The Anonymous Cyclist

The Police

2011-07-05T09:30:00.002+01:00

Brilliant! There are 2 kinds of cyclists that really really annoy me. 1. The fixie riders that think its fine to just whizz off the pavement onto the road and into my side, I understand that they like to go fast, but I will never understand the need to go fast an then brake all of a sudden. 2. The people that ride the 'Boris' barclays Bikes and have no road skills whatsoever. They swerve all over the road causing havoc.

This morning a wonderful thing happened, an example of both were annoying me on my way in to work, both went through the red lights at the cross roads before Southwark bridge, both got stopped by the police and fined.

Flashing vs Solid

2010-12-22T15:33:00.000Z

Hmmmmmm, which beam is better?

I like a mixture of both. I'm a rear flasher, but I don't go full frontal, I must admit though I notice cyclists more if they're flashing me :)

Crazy BMW

2010-11-22T15:26:00.000Z

Well today my friends, I actually nearly died. Some of you may say it serves me right for cycling on the Shepherd's Bush roundabout, but I had my fluorescent jacket on, I had my lights on and I had run no red lights, I was quite clearly in the correct lane and very visible. Maybe the man in his BMW didn't see me because he was texting. Yes that sounds accurate.

May I ask a potentially stupid question?

I'm going to anyway. If it is illegal to use a phone whilst driving, why do people think it is better to text than ring someone? Is it because the phone is more or less out of sight? Is it because it is cheaper.

Answer peeps. Don't fucking text while you're driving, you'll kill someone and then you'll never be the same again, they'll be dead and you'll be guilt ridden for the rest of your life.

Rant over.

Little action on the sun filled roads

2010-07-06T16:15:00.002+01:00

Racerback tan lines and a dodgy knee, I did what all cyclists should hate on monday and decided to run into work instead, now my knees hurt. Silly.
The roads seem to fill up with Fair Weather Cyclists about now, its potentially the most annoying thing ever, because they behave like fish caught in a tide. No control or awareness at all.

Get off the roads!

I shouldn't say that I welcome all cyclists but I wish they were less of a danger to me, at this time of year I fear the Fair Weather Cyclist as much as I do the motorist.

Ah well the adventure continues...

2010 cycling

2010-02-05T12:13:00.002Z

WOW! It has either been freezing cold or i've been on holiday. I've been rubbish. Got a new helmet for christmas and it matches my bike. What a loser I am.

Anyway will post next week, might even get my helmet cam back off Dhrubo. Catch some nice morning footage of motorists trying to kill me.

The problem with cycling

2009-12-02T17:06:00.003Z

So it could be any number of things;

maybe i'm referring to the rain, maybe i'm talking about the generally crap driving abilities of London motorists.

But today i'm referring to the general grumpiness of drivers. Taxi drivers hate us, car drivers hate us, bus drivers hate us & lorries seem to think we are the spawn of satan. (I think this is because they have to actively look at the road) The irony I spotted over the last two days was that on Tuesday (heaven forbid) I went through a red light. I stand by my decision to do so as it was my safest option, but a taxi driver pulled up next to me and asked me why I did so, I explained that it was safer to get out of his way because he was very close to me. Today (Wednesday) I stopped at the same lights, and on pulling away when the light went green, the driver of the car behind me, who was very impatient, shouted at me out of her window for taking too long to pull away.

My question to motorists is, which would you prefer?

1. I go when it is safe for me to do so. Breaking the rules, but allowing you and I to progress at leisure.

or

2. I wait and follow the rules, and you patiently wait for me to pick up speed as i'm using my own energy to move forward rather than petrol.

As the great lottery advertising once said.

YOU DECIDE

T.A.C.

Long time no speak

2009-11-10T09:50:00.002Z

Well, this morning proved to be enough incentive for me to write a post.

