certainly wouldn't have been popular there if I hadn't nipped behind the cones and had ridden the full 2 miles at around 15mph!
I love cycling, it has been hugely beneficial for my health, both mentally and physically. Like most cyclists I also drive a car. However, every time I go out on my bike I know I won’t do anything that would put my life in danger, but I cannot account for other Road users. Unfortunately what is shown in this video is not unusual but almost to be expected on almost every ride I go on. I have been knocked off once and thankfully only sustained minor injuries, I’ll never forget the feeling, sobbing at the side of the road waiting to be picked up, thinking what could have happened, my daughter was only 9 months old at the time and the thought of missing out on her growing up completely took over me in that moment. The vast majority of motorists are absolutely fine and give me plenty of time and space (I always thank those that have had to wait behind me for an extended period of time), unfortunately (like with most aspects of life) the minority ruin it for the majority. Thanks for posting these on your channel, there is a certain section of the media that likes to vilify cyclists, some cyclists don’t do themselves any favours and I shake my head at every cyclist I see run a red light as I know it reflects badly on all of us. In the end we’re all human beings but if we all looked out for each other the roads would be a much safer place.
I’m with you on those points. Cycling I find is a great way to shake off depression. Maybe partly because your mind is concentrating on survival😂But also it lets you experience the outdoors in a more sensual way. I’ve never been knocked of f mine (yet) but I have had to lift the bike onto the pavement to avoid being crushed by a juggernaut as it mounted the kerb during a turn.
I'm with you on all of this! I prioritise keeping myself safe, and often get off if a big lorry is approaching from behind (close passes by lorries are the worst!). I have only been knocked off twice in 20 years - once by an old man opening his door into me as I was going downhill (I stay well clear now!!), and the other a woman who deliberately crawled alongside me shouting abuse for half a mile and finally forced me to fall into a railing because I had used the forward cycle box at some traffic lights and got ahead of her. I used to get annoyed at bad driving but now I try to stay really alert and let it slide, and focus on thanking the good drivers.
problem is that the few who think the law does not apply to them blacken all the decent cyclists - ignoring red lights, cycling on pavements, deliberately annoying others, leaving rentals all over pavements in london, blocking weekend roads with large groups to name just a few - and people like jeremy vine taking pictures of vehicles for the least thought of effrontery tars everyone with the same brush.................
Great comments and observations Ashley. I am a motorist and a cyclist and I always think that we all share the roads. I dont think a lot of drivers realise how vulnerable you are on a bike. The treatment we get often as cyclists is absymal but to be honest, a lot of cyclists can do better as well.
As a ‘roadie’ cyclist and a van driver, I agree.. One thing that’s not mentioned and overlooked when it comes to roadies, is the fact they’ll be ‘clipped in’ to their pedals and they also like to keep the cadence/rolling speed up. This explains why they keep moving on some clips or start filtering rather than stopping as it’s a pain to be constantly clipping in and unclipping in traffic. This also happens on roundabouts where roadies will just push into circuit rather than stopping, losing momentum and unclipping etc .. If motorists understood this it would lead to less conflict. We are all human, not automated and both motorists and cyclists get things wrong and make split second judgements that may not be sound, but considering the volume on our roads and the lack of carnage, we’re not doing so bad.. just need better road surfaces..
Clipped in? Isn't that how Joe Biden took a tumble a year or so ago? Surely if you are in a lot of stop/start traffic, keeping your cadence doesn't sound very safe.
Some good advice here. Also good that it’s posted on the driving instruction channel, as ultimately the behaviour of drivers is much more relevant than that of vulnerable road users to road safety.
Just been to shop at Lidl a very wet 3.71 mile trip with a total elevation gain of 341ft. I am 70 years young and recovering from a Heart attack , I have a e-bike with a Bosch cx drive (85nm torque ) . For the shop I have a bike trailer which can take 30-40 kg easy . Not a cyclist my back side !
The incident at 5:38 reminds me of the case where a woman overtook cyclists at 40-50 mph on a blind bend. She collided with other cyclists coming the other way and killed a young woman. She was found not guilty, her defence even made the appalling claim that the young woman's companion was partially at fault for taking her out when she was inexperienced.
Drivers treat cyclists so badly precisely because of things like this. Cyclists lives are worth less than your convenience in the eyes of the law and in the eyes of city and road planners.
@4:31 Surely the cycle lane has ended (bit weird to put that symbol down where it ends, rather than when it begins again, but oh well) after the solid line becomes dotted and the sign gives the lane layout, so what was the cycle lane becomes the left turn only lane. If the cyclist wants to go straight ahead, they must then move into the middle lane. As much as the Toyota shouldn't have moved left with anyone behind on that side that close, they were at least trying to be in the right place to make the turn, whereas the cyclist was quite happy to plough on ahead in the wrong lane.
Myriad motorists don’t understand cyclists use the roads (in most countries) by right of a UN convention. Cyclists are actually entitled to use the roads. Motorists on the other hand are only able use the road under permission of a licence. It’s why motorists can have their access to the roads revoked via licence suspension or cancellation.
Just today I saw someone on the other side of the road overtake a cyclist with a close pass, but so poorly timed that I (in my car) had to slow down significantly so they wouldn't hit me. When I passed the driver was looking at his phone and not at the road, I don't even think he'd seen me.
Someone did exactly this to me yesterday (while I was signalling to turn left), almost hitting a car coming the other way, then turned into a car park less than 50m further up the road! Must have been really late for work!
4:59 now! with the new pedestrian rules, a driver doesn’t know if they can complete a turn until they get there. The “bikes can pass on the left, while cars can’t undertake on a dual carriageway/motorway because it’s dangerous” mentality is ludicrous. Vans/trucks don’t have the best side/ rear vision so passing on the left should never have been approved, it was designed to cause conflict
“bikes can pass on the left, while cars can’t undertake on a dual carriageway/motorway because it’s dangerous” two difference scenarios - if the car is waiting to turn left due to obstructions and the cyclist appears on the scene, the cyclist shouldn't pass on the left if the vehicle is stopped there with a left indicator on. But that's nothing to do with the updated rules. Undertaking on faster roads is about blind spots and isn't illegal - just advised to exercise care while doing so. Ash has done videos on this.
This is actually a very good point. I understand that a cyclist is allowed to use the footpath if 'they' consider it too dangerous to use the road. Of course, context is everything.
I drive and cycle, and obey the laws, the problem is that the laws for roads users are way out of date, I know when I'm driving in my warm car that wind and rain outside with potholes etc is bad for cyclist so I slow down, but most drivers simply don't care.
I think you've offered a fairly balanced view here. I cycle to work every day and experience all of the poor driving shown here - as a cyclist it's easy to become aggravated when this happens. As some of the other comments have said, this is often a result of feeling threatened by situations that have the possibility to end in injury or worse. More recently I've tried to remain calm in these situations as I realised that one day an injury could be caused by a driver taking exception to a mouthy cyclist, and get out and swing a few punches! I'm glad you explained where cyclists were being over aggressive - all too often these sort of clips try to make out the cyclist is always right.
I find most motorists are actually polite to me and will give way even when they shouldn’t. I try my best not to be a deliberate pain and not hold faster vehicles back if I can avoid it. But if need be I remind myself that I also have an equal right to the road. Plus by by cycling I do less damage to the road and the environment.
Ha, I've been doing 12k miles a year and fitted a camera after a hgv 44 tonne close passed me at 40 mph on a 30 speed limit, even mounted the pavement. I can read most of the common things like pulling out of junctions, turning left after overtaking and some of the intentional ones I can predict. But still some weird stuff happens also, someone threw a snowball out of a moving car at me, been robbed, pushed off at 15 mph, loads more on camera.
My driving behaviour around cyclists totally changed after i started cycling to work. If you see a cyclist when you're driving and you immediately start feeling peeved or impatient, you need to check yourself. Getting on a bike in traffic for a week will make you a better driver.
Most cyclists accidents are self inflicted as they think road rules don't apply to them, don't drive to the conditions, take ridiculous risks because of some perceived right of way, regardless of the eminent danger they put themselves in.If there is a bike lane get in it, if not get off the road.
at 5:59 it could also be pointed out that the cyclist could have anticipated the situation better. Seems like he was going to turn right, but was not in the proper position (and may not have communicated his intention), allowing the van to cut off his path.. His speed was a bit high and then went on to brake hard with center of gravity too much forward. Lesson learned should be to not try to put up a fight with a motorized vehicle. Going straight on and taking your loss may have been the better option.
This is an excellent and very accurate summary of what i put up with almost every day. There are an awful lot of considerate good drivers out there but there are also too many who are impaciente, don't plan properly or have no clue what it is to cycle on any kind of road or weather condition. I feel this way regarding infrastructure designers also, i have been riding in France for a few weeks and although there are some very good examples, there are also a few pretty clueless ones as well.
👍 Yes there are good, considerate, patient drivers. Well done all of you👏But some drivers make ‘mistakes’ then blame cyclists for their poor attention and bad decisions.
I used to cycle to and from university. It was rural so it was all country lanes with high hedges, poor road surface, tractors, potential horse riders etc. People from the uni/college used to drive like idiots past me. I remember a BMW passong me on a corner and nearly take my arm off because there was a car coming the other way. Another driver past me just before a junction and then turned left with no indication across my path. If I was going slightly faster I would have been hit. I wish I had a camera back then, because I felt like any day I could be hit by someone. I could afford to driving lessons or a car back then, so cycling was the only option.
I have had the left hook onto the car bonnet happened during COVID lock down and being a key worker had no choice but to cycle no public transport Really badly hurt and hospital refused to treat me because COVID took a year for my shoulder to heal When everyone was clapping for the NHS worker i gave the two fingers
A great education for all drivers when 'sharing' the road with cyclists. I do think that these videos work. The majority of drivers are great around cyclists. great work Ashley.
Unfortunately the "majority" of drivers being great around cyclists is simply not good enough. It only takes 1 in a 1000 drivers to kill a cyclist by their arrogance, ignorance and hatred of cyclists. We will never have all drivers even want to be good around cyclists, since their hatred is ingrained into their brains, so what we need is proper legal consequences for close passing, swerving, verbal and physical abuse. Police need to respond to 100% of these issues and need to fine, points on license, take vehicles, imprison drivers who do these things (depending on the severity of the infraction). For example, a driver close passing a cyclist should be fined and have points in their license. It could 100% end up with the cyclist dead.
