From: banks@cs.hw.ac.uk (Lorna Banks)
Newsgroups: ed.general,rec.bicycles
Subject: Re: Road works and festival traffic
Date: 15 Aug 92 13:21:38 GMT
Followup-To: rec.bicycles
Organization: Dept of Computer Science, Heriot-Watt University, Scotland

In article <24845@castle.ed.ac.uk> cam@castle.ed.ac.uk (Chris Malcolm) writes:

>oil deposits are worst. Lane center biking is usually only adopted
>temporarily as a defensive position-holding manoeuvre. And as the UK
>national accident statistics show, and as any motorcyclist will tell
>you, cars which overtake and suddenly turn left are one of the larger
>categories of motorcycle accidents. It just happens to motorcycles at
>higher speeds.

Very true, I agree with you here.  I move to the centre of the lane when I feel
threatened by the following traffic and find its the only was to stop a vehicle
squeezing past you and trying to force you into the gutter.  This is especially
annoying when you (on the bike) are going the same speed (or maybe faster on a
downhill!!:) as the rest of the traffic and just cos you're on a bike the
vehicle behind seems to think they HAVE to get past you and into the boot of 
the car in front.
>
>sometimes choose to walk round large urban roundabouts via the
>pedestrian crossings rather than try to ride thru them.

This is common sense again.  If I don't want to wait for traffic lights to 
change then I get off and walk round clear of the corner and remount - I DON'T
CYCLE THROUGH A RED LIGHT or whatever.
>
>Pedestrians understand about traffic and roads. They know about
>stopping and looking etc.. 

Oh, if only this were true more often!  This might be a suitable place to
mention the car drivers who don't INDICATE to pedestrians to say they are 
going to turn down into the road that the pedestrian is about to cross. Drivers
please remember that just because there may not be a car to see your indication
doesn't mean you don't have to!  You have to indicate to the PEDESTRIANS TOO.

>When I cycle on pavements I am always very polite, travel no faster
>than a fast walk, and have fitted a bell on my bike simply because it
>is the best polite signal of the presence of a bike. But I recognise

I agree again.  On those VERY RARE occasions when I (we) are on the pavement
(usually getting from one cycle way to another or to get to some railling some
distance from the road and the pavement is wide eg. Middle Meadow Walk to
Teviot via front of Med school thus avoiding the cobbles of George Square - 
cobbles and tandems don't mix!!), we never go faster than walking pace when
there are people about and weaving in and out on a tandem just isn't on either!

I would like to see most of the bristo square area a "shared people/bikes area"
for polite/walking speed cyclists
as it is well sighted (ie. open) with mostly wide paths and very useful for 
getting to Teviot from Lauriston Place or Chambers Street from the Meadows.
Personally I only use it during Easter or festival time in the evening when
the traffic is hell around there and there are less people walking.

I hope you were able to follow the thread after all my cuttings out from the
original posting.
-- 
					   		          _~o _O   
Grendel the ancient muddy witch 			         -\<,-\<,  
----*					{banks@cs.hw.ac.uk}    (*)/===/(*) 
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles