LadyDeliah

Jabberjaw from the cartoon of the same name.

I think it won't work without a modem. Mine came today and it plugs into the modem with a LAN cable.

I harassed T-Mobile because of this issue and was told by a manager that there are two masts down in our area. I have been sent a booster box that I can plug into my modem and this is supposed to help with the signal in my house, but not a lot of use outside. The booster box is free and you should all demand one, because the guy I spoke to said the masts will not be fixed for ages.

ianr Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > LadyDeliah Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Can't remember any near misses with motorbikes > actually, but have had hundreds from badly driven > > cars, vans, buses and lorries and have been hit > about a dozen times. > > > > Pedestrians walking out into the road are pretty > scary if there is a lot of traffic, because I > > could get knocked under a vehicle. If there are > no cars then we are both likely to get hurt. My > > reactions are pretty good though and I cycle > ultra defensively, so I can usually judge when > someone > > is about to wander into the road without > looking. > > Getting hit a dozen times is a very large number, > even for someone doing decades of commuting in > London, and particularly if riding defensively. > > What were the circumstances of the the last two or > three instances? Half of that would be car doors being opening in my path which can really hurt because you tend to be thrown over your handlebars and hit the road in front. I've had a bus hit my front wheel when cutting in after having overtaken me, I've had a woman in a car turn right into a side road across my path throwing me sideways and my bike flying over her bonnet. I've had a taxi overtake me so closely he actually hit my leg and made fall off my bike and hit the pavement. Another bus did almost the same thing, but caught me with its back end when it was trying to squeeze past me at a bit where the road narrowed and had an island in the middle. I can?t remember any more right now, but I vaguely remember being shunted from the back by a dozy car driver who wasn't paying attention. I've had a pedestrian walk out in front of a bus when I was overtaking it, and I flew sideways so hard I dented the side of a taxi with my head. The worst injury I had was from the car driver who turned across the road. I badly sprained my shoulder and knee, plus had a few nasty grazes. The concussion from hitting my head on the taxi wasn't particularly nice either. I have cycled in London, all over London since I came here in 1985. Back then cyclists were a rarity and as such I think more vulnerable. I can?t remember all of the incidents that happened back then, but there were many as it was more dangerous than it is today. I can definitely see progress in the number of motorists who are driving without consideration for cyclists, but there is a long way to go before it could be said to be safe for cyclists in London. In relation to the difference between cycling in London and other areas of the country, it is definitely worse when you cycle on country roads because the speed of the vehicles, narrowness of the roads and height of the verges.

I think there are a growing number of people who want to reclaim some of our public space from motorised vehicles, so I am optimistic for the future. A side point I'd like to make for people who want to see cyclist numbers reduced, is that if a large amount of people who currently cycle switched to driving instead, the congestion would be horrendous and your journey times would be increased massively. So a by-product of more people cycling is actually a decrease in journey time for motorists.

TillieTrotter Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Maybe you should do so BS, isn't that what driving > without due care and attention is for? I'd > certainly report a twit in a car if he'd nearly > mown me down on a crossing. I'd get his number > plate and expect a bobby to have a word, not > something you can do with a cyclist. Just got my Helmet Cam. I look forward to presenting evidence of offending and dangerous motorists to the police for them to be prosecuted. This is one way we can try to alter the behaviour of those who put lives at risk on the roads. In combination with pushing for a review of planning and engineering decisions plus a re-think on the rules of the road. See Otta, I have some avenues to attempt to change things and I believe there has been a change in thinking about motorised vehicles over the past decade which is filtering through to planners etc.

numbers Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > its an inevitable shame but this thread, at its > best, is just preaching to the converted. Maybe, maybe not. I would be surprised that after viewing this thread and/or the links, no EDFrs had learned something or modified their views even slightly. I know I have.

Plus cyclists behaving like that are likely to be self-limiting. Having ones bones broken because you are acting like an arsehole is generally a behaviour altering experience.

Not seen any of those on here Otta and the stats seem to show that only a fraction of cyclists injuries are the fault of the cyclist. So I think although this is an issue, I don't think it the most important one.

Thanks Otta, one can but try. I'm not really the type to just roll over and accept something that is wrong as being 'how it is'.

No Otta, we can press the powers that be for change in all the many ways that I and others on this thread have suggested. Great article by the way binary_star. Really interesting analysis of peope's illogical focus on the few bad incidents rather than the wider picture.

Not sure I've got any more apologies in me *Bob* and numbers, so you'll have to make do with the ones I've already given.

Cycling through pedestrians at speed whether on a crossing or not is clearly a twatish thing to do, but going ahead of the cars at a junction, even before the lights have changed to green is in my opinion a legitimate life saving tactic (so long as the traffic going the other direction has stopped). The laws of the road were drafted mainly with motorists in mind, so it is my view that some things which are currently unlawful should be looked at again and amended if it makes cycling safer.