@@Pattoe i would like to hear your opinion on bad cyclist behavier and how to create legal consequences for them. example, i got verbal abuse while in london, my crime, sweaving and braking to avoid cyclist who jumped red light to my right and nearly hitting cyclist who come up on my inside very close to my truck.
@@Pattoe That it only takes one driver to kill or hurt a cyclist is a point that I was going to make. I decided not to on this occasion because I am trying to avoid fanning the flames of hatred between road users. Your points are all valid but your solutions won't stop hatred. I'm not sure anything will stop it to be honest. I'm a very reasonable person' except, when faced with other peoples aggression, be it face to face or on the road, I have had many confrontations and fights that I won 99.9% of the time. But, I bet you that I never really changed one persons behaviour or attitude. So now I lead by example. So when I'm driving, I make a point of how I overtake a cyclist. So that every other driver see's me do it properly. When I cycle, I make sure that I obey the rules and am friendly and respectful. I advocate mutual respect on the roads. So whilst I agree with your views, I think that Ashley's approach is a better way forward.
@Pattoe considering that the threat of jail does not deter murderers, how successful do you think your suggestion would be at making 100% of car drivers safe around cyclists?
In that first clip the van gives him a nice pass at the beginning, and then the cyclist passes him pointlessly at the light, and doesn't move over to the bus pull out even though it would've cost him nothing to let the van pass. Being a jackass to people will usually garner similar treatment from them, difference is they're in a speedy 3 ton metal box and the cyclist is just on a slow and rickety couple of wheels.
Last Clip: I don't understand why so many people are willing to jump out of their vehicles for a confrontation with someone they know nothing about? He looks like an old man that's probably never been in a fight in his life, why risk it? Too many people these days think they're invincible, total idiot. It's funny because I can handle myself if needed but NEVER do what this guy did because even though I'm 6 feet tall and 20 stone the guy I'm confronting might be 6 feet 5 and 25 stone, just mind your own business!
I really like your calm demeanour in explaining and providing evidence of wrong doing. Thank you for being zen like in your calm. Thank you for promoting being safe on our UK roads.
Drivers are insane. There is some kind of psychosis that happens when people get behind the wheel. How else do you describe their readiness to trade my safety for their convenience? I have to say though. When we all successfully negotiate a challenging traffic situation safely I feel proud and gratified. That’s the way it’s supposed to go.
Yes as you say he is in the wrong lane and should have really dropped in behind the Audi. Sometimes junctions like these have a "except cyclists" sign or the cycle lane is marked across the junction. Neither was the case here. The easiest option to help everybody (it's nice to be nice) would have been simply to swap places with the Yaris.
First video: yes the van passed far too close. But the cyclist went over the crossing at the kerb past a van on red-amber quite fast; even if it was green how on earth did he know a pedestrian (even a child) was not still crossing? That was really dangerous.
@@philipreid2542 however, 'Undertaking' is the practice of overtaking a slower moving vehicle on its left-hand side (kerb side) still counts as overtaking
My biggest issue with cyclists in my area is they don't obey the rules of the road. I have no issue sharing the road with cyclists, but if you're going to use the roads, obey the rules. I've lost count of the amount of cyclists that'll just go through red lights and put themselves and others at risk.
That's called confirmation bias my friend. You don't remember the overwhelming majority of cyclists who do obey the laws, you remember the cyclists that confirm your beliefs. The numbers show the most dangerous thing on the road is a car. Also, a cyclist running a red light only endangers themselves really, whereas a car doing the same can, and does, have deadly consequences
No doubt there are some people who do egregiously run red lights on bikes. However, there are also times when as a cyclist, you know the lights are about to change and although it is strictly illegal, it's far safer to get outta there before the cars have a chance to left hook, close pass etc. Junctions are super dangerous to cyclists.
This sort of presumption is a big problem. I never run red lights and always follow the rules (of course I make mistakes sometimes), but some people in cars pre-emptively treat me as though I've done something wrong and need punishing. When I'm on my bike, I don't see myself as a 'cyclist' but a person trying to get somewhere. Yes, some people break the rules, and it is annoying, and they are making the roads more dangerous for others who cycle, but please try to see people on bikes as individual humans and judge us based on our individual actions 🙏 After all, some car drivers jump red lights (I've almost been hit several times walking on pedestrian crossings) but I don't automatically brand all car drivers as people who jump the lights, even though it is far more dangerous when they do so than when a cyclist does it.
@@MrOlympuse410You’re not his friend and statistics don’t mean jack sh*t when you have to slam on the brakes because some idiot cyclist blows through a stop sign or red light. You’re not thinking about statistics when you’re driving, nor should you. You are, and should, be paying attention to the road. Your comment about some nebulous statistics, which I also notice you fail to cite, doesn’t invalidate OP’s experience. Statistics aren’t going to save a cyclist who blows through a stop sign and get hit by a car.
@@MrOlympuse410 To further expound, yeah the cyclist will be the most prone to injury from a collision with a car. Physically, the driver will most likely be fine, though that’s not a guarantee. Doesn’t mean they won’t suffer from anxiety, stress and/or guilt from hitting a bike when it wasn’t their fault.
Gave up cycling around 15yrs ago after getting clipped by a transit driver then a car literally just after i climbed out of the ditch and back on the saddle. I always give cyclists and horses etc plenty of room as do i slow right down for them as a car driver but jeese there's a lot of idiots on cycles also that think they own the roads. if you're on a brand new laid road as a cyclist then get over to the left but yes i understand if the roads a shithole then keep away from that side slightly due to potholes and sunken drains. Due to mass immigration this country is now far too congested (UK) hence we have so much road rage when we didn't have before and the roads aren't big enough but vehicles have doubled/tripled in size too. Stay safe all.
I haven’t been driving a lot compared to lot of other people. (3 years in mx5) and I try my hardest to protect cyclists people get scared going slowly when there’s a cyclist ahead everyone can see what’s going on just relax n wait ur time x
It’s a good point, Jack. I think some people are perfectly happy to wait for a safe pass but then get nervy or scared when another car is behind them, especially if it’s close.
In a lot of these cases where you say "I think they cyclist should have chosen a different option" particular where it concerns not taking the lane, often a cyclist will choose not do this as it almost guarantees abuse. So it's damned if they do, or don't
I'm a driver and cyclist. Drivers complain about cyclists because of the few bad eggs but there's waaaaay more bad drivers than cyclists you'll encounter on your average drive. The hatred cyclists get is almost like a hate crime.
@@ashley_neal yeah percentage wise definitely I'd agree but the average driver is more likely to encounter a bad driver than a bad cyclist. Many drivers just have this instinctive dislike of cyclists like some sort of chip on their shoulder as we don't pay road tax etc.
I'm a cyclist who abides by all of the highway code, never through red lights, zebra crossings, one way streets or on pavements. Sadly I see a huge percentage of other cyclists disregarding these rules. Makes me furious because the animosity I suffer from many drivers is because they think I am like those lot who ignore red. They damage the entire cycling movement. With all that said, statistics for deaths caused by cyclists are in the single figures for the whole year. When cyclists are reckless, very rarely is anyone else hurt and almost never killed. But drivers kill thousands every year with tens of thousands of life altering injuring. I hate people cycling on the pavement endangering pedestrians, but the figures show only one or deaths attribute to that, with zero being common. Figures given are for the UK.
Bad drivers are many times more likely to main or kill than bad cyclists. Bad cyclists probably go on to be bad drivers, continuation of dangerous behaviour.
Ashley it is great to see content from a driving instructing channel attemtping to educate people as to what cyclists have to put up with, and people really would learn soo much if they happened to swap the car for a bike for as little as one day every other month, to remind them of the challenges to cyclists and the very serious dangers that other road users often put cyclists in.
First clip - imo - cyclist was looking for an argument (or a TH-cam clip). Undertakes the van driver then moves into the middle of the road to block him. Then shouts when van driver passes...
I've cycled regularly since I was a child. When I took my car driving test, I drove down a narrow road and came up behind a cyclist in primary position at 12mph, with traffic coming intermittently in the other direction. I judged that overtaking would've been dangerous and I followed behind him for 30 seconds until he turned onto a minor road. I passed with one minor error because the examiner said I was failing to make proper progress. My proudest 'error'.
Great video. My cyclist father was killed by a dangerous driver 13 years ago and to this day it affects our family on a daily basis. He got 10 months in prison and served 5. Now out and about driving again.
When I go out for walk I watch out for drivers parked up waiting in a que of traffic and there are many of them using their phones. there was one who saw and the lights changed to green and then panic and dropped the phone causing the car to move fast some one crossing in front it could be fatal.
@@itsonlyme9938 If you watch drivers as you cycle or walk, you will notice A LOT of them have phones in their hands. In heavier traffic it can be over half.
This is a big part of the problem. The punishment does not fit the crime. A friend of mine was out on a club run and was at the back of the group. He was taken out by a car from the rear. His bike was a right off and he was hospitalised with a back injury from which he will never fully recover. The car driver could not be procecuted because of lack of evidence! Work that one out.
l used a bicycle in my later school days and my early work years. l would cycle to work in all but the worst weather....So l don't need any instructions... This was in the early sixties when the traffic was a lot less, But even so one need to be aware and careful. l believe that the modern cyclist has become very confrontational... they are their own worst enemy sometimes...l ride a motorcycle a good deal. l treat all car drivers as possible assassins, that way I'm ready for almost anything...if l get hit l will come out of the collision worse. Cyclist should think the same and act accordingly and not be so damn aggressive....
i also think that a theory test show be done every 5 years, the UK driving licence is the one of a few licences that when you get it you have it for life without a retest. people get sloppy in there driving and think it is a right to be on the road. and forget you have to be licenced to drive that vehicle.
@@stephentait8734 I will go further, and say that we should retake a driving test every 5 or 10 years. And that any non UK license holder should take a UK driving test. However, overseas HGV drivers don't have to, but will need to have a special driving "visa" or whatever 🤔
What cyclists have to put up with. Ignoring redlights ,riding 4 abreast, not using chcle paths ,riding the wrong way up a onr way street. Not having to pay road tax . But if a car hits them its the drivers fault
"Why do cyclists get so angry?" is one thing I hear. Many of these near misses are potentially fatal collisions for a cyclist. Something that you are acutely aware of as a vulnerable road user. Adrenaline is a helluva thing in those situations.
