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BigTone

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54 minutes ago, WhistleHappy said:

Conclusion.... Roads are dangerous places... avoid if possible, use appropriate forms of transport if not...

A nice walk along a beach in sandals us lovely... trekking uo a mountain path your likely to break a leg in those sandals, so keep off the mountain or wear appropriate boots...

In other words if there's a nice safe pavement -enjoy a walk ... 

If the road is too dangerous to safely cycle on... get off of yer bike and bloody walk, for your own and everyone else safety.

Driving motor vehicles of all descriptions on over crowded roads is a hazardous often unavoidable necessity, drivers often need eyes in the back of their heads, in poor light conditions especially when dark and drizzly it s hard enough as it is without unexpected almost invisible (even with oft missing cycle lights switched on)  cycles suddenly appearing out of the gloom from unexpected directions.... for Gods sake (& your own) get off your bikes and walk or jumps on a bus, why risk avoidable stress and injury 'just because you can'? 

If you want to walk uo that mountain in your sandals ( because you can & its your right, & no one can stop you) then go ahead ,  go bare foot if you want... but the fact remains is you'd be an idiot doing a risky thing..  Just because roads exist and its your right to use them doesn't mean its a sensible thing to do when conditions aren't good.

Got a boat? Great enjoy it, but when the sea gets rough only a tosser would leave the harbour just because you can.

It all boils down to that rare commodity, ..common sense & having respect for those around you and the circumstances they are dealing with.

Trouble ?... its ALWAYS best avoided when possible, regardless of rights and wrongs.

 

 

Do we have parking for boats at Ashton Gate ?

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36 minutes ago, BigTone said:

Do we have parking for boats at Ashton Gate ?

Psst, Dolly has the keys, she done a deal with Scotty,  not a lot of people know that, anyway if you approach slowly astern, weigh your anchor, as it were, I reckon she'll open the Gate for you Tone probsbly let you in the back way, ease gently into your docking position and tie her up... get it right first time and from then on it'll be all plain sailing, keep it to yourself Tone cos they don't want to harbour wrong 'Un's.  I've been on the port all afternoon! :) 

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1 hour ago, WhistleHappy said:

Psst, Dolly has the keys, she done a deal with Scotty,  not a lot of people know that, anyway if you approach slowly astern, weigh your anchor, as it were, I reckon she'll open the Gate for you Tone probsbly let you in the back way, ease gently into your docking position and tie her up... get it right first time and from then on it'll be all plain sailing, keep it to yourself Tone cos they don't want to harbour wrong 'Un's.  I've been on the port all afternoon! :) 

Do I need her to lower her Spinknickers first ?

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I've got in from visiting some friends tonight, cycling along the pavement from about two miles away.  Fourty minutes on foot was probably done in ten or fifteen.

The one pedestrian I encountered acknowledged me, we both moved slightly to our rights, I slowed down and we passed as amicably as ever.

An ample number of cars bombed by on a fairly busy inner-city B Road.  

What's the problem, man?  I'm home 1/2 hour earlier, have 1/2 hour more down time before sleep and will be presumably 1/2 hour more productive in societies sausage factory tomorrow.  

The motorists weren't pissed off as I wasn't in their way, neither was I putting my life at risk being in their way. 

The on-foot pedestrians are cool, as I respect them.

All good, man.  Chill, Tone.

Bollox do I use busy roads or go into town on my bike, though.  

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On ‎27‎/‎08‎/‎2017 at 18:26, Sixtyseconds said:

Nah..

Emissions is truth and you know it carbon head.

But its only health and asthma is no care of yours. 

The weapon of choice for a nutjob terrorist is now a vehicle.

Not a bike.

Turn the dial to left a bit and nutjobs are still there cocooned in their metal ... And behaving as they would never outside of their motor.

Get on your bike and that threat is always there.

The menace hangs with the carbon in the air.

Drivers want IQ testing and psychological profiling ... Lot of potential criminal yet to be apprehended the moment the motor kicks over.

I Sir on anther day am a classic could have been a fatality .. Got lucky that day ... Bike was beyond repair ... My torso is less resilient. ... PAVEMENT HERE I COME when my in built risk assessment says so.

