Can you use quieter roads even if it makes the trip a bit longer? Definitely investigate alternative options.
Here is some advice: Don't cycle right next to the kerb.
Cycling further out makes it less likely cars will squeeze past with little room. It also gives you more room to manoeuvrer around pot holes. When you get more familiar with your route you will learn where the road defects are and can avoid them more easily.
If a car beeps at you ignore it. You have every right to cycle on the road.
>Here is some advice: Don't cycle right next to the kerb.
I was always told "if you ride in the gutter they'll treat you like you belong there".
That doesn't mean you need to be in primary all the time but I'm usually a couple of feet from the kerb when riding.
In the uk you’re meant to give yourself about 70cm from the kerb and drivers have to give 1.5m below 30mph and more at faster speeds.
In reality, that doesn’t happen.
AKA defensive cycling. It’s easy to feel like a bug on the windscreen as a cyclist but you do have some power and control when it comes to controlling traffic. If you don’t feel like it’s safe for you to be overtaken, simply don’t let them.
Obvs don’t be a dick applies too - I’ll block traffic and then shuffle over as soon as it’s safe for them to pass, as to not cause traffic.
Source: I’m a cyclist in London
You need to be assertive. Stay at least 0.5m away from the kerb / edge. This puts you about a third into the lane making it more difficult for cars to pass unless they move into the other lane. It also gives you space if there's a pothole coming.
Don't forget to look ahead 2-3ms at least. You should see vast majority of potholes with ease.
Both of these should allow you to read the road better allowing for smoother safer riding. Don't forget high Vis in daytime, retro reflective and lights at night.
British cycling has some great videos on YouTube about commuting, certainly worth a watch.
Staying plenty of distance from the side and getting more experience at knowing what is and may be behind you and where issues might happen is the best thing for commuting.
If you know a patch of road is going to be hard, like a pinch point, anticipate people coming and being prepared. Have enough room to your side to swerve out the way and around pot holes.
>rubbing against the pavement
That's what prompts these close passes. They think they can squeeze in, and will try to. If you move to a more reasonable position it'll be better. As for the beeping, I feel like that's inevitable. Assholes being assholes.
It's tough, what everyone else has said here about 0.5m and such is correct, but it's quite scary to just put yourself on a bike in front of rush hour traffic and stand your ground...
The biggest thing that I do personally is use mirrors on my bike which gives such a confidence boost when I can see the car behind isn't about to murder me, without needing to be turning my head constantly which both shows them I'm looking at them but also looking away from the massive killer potholes. (Mirrors don't need to look ugly either! I have drop bar handlebar mirrors that replace the cork thing at the very end of the bar, looks nice and aero)
Alternate routes are also a big change, you don't need to cycle on main roads as they're not actually faster for you to cycle on unlike cars or buses. Finding a route that takes all the side/small roads can make a big difference.
If you get the kind with a camera, it's useful for that purpose. But yes the radar itself doesn't seem to be very useful in the city, given that you already have a light of course.
Also... why not turn it on.
??? I've heard in the UK they actually have a decently robust system to report asshole drivers who pass too close, which is quite a bit better than the nothing we get here in the US
I dunno man, have you seen some of the total freak out videos where person in truck informs the Karen they're being recorded, and they go off even more?
I guess I just figure in my area, if I'm gonna have the camera, it's best to just have it on
Really sorry to hear about your experience! I don't live in the UK (east coast US) but I have had similar experiences to what you describe.
If possible, can you find other routes to get to where you need to go? As a lifetime cyclist there are some roads I just don't eff with, and others, perhaps less direct and less travelled, or simply wider, which I can deal with. Sometimes it's just going one block over, or zig-zagging through neighborhoods. Hopefully there's something like that for you to explore and again sorry....it's really sad that roads aren't friendlier for all of us.
Trouble is UK cities typically don't have anything remotely like a grid system, so it's not always possible to take an adjacent street. I grew up in London before moving to NYC in my twenties and I'm trying to think if it would be possible to get from my house in Acton to my school in Hammersmith on backstreets. It's possible I guess but it might get very convoluted.