It is the sense of vulnerability that makes cyclists protest verbally. Well said.
One reason is that they are so pumped up on adrenalin that they are angry little people .
The thing I've found with a lot of these 'bike vs car' incidents is that the drivers are the ultimate idiots, but sometimes the cyclist makes it slightly worse.
The point I'm making is that cyclists get so much hate when in reality the drivers do a lot worse.
I'm not in any way defending cyclingmikey - he's a bit of an idiot on his bike. I'm just saying that people overlook the 95% of cyclists who obey the law and are sensible, instead pointing the finger at the 5% who do something wrong.
But this attitude won't change - it doesn't matter how many studies show that bikes break the law much less than cars, people will still blame the bikes for the issues cars cause. People will always hate on bikes just because they don't understand basic concepts like level of risk to bikes and induced demand.
My main point is that bikes shouldn't have to share the road with cars. They also shouldn't be subject to all the same rules as cars, instead they should be protected by both laws and good bike infrastructure.
UK law basically treats bikes and cars as the same thing, but they're not.
*We need better bike infrastructure, or at least lower speed limits (20mph = 30km/h)*
@@derekheeps1244 Come one man done be part of the problem like some gammon. You are better than that
That cyclist was looking for a confrontation without a doubt. My guess is he is a 'content creator'. Having been safely overtaken most of us would be happy to see the van go ahead not undertake and then take the whole lane again. As a 76 year old lifelong cyclist I find most vehicles being far TOO cautious and it is really frustrating they won't pass despite my riding in the gutter to do so even on a straight road. It gets to the point where I either have to stop and wave them past or mount the pavements. So many drivers are poor at judging clearances something is going to have to be done at driving test level. These people care frustrating to both the cyclist and those following. Often those behind the offending driver blame the cyclist and it simply isn't their fault when they have no control over a poor drivers ability to judge a safe passing distance.
Watching a load of video's via Twitter cyclists and from just driving my car, it does make me realise how bad the gutter areas of roads are for us all. If I don't want to be there, there is no way in hell a cyclist should be either. I still don't get the bad attitude towards cyclists.
I would not want to try to cycle now the whole road now or end up weaving
Impatience; common misconception that only motor vehicle drivers pay for roads; in-group vs out-group effect; popular media encouraging and perpetuating "cyclists are enemy of motorist" with frequent rage-bait.
Exactly!
@@Marc-ww7cc have you got some thing to back that statnent up please
Bad attitude is not helped by deliberate misrepresentation by journalists. This headline, for example.
"Cyclists kill or maim two pedestrians every week, according to statistics"
Nothing whatsoever in the article of why the collisions took place, such as the common cause of pedestrians stepping out in front of a cyclist, or any comparison with motor vehicles.
In that last clip, did everyone notice how fantastic the road quality is? The UK roads are an embarrassment, the pot holes I've seen are sure to be a problem for cyclists.
I did a short journey to a friend, 8:13 to fix a bicycle as it happens, and it was almost impossible to avoid the potholes littering the road.
It was one road in a vast country. Spain's infrastructure is not known for being particularly amazing, to be honest.
the/ have a better road tax system and spend more on roads same with france. but toll booths are the price..
The road in Spain are like glass really smooth. If it rains they are like ice. I was just in Belgium and even then roads where better than the UK. The roads in Europe I've seen are generally better than the UK. You do see the odd pot hole or cracked road surface but what you don't see is dolloped patch work waiting to be washed out or a road surface with its top coat worn away
To be fair, the rain and freeze thaw cycle in the uk causes the road surface to break down quicker than in a warmer dryer climate.
I don't know why car drivers are so impatient. Most cars that punish pass me end up at red lights a few seconds later. Motorists really should be grateful that people like me are using our bicycles and not our cars which would be contributing to the traffic they already despise being part of.
Half of the cyclists "content creator" types get way closer to cars than cars get to them at times . I'm not talking regular cyclists going to work I'm specifically talking about the ones trying to make videos , you need incidents for these channels to grow . They want incidents and close calls for followers and likes and feel like it's a wasted cycle ride if nothing dangerous happens and it's a perfectly safe ride
That is an urban phenomenon ; most of us don't drive in congested built up areas ; I pass a cyclist , I never see him again .
Its not just drivers that are impatient. Its a Human flaw i myself Can be rather impatient at times. But that is only if a Car drives 30 kmh slower than the limit. Not when a cyclist does. Cause there would be no point other than to wait til its Safe to pass.
@@christophergallagher3845 Im a cyclist i doubt i would need to invent problems for content and im in a modest sized town if i was a city dweller i would have PTSD, a decent chunk drivers are just that entitled either with not wanting to give you space or doing everything in their power to get in front regardless of whether you get killed or they darwin themselves.
@@hammerofolympia3716 there's there's decent chunk of entitled self centred ignorant yclists in city driving on pavements , running red lights , ignoring road markings etc etc you'd get ptsd from the cyclists in any city
I'm a cyclist in the US who holds a standard, a motorcycle, and a recently expired (no longer needed) commercial "big-rig" license. It's my belief that before anyone can get an operator's license, he or she should be required to ride a bicycle in traffic and be a passenger on a motorbike and in a big truck, each for at least two hours. Perspective is everything.
Quite right. I had actually suggested elsewhere here that cycling should be required 👍Your additional suggestions are a really good idea too.
Absolute nonsense
@@jvtaxi3766 Great example of a self-referential comment.
Completely agree that a cycling course should be a standard part of learning to drive and requirement of getting a license.
That’s maybe a bit of extreme but hazard perception isn’t well enough taught. It would be valuable to consider hazards from different perspectives. How tricky it is to make turns in a truck or how buffeting is such an issue on motorbikes and bikes. Many car drivers don’t appreciate the challenges.
I'm not a cyclist, but I can't believe how aggressive and careless some motorists are, its people's lives they're playing with.
Sadly, this is a daily reality for non-motorised traffic, not just cyclists. there is something about sitting in a tin box at speed which gives a sense of entitlement to a small but significant minority. Many people tell me that cycling is dangerous when in reality cyclists rarely hurt themselves and even more rarely hurt others, let alone kill them. Motorists on the other hand kill and maim thousands every year and yet belieive that their activity is safer than cycling.
From a health and safety point of view, cars and lorries should be banned from the roads should they not?
OK - perhaps that is a bit extreme ..... but you get my point I hope. Thank You to all of those considerate and safe drivers (who are the majority) and burn in the wreckage of your own vehicle to the rest.
its like that all the time
Not helped by the propaganda that all cyclists are rulebreakers and freeloaders who only cycle to inconvenience motorists. If a careless cyclist causes an accident it will be amplified in the media to encourage more hatred against anyone who cycles.
This is the norm, people forget that cyclists are human beings.
Well said. A to B without aggression.
I completely agree with Ashley's sentiment. I think riding a bicycle is the single biggest thing that's improved my driving. You see the road with so many more subtleties than if you're in a big metal box.
Learning to drive made me a better cyclist too. Once I became a motorist I realised how much of a d1ck I'd been on a bike when dealing with bad cyclists so on the rare occasions I am back on one I follow the same rules for cars
What about motorcycling? That has improve my driving too
@@steve00alt70 I don't doubt it! I've only had pedal cycle experience and that FOR ME has been the biggest driving improver.
I see it from all sides. Long ago was a cyclist then a motorcyclist followed by a car driver. Trained to become an advanced rider and driver, now riding bicycles again.
On the bicycle I am fully aware of how the drivers around me are driving, 99.9% do very well. 0.1% though are dangerous, 2 of them have reported to the police due to being as serious danger to cyclists.
Exactly right. A new perspective. I wonder if a sentence for poor driving could be a cycling course? That’s a thought isn’t it? Or even better as a practical part of the driving test! Put drivers on tricycles in traffic if necessary 😄
All of these essentially boil down to "I use a bigger vehicle, therefore f*** you". Aside from the obvious danger these terrible road users are putting cyclists in, it's just childish. Actually no, it's not even childish, it's ignorant and entitlement. At least a child can easily learn that all road users are equal. Grown adults can be so unbelievably stubborn.
Even I as a motorcyclist have been beeped by people for not close passing cyclists when doing so would've been dangerous. I give them MUCH more room than is necessary since a loud motorcycle passing them at any sort of speed can startle them. I'd rather not increase risk for them just to save a few seconds on a commute.
*boils down to a vehicle that can match traffic speed and not hold everyone up
@@billybull7419 Few bicycles can do much more than 30 mph ; almost any motor vehicle can easily do twice that and many times more . Most roads flow at 60 mph or higher , except when held up by cyclists , tractors or caravans .
I have allways been taught to respekt whats bigger in trafic. Aswell as those who are smaller. If i Can see a truck that needs to regeres into a place i give space and wait. If i see people on a bike or bicycle i give space incase they Fall so i Can react in time. The reason most crashes happen is because of impatience. Which is just a Human flaw. That i see in drivers and cyclist. Driver are often impatient for no reason the same with cyclist. Often cyclist break laws for the simple reason of hitting a new pr. Where they risk life and limb. Just for time.
SO!!???????????
@@derekheeps1244 SO !!??????? Mr.derek heeps??
"am I a motorist that gets peeved my cyclists..."? Not since watching your channel Ashley! These cyclist-perspective videos really show how dangerous cars are for cyclists. It's definitely changed my behaviour on the road (hopefully for the better!)
Nice one! A convert is always appreciated 👏🙏
Thank you
I've done years worth of road cycling and driving and not once come across any problems either way.
I dont understand either way how you can piss someone off if you're actively trying to let people just go about their day.
Oh actually one time I came out a shop and crossed the road between a van and a car and got hit by a cyclist.
I was a bit stupid (hungover) for that one.
Try it on a motorcycle!