Your car driven rage looking at fellow humans as targets is the reason why millions don't cycle, and millions cycle in manner to avoid those in vehicles stopping those from cycling.

No problem with cyclists REAL irresponsiblity being dealt with.

Will admit to a bit of community action myself when a van driver hurled rubbish at pedestrians heads.

Another who needed profiling.

 

You don't need to be on one side or the other, in fact those with the extreme militant point of view like this are a big part of the problem IMO. Like lots of people, at various different times I'm a pedestrian, a cyclist and a motorist. And like the majority, I'm calm and courteous whichever mode I'm using at the time.

I do think though that cyclists in general need to get with the common etiquette of road use. If I'm approaching a left hand junction on my bike, and a car travelling in the same direction just ahead of me has stopped to allow an oncoming car to turn right, I too will stop to allow the car to turn right. Why wouldn't I? Avoids risk for me, and just good manners. Yet I seem to be about the only cyclist in Bristol who is even aware this is going on, and it happens multiple time on every journey.

If I'm riding along a narrow road with cars parked on both sides, and a car is driving behind me waiting to get past, I'll pull over and let them pass. I would feel incredibly selfish making them wait and much more comfortable once the car has gone on its way. Very few cyclists do this though. I also stop at red traffic lights while others sprint past into the unknown perils of the junction.

So yes, for me, compulsory training and regulation for cyclists would be a good idea.

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1 hour ago, BigTone said:

No problem, I'm chilled, but still I refer to my original post and the question I posed

It's an emphatic no from me, Tone.  

Why not also tax those pesky pedestrians for their continually clogging up of the pavements and their making the traffic stop so that they can cross the road?  

I'm with you on the pain in the arse cyclists who try to compete on busy roads with combustion engines but by doing what you and Whistle Happy are proposing would penalise the majority, for whom are not a pain in the arse.

Spot on City Rocker: I'll always take the quiet route where possible, pull in for cars etc.  Why oh why some cyclists even try to compete on an even-footing with cars re speed is beyond me.  

 

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41036581

Its ******* idiots like this that wind me up. 

Quote

"I didn't actually know it was against the law until this case," he says.

He does admit you "can probably slow down quicker with a front brake".

But Michael does not believe he is taking a risk: "I wouldn't ride it if I felt there was a risk to others."

He does concede that it makes riding "exciting" and "fun"

Following the case, Michael is planning to get a brake fitted. But this isn't for the reason you might think.

"I'm worried going out on my bike, that the police are going to take my bike off me and then I won't be able to work," he says.

 

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My issue is that is you make cycling any harder then less people will keep at it. Bristol is one of the most congested cities in the UK and less cyclists means more cars, which in turn makes more traffic.  

As someone who cycles and drives both a car and motorbike, the group I have the biggest issue with in terms of most near misses is car drivers. Car drivers seem to have a very linear view of driving, one behind the other. Bikes of all kinds however can flow through the traffic which car drivers don't often expect. This lack of expectancy however is almost always the car drivers fault (exceptions may include a bike undertaking a car indicating left). If there is a gap, there may be a bike. 

I'd make it compulsory for School children to take a cycling proficiency test and also extend the driving test to include how to treat cyclists. There is fault on both sides, the difference is that while cyclists tend to be inconsiderate (the news story is a very isolated case of death caused by cycling), car divers' ignorance and stupidity make up the majority of the 1750 deaths every year on UK roads. 

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On 8/27/2017 at 18:06, BigTone said:

Lady leaves shop and looks to walk across one way street. Cyclist coming in the wrong direction creams her and puts her in hospital. He can't see what he has done wrong and wants to leave the scene. Myself and several others prevent this until the police arrive. Lady in question suffers several fractures.

Don't use the old emissions excuse because it is bull shite and you know it.

Pavements are for pedestrians.  Red lights are to be obeyed. If you don't know or understand the rules of the road then don't use it. You NAVIGATE what exactly ?

You Sir are a classic example of why cyclists should be licensed and you quite happily admit to being above the law ........... unbelievable attitude.

Are you like the Alliston idiot who would then shout abuse at his dying victim in the road ?  Something tells me you probably would and would talk yourself into believing you are in the right.