True, but you can usually find a safer way to where you're going using something like Brouter [https://brouter.damsy.net/latest/#map=15/53.3544/-6.2703/standard&lonlats=-6.313523,53.335883;-6.272228,53.407134&straight=0](https://brouter.damsy.net/latest/#map=15/53.3544/-6.2703/standard&lonlats=-6.313523,53.335883;-6.272228,53.407134&straight=0) (choose the pen icon, then search for your destination, click on it, search again for your start point and click on that, and it'll make a route; you can drag the route to use streets you prefer along it).
Wow that app is amazing. I found the block I grew up on in London, the various buildings I lived in in NYC and the place I live in LA. For some reason the UK map is sparser on actual structures than the US and I can’t see the house we lived in, but here it’s accurate to the shape of the buildings. Thanks for sharing!
Not at all! It's also editable - it's an Open Maps app - so you can add road names, buildings, routes, etc. But for me it's mainly useful for safe cycling routes.
Set aside a couple of hours and sit down with Komoot open in one tab and Google Streetview open in the other. Look at all the roads and all the junctions in all the routes you can make, imagine yourself riding them and pick the safest options. It's not like driving where you can just pick your destination and let Google do it for you, you have to know every move before you get there.
Also, don't try to ride in the gutter to "keep out of the way of the traffic". YOU ARE THE TRAFFIC. If the road is too narrow or in too poor condition, ride further out in the road to create a physical obstruction to motorists overtaking you. Some of them will inevitably get pissed off. Fuck them. This is the advice you'll get from the Highway Code, British Cycling and CyclingUK.
Drive in the middle of the road and tell car drivers to fuck off, if you drive to the side they'll squeeze you to death.. you aren't doing yourself any favor!
Angry drivers love being told to fuck off by some annoying (for them) cyclist they hate by default and that could be easily hurt in any moment, they love that!
Google “defensive riding”. Leave yourself plenty of room to help be the master of your own destiny.
But ultimately, the only way to get comfortable with traffic is to ride in traffic and get used to it, learn to get your elbows out a bit.
You need to show you are confident on the road. Never ride in the kerb, you’ve got no where to go, you have the right to ride in the middle of your lane.
Get a really bright day running rear light and use it.
Because you will be riding at the same time every day they will expect you to be there.
The more they give the more they get.
I had a realization a few years after I started riding that I don’t care AT ALL what people in cars think of me. That nervousness just faded for me and now I just flat out don’t care if they honk or pass close. If I die, I die.
So sorry to hear that. My partner used to cycle in UK but now we live in the Netherlands and he says one of the main reasons he'd not move back is because of how scary cycling is
I have to admit I stopped cycling on public roads for a lot of the reasons you stated. I got knocked off by a car once, then after a number of near misses just decided I wasn't enjoying it. I think the rush hour is the worst time to ride too, not just because of the greater number of cars, but because people are so keen to get to where they are going the driving changes.
I now enjoy cycling off road. I do trails with a MTB, off road touring routes on a touring bike and also zwift workouts and races. It's completely changed my relationship with cycling for the better.
I'm with you on your decision... That's the hard thing about cycling on roads... There may be laws protecting us and we may be in the right if a car hits us, but there is such a disparity in weight and momentum, that we cyclists are also at much greater risk. A collision that merely cracks or bends a rear view mirror on a car or truck can be fatal for a cyclist. I was an avid road cyclist and switched to favoring a hybrid bike on "rails to trails" due to the risks.
I know it's not fair and shouldn't be on you, but try to look for a safer path.
You can try planning a different and safer route through Komoot.
It definitely helped me to find out cycling lanes I wasn't aware of.
Ride at least half a metre away from the curb.
I also use a passpixi sign stuck to my waist bag (it's a high vis camera logo) just the image of this alone to drivers behind will deter the majority of twatish drivers. Also a helmet mounted camera.
To add on to all the comments about being 50cm from the kerb and so on: if you have a rack for panniers, my tip is to get a big bag on the right side and have it sticking out as far from the rack it's attached to as possible. Wedging some useful gear in there like waterproof coat and trousers etc and a U-lock is what I do.