As a very keen cyclist, sadly this sort of thing happens 90% of the time I go out riding, but it's always the bad drivers that stick in your mind, on a (say) 50 mile ride I might have had 3 or 4 or 5 bad drivers. those bad drivers stick in my mind and not all the others who gave me space or even stopped to let me past on the narrow country lanes. Unfortunately it only takes one bad driver to put you in hospital or end your life.
get a car
@@Riguu9 I have a car you silly person. But I don't get fit and healthy in my car. Now go away.
how about you dont ride on fast roads then where you block cars?
@@scuffedclips1 I live in the countryside of North Wales and ride on mostly quiet country lanes Mr knowitall.
@@dangerfulmind get a car
Cycling on Britain's roads offers a tiny glimpse in to the world of prejudice - I've had those conversations with family and colleagues when they'rejustifying close passes etc, 'yeah,well, you're ok - it's the other cyclists that cause the problems...'
Not really a "tiny glimpse", come on. If you have denied prejudice up till now and you have just joined the minority activity of cycling, then the prejudice must have smacked you in the gob like a nail laden plank of wood!
I've had car drivers park in the cycle box at a junction multiple times because they want to be first and not wait extra 5 seconds.
I've had on a weekly basis car drivers pull out in very slow traffic shunting their nose to force a space in traffic and block the cycle lane without looking, only looking at cars, ignoring the road markings.
In my experience car drivers get tunnel vision and pay attention to nothing but what's in front of them, while the cyclist has to do everything to avoid the average drivers bad road behaviour they consider normal.
One other example is some car drivers rush to get home, when it's pouring it down with rain, why you rushing, your dry in your car, let the dam cyclist have priority.
@@wormwood8071 nobody deserves to be ground in to the curb, ever! All that is required is training and education - as is the same for poor drivers.
@@The_BenboBaggins never? What if someone hurts your family? Every man has his limits... Mine are if you want the privilege of riding on the road my car tax pays for don't be a bellend otherwise your a waste of air. Most people in the world just piss me off anyway but I have a particular sensitivity to people with pickup trucks (with lift kits) entitled cyclist and parents that let there kids play tablets (with volume) in bars and restaurants.. all those people can get stuffed
What annoys me is the Police don't give a toss about bad driving or if you get knocked off your bike because you're just a cyclist.
I'm the cyclist on the last clip. Thank you for featuring my clip, Ashley!
Before commenting, please keep in mind that per Spanish road law, all road users may use whatever lane is most convenient to their journey (in populated areas). I did nothing wrong by riding on the left lane "for too long". I could ride there all day if I wanted to.
Having said this, I have since changed my route and mostly stick to quieter streets, as I didn't enjoy the daily confrontations. I just want to commute in peace
While you might be allowed under the law, you went out of your way to be antagonistic to all other road users, when all you would have to do is be in the right most lane for most of that clip then the left lane 100-200m from when you need to turn left.
Not sure about Spain, but in most countries you can in theory be cited for unduly obstructing traffic.
The driver's view of being delayed is often wrong in this urban situation. All too often they just catch up at the next light (as happened here).
That said, I've followed a cyclist at 10mph for several hundred metres and been absolutely screamed at by the following driver, as we sat alongside in the next junction's filter lanes while the cyclist vanished into the distance.
There’s legal, and there’s considerate. Pot, kettle.
@@Knightyme It's difficult to move into the turning lane on a busier road, so it makes perfect sense to move into it early when it's safe. It becomes more and more unsafe to move into a turning lane as a junction is coming up.
@@Knightyme I wasn't trying to be antagonistic, I was just using the road as the law entitles me to. In other countries it may be different but in Spain I was doing nothing wrong.
I however understand the ignorance of most car drivers and their proneness to road rage, so I have since avoided riding like this. I mostly stick to cycle paths where they exist and quieter roads
I usually treat cyclists as if they were a car. In a give way situation & in an overtake situation. Though people behind me generally get annoyed (particularly in a give way situation when a Cyclist has priority) Just because they're slower moving doesn't mean they don't have priority. You'd give way to a street sweeper in the same situation, so why not a cyclist :D
Because a street sweeper is more likely to damage the precious car if they hit it.
@@Lazerus101 It's less likely to damage your licence though.
I drive and ride. I have no problem lettting a cyclist have the right of way, even when I may actually have it. They don't have a motor to get moving, while my car does. My car will get going much faster than they will on their bike, so that 5 or 10 seconds I'm waiting doesn't really make a big difference in the overall scheme of things.
Oh dear... "usually". Not always then. Give way means give way, always, and not just to whom or when you prefer to give way to at your whim! In an overtake situation the law requires you to pass a cyclist with a MINIMUM of 2 metres clearance (probably more than you routinely give a car). It doesen't matter what people behind you think or do. You must drive safeley and within the law. At all times.
@@nickwinn7812 Although I agree with the essence of your comment, I don't believe it's factually correct. Like many highway code rules, the rule on overtaking cyclists safely is not backed up with a law. If the police prosecute a driver for overtaking unsafely, it is for 'driving without due care and attention' or similar. Highway code 'must' rules are laws, whereas 'should' rules aren't.
The relevant part of rule 163 is
163. Overtake only when it is safe and legal to do so. You should
● give motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders and horse drawn vehicles at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car (see Rules 211 to 215). As a guide:
○ leave at least 1.5 metres when overtaking cyclists at speeds of up to 30mph, and give them more space when overtaking at higher speeds
○ pass horse riders and horse-drawn vehicles at speeds under 10 mph and allow at least 2 metres of space
○ allow at least 2 metres of space and keep to a low speed when passing a pedestrian who is walking in the road (for example, where there is no pavement)
So, drivers are only required to leave a gap of 1.5m below 30mph, not 2m.
I totally agree though that drivers should ALWAYS leave a 1.5m gap. Many seem to think it's fine to pass closer than this if the road is too narrow, there is oncoming traffic, there are parked cars etc.
Although the rules don't stipulate a gap when passing a cyclist coming in the opposite direction, clearly the relative speed between cyclist and vehicle is higher and hence the risk is increased. Where the gap is small, I believe the driver should stop (or at least slow to a crawl), so that the cyclist can pass the stationary vehicle, which is far safer than a vehicle passing them at speed.
It was through cycling and experiencing all of the situations in this video that I realised I needed to change how I drive, which (eventually) led me to your channel - although I probably spent too long initially watching more "tribal" cycling youtube channels on the way here! Your channel has had a major positive impact on the way I drive now.
yay, thanks for respecting cyclists, driver!
Im a cyclist and i think you need to take responsibilty for your own safety too. The first 40 seconds is a good example of this. When the van passed i would not have rode up the side of him at the traffic lights. Id have just sat behind him. He then doesnt have to go passed again and it only delays you a couple of seconds and you would have avoided him being frustrated. When someone is frustrated they make silly decisions and that was in part the cyclists fault
I agree it was unnecessary to do what he did
The very next clip explains that quite nicely. It's safer for a cyclist to go to the front where they can be seen easily, rather than be mixed in with motor vehicles.
@@RpattoYT it's even safer on the side walk
@@sirmounted8499 Which is illegal.
@@MeakerSE So kids riding bikes have to do so in parks, woods or in traffic with such bad infrastructure for bikes? Where I live it's legal to cycle on the sidewalk so for me it's actually insane that bikes are supposed to go with the cars.
Brilliant video as usual from Ashley. One thing I'd like to add is the frequency of this crap: as a motorist I am challenged by someone else's poor driving once a month and feel in real danger maybe once a year. On a bike that becomes once a day and once a week.
It should be noted, if you are in a car and you fail to give adequate space for the cycle lane or intersect the lane while a cyclist is riding in it you'll be fined up to £2000 and lose 3 points from your license, 5 if you ignore the summons!
Anyone that knows me or has seen me drive will know I treat cyclists, pedestrians, horse riders, in fact any other user of the road network, with the same level of respect I would expect myself
If I cannot pass a anyone safely I will not pass them…simple
The way it should be. It seems a lot of people forget that the say “treat others how you wish to be treated” when behind the wheel
People allways forget to be patient. Most of the time if you are patient things actually go faster.
@@OfficialWildPibehind the wheel you should expect people to so the opposite and instead expect Them to not know how to drive. Thats how i stay Safe.
Cycling should be part of the learner driver experience for everyone physically able to get on a bike. I think being a cyclist before I was a driver made me a better driver.
That's basically me now, while saving up for a car.
There may be some element of truth in what you say. On the other side of things lots of cyclists don't drive and have no clue as to the rules of the road.
I've not driven for ages but cycle all the time. It makes a lot of sense in London. But I think cycling might've actually made me a much worse driver. You never really have to get impatient on a bike, plus you can always use any bus/cycle/regular lanes and don't have to consider your speed in the same way. If I drive like I cycle (which I occasionally do for the first couple of minutes back behind a wheel) I'm a bit of a menace. I soon take stock and calm down though haha.
There's no chance you'll find me on a road in the UK on a bike without a cycle lane.
@@stonehengemaca Some roads really are fine. No fast ones, but a lot of town roads are either really quiet or really slow moving so it's actually a breeze.
Very true Ashley, I am a motorcyclist and almost all the your comments apply to us too. It is a great pity that the pedal cyclist community does not work more closely with the motor cyclist community rather than often being at loggerheads with us.
This is true Christopher, to a degree. As a cyclist and a motorcyclist myself, I see many of the same issues from four + wheel users on the road. However, when cycling I have felt endangered on many occasions by the inconsiderate and entitled minority of motorcyclists. There are similarly minded people in the cycling world by the way, but their particular mode of transport, by dint of low mass and velocity represents a very low risk to others. I have been known to shout abuse at cyclists (whilst cycling myself) for using the pavement rather than the road. Thereby putting their own safety above that of pedestrians and others. Motorcyclists are as guilty as other motorised vehicle users of close passing and often at much higher speed. It is very scary indeed when on a bicycle to have some idiot wheelying toward you on a 750 at maybe 60mph in a 30 zone (although in any zone it's no fun) when you are on a bicycle. This happened to me only last week. The rider of said motorcyle seemed very impressed with himself and obviously thought that I as a two wheeler would appreciate his antics too. This sort of abuse shouild not be part of my daily commute. But it is. Don't expect cyclists to side with bikers any time soon.
As a motorcyclist, occasional cyclist and driver I completely agree.
Communities?