TillieTrotter Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > More than likely LadyD. But I actually don't feel > that motorists have more right than any other road > users. We all need to learn to share the roads > and behave responsibly. Unfortunately one tends > to tune out if others views are too extremist. I agree and am trying to do the magnanimous Mandella stuff now. Peace and love :-)

Wow, it got a bit lively there while I was busy typing in my phone! Loving the engaging posts and after *Bob*'s telling off, I promise to try my best not to do the them and us stuff. It's not always easy though because im no Mandella and when cyclists get abuse on such a regular basis I kind of get the hump!

LondonMix, so would it be fair to say your experience of the roads is mainly as a pedestrian and user of public transport? So I would suggest that your time mixing with non-pedestrian road users is a small proportion of your time and you are more likely to be in danger of being hit by bicycles as you would usually walk on the pavement and cyclists are most often closer to the pavement side of the road. Their silent approach, would I imagine, more often take you by surprise than the engine of any other vehicle. When you do cycle, are you more afraid of being hit by a car or a cyclist? Do you cycle to work or short local journeys? Are you a confident cyclist? Do you feel able to assert yourself when cycling amongst aggressive drivers? Do you think cyclists who are assertive in this way are somehow arseholes and if not, what would you define as arseholey behaviour from a cyclist?

TillieTrotter Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I'm a lazy cow and usually just walk to my local > shops and drive in the main. Do you think that this might be why your views on the harm motorists can cause to others might be less extreme than mine? If you had to mix on a daily basis amongst motorists without the protection of your car, do you think that you'd view the dangers of motorised vehicles differently?

It's not about sides. It's about looking at the most serious problems and finding solutions that reduce harm. Trying to raise awareness of the situation from the point of view of those most likely to suffer the greatest harm is one way to start the dialogue, but it's also important to understand those causing the harm and their motivations. Like I said before, I don't think that I should have to feel like I'm travelling through a warzone when I cycle to and from work, so I want people to explore options that benefit the majority if the community, not just the ones in the biggest vehicles.

Jeremy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I don't understand the point of this thread. > Surely nobody is going to condone the dangerous > behaviour in the highlighted cases. The opening > post is clearly designed to divide opinion and > polarise the discussion... basically create an > argument where really there isn't one. > > Can we stop with all this @#$%& nonsense now, it's > getting boring. Sorry if this thread bored you, but I'm happy to not read threads that bore or annoy me and I suggest you do the same. It is my opinion that raising awareness of the problems detailed at length in this thread is important for all of the detailed reasons I've outlined in this thread.

Quick straw poll. How many drivers: 1. Also cycle 2. Walk or use public transport for a large proportion of their journeys 3. Make most urban journeys by car from their house to car parks, street parking where they rarely walk further than 500 meters from where they park. Just to get an idea if how much interaction with other toad users that motorists on here get outside of the protective bubble of their vehicle.

Losing control of my car on ice at speed was something that made me a much more careful driver. It scared the crap out of me and was an expensive lesson. It could have actually been worse than it was as I only narrowly missed smacking into the back of a bin truck. I'm pretty sure that would have killed me if I'd hit it. I just thank God I didn't hit anyone. I've also been hit by other cars whilst driving, walking and cycling and it is all of these experiences that colour my view of the current situation re motorists and our public spaces. When I lived in Elephant & Castle me, my kids and my ex-husband have nearly been mown down countless times in the New Kent Road crossing to the shopping centre when cars blew through the red lights. One time me ex had to jump with my daughter in his arms about a meter forward to avoid being smashed into by a dickhead who didn't want to stop.

So TT, you're not going to let us into your world of crashes, collisions and mayhem during your long time as a driver? Confession is good for the soul!

Oh and TT, I'm not anti-driver. I'm interested in getting people to re-think the use, dominance and impact of motorised vehicles on everyone else to make life safer and more enjoyable for everyone.

I passed my test in 1987 and have done a lot of long haul as well as urban driving over the years. I've also rented cars, vans and once a motor home when I've been abroad. I've been responsible for two collisions in that time, both when I was relatively inexperienced. One where I lost control of the car on ice and hit a parked car and another when I turned into a road and clipped a motorcyclist who stopped in front of me to let a pedestrian cross the road. The first one pretty much totalled both cars because I was going too fast before I hit the ice and the second one resulted in a cracked panel on the bike when it fell on the floor. Luckily I didn't injure anyone other than myself. I always cycled too when I owned a car, so I think I am generally more careful when passing vulnerable road users and I always watch for pedestrians stepping out from the pavement without looking. I still use Zipcar/van when I really need something bigger than my bike and I always drive carefully because that's is my responsibility when driving a tonne of metal amongst flesh & blood road users. I include pedestrians as road users by the way. So TT, your turn.

Er, haven't you heard of wind/solar/tidal electricity?