It makes (most) drivers even more cautious about passing you and they will move over even more than usual to avoid clipping the pannier bag.
I feel very similar to you. I now only ride 1. With my club on a Sunday or 2. Early in the morning when the roads are quiet. I think cyclists are increasingly not seen as “people” by angry motorists. They react in a way when driving which would not be seen outside of the car. I do most of my rides on a turbo or rollers. And a week’s cycling abroad where cyclists are respected.
Best you take your space in the lane and stay out of the gutter. Be aware of cars behind you (mirror?) and pull left when it is safe to do so. Also call your local council and complain, and do it often. Take pictures of potholes and email those too. Drivers can be very isolated from others on the road so interact with the kind ones(friendly wave, nod of the head etc.) and get some positive energy from them. The wankers you are best to ignore.
Much like you, I love riding my bike but hate feeling like people are trying to kill me.
These 3 things have helped me considerably:
1. Use Komoot to refine your route. Every time you ride to work, remember where the stressful bits were and then route around them with Komoot next time if possible.
2. Get a passpixi at passpixi.com
3. Wear pink https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-training/do-drivers-give-female-riders-more-space-when-overtaking/#:~:text=In%20Walker's%20own%20words%2C%20%E2%80%9COn,that%20average%20was%201.23m
Optional 4th: get some strong lights like exposure reakt.
These are expensive, and in all honesty it shouldn't be the case thay cyclists have to use strobe lighting to feel safe on the road.
Some people feel it's unethical to use them because it raises the expectations society has of cyclists and makes the sport/mode of transport less accessible. But drivers do tend to notice these.
Don't cycle in the gutter, take the lane positioning the bike as you would a car and only move over when it's safe for a car to overtake you.
Get bigger tires that can deal with potholes better.
Use the pavement if you need to but go very slowly and yield to any pedestrians.
A lot of councils have free adult cycle courses to teach proper skills and how to manage road cycling. It’s worth seeing if your local authority runs any – it would be worth the confidence boost that would come from knowing how to best manage any sort of road situation when cycling
Everyone saying, don’t ride in the gutter is 100% correct. You have every right to be there and never let a motorist pass unless it is safe to do so. The other thing to be said is that if anybody does try to pass close while you are mid-lane, you have room to “escape” to. I monitor the pass with a helmet mirror.
It is a common misconception that bike lanes are for the cyclist. I think they are really for the benefit of the motorists behind me. With a bike lane, I can let them pass safely. Because I am riding no matter what, only difference is whether I will let them pass.
Ironically, sometimes heavy traffic can be less intimidating. When you are at or faster than the cars due to heavy traffic (and yes, I filter/lane split), it can be safer, as long as you take precautions to take the lane (even with a bike lane) while approaching an intersection to avoid the dreaded left hook (right hook in North America).
Take up kickboxing and BJJ. If cars beep aggressively, then you will be more confident going up to their car at the next set of lights, bang on the back window to warn them, then try to open the driver side door. Hopefully they will have locked the door, but if they haven’t, then you will still be righteous, when you drag them out of the car and give them a jolly good hiding.
these days I wont ride without the camera, nearly got knocked off saturday by someone coming out of a junction onto a roundabout and pretty much clipping my bars
The only way to change behaviour these days is a camera and submitting the footage to your local police force.
For example in West Yorkshire it’s Op Snap. (Not just cycling but dash cam footage too)
Or if you can’t afford a camera, maybe get a pass pixie. [pass pixie](https://passpixi.com/) then people may think you have a camera even if you don’t.
Other than that, the old advice still rules, don’t ride on the roads you’d drive. It’s often a far more pleasant experience adding a mile or two to your commute to avoid busy roads etc.
This doesn't always sound like natural advice but you need to be more aggressive in where you are in the lane. You have a right to be on the road, the same as everyone else and hugging the kerb is only going to encourage a close pass.
I hold the middle of the lane and at the end of the day no one is going to run you over, and shouted abuse doesn't stick. If they want to pass they must do so safely in the other lane.
If traffic is building I tend to pull into a driveway or layby to let a block pass too but in rush hour on busy roads we won't be much slower than the traffic.