Lets face it, every "group" has its considerate and inconsiderate bunch. Its called people. Some people are nice, on two wheels, 4, 6 or 18... Others are assclows (sorry but that was funny AF) regardless of how many legs, arms, wheels they have. Best thing to do it try and avoid them as much as possible.
Not sure why the cyclist in the last clip was that long in the left lane. In the Netherlands we wouldn't even think of doing that. Keep to the right, and try to change lanes at the second-to-last lights only.
All in all some appaling behaviour in these clips though...
I visited Amsterdam last month & was impressed with how stress free the cycling seemed to be. The division of the roads to protect them was impressive, as was the lack of "Tour De France" style racing from most cyclists.
I took the left lane pretty early because there was a gap in traffic, just like a car driver would if they had a left turn coming up in a couple hundred meters. Nevertheless after several angry drivers on that road I decided to change my route and started cycling con quieter streets. It took a few more minutes but I stopped fearing for my life every day
For my experience in the UK, often when coming up to a busy junction you'll have a long queue of cars waiting their turn. If you wait until you've joined the queue to change lane, you'll find yourself stationary with a train of fast moving cars whipping past.
Their vision of you is blocked by the queue behind, putting your arm out won't be noticed and risks the hand being clipped.
When I come up to familiar junctions like that I change lane early while I'm still moving fast. Sometimes that queue isn't there and I'll get beeped, looks like I'm being an arrogant git.
@@LastOnSunday in the Netherlands, you have safe cycling paths almost everywhere, with lots of people riding on them. Thus, the speeds that people go at naturally tend towards a comfortably fast pace, where you reach your destination quickly enough yet don't start sweating.
In countries without consistent safe cycling infrastructure, you quickly learn that if you go at this leisurely speed of ~20km/h, car drivers will keep honking at you and close-passing you whenever you ride in a street that doesn't have any safe cycling paths, forcing you to share the street with them.
This quickly trains you to choose your speed to be about equal to that of the cars around you. This way, the number of cars that overtakes you is minimized, which lowers the risk of someone hitting you.
I live in Vienna, where cycling infrastructure is bad and barely existent, and when I ride through the city, I typically ride at 30-50 km/h for this reason. In the Netherlands I typically go at a more leisurely pace of 20-30 km/h on a Dutch bike.
Dutch bikes in Vienna are useless - they are designed for you to sit upright and comfortable, limiting the speed you can reach with them, and when you ride here (or anywhere else in Austria or Germany), you quickly learn that you need to match the speed of the cars around you to be at least somewhat safe.
"If you haven't cycled on the road for a while, I suggest you give it a try" - well said!
No thanks I have a driving license
As cyclist, motorcyclist, car driver what I saw in this video was a lot of people not thinking or wanting to chill out.. most of these situations could have been avoided with a little thought, sad state of affairs.. be nice to one another ..
I worked on a bicycle for 2 years doing Deliveroo during university. In that time, I was hit and run (left lying on the road, luckily unhurt), had more near-misses than I can remember, had several punctures from broken glass etc in gutters, had a couple of crashes due to wet leaves/black ice (luckily none were serious).
The way which some drivers act around cyclists is almost murderous, you can hate cyclists all you like, that’s not justification to kill/injure/knock them off their bikes, regardless of what Jeremy Clarkson and the like say.
I now ride a motorcycle and while it’s also dangerous, it is nothing compared working/commuting on a bicycle. I’m still invisible to most drivers, and they cut me off and pull out in front of me, but at least I usually have enough acceleration on demand to get away from any stupid/dangerous situations that arise.
Sometimes life is more important that being right. Being right does not mean you are immortal, so I agree with your last comment Ashley “Stay safe”. Which is the best and very simple advice for ALL road users and pedestrians.
Just saying, as a 71yo cyclist who wishes to stay healthy for a few more years 🙂
No. the best advice to all road users is "look after eveyone else one the road" Only this mentality will guarantee our mutual well-being.
@@nickwinn7812 With what I have seen on the road, all I can say is good luck with that one.
Snap! But give me a car-free route anytime 👍
I see this type of unproductive comment about every other one on a cycling video- you are not clever. Yes, there is an unwritten "moral" road user consensus in most places that vulnerable road users are 4th class citizens and could be killed at will at any second on a whim with little consequences. We're all very much aware.
"Being right does not mean you are immortal" - very well put and could be deployed in a lot of driving situations.
As a cyclist I think we need to be more selective about when and where we filter and/or undertake other road users. It's sometimes safer to wait at the back of a queue of traffic than aggressively filter to the front, even if there's an ASL. I'd also rather take a primary road position when stopped to stay visible and filtering often precludes that.
In my subjective opinion i do feel like aggressive overtakes started happening less to me once I completely stopped filtering if there were only 3-4 cars at the front (even when I see the light turn red and have plenty of time to safely filter).
Sometimes the least patient drivers are already at the front, so you just save yourself the stress by staying back a bit.
I don't filter or undertake at all, cycling and driving around in a busy city I find it's not worth the hassle and risk. In traffic I'll take primary, not least because the state of disrepair of the roads is so bad that I'm otherwise constantly dodging the potholes.
Couldn't agree more. My filtering is much reduced. If I know I'll get through the next green I no longer bother. Or if the road is busy and not very wide. More so if I've been close passed - chances are the same driver still can't measure 1.5m two minutes later.
I agree with this. If you're already stuck in the traffic light grand prix with motor vehicles, using the advanced stop position when going straight on doesn't get you there any faster, and you significantly increase risk by filtering in vehicle blind spots not knowing exactly when the lights are likely to change.
Motorists very rarely seem to leave the cycle advance boxes free anyway.
@@nickramsden5366 I
As a motorcycleist (ex cyclist and e scooter owners) i swear they see anyone on 2 wheels as a joke. I never run red lights, i obey road laws. I think people should be retested on road knowledge regularly so they know the highway code
That pre-title clip, I'd never have undertaken. You commit to a small gap in the van driver's blind spot, lose your own sight-line of the crossing so can't see if anyone has made a late lemming and the road ahead is clear so you'd be delaying the van for nothing. It's also marginal if you're filtering in the zigzag area (legal) or overtaking the lead vehicle when the light went green. Even then there was an opportunity to help traffic progress by using the bus stop to clear the lane (though I'd only consider that for a single vehicle and we can't see behind). Was the van driver wrong on the second overtake? Yes, but the rider created conflict where it wasn't needed.
I was a road cyclist for many years and always lived by my own rule that if a driver had put the effort in to pass me, I would not then go in front of them again at a set of lights and make them have to start again. Sadly, the courtesy was never repaid so I gave up and started mountain biking instead - I can take a hint
On the other side of the coin , if a driver has done a risky overtake to get infront, I stay behind them at the lights as better to have the idiot infront of you.
I do think my fellow cyclists are often too keen to filter, making their way passed any slow or stationary traffic ahead when ever they can even if there is no real advantage to them and puts them at risk. Having said that one of the booms of cycling is that you can make you way through traffic meaning that you can often get to you destination in towns and cities more quickly than people in cars. You just have to be sensible.
It would be a good idea as part of attaining a driving licence for everyone who is able, to have to do 10 hours of cycling on the road before even getting into a car for a lesson.
This is why in Denmark we have so many dedicated bike roads (cars can't enter above the curb) along most larger roads and inside cities. A painted line is almost never respected. And many motorists do not understand that bikes are equal users of the roads. BTW: I am a motorist myself, but I don't experience cyclists as nuisances - mostly it is fellow motorists who are block heads. And yes, dear motorist try to bike yourself some time, you will learn what fear is!
Even when there is cycle lanes 99% of cyclists in the uk still cycle down the road cause they can
@@gregshearer423 the amount of cars I see parked in the few cycle lanes there is in the UK is just stupid. Most drivers ignore them it would seem.
@@BudgieandAviaryBirds can’t disagree with that but the amount of times cyclists have a cue of traffic behind them when there a cycle lanes a joke
@@gregshearer423 says the person who has obviously never cycled for more than 20 seconds.
@@Rover200Power cycle plenty in my life just not part of the Lycra wearing Tour de France wanna be
Far too many drivers don’t plan ahead when it’ll be safe to pass a cyclist. I was on a narrow National speed limit road the other day with a cyclist coming towards me, I slowed and stopped until he past me. I know how it feels to be on a narrow road and cars speeding past,you feel vulnerable
Around here, I could say the same for cyclists... they need 6 feet on our narrow ancient town layout if you overtake them. Thats fair enough because, I've never ever passed a cyclist on a minimum width road without using appropriate speed and the whole opposite side of the road. Nor am I averse to holding up everyone behind me, in those circumstances. I don't intimidate easily.
However, the same logic and rules does not apply to oncoming cyclists who actively choose to, (without pause), pass short groups of parked cars while taking the centre line even as I drive towards them. Cars wait in this situation if they can't pass and clear before traffic arrives.
Cyclists doing this get inches of clearance by their choice, a risk of being doored or hit by peeking or reckless pedestrians and an extra 10 or 15mph, (compared with being passed at 30mph), added to the potential collision speed; all having taken some imagined priority on my side of the road to save a few seconds, (sounds familiar?). But it's always and in all circumstances, us drivers who are dangerous?
Great education for cyclists and motorists. We should all continue to reflect and examine our own interactions. In the last few years I have tried to strive to improve my anticipation and try not to be wound up by those desperate to win a few metres. Keep up the good work.
People’s anger in cars is one of the great wonders. Nobody acts like this walking on the streets,we open doors for people, we wait patiently in queues, we apologise when we step in front of others. Crazy
As a driver, the 1st thing I think when I see a cyclist is 'omg don't touch them, they can get seriously injured'. I couldn't live with that.
1:55 I treat cyclists passing me while I’m stuck in traffic the same way I treat motorcyclists in that situation. If I see their intent beforehand I will make room.
Because if I like it or not they’re going to do it. The best thing I can do is try to make it as safe as possible for both of us.
I cycle every day and I’m very rarely affected by other road users. I watch these clips and I feel that I would never put myself in the position that these people do.
I agree with you. Staying out of danger is more important than asserting your right to do something on the road.