Well said Tone.

Last year I sadly almost killed a cyclist on the A369 from Portishead to Bristol, near Beggar Bush Lane where there is the traffic lighted 3 way junction. 

I was driving my car within the speed limit and went through a green traffic light. A cyclist coming up Beggar Bush Lane went through a red light. I had to swerve to narrowly miss him, cyclist fell off his bike, his lycra suit all torn and his body suffered terrible scratches as he skid and fell off the road onto the pavement.

I stopped, got out the car and went to assist only to be given a mouthful of abuse about driving "like an idiot". When I tried to explain it was green light and the cyclist had gone through a red light he wasn't having any of it. Other cars who'd also stopped kindly backed up my version of events only to be told to "**** off" by the wannabe Bradley Wiggins who spent most of the rant asking if I knew how much his lycra cycling suit and shoes cost and how he'd have to fork out for new gear.

From that day on I've had no sympathy. Cyclists who choose to use the road rather than cycle paths should be insured and taxed. I also think hi-vis jackets should be compulsory for the safety of all.

 

P.S. I'd like to add, in the above story, there is a cycle path running the entire way along the A369, installed at the cost of millions to North Somerset Council. But no cyclist ever uses it.

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4 hours ago, Welcome To The Jungle said:

I'd make it compulsory for School children to take a cycling proficiency test and also extend the driving test to include how to treat cyclists. 

An excellent idea.

I took (and passed :yes::clapping:) mine almost 50 years ago, and I can well remember how the test was taken extremely seriously, both by the junior school teachers who taught us how to cycle carefully and by the numerous pupils taking part - I seem to recall I was about 10 years old at the time - and how those of us who passed shared not only a certain pride, but also the confidence to cycle to school alone.

Perhaps going off at a slight tangent, I also remember the local 'Bobby' who attended during our last lessons, offering kindly advice and gaining respect from the pupils and, in my case at least, a respect that remains some 50 years later.

Do local 'Bobbies' still exist?

 

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18 minutes ago, PHILINFRANCE said:

An excellent idea.

I took (and passed :yes::clapping:) mine almost 50 years ago, and I can well remember how the test was taken extremely seriously, both by the junior school teachers who taught us how to cycle carefully and by the numerous pupils taking part - I seem to recall I was about 10 years old at the time - and how those of us who passed shared not only a certain pride, but also the confidence to cycle to school alone.

Perhaps going off at a slight tangent, I also remember the local 'Bobby' who attended during our last lessons, offering kindly advice and gaining respect from the pupils and, in my case at least, a respect that remains some 50 years later.

Do local 'Bobbies' still exist?

 

It was PC Genge in Nailsea and you couldn't fart without him knowing either.

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7 minutes ago, Red Right Hand said:

PC Gibson in North Curry and his house was on the end of my road. I can still feel the numerous thick ears he gave me!

Yep, whenever I heard that "now then young Anthony" I knew I was in the poop about something.

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On 27/08/2017 at 17:27, BigTone said:

Most cyclists seem to consider themselves above any law.  Use the roads then abide by the same laws as other users. Seems fair to me. 

 
a good, balanced article. 
Worth the read.
 
'It’s about idiots, not the mode of travel that happen to be using at the time.'
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9 hours ago, Antman said:
 
a good, balanced article. 
Worth the read.
 
'It’s about idiots, not the mode of travel that happen to be using at the time.'

Yes it is a good read, however avoids the point that should an incident involving a vehicle occur then there is a mechanism in the law to recover costs of damage, loss of earnings & personal injury. The same does not apply if the incident is caused by a cyclist.  How can this be correct ?  Yes, I understand that a increasing number of vehicle drivers do not have insurance, however these are dealt with by the law and correctly so. Should the same not apply to a cyclist ? If not then why not ?

I am not anti cyclist by any means but the law needs to be overhauled to cover every eventuality.  WH's earlier post hits the nail on the head for me. On the flip side another poster (cyclist) happily admitted to being above the law. These are the people we need to legislate against and who cause problems for normal law abiding cyclists and to innocent pedestrians when they take to the pavement.

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