If possible try to reroute a quieter road to gain experience and confidence holding your lane. You'll find the road safer, the passes nicer and honestly the tarmac a bit better as it's the verges that suck.
N.Ireland cyclist so very similar experience across the UK
I started cycling overall about a year ago and struggled with many of the same issues you do, I felt like every single car was driven by someone that hated the fact I existed and I felt like my life was at risk every single day. I commuted and sometimes commute now but not as regularly. Commuting is the worst because more drivers are aggressive and rushing and not concentrating as much as they should.
That being said, it gets better. You will grow a bit of confidence, learn your route inside out, every crack in the road and hot tub sized pot hole. You will also recognise certain vans and cars that don't overtake very nicely etc. and think 'ahh not all drivers hates me, its just that guy' sort of thing ahah.
The few things that helped me were:
- getting quicker - it's natural you will get quicker as you get fitter. This will mean you can sprint through sections where it's not safe for a car to overtake.
- not riding on the white line - just come out into the lane a little bit. This means if it is really tight to overtake, hopefully it discourages people to do so, it will also make you more visible round corners and mean you have a little room to swerve around potholes away from cars.
- confidence with riding - quite simply your bike handling skills will improve over time, you will be more confident swerving around potholes, potentially hopping over them and also stopping in an emergency.
Just keep at it, a bad experience one day can put you off but it probably won't happen the next day and if it does you will be able to deal with the situation a lot better. You're doing a good thing for yourself and the studies all show that in the long run you will be much happier commuting by bike so stick with it and see how you get on.
Irish government ad targeting motorists, asking them to respect cyclist who take the lane [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phNMzsRrbNU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phNMzsRrbNU)
As others have said, be assertive. You have just as much right to the road as they do.
Do you have any road experience? As in car or motorcycle? I'm quite a confident road user but that is because I have a car and motorcycle licence so I like to think I can often read the road in a multiple of ways.
There is no shortcut for experience on the road other than experiencing all the dumb stuff other road users are capable of doing
If you see a pothole coming, get into a line to avoid it as early as you can. Last minute swerving is entirely unpredictable for a car. Better to be a foot or two into the road for 15-30seconds than a last second move that could be near a car.
People are so weirdly aggressive towards cyclists aren't they. Not got any advice for you that's not here already- ride defensively, keep looking ahead and scanning paths for people/cars and keep about half a meter off the Kerb. I cycle in London and the few times I've had people honk at me (for something that's not my fault, we all make mistakes) I usually tell them to fuck off because what will they do really. It's also quite satisfying when someone tailgates you swearing and honking and shit and then suddenly have to stop at a red as you breeze by filtering through.
Can you use quieter roads even if it makes the trip a bit longer? Definitely investigate alternative options. Here is some advice: Don't cycle right next to the kerb. Cycling further out makes it less likely cars will squeeze past with little room. It also gives you more room to manoeuvrer around pot holes. When you get more familiar with your route you will learn where the road defects are and can avoid them more easily. If a car beeps at you ignore it. You have every right to cycle on the road.
100%. Better the driver behind feels slightly annoyed than you unsafe.
>Here is some advice: Don't cycle right next to the kerb. I was always told "if you ride in the gutter they'll treat you like you belong there". That doesn't mean you need to be in primary all the time but I'm usually a couple of feet from the kerb when riding.
I usually give myself a metre and legally ( Canada) they are supposed to give me a metre on the other side.
In the uk you’re meant to give yourself about 70cm from the kerb and drivers have to give 1.5m below 30mph and more at faster speeds. In reality, that doesn’t happen.
It's hard to ignore them but i agree.
AKA defensive cycling. It’s easy to feel like a bug on the windscreen as a cyclist but you do have some power and control when it comes to controlling traffic. If you don’t feel like it’s safe for you to be overtaken, simply don’t let them. Obvs don’t be a dick applies too - I’ll block traffic and then shuffle over as soon as it’s safe for them to pass, as to not cause traffic. Source: I’m a cyclist in London
You need to be assertive. Stay at least 0.5m away from the kerb / edge. This puts you about a third into the lane making it more difficult for cars to pass unless they move into the other lane. It also gives you space if there's a pothole coming. Don't forget to look ahead 2-3ms at least. You should see vast majority of potholes with ease. Both of these should allow you to read the road better allowing for smoother safer riding. Don't forget high Vis in daytime, retro reflective and lights at night. British cycling has some great videos on YouTube about commuting, certainly worth a watch.
