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I have been reporting near misses both as cyclist and driver for years – as in incidents where the highway code is not followed and as a result I had to take action to avoid an accident. Always accompanied by video footage. Apart from one occasion when the officer called the offender asking for clarifications, nothing ever happened. I think it makes sense to report to the police in case someone is a serial offender, but for one-offs where there has been no physical contact/damage/injury the police will not bother.
Hi,
A camera will definitely help if worst comes to worst and/or to share experiences. I doubt it will make any difference regarding how considerately a driver will behave. But it can put an end to disagreements regarding an incident before they heat up and lead to a calm resolution.
Cheers,
Neither cyclist nor motorists have the means to abide by such strict limits.
Hi,
I am sorry for this incident that happened to you on your first ride. My web search on the matter prompted me to buy a camera I always use while cycling as well another one I use while driving. It is very difficult to focus on details as descriptions, plate numbers, date/time/location during an incident. I had similar experience with the police even when supplied with video evidence – I am afraid it is a matter of time before people start taking matters into own hands. Perhaps we can as a group get in touch with the authorities and see what can be done – while police surely has a very busy workload, identification of ‘pranksters’ as such requires close collaboration.
Cheers,
Reasonably bright light are needed as the rural tracks/roads are mostly unlit. Combined with poor weather during the night not using bright light is a danger for the cyclist and other road users. Even in well lit roads, someone with black bike, black cloths, black gloves/shoes and some cheap flashing light is very difficult to see during rain accompanied with strong winds.
Having said that, I have also been dazzled by cycle lights more often than car lights. Sometimes this is unavoidable to a degree because road/track inclination means even correctly adjusted car/cycle lights target my eyes for a brief moment while on the move.
Last time I chcked, not many places mention that the lights need to be adjusted also, rather than just installed. Even a not so bright light will look so if it points straight to other people eyes. Lights should point slightly towards the surface and to the left (most cyclists seem to do stay on the left both on road and off-road) so you can see with a brighter beam the surface immediately ahead of you-say around 5 meters at least. A weaker less focused beam should be used for longer distances. Many cycle lights these days in fact seem to have these feature without the need of two bulbs.
I do not know if there is any law limiting the strength of cycle lights. Even cars with the MOT regular checks can be dazzling regularly. Worst offenders for me are people with helmet mounted bright lights because they blind everyone they look at without realising it.
Probably best course of action would be to ask fellow cyclists to adjust their lights so as not to point straight to other people’s eyes – aka the beam should NOT be parallel to the ground.
I think the idea is the shards will be too short to penetrate deep into the tyre and reach the tube. I used to ride along route 544 and had the issue described here until I got puncture resistant tyres. Sometimes I would inspect them and remove the glass shards/flint buried inside the tyre. Eventually as the tyre was getting worn some of them would reach the tube.
Can’t they just get rid of all the material and then crash any remaining flint?
Hi,
I have reported similar incidents either with me cycling or driving via their website, and the usual response appears to be that without independent witness there will be no prosecution but they will log the incidents and the details – pretty close to what you got.
Cheers,
Dimitris
Hi,
These routes have long stretches of heavily damaged farm tracks where bicycles are allowed.They can’t be seriously used for commuting with anything less sturdy than a hybrid with good tyres and a careful rider that can take some punishment.
Hi,
I have been using route 544 both from Didcot and from Wantage regularly for the last 4 years, and I have never seen them before in a worst state. Extreme caution is needed even under ideal weather and there are lots of points where an (in) experienced rider can come a cropper and/or wreck his bike/tyres.
Hi,
Thank you for the update. What is the status of the Upton hill track? I have used only with dry conditions in the past.
I suggest getting a dash and a rear view camera. That will give you some arrurances that if someone breaks the law there is evidence for the police to use.
Reply from OCC:
‘Oxfordshire County Council : We have inspected this problem
according to our Highways policies and have assessed that no further
work is currently required. However we will continue to monitor it
over the next 3 months. Thank you for your report.’Perhaps main gate security knows. I am surprised this was not mentioned anywhere in the staff pages.
Thames water contractors had made some repairs few months ago at a small part of the byway close to the pedestrian crossing, which were also of not much better quality: they used a small digger to spread the material on the road, leavng narrow ditches created by the bucket’s footprint. These ditches cover the entire width of the road and are impossible to avoid.
Anyway meawhile traffic and rain washed away most of the material, and made the ditches smoother.
We should advice whoever is planning to do repairs they need to be cycling friendly:). I would be glad to help with any temporary workaround meanwhile.
I have noticed the increased HGV traffic myself, and I have witnessed cyclists getting impatient and trying to get around queueing HGV traffic in dangerous ways, at one occasion almost falling off the bicycle. Both cyclists and and HGVs should be on high alert.