However it is hard to avoid everything. I have been 'punished' for the actions of other cyclists, like some of those in the video...
semi agree with this, a lot of these clips were down to bad cycling as well as bad driving. As a cyclist you have to allow for bad driving as the majority of road users don't know how to deal with cyclists in my experience. However the close passes in this video are unacceptable. I experience this far too much, in the last few years this has increased 10 fold. I have had some very scary near misses, I no longer road cycle for leisure now
6:34 not only is it an Audi but its reg is 0331 BPM
Or, to be more specific, a heart rate of 331 beats per minute anytime someone else uses the same piece of tarmac as them.
As a driver and cyclist, I find the absolute best thing to do on the road is this: behave like a car. Your movement will be more predictable to other road users. Adopt a reasonable position in the middle of the lane, obey traffic rules, don't cycle up the inside left of stationary traffic.
We're cyclists; we're slow anyway, there's no need to squeeze to the front of the queue. Gives me a bit more of a breather anyway.
But that said, the conflicts on roads in this country are caused by one thing primarily - decades of poor urban planning, road and cycle infrastructure planning.
Why is it that other European countries get this so right and we get it so wrong? You can between many many cities throughout the continent on entirely separated bike lanes, away from the main road, as indeed the pavements are as well.
But no, successive politicians continue to play with peoples' lives because it's essentially cheap.
Reminds me of the smart motorways fiasco.
We need politicians in office who are actually interested in public safety and efficient systems, and neither party seems to be arsed.
While riding to work one morning a car pulled out on me on a roundabout , I shrugged my shoulders and carried on (I used to commute 1000s of miles a year) . The driver of the car went all the way round the roundabout and chased me until he could overtake, once in front of me he stopped, got out and flagged me down- He then profusely apologised for what he had done. I was dumb struck.
1:04 that happened to me the other week, the lights at the other end changed to green just before I’d cleared the roadworks and the car driver in front blindly started driving forward without checking that the way was clear. He was hoisted on his own petard though, since there was another car behind me, so he had to reverse back the way that he’d come.
Its a very common occurence, made worse by the legion of drivers that continue through after the light has changed red in heavy traffic. I sat at a green light for well over 30 seconds once waiting for all the cars (and a bus) that had clearly kept going through red.
And when people jump the red light it leaves even less time to get through on a bike and more likelihood of meeting someone coming the other way on green 🙁
The presumption is often made that 'cyclists junp red lights', which doesn't help.
I think that more and more people just lack basic empathy nowadays.
Thanks for the very interesting video, Ashley. Those were some shocking instances of very poor behaviour by motorists. I'm from the Netherlands, where cycling infrastructure is much more mature than in the UK, but I have the feeling that recent changes to the highway code, such as rules with regards to the minimum distance while passing, simply do not work and will not reduce the problems that cyclists face. As a cyclist, I always recognise and appreciate the fact that I am both much slower and much narrower than motorists. As a cyclist, therefore, I know that I cannot act as a motorist on the road. However, regulations that aim to put cyclists on equal footing with cars, such as those with respect to the minimum passing distance, do not appreciate this fact. On many occasions in the video, there was more than sufficient room on the road for a cyclist and a car to safely pass. Defensive actions, such as taking up primary position, in my view actually increase the risk in these situations. Perhaps it's a cultural difference, e.g. passing in ways that many British people would consider very aggressive is very normal in the Netherlands, but I think that the way that the UK is regulating - in my view overregulating - cycling is not conducive to a safe and easy flow of traffic. Ashley, perhaps you could try cycling in the Netherlands, especially outside of highly urban areas. I think it would be quite enlightening and also informative for the channel.
I largely agree, and former Danish cyclist. should also come here and cycle, and you can log many 100 KM and not even have to share the same surface as cars as we have many dedicated bicycle paths here.
Mind you Danish car drivers and many cyclists are idiots too, sadly the regulatory branch here have no interest in changing this.
As both a cyclist and a motorist I can see both sides and give and take is the way forward.
Cyclists have a right to insist on cycling to the exact letter of the law if they wish and take a position in the road that doesn't let cars pass but they can also be the 'bigger man/woman' and let cars pass when convenient.
If I am on a narrow country road and there is a long queue of cars behind me I will often pull in to a passing place to let them pass and it will lose me a minute of time maximum.
If I am a driver stuck behind a cyclist I will wait until it is safe to pass and again it will lose me a minute of time maximum.
I think the main issue in the UK is that the media has set cyclists and drivers against each other for political reasons (culture wars).
Rules only work when people; A: Are aware of them, B: Actually care, C: Punished for failing to obey the rules, D: Not impatiant and aggressive (which many British motorists are)
No cyclist wants to position themselves in front of car traffic, but sometimes it is necessary for a small amount of time due to narrow spaces.
@@AndrewStride Yes , it is often completely necessary for cyclists, for safety reasons , to establish their position in front of traffic and car drivers need to respect this absolutely.
On the other hand you often see cyclists riding two abreast (which is completely within their rights) but COULD if the timing is right and safe to do so move to single file to let a queue of drivers pass more easily.
Most do this but some do not.
It is of course a balance and the cyclist's safety must always take priority and cyclists should never be pressurised by drivers to do something that puts them in danger.
Gary Peacock approves of your message.
Recently I passed a pair of cyclists, then there was another group where I wanted to turn. After they left the space, there wasn't enough time for me to get around the corner before the first group caught up. So I waited for them to pass and the lead rider gave me a thumbs up
As a solo cyclist I’d like to thank you for that. If only more drivers were like you, I'd feel a heck of a lot safer when riding. If drivers would just realize that the moments (even seconds) they might lose from slow or stopping for a cyclist are negligible. They are still going to get where they’re going minutes (even hours) before the cyclist will.
@@johnsampson2544 exactly. To paraphrase another video on this channel, people are in such a hurry to arrive at the next traffic light
no such thing as a cyclist just a person or people riding a bike the whole definition takes away from the fact that people are just people no matter what transport they use on the road
In terms of risk drivers should think if cyclists as pedestrians. I doubt an HGV would skim past a person standing on the road, whatever the reason for them being there.
The van safely over takes the cyclist... So at the lights the cyclist passes inside of the van to deliberately get in front again making the van slow and have to try overtake... Again! Nevermind the cyclist didn't even bother to be sensible and allow best flow by moving over into the bus lane briefly. Cyclists need to hold position in the road after being passed. They expect cars to pass wide and safely but will pass on the inside right next to a vehicle that could move at any moment?
Me at 3:53. This was extra uncomfortable as I'd just broken a rib playing rugby that day.
People commenting about being better drivers because they cycle. Well I think being a cyclist makes you empathetic to cyclists. One warning to cyclists because you may be in the right don’t jump in. I would rather be alive and right rather than dead and right. Going up the inside of cars vans trucks with indicators is risky. I know that the Highway Code says. So let’s all be safe and considerate rather than entitled.
Some months ago I went for a bike ride in the morning, went on a 4 lane road with a 25 or 30 mph speed limit this road was straightforward, you could see a few miles easy, I was on the right most lane as far over as i could be. Every single car was not only speeding, but waited till they were on me to move over, it was very stressful, then a group of cars came along that was all on each others ass, the first two cars waited till they were on me to move over and the third didn't seem to see me, maybe he wasn't gonna hit me, i can't say for sure, but I didn't take the chance, I ran myself off the road. Thats cycling in the US for you.
Temporary traffic lights are a nightmare for cyclists, particularly if the single file length of road is long. They're guidelines on the timing of the lights that assume a minimum speed of something like 20-25mph, which of course few cyclists can achieve. It's therefore highly likely that the cyclist won't clear the section covered by the lights before the oncoming traffic light goes green.
In this situation I'll often therefore nip behind the cones where possible. Strictly I should probably walk when behind the cones, which is presumably what pedestrians are supposed to do. It seems the safest option though providing you move outside the cones wherever actual work is in progress. On my commute there was 1 2 mile section of dual carriageway where one lane would be coned off from time to time. I certainly wouldn't have been popular there if I hadn't nipped behind the cones and had ridden the full 2 miles at around 15mph!
The cyclist could quite easily have moved in to the closed lane for 10 seconds, making a non-event 😉
I used to cycle everywhere in my teens, I won't touch the roads on a bike now, purely off road for me.
I love cycling, it has been hugely beneficial for my health, both mentally and physically. Like most cyclists I also drive a car. However, every time I go out on my bike I know I won’t do anything that would put my life in danger, but I cannot account for other Road users. Unfortunately what is shown in this video is not unusual but almost to be expected on almost every ride I go on. I have been knocked off once and thankfully only sustained minor injuries, I’ll never forget the feeling, sobbing at the side of the road waiting to be picked up, thinking what could have happened, my daughter was only 9 months old at the time and the thought of missing out on her growing up completely took over me in that moment. The vast majority of motorists are absolutely fine and give me plenty of time and space (I always thank those that have had to wait behind me for an extended period of time), unfortunately (like with most aspects of life) the minority ruin it for the majority. Thanks for posting these on your channel, there is a certain section of the media that likes to vilify cyclists, some cyclists don’t do themselves any favours and I shake my head at every cyclist I see run a red light as I know it reflects badly on all of us. In the end we’re all human beings but if we all looked out for each other the roads would be a much safer place.
I’m with you on those points. Cycling I find is a great way to shake off depression. Maybe partly because your mind is concentrating on survival😂But also it lets you experience the outdoors in a more sensual way. I’ve never been knocked of f mine (yet) but I have had to lift the bike onto the pavement to avoid being crushed by a juggernaut as it mounted the kerb during a turn.
I'm with you on all of this!
I prioritise keeping myself safe, and often get off if a big lorry is approaching from behind (close passes by lorries are the worst!).
I have only been knocked off twice in 20 years - once by an old man opening his door into me as I was going downhill (I stay well clear now!!), and the other a woman who deliberately crawled alongside me shouting abuse for half a mile and finally forced me to fall into a railing because I had used the forward cycle box at some traffic lights and got ahead of her.
I used to get annoyed at bad driving but now I try to stay really alert and let it slide, and focus on thanking the good drivers.
@@theyouofyesterday6254 Sounds like good policy. Most drivers I find are polite and careful -like me!😁
problem is that the few who think the law does not apply to them blacken all the decent cyclists - ignoring red lights, cycling on pavements, deliberately annoying others, leaving rentals all over pavements in london, blocking weekend roads with large groups to name just a few - and people like jeremy vine taking pictures of vehicles for the least thought of effrontery tars everyone with the same brush.................