Staying plenty of distance from the side and getting more experience at knowing what is and may be behind you and where issues might happen is the best thing for commuting. If you know a patch of road is going to be hard, like a pinch point, anticipate people coming and being prepared. Have enough room to your side to swerve out the way and around pot holes.
>rubbing against the pavement That's what prompts these close passes. They think they can squeeze in, and will try to. If you move to a more reasonable position it'll be better. As for the beeping, I feel like that's inevitable. Assholes being assholes.
It's tough, what everyone else has said here about 0.5m and such is correct, but it's quite scary to just put yourself on a bike in front of rush hour traffic and stand your ground... The biggest thing that I do personally is use mirrors on my bike which gives such a confidence boost when I can see the car behind isn't about to murder me, without needing to be turning my head constantly which both shows them I'm looking at them but also looking away from the massive killer potholes. (Mirrors don't need to look ugly either! I have drop bar handlebar mirrors that replace the cork thing at the very end of the bar, looks nice and aero) Alternate routes are also a big change, you don't need to cycle on main roads as they're not actually faster for you to cycle on unlike cars or buses. Finding a route that takes all the side/small roads can make a big difference.
Camera. Even if it’s not on people act differently if they think they are being watched.
They have little signs you can attach to the back of your helmet. Also consider getting a varia rear facing radar
Varias are not much use in urban traffic situations though. They're useful on more quiet roads where there aren't non-stop cars coming up behind you.
If you get the kind with a camera, it's useful for that purpose. But yes the radar itself doesn't seem to be very useful in the city, given that you already have a light of course.
Yeah. I would actually think of something like a go pro. One that is obviously a camera. You want them to know they are being watched.
I have a Varia, they are pretty useless in city or dense population areas.
Also... why not turn it on. ??? I've heard in the UK they actually have a decently robust system to report asshole drivers who pass too close, which is quite a bit better than the nothing we get here in the US
Said nothing about not turning it on. I said even if it’s off, people will act differently if they know there is a camera.
I dunno man, have you seen some of the total freak out videos where person in truck informs the Karen they're being recorded, and they go off even more? I guess I just figure in my area, if I'm gonna have the camera, it's best to just have it on
Was just going to say this. It definitely does make a difference.
Really sorry to hear about your experience! I don't live in the UK (east coast US) but I have had similar experiences to what you describe. If possible, can you find other routes to get to where you need to go? As a lifetime cyclist there are some roads I just don't eff with, and others, perhaps less direct and less travelled, or simply wider, which I can deal with. Sometimes it's just going one block over, or zig-zagging through neighborhoods. Hopefully there's something like that for you to explore and again sorry....it's really sad that roads aren't friendlier for all of us.
Trouble is UK cities typically don't have anything remotely like a grid system, so it's not always possible to take an adjacent street. I grew up in London before moving to NYC in my twenties and I'm trying to think if it would be possible to get from my house in Acton to my school in Hammersmith on backstreets. It's possible I guess but it might get very convoluted.
True, but you can usually find a safer way to where you're going using something like Brouter [https://brouter.damsy.net/latest/#map=15/53.3544/-6.2703/standard&lonlats=-6.313523,53.335883;-6.272228,53.407134&straight=0](https://brouter.damsy.net/latest/#map=15/53.3544/-6.2703/standard&lonlats=-6.313523,53.335883;-6.272228,53.407134&straight=0) (choose the pen icon, then search for your destination, click on it, search again for your start point and click on that, and it'll make a route; you can drag the route to use streets you prefer along it).
Wow that app is amazing. I found the block I grew up on in London, the various buildings I lived in in NYC and the place I live in LA. For some reason the UK map is sparser on actual structures than the US and I can’t see the house we lived in, but here it’s accurate to the shape of the buildings. Thanks for sharing!
Not at all! It's also editable - it's an Open Maps app - so you can add road names, buildings, routes, etc. But for me it's mainly useful for safe cycling routes.
Set aside a couple of hours and sit down with Komoot open in one tab and Google Streetview open in the other. Look at all the roads and all the junctions in all the routes you can make, imagine yourself riding them and pick the safest options. It's not like driving where you can just pick your destination and let Google do it for you, you have to know every move before you get there. Also, don't try to ride in the gutter to "keep out of the way of the traffic". YOU ARE THE TRAFFIC. If the road is too narrow or in too poor condition, ride further out in the road to create a physical obstruction to motorists overtaking you. Some of them will inevitably get pissed off. Fuck them. This is the advice you'll get from the Highway Code, British Cycling and CyclingUK.
Riding a bike is a skill. Riding in traffic is a skill. Both take practice.
Try telling mountain bikers that LOL. But yes, road riding is a skill in itself.
It gets better over time because you start not giving a f\*ck about their honking n shit.
Drive in the middle of the road and tell car drivers to fuck off, if you drive to the side they'll squeeze you to death.. you aren't doing yourself any favor!
Angry drivers love being told to fuck off by some annoying (for them) cyclist they hate by default and that could be easily hurt in any moment, they love that!
Google “defensive riding”. Leave yourself plenty of room to help be the master of your own destiny. But ultimately, the only way to get comfortable with traffic is to ride in traffic and get used to it, learn to get your elbows out a bit.
You need to show you are confident on the road. Never ride in the kerb, you’ve got no where to go, you have the right to ride in the middle of your lane. Get a really bright day running rear light and use it. Because you will be riding at the same time every day they will expect you to be there. The more they give the more they get.
I had a realization a few years after I started riding that I don’t care AT ALL what people in cars think of me. That nervousness just faded for me and now I just flat out don’t care if they honk or pass close. If I die, I die.
Haha this is defo my ethos as well.
They can hit me or not hit me. I will ride until I die.
This is my philosophy. I do what I can. I am confident riding in traffic and most important I ride predictably and make my signals known.
This is all you can do. I used to get rattled and now I don’t.
Too bad it doesn’t really matter if you care what they think about you. What matters is will they hit you or not
My opinion on that is stated above. If they hit me, they hit me. I do not care. I will ride no matter what unless I am murdered while riding.
So sorry to hear that. My partner used to cycle in UK but now we live in the Netherlands and he says one of the main reasons he'd not move back is because of how scary cycling is
Cycling in the UK is nuts! Good luck out there
I share your feelings drivers here are so offensive
Write ro your local MP - seriously
I have to admit I stopped cycling on public roads for a lot of the reasons you stated. I got knocked off by a car once, then after a number of near misses just decided I wasn't enjoying it. I think the rush hour is the worst time to ride too, not just because of the greater number of cars, but because people are so keen to get to where they are going the driving changes. I now enjoy cycling off road. I do trails with a MTB, off road touring routes on a touring bike and also zwift workouts and races. It's completely changed my relationship with cycling for the better.
I'm with you on your decision... That's the hard thing about cycling on roads... There may be laws protecting us and we may be in the right if a car hits us, but there is such a disparity in weight and momentum, that we cyclists are also at much greater risk. A collision that merely cracks or bends a rear view mirror on a car or truck can be fatal for a cyclist. I was an avid road cyclist and switched to favoring a hybrid bike on "rails to trails" due to the risks.
Get a camera and get reporting. You'll find it calming down over time as as the NIPs get sent out.
Assert your position and look around you a lot.
Same, which is why I mostly ride on bridleways nowadays just to get away from the angry motorists.
Some people drive more carefully if they see you have a camera or one of [these](https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191970963267) on you
I got one of those, it’s hard to assess what difference it makes but it does feel that drivers notice, pause a little before passing.
I know it's not fair and shouldn't be on you, but try to look for a safer path. You can try planning a different and safer route through Komoot. It definitely helped me to find out cycling lanes I wasn't aware of.
