Category Archives: Safe Cycling

Some of the things I do to try to remain as safe as possible on the roads as they currently are.

Highway Code Rule 66

This post is prompted by the misinformed comments of a significant number of ill-informed commenters about an incident in which a police officer attempted, incorrectly, to instruct us that we must ride in single file next to the kerb, and … Continue reading →

Flying the flag for increased passing distances.

It is clear that GM Police’s Operation Considerate is not going to change the toxic culture on the roads any time soon; in fact it seems to be going backwards rather than forwards. It is also clear that, whilst the … Continue reading →

My response to the CWIS Safety Consultation

11.45 PM today is the deadline for responses to the UK Government Department for Transport’s Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy Safety Review call for evidence. Like a typical student, I left it until the last minute to do my assignment, … Continue reading →

Arriva North West, you’ve taught me so much over the years.

Indeed, you’ve been teaching me for years how to ride on Blackburn road when there are drivers such as yours who simply cannot be trusted with my safety. Here are some examples. Bridge Street, passing Topp Way In 2011 and … Continue reading →

Some Spanish cycle infrastructure: not perfect, but decades ahead of the UK

We recently enjoyed a 3 week holiday in Spain and I was surprised by the quality of the cycle infrastructure that we encountered there. Whilst they had the advantage, in the area we stayed, of a lot of fairly new … Continue reading →

Government by ignorant prejudice.

Today I actually feel ashamed of my home town. I discovered yesterday that my elected representatives, the members of Bolton Council, have voted almost unanimously to “urge the [national] Government to bring in legislation to make it compulsory for bike … Continue reading →

Why do you … ride in the middle from Higher Bridge Street to Bank Street, Bolton?

This post is about a short length of my commuting route that involves going through three traffic light controlled junctions in succession and includes a short section of road that, due to its width, appears to be appropriate for lane … Continue reading →

Why do you … ride in the middle of the f*****g road through Farnworth?

I sometimes get problems with aggressive drivers when riding through Farnworth so, in response to an ignorant driver who tried to “educate” me about cycling road positions, despite his having no training or experience, here is an example giving chapter … Continue reading →

A response to a well-meaning, but ill-informed driver.

Three days ago, a driver in Bristol posted a video that has got quoted in the local press. This driver was aggrieved because his car was damaged by someone who was unable to be traced. I can understand why he … Continue reading →

Playing billiards with cyclists?

Introduction In the game of billiards, points can be scored by hitting the red ball and the opponent’s cue ball in the same shot; that is called a cannon. I wonder whether the equivalent on the road involves hitting two … Continue reading →

Why do you … block the whole road coming into Bolton?

This article is a video that I created back in September. Its purpose is to explain some of the reasons why a cyclist takes up a strong road position in the centre of the lane (sometimes called “primary position”, or … Continue reading →

Why do you … ride in the middle over the M60 bridge

Two lane carriageways often present a difficult problem for cyclists. If you ride near the kerb (secondary position) in the inside lane, many motorists will try to share that lane with you and pass too close, often not even moving … Continue reading →

Why do you … ride in the middle of the lane past Topp Way

This is the approach to the junction between Higher Bridge Street and Topp Way in Bolton. It is a tricky junction because it is very busy, it involves climbing a fairly steep hill on the approach, it has a very … Continue reading →

Kamikaze Cycle Lanes – Part 2

Last April, I wrote a blog article about what I called Kamikaze Cycle Lanes. These are cycle lanes that force a cyclist to swerve out across a traffic flow, and I said I thought these were very dangerous. I even … Continue reading →

The Times cycling advice is flawed (in my opinion)

Although I welcome and support the Times’s “safe cycling” campaign, I think the advice given in its graphical article is flawed. It looks as though it was put together in a hurry, to be honest. In particular, I felt the … Continue reading →

Why do you … ignore the cycle lane on Manchester Road?

Well, this is nowhere near worthy of the title “cycle lane”. It is far too narrow to be taken seriously, according to the DfT’s own guidelines. It was this incident that made up my mind just to ignore it in … Continue reading →

Why do you … block the traffic going uphill through Astley Bridge traffic lights?

Even though it is hard to pick up speed up the hill there, I started to hold the centre of the inside lane all the way through the lights and past the road that forks to the left. This is … Continue reading →

Why do you … ride in the middle of the f*****g road on Kearsley roundabout?

I ride far out into the lane, as recommended by the Cyclecraft book, to stop idiots and lunatics from forcing me into the traffic entering from the road on the left: I also try to keep control of the lane … Continue reading →

Kamikaze Cycle Lanes

I have said before that I think many cycle lanes are badly designed and can encourage behaviour amongst both cyclists and motorists that puts the cyclist at greater risk. I have been particularly struck in this respect by the absolute … Continue reading →