In the left hook situation you show, the cyclist is in the left-turn only lane.
The car driver didn't ask him to ride in the wrong lane.
Great comments and observations Ashley. I am a motorist and a cyclist and I always think that we all share the roads. I dont think a lot of drivers realise how vulnerable you are on a bike. The treatment we get often as cyclists is absymal but to be honest, a lot of cyclists can do better as well.
As a ‘roadie’ cyclist and a van driver, I agree.. One thing that’s not mentioned and overlooked when it comes to roadies, is the fact they’ll be ‘clipped in’ to their pedals and they also like to keep the cadence/rolling speed up. This explains why they keep moving on some clips or start filtering rather than stopping as it’s a pain to be constantly clipping in and unclipping in traffic. This also happens on roundabouts where roadies will just push into circuit rather than stopping, losing momentum and unclipping etc .. If motorists understood this it would lead to less conflict. We are all human, not automated and both motorists and cyclists get things wrong and make split second judgements that may not be sound, but considering the volume on our roads and the lack of carnage, we’re not doing so bad.. just need better road surfaces..
Clipped in? Isn't that how Joe Biden took a tumble a year or so ago? Surely if you are in a lot of stop/start traffic, keeping your cadence doesn't sound very safe.
Some good advice here. Also good that it’s posted on the driving instruction channel, as ultimately the behaviour of drivers is much more relevant than that of vulnerable road users to road safety.
Great video. as a cyclist and motorist, it's great to see such level headed analysis.
Good video. Positive. Thanks Ashley.
Just been to shop at Lidl a very wet 3.71 mile trip with a total elevation gain of 341ft. I am 70 years young and recovering from a Heart attack , I have a e-bike with a Bosch cx drive (85nm torque ) . For the shop I have a bike trailer which can take 30-40 kg easy . Not a cyclist my back side !
The incident at 5:38 reminds me of the case where a woman overtook cyclists at 40-50 mph on a blind bend. She collided with other cyclists coming the other way and killed a young woman.
She was found not guilty, her defence even made the appalling claim that the young woman's companion was partially at fault for taking her out when she was inexperienced.
Drivers treat cyclists so badly precisely because of things like this. Cyclists lives are worth less than your convenience in the eyes of the law and in the eyes of city and road planners.
My sympathy to all involved.......Shame on the dumbells in authority & involved in legal matters!
@4:31 Surely the cycle lane has ended (bit weird to put that symbol down where it ends, rather than when it begins again, but oh well) after the solid line becomes dotted and the sign gives the lane layout, so what was the cycle lane becomes the left turn only lane. If the cyclist wants to go straight ahead, they must then move into the middle lane. As much as the Toyota shouldn't have moved left with anyone behind on that side that close, they were at least trying to be in the right place to make the turn, whereas the cyclist was quite happy to plough on ahead in the wrong lane.
Appreciate you producing this video Ashley. Driver education is probably one of the most effective ways of making the road safer.
The most effective way by far is safe, physically separated infrastructure for bikes. That removes these types of conflicts altogether.
Myriad motorists don’t understand cyclists use the roads (in most countries) by right of a UN convention. Cyclists are actually entitled to use the roads.
Motorists on the other hand are only able use the road under permission of a licence. It’s why motorists can have their access to the roads revoked via licence suspension or cancellation.
Just today I saw someone on the other side of the road overtake a cyclist with a close pass, but so poorly timed that I (in my car) had to slow down significantly so they wouldn't hit me. When I passed the driver was looking at his phone and not at the road, I don't even think he'd seen me.
Someone did exactly this to me yesterday (while I was signalling to turn left), almost hitting a car coming the other way, then turned into a car park less than 50m further up the road! Must have been really late for work!
4:59 now! with the new pedestrian rules, a driver doesn’t know if they can complete a turn until they get there. The “bikes can pass on the left, while cars can’t undertake on a dual carriageway/motorway because it’s dangerous” mentality is ludicrous. Vans/trucks don’t have the best side/ rear vision so passing on the left should never have been approved, it was designed to cause conflict
Even more reason not to go past a bike if you are gonna turn left up ahead
@@problemchild1976 .
Especially where, to turn left, they have to cross a cycle lane.
“bikes can pass on the left, while cars can’t undertake on a dual carriageway/motorway because it’s dangerous” two difference scenarios - if the car is waiting to turn left due to obstructions and the cyclist appears on the scene, the cyclist shouldn't pass on the left if the vehicle is stopped there with a left indicator on. But that's nothing to do with the updated rules. Undertaking on faster roads is about blind spots and isn't illegal - just advised to exercise care while doing so. Ash has done videos on this.
When I complained to a policeman about not being able to go through temporary lights on an uphill gradient I was told to cycle on the footpath.
This is actually a very good point. I understand that a cyclist is allowed to use the footpath if 'they' consider it too dangerous to use the road. Of course, context is everything.
But in this clip there was NO way to go.
I drive and cycle, and obey the laws, the problem is that the laws for roads users are way out of date, I know when I'm driving in my warm car that wind and rain outside with potholes etc is bad for cyclist so I slow down, but most drivers simply don't care.
I think you've offered a fairly balanced view here. I cycle to work every day and experience all of the poor driving shown here - as a cyclist it's easy to become aggravated when this happens. As some of the other comments have said, this is often a result of feeling threatened by situations that have the possibility to end in injury or worse. More recently I've tried to remain calm in these situations as I realised that one day an injury could be caused by a driver taking exception to a mouthy cyclist, and get out and swing a few punches! I'm glad you explained where cyclists were being over aggressive - all too often these sort of clips try to make out the cyclist is always right.
I find most motorists are actually polite to me and will give way even when they shouldn’t. I try my best not to be a deliberate pain and not hold faster vehicles back if I can avoid it. But if need be I remind myself that I also have an equal right to the road. Plus by by cycling I do less damage to the road and the environment.
Ha, I've been doing 12k miles a year and fitted a camera after a hgv 44 tonne close passed me at 40 mph on a 30 speed limit, even mounted the pavement. I can read most of the common things like pulling out of junctions, turning left after overtaking and some of the intentional ones I can predict. But still some weird stuff happens also, someone threw a snowball out of a moving car at me, been robbed, pushed off at 15 mph, loads more on camera.
My driving behaviour around cyclists totally changed after i started cycling to work. If you see a cyclist when you're driving and you immediately start feeling peeved or impatient, you need to check yourself. Getting on a bike in traffic for a week will make you a better driver.
Most cyclists accidents are self inflicted as they think road rules don't apply to them, don't drive to the conditions, take ridiculous risks because of some perceived right of way, regardless of the eminent danger they put themselves in.If there is a bike lane get in it, if not get off the road.
That last clip just made me remember why I love Spain so much
I cycled on the roads for a couple of years before learning to drive, definitely helped me with patience and empathy when it comes to cyclists
at 5:59 it could also be pointed out that the cyclist could have anticipated the situation better. Seems like he was going to turn right, but was not in the proper position (and may not have communicated his intention), allowing the van to cut off his path.. His speed was a bit high and then went on to brake hard with center of gravity too much forward. Lesson learned should be to not try to put up a fight with a motorized vehicle. Going straight on and taking your loss may have been the better option.
This is an excellent and very accurate summary of what i put up with almost every day.
There are an awful lot of considerate good drivers out there but there are also too many who are impaciente, don't plan properly or have no clue what it is to cycle on any kind of road or weather condition.
I feel this way regarding infrastructure designers also, i have been riding in France for a few weeks and although there are some very good examples, there are also a few pretty clueless ones as well.
👍 Yes there are good, considerate, patient drivers. Well done all of you👏But some drivers make ‘mistakes’ then blame cyclists for their poor attention and bad decisions.
I used to cycle to and from university. It was rural so it was all country lanes with high hedges, poor road surface, tractors, potential horse riders etc.
People from the uni/college used to drive like idiots past me. I remember a BMW passong me on a corner and nearly take my arm off because there was a car coming the other way.
Another driver past me just before a junction and then turned left with no indication across my path. If I was going slightly faster I would have been hit.
I wish I had a camera back then, because I felt like any day I could be hit by someone.
I could afford to driving lessons or a car back then, so cycling was the only option.
I have had the left hook onto the car bonnet happened during COVID lock down and being a key worker had no choice but to cycle no public transport
Really badly hurt and hospital refused to treat me because COVID took a year for my shoulder to heal
When everyone was clapping for the NHS worker i gave the two fingers
A great education for all drivers when 'sharing' the road with cyclists. I do think that these videos work. The majority of drivers are great around cyclists. great work Ashley.
Unfortunately the "majority" of drivers being great around cyclists is simply not good enough. It only takes 1 in a 1000 drivers to kill a cyclist by their arrogance, ignorance and hatred of cyclists.
We will never have all drivers even want to be good around cyclists, since their hatred is ingrained into their brains, so what we need is proper legal consequences for close passing, swerving, verbal and physical abuse.
Police need to respond to 100% of these issues and need to fine, points on license, take vehicles, imprison drivers who do these things (depending on the severity of the infraction).
For example, a driver close passing a cyclist should be fined and have points in their license. It could 100% end up with the cyclist dead.
@@Pattoe i would like to hear your opinion on bad cyclist behavier and how to create legal consequences for them.
example, i got verbal abuse while in london, my crime, sweaving and braking to avoid cyclist who jumped red light to my right and nearly hitting cyclist who come up on my inside very close to my truck.
@@Pattoe That it only takes one driver to kill or hurt a cyclist is a point that I was going to make. I decided not to on this occasion because I am trying to avoid fanning the flames of hatred between road users. Your points are all valid but your solutions won't stop hatred. I'm not sure anything will stop it to be honest.
I'm a very reasonable person' except, when faced with other peoples aggression, be it face to face or on the road, I have had many confrontations and fights that I won 99.9% of the time. But, I bet you that I never really changed one persons behaviour or attitude. So now I lead by example. So when I'm driving, I make a point of how I overtake a cyclist. So that every other driver see's me do it properly. When I cycle, I make sure that I obey the rules and am friendly and respectful.
I advocate mutual respect on the roads. So whilst I agree with your views, I think that Ashley's approach is a better way forward.