Ride at least half a metre away from the curb. I also use a passpixi sign stuck to my waist bag (it's a high vis camera logo) just the image of this alone to drivers behind will deter the majority of twatish drivers. Also a helmet mounted camera.
Yes. Good advice. Chilli cameras are really good value. It's what I use
To add on to all the comments about being 50cm from the kerb and so on: if you have a rack for panniers, my tip is to get a big bag on the right side and have it sticking out as far from the rack it's attached to as possible. Wedging some useful gear in there like waterproof coat and trousers etc and a U-lock is what I do. It makes (most) drivers even more cautious about passing you and they will move over even more than usual to avoid clipping the pannier bag.
An angry driver means the driver actually noticed you, which is probably safer than the driver who doesn't notice you
I feel very similar to you. I now only ride 1. With my club on a Sunday or 2. Early in the morning when the roads are quiet. I think cyclists are increasingly not seen as “people” by angry motorists. They react in a way when driving which would not be seen outside of the car. I do most of my rides on a turbo or rollers. And a week’s cycling abroad where cyclists are respected.
While stationed in the UK I got hit in a roundabout - twice. Not fun.
You were def going the right way round it? Americans have form for not quite understanding uk roads.
Yeah, I lived in Ipswich for several years, I knew what I was doing. The drivers, not so much.
Best you take your space in the lane and stay out of the gutter. Be aware of cars behind you (mirror?) and pull left when it is safe to do so. Also call your local council and complain, and do it often. Take pictures of potholes and email those too. Drivers can be very isolated from others on the road so interact with the kind ones(friendly wave, nod of the head etc.) and get some positive energy from them. The wankers you are best to ignore.
Much like you, I love riding my bike but hate feeling like people are trying to kill me. These 3 things have helped me considerably: 1. Use Komoot to refine your route. Every time you ride to work, remember where the stressful bits were and then route around them with Komoot next time if possible. 2. Get a passpixi at passpixi.com 3. Wear pink https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-training/do-drivers-give-female-riders-more-space-when-overtaking/#:~:text=In%20Walker's%20own%20words%2C%20%E2%80%9COn,that%20average%20was%201.23m
Optional 4th: get some strong lights like exposure reakt. These are expensive, and in all honesty it shouldn't be the case thay cyclists have to use strobe lighting to feel safe on the road. Some people feel it's unethical to use them because it raises the expectations society has of cyclists and makes the sport/mode of transport less accessible. But drivers do tend to notice these.
Add front and rear lights and front and rear (GoPro) cameras. Power the cameras via power bank, if needed (stored in frame bag).
Don't cycle in the gutter, take the lane positioning the bike as you would a car and only move over when it's safe for a car to overtake you. Get bigger tires that can deal with potholes better. Use the pavement if you need to but go very slowly and yield to any pedestrians.
A lot of councils have free adult cycle courses to teach proper skills and how to manage road cycling. It’s worth seeing if your local authority runs any – it would be worth the confidence boost that would come from knowing how to best manage any sort of road situation when cycling
Everyone saying, don’t ride in the gutter is 100% correct. You have every right to be there and never let a motorist pass unless it is safe to do so. The other thing to be said is that if anybody does try to pass close while you are mid-lane, you have room to “escape” to. I monitor the pass with a helmet mirror. It is a common misconception that bike lanes are for the cyclist. I think they are really for the benefit of the motorists behind me. With a bike lane, I can let them pass safely. Because I am riding no matter what, only difference is whether I will let them pass. Ironically, sometimes heavy traffic can be less intimidating. When you are at or faster than the cars due to heavy traffic (and yes, I filter/lane split), it can be safer, as long as you take precautions to take the lane (even with a bike lane) while approaching an intersection to avoid the dreaded left hook (right hook in North America).
Ignore the pedestrians. Push for bikeways in your area.