My issues today:

1. If you are a parent, I would assume that you wouldn't stand in the road with your small children to cross the road, maybe stand on the pavement and teach them how to cross the road properly. (can you recognise the sarcasm) Also when I tell you to stand on the pavement i'm trying to be helpful (granted in a very busy body way), don't tell me to shut up.

2. If you are the driver of the Range Rover that cut me up this morning, you are a wimp, when I shout at you through your window telling you that you have cut me up, locking your door makes you seem a bit pathetic as i'm a girl. Just don't cut me up and then (in a diddums voice) scary girl won't shout at you.

T.A.C.

TUBE STRIKE

2009-06-10T10:40:00.003+01:00

So, to start I am very sorry that I haven't done any blog posts for such a long time, I have been uber busy but there is no excuse.

This Tube Strike has spurred me into action though. I have still been cycling into work everyday and to see the amount of traffic there was on the roads this morning, I thought I should mention it. My usual journey, which on average takes about 40 minutes took 1 hour 15 minutes today. I literally cycled through one giant traffic jam today.

I say to you RMT strike losers, "My company has a pay freeze because of the old recession, so I won't have had a pay increase since Jan 08, stop being so greedy and deal with the fact that you do a job that requires limited training and education. You provide a service which the whole of London is grateful for, but there are people who don't have jobs, but might want yours."

Shake it

2009-03-10T20:40:00.000Z

Some more footage of my commute into work. I've speeded up the bits I thought were boring but let me know what you think.

Yours

T.A.C.

Awesome substitute to actually cycling this weekend

2009-03-09T16:20:00.002Z

I'm guessing there would be a lot of punctures, but I could live with that. Imagine how cool I would look.

The rules

2009-03-05T14:11:00.003Z

So...
...when I am cycling I know that there are people out there who assume I will go through red lights, assume I will mount the kerb and assume that I wwill generally be shit on the roads.
I can understand peoples issues with cyclists, there are a lot out there that give us a bad name, but I would like to point out with this video that there are also pedestrians out there giving other pedestrians a bad name.
If there is a queue of traffic and you are a pedestrian, please don't just cross between the cars, because I may be cycling down the side of all the cars. Usually in a little lane called the cycle lane.
I usually get very annoyed, but this is because I would hate to hurt somenone, so just look please.
Yours
T.A.C.

Officially Gutted!!!

2009-03-05T08:57:00.002Z

I was very disorganised and so I ran out of space on my memory card this morning, only to miss a motorcyclist get so annoyed being stuck in a traffic jam that he went up onto the pavement and rode along on that for a bit. So let's hope people don't say its just cyclists, its motorcyclists too.

Nice Socks

2009-03-04T17:08:00.002Z

Its funny how cyclists hate buses and taxis and vice versa, but sometimes we dislike each other. I wouldn't go so far as hate, as i'm pleased so many people do cycle. But get out of the way!!!

Bit of a video mash up

2009-03-04T16:12:00.003Z

Wow! This footage is pretty incident free. I think i'll see if I can film where I have been as opposed to where I am going. Then I'll be able to see all the car drivers swearing at me.

Some more footage finally

2009-03-04T09:54:00.002Z

I'll be far more effective in cutting together my footage soon. Sorry for the lack of excitement.

Yours

T.A.C.

A video

2009-03-03T22:24:00.002Z

A wobbly start, I think I was worrying about the camera on my head, but you'll see that once I start to get going it gets a bit better.
See if you can spot the crappy drivers and pedestrians on my route.

With video! Here goes...

2009-03-03T21:13:00.002Z

This video thing is annoying me now

Sorry for the lack of recent blogging

2009-03-03T19:23:00.001Z

I promise i'm working on it now.

Twas a bit dark for filming...

2009-02-16T22:24:00.004Z

Footage looks really bad when its dark out, it looks like the winter footage will just be from the morning.

In a way I was quite pleased that the morons didn't go into hiding as soon as I got my camera.

Well she is hard to spot. But be assured my visibility was a lot better than the cameras. I'll show you once i've brightened it up a bit.

T.A.C.