@Pattoe considering that the threat of jail does not deter murderers, how successful do you think your suggestion would be at making 100% of car drivers safe around cyclists?
In that first clip the van gives him a nice pass at the beginning, and then the cyclist passes him pointlessly at the light, and doesn't move over to the bus pull out even though it would've cost him nothing to let the van pass. Being a jackass to people will usually garner similar treatment from them, difference is they're in a speedy 3 ton metal box and the cyclist is just on a slow and rickety couple of wheels.
Last Clip: I don't understand why so many people are willing to jump out of their vehicles for a confrontation with someone they know nothing about? He looks like an old man that's probably never been in a fight in his life, why risk it? Too many people these days think they're invincible, total idiot. It's funny because I can handle myself if needed but NEVER do what this guy did because even though I'm 6 feet tall and 20 stone the guy I'm confronting might be 6 feet 5 and 25 stone, just mind your own business!
I really like your calm demeanour in explaining and providing evidence of wrong doing. Thank you for being zen like in your calm. Thank you for promoting being safe on our UK roads.
Drivers are insane. There is some kind of psychosis that happens when people get behind the wheel. How else do you describe their readiness to trade my safety for their convenience? I have to say though. When we all successfully negotiate a challenging traffic situation safely I feel proud and gratified. That’s the way it’s supposed to go.
Hi Ashley @ 4.40.. As you said , I would have tucked in as well as the cyclist goes straight from a left turn only lane.
Yes as you say he is in the wrong lane and should have really dropped in behind the Audi. Sometimes junctions like these have a "except cyclists" sign or the cycle lane is marked across the junction. Neither was the case here.
The easiest option to help everybody (it's nice to be nice) would have been simply to swap places with the Yaris.
First video: yes the van passed far too close. But the cyclist went over the crossing at the kerb past a van on red-amber quite fast; even if it was green how on earth did he know a pedestrian (even a child) was not still crossing? That was really dangerous.
overtaking and i presume undertaking the leading vehicle on zig-zags is illegal anyway
@@zakgriffiths2683you presumed wrong. Nothing in the HC about undertaking
@@philipreid2542 however, 'Undertaking' is the practice of overtaking a slower moving vehicle on its left-hand side (kerb side) still counts as overtaking
My biggest issue with cyclists in my area is they don't obey the rules of the road. I have no issue sharing the road with cyclists, but if you're going to use the roads, obey the rules. I've lost count of the amount of cyclists that'll just go through red lights and put themselves and others at risk.
That's called confirmation bias my friend. You don't remember the overwhelming majority of cyclists who do obey the laws, you remember the cyclists that confirm your beliefs. The numbers show the most dangerous thing on the road is a car.
Also, a cyclist running a red light only endangers themselves really, whereas a car doing the same can, and does, have deadly consequences
No doubt there are some people who do egregiously run red lights on bikes. However, there are also times when as a cyclist, you know the lights are about to change and although it is strictly illegal, it's far safer to get outta there before the cars have a chance to left hook, close pass etc. Junctions are super dangerous to cyclists.
This sort of presumption is a big problem. I never run red lights and always follow the rules (of course I make mistakes sometimes), but some people in cars pre-emptively treat me as though I've done something wrong and need punishing.
When I'm on my bike, I don't see myself as a 'cyclist' but a person trying to get somewhere.
Yes, some people break the rules, and it is annoying, and they are making the roads more dangerous for others who cycle, but please try to see people on bikes as individual humans and judge us based on our individual actions 🙏
After all, some car drivers jump red lights (I've almost been hit several times walking on pedestrian crossings) but I don't automatically brand all car drivers as people who jump the lights, even though it is far more dangerous when they do so than when a cyclist does it.
@@MrOlympuse410You’re not his friend and statistics don’t mean jack sh*t when you have to slam on the brakes because some idiot cyclist blows through a stop sign or red light. You’re not thinking about statistics when you’re driving, nor should you. You are, and should, be paying attention to the road. Your comment about some nebulous statistics, which I also notice you fail to cite, doesn’t invalidate OP’s experience. Statistics aren’t going to save a cyclist who blows through a stop sign and get hit by a car.
@@MrOlympuse410 To further expound, yeah the cyclist will be the most prone to injury from a collision with a car. Physically, the driver will most likely be fine, though that’s not a guarantee. Doesn’t mean they won’t suffer from anxiety, stress and/or guilt from hitting a bike when it wasn’t their fault.
Well done, as always, Ashley. I enjoy your view of safe driving, and I've learned from your videos many times.
Gave up cycling around 15yrs ago after getting clipped by a transit driver then a car literally just after i climbed out of the ditch and back on the saddle. I always give cyclists and horses etc plenty of room as do i slow right down for them as a car driver but jeese there's a lot of idiots on cycles also that think they own the roads. if you're on a brand new laid road as a cyclist then get over to the left but yes i understand if the roads a shithole then keep away from that side slightly due to potholes and sunken drains. Due to mass immigration this country is now far too congested (UK) hence we have so much road rage when we didn't have before and the roads aren't big enough but vehicles have doubled/tripled in size too. Stay safe all.
I haven’t been driving a lot compared to lot of other people. (3 years in mx5) and I try my hardest to protect cyclists people get scared going slowly when there’s a cyclist ahead everyone can see what’s going on just relax n wait ur time x
Great attitude to have though as a someone newer to driving. 👍
It’s a good point, Jack. I think some people are perfectly happy to wait for a safe pass but then get nervy or scared when another car is behind them, especially if it’s close.
In a lot of these cases where you say "I think they cyclist should have chosen a different option" particular where it concerns not taking the lane, often a cyclist will choose not do this as it almost guarantees abuse. So it's damned if they do, or don't
I'm a driver and cyclist. Drivers complain about cyclists because of the few bad eggs but there's waaaaay more bad drivers than cyclists you'll encounter on your average drive. The hatred cyclists get is almost like a hate crime.
I find the percentages of bad road users to be similar across their own modes of transport.
@@ashley_neal yeah percentage wise definitely I'd agree but the average driver is more likely to encounter a bad driver than a bad cyclist. Many drivers just have this instinctive dislike of cyclists like some sort of chip on their shoulder as we don't pay road tax etc.
I'm a cyclist who abides by all of the highway code, never through red lights, zebra crossings, one way streets or on pavements. Sadly I see a huge percentage of other cyclists disregarding these rules. Makes me furious because the animosity I suffer from many drivers is because they think I am like those lot who ignore red. They damage the entire cycling movement.
With all that said, statistics for deaths caused by cyclists are in the single figures for the whole year. When cyclists are reckless, very rarely is anyone else hurt and almost never killed.
But drivers kill thousands every year with tens of thousands of life altering injuring. I hate people cycling on the pavement endangering pedestrians, but the figures show only one or deaths attribute to that, with zero being common. Figures given are for the UK.
Bad drivers are many times more likely to main or kill than bad cyclists.
Bad cyclists probably go on to be bad drivers, continuation of dangerous behaviour.
Ashley it is great to see content from a driving instructing channel attemtping to educate people as to what cyclists have to put up with, and people really would learn soo much if they happened to swap the car for a bike for as little as one day every other month, to remind them of the challenges to cyclists and the very serious dangers that other road users often put cyclists in.
First clip - imo - cyclist was looking for an argument (or a TH-cam clip). Undertakes the van driver then moves into the middle of the road to block him. Then shouts when van driver passes...
He didn't move into the middle of the road... He remained in the lane as the road split off to accommodate a bus stop
He didn't move into the middle of the road though
I've cycled regularly since I was a child. When I took my car driving test, I drove down a narrow road and came up behind a cyclist in primary position at 12mph, with traffic coming intermittently in the other direction. I judged that overtaking would've been dangerous and I followed behind him for 30 seconds until he turned onto a minor road. I passed with one minor error because the examiner said I was failing to make proper progress.
My proudest 'error'.
What a dumbell that examiner must have been!!
Great video. My cyclist father was killed by a dangerous driver 13 years ago and to this day it affects our family on a daily basis. He got 10 months in prison and served 5. Now out and about driving again.
When I go out for walk I watch out for drivers parked up waiting in a que of traffic and there are many of them using their phones.
there was one who saw and the lights changed to green and then panic and dropped the phone causing the car to move fast some one crossing in front it could be fatal.
@@itsonlyme9938 If you watch drivers as you cycle or walk, you will notice A LOT of them have phones in their hands. In heavier traffic it can be over half.
That's a travesty- I think if one is more than 50% responsible for another road user's death, one should have a permanent license suspension.
This is a big part of the problem. The punishment does not fit the crime. A friend of mine was out on a club run and was at the back of the group. He was taken out by a car from the rear. His bike was a right off and he was hospitalised with a back injury from which he will never fully recover. The car driver could not be procecuted because of lack of evidence! Work that one out.
@@gordonashcroft5757 disgraceful.
Maybe we should have cycling as part of driving lessons?
That is a great idea, but what about compulsory cycle training as well?
l used a bicycle in my later school days and my early work years. l would cycle to work in all but the worst weather....So l don't need any instructions... This was in the early sixties when the traffic was a lot less, But even so one need to be aware and careful. l believe that the modern cyclist has become very confrontational... they are their own worst enemy sometimes...l ride a motorcycle a good deal. l treat all car drivers as possible assassins, that way I'm ready for almost anything...if l get hit l will come out of the collision worse. Cyclist should think the same and act accordingly and not be so damn aggressive....
i also think that a theory test show be done every 5 years, the UK driving licence is the one of a few licences that when you get it you have it for life without a retest. people get sloppy in there driving and think it is a right to be on the road. and forget you have to be licenced to drive that vehicle.
@@stephentait8734 I will go further, and say that we should retake a driving test every 5 or 10 years. And that any non UK license holder should take a UK driving test. However, overseas HGV drivers don't have to, but will need to have a special driving "visa" or whatever 🤔
@@johndd9140 What about those from other countries who are just on business or holiday?
What cyclists have to put up with. Ignoring redlights ,riding 4 abreast, not using chcle paths ,riding the wrong way up a onr way street. Not having to pay road tax . But if a car hits them its the drivers fault
there is no road tax.
That last clip - 'Always an Audi' 🤣🤣🤣