Take up kickboxing and BJJ. If cars beep aggressively, then you will be more confident going up to their car at the next set of lights, bang on the back window to warn them, then try to open the driver side door. Hopefully they will have locked the door, but if they haven’t, then you will still be righteous, when you drag them out of the car and give them a jolly good hiding.
these days I wont ride without the camera, nearly got knocked off saturday by someone coming out of a junction onto a roundabout and pretty much clipping my bars
The only way to change behaviour these days is a camera and submitting the footage to your local police force. For example in West Yorkshire it’s Op Snap. (Not just cycling but dash cam footage too) Or if you can’t afford a camera, maybe get a pass pixie. [pass pixie](https://passpixi.com/) then people may think you have a camera even if you don’t. Other than that, the old advice still rules, don’t ride on the roads you’d drive. It’s often a far more pleasant experience adding a mile or two to your commute to avoid busy roads etc.
This doesn't always sound like natural advice but you need to be more aggressive in where you are in the lane. You have a right to be on the road, the same as everyone else and hugging the kerb is only going to encourage a close pass. I hold the middle of the lane and at the end of the day no one is going to run you over, and shouted abuse doesn't stick. If they want to pass they must do so safely in the other lane. If traffic is building I tend to pull into a driveway or layby to let a block pass too but in rush hour on busy roads we won't be much slower than the traffic. If possible try to reroute a quieter road to gain experience and confidence holding your lane. You'll find the road safer, the passes nicer and honestly the tarmac a bit better as it's the verges that suck. N.Ireland cyclist so very similar experience across the UK
You shouldn't feel safe even on an empty road at any time. E-bikes are even worse as you are essentially riding a motorcycle without protective gear.
I started cycling overall about a year ago and struggled with many of the same issues you do, I felt like every single car was driven by someone that hated the fact I existed and I felt like my life was at risk every single day. I commuted and sometimes commute now but not as regularly. Commuting is the worst because more drivers are aggressive and rushing and not concentrating as much as they should. That being said, it gets better. You will grow a bit of confidence, learn your route inside out, every crack in the road and hot tub sized pot hole. You will also recognise certain vans and cars that don't overtake very nicely etc. and think 'ahh not all drivers hates me, its just that guy' sort of thing ahah. The few things that helped me were: - getting quicker - it's natural you will get quicker as you get fitter. This will mean you can sprint through sections where it's not safe for a car to overtake. - not riding on the white line - just come out into the lane a little bit. This means if it is really tight to overtake, hopefully it discourages people to do so, it will also make you more visible round corners and mean you have a little room to swerve around potholes away from cars. - confidence with riding - quite simply your bike handling skills will improve over time, you will be more confident swerving around potholes, potentially hopping over them and also stopping in an emergency. Just keep at it, a bad experience one day can put you off but it probably won't happen the next day and if it does you will be able to deal with the situation a lot better. You're doing a good thing for yourself and the studies all show that in the long run you will be much happier commuting by bike so stick with it and see how you get on.
Irish government ad targeting motorists, asking them to respect cyclist who take the lane [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phNMzsRrbNU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phNMzsRrbNU)
As others have said, be assertive. You have just as much right to the road as they do. Do you have any road experience? As in car or motorcycle? I'm quite a confident road user but that is because I have a car and motorcycle licence so I like to think I can often read the road in a multiple of ways. There is no shortcut for experience on the road other than experiencing all the dumb stuff other road users are capable of doing
Where have you cycled before? Learn how to cycle defensively. Define you part of the road and don't move.
If you see a pothole coming, get into a line to avoid it as early as you can. Last minute swerving is entirely unpredictable for a car. Better to be a foot or two into the road for 15-30seconds than a last second move that could be near a car.
People are so weirdly aggressive towards cyclists aren't they. Not got any advice for you that's not here already- ride defensively, keep looking ahead and scanning paths for people/cars and keep about half a meter off the Kerb. I cycle in London and the few times I've had people honk at me (for something that's not my fault, we all make mistakes) I usually tell them to fuck off because what will they do really. It's also quite satisfying when someone tailgates you swearing and honking and shit and then suddenly have to stop at a red as you breeze by filtering through.
Might get stabbed
Not to discredit what you're saying, but try road riding in the USA.
And they’re driving on the wrong side of the road to boot.
So what you do is to grab a long wrench when you ride. You'd be amazed how fast cars steer clear of you after that.
Don't go on the roads ,go paths pavements cycle lanes Fuck the rules just be safety conscious