Helmet Cam

2009-02-13T11:03:00.002Z

Helmet cam has arrived. I am excited to say the least. Just the task of working out how to attach the little devil without it being as unstable as it is now. I might look silly if I have to wear my snowboarding helmet to cycle everyday.

Yours

T.A.C.

Friday 13th action today...

2009-02-13T09:36:00.002Z

And there was me, thinking Friday 13th would bring mass morons to the road. I was pleasantly surprised. I still hate Taxi drivers, I think people's impatience is laughable and I can't believe how stupid people can be sometimes, but I will always continue to cycle. I love it.

No more cycling until monday night. So ride safetly.

Yours

T.A.C.

Action Today...

2009-02-12T10:00:00.002Z

So today... it would appear that the roads were full of morons. I saw many incidents of people not looking, not indicating, not paying attention.

The worst of these incidents, and i feel i should name and shame this taxi driver: license plate 15025, and number plate LG07 ATY .

So I was riding along Holland Park Avenue and there are a set of traffic lights just as you come off the Holland Park Roundabout. I was lucky as I wasn't as far along as the other guy. A taxi coming in the other direction decided without any warning, signal or forethought it would seem, to do a U-turn around said traffic lights and nearly kill the poor cyclist going in the opposite direction. I'm pretty sure the taxi driver scared the shit out of both himself and the poor cyclist, but I don't think it will stop him doing it again.

Other incidents today:

1 car pulling into my lane so quickly and without warning that I actually had to brake sharply, shout and swerve out of the way (when I asked him as I pulled up later if had seen me he hadn't, which he thought was perfectly fine)
3 incidents of being cut up by cars overtaking me with ridiculous acceleration only to pull in right in front of me
2 incidents of mopeds overtaking me in the bus lane when I am clearly indicating that I would like to pull into the lane to the right (note to moped riders, it hurt when you bash my arm as you go past.
& 1 incident of a lovely cyclist informing me that the light attatched to my bag was likely to fall off any minute.

I am looking forward to the day my helmet cam arrives, then I can have proof of these incidents.

Yours

T.A.C.

No action today...

2009-02-11T09:43:00.003Z

I had to get the tube this morning :(
What a dull view, there was no change in scenery, there was one saving grace...

Action today...

2009-02-10T15:27:00.002Z

A pretty safe ride in today. Very wet and I got wet last night too. Actually most of my gear was still damp this morning. Gross!!

I was naughty today though. Out of choice I went onto the pavement, not a cardinal sin I am sure you will agree, but for all the times I rant about pedestrians it is not fair for me to then go onto the pavement. So I apologise.

I'm not cycling tonight, I have real friends that eat so i'm meeting them.

Today:

1 massive traffic jam, nearly a mile long from one set of road works shutting one lane for less than 50m. (That's when I went up on the pavement)
1 car overtaking me to then pull in straight after (just wait!!!)
& 1 motorbike changing gear and creating an almighty racket because they didn't make it to 2nd gear and so tried to accelerate in neutral (I just thought that was funny)

Yours

T.A.C.

Action Today...

2009-02-09T11:05:00.002Z

Boring cycle in.

Maybe I secretly enjoy it when dangerous things happen, it definitely makes the journey more exciting, that is a bad thing. right? There were the usual mundane occurrences. Pedestrians walking out in front of me without looking.

Why do cyclists not indicate? I find myself thinking of the Japanese philosophical question 'If a tree falls in the woods and there is no-one there to hear it, does it make a sound?' if I indicate and nobody is looking, am I indicating anything? I make a point of indicating, mainly for my own safety, but if no-one is looking, my indication will have no affect on the outcome.
Puzzling no?

Anyway. Today:

5 incidents of pedestrians walking out in front of me (good use of vocal chords this morning, it must be a Monday thing, people still being asleep)
1 coach forcing me onto the pavement by overtaking too close
& 2 cars cutting me up on right handed turns at junctions

Yours

T.A.C.