Let's Get Visible – A Clear Case of Irony

I think a cyclist was knocked off at Rowstock a few days ago. There is talk about work being undertaken on the round-about at some time – improvements of some kind. I have not searched it. I used to avoid the roundabout on a bike. I don’t like it in the car let alone on a bicycle. There have been two collisions in as many weeks there, both early in the day. Please everyone take care on the round-about. It is not a nice place.

The posters are a nice idea. They are not too naggy, which is good as people do not like being nagged. I wish the campaign could be extended to local community. Perhaps I will write a quick simple e-mail to a councillor or two, such as Mrs Patrick in Wantage. Is it okay to point people to your campaign as an example?

I don’t think Rowstock is much worse than any other roundabout. I have been driving to work over it (on and of, depending on where I lived) for 36 years and once managed an unbroken 51 weeks (too much snow one week) cycling to work and back over it. In all that time I witnessed three incidents (that I can recall) all caused by car drivers not looking and had none that involved me. One involved a cyclist. It would seem wrong to single it out with taxpayers’ money on that basis wwhen there are just as many accidents elsewhere. On a bike I find approaching with confidence, not riding in the gutter and making eye contact with drivers who may affect you quite effective (and not all cyclists do this, which, in my view is a fault and some just barrel down and acrosss, which is very dangerous).

As an aside, the cyclist in the incident above slid acrosss the bonnet of a car and landed on his back on the road with an almighty crack from his helmet I heard in the car. While helmets may give a false sense of security and are not the “answer” , it most certainly was the answer on that particular evening for him, so I started wearing mine, at least for the work journey. (He was OK I drove him and the remains of his bike back home).

I think Rowstock would benefit more from the road being resurfaced as the existing surface is very poor in places.
When clycling home and getting in the right hand lane to go towards Didcot, there are some pretty large potholes/cracks.
It’s bumpy on a mountian bike and awful on a road bike.

True enough, but, alas, not atypical of roads around here 🙁

Sorry to hear you got knocked off Kevin, glad you are not too badly injured.
The same thing happened to me in Abingdon last week at a roundbout (at dusk / I was fully hi-vised and lit up) … I saw the guy in a commercial van look straight at me (through me?) and then pulled out right into my path, I managed to swerve and avoid him. He was apologetic when I caught up with him though which made me feel a little happier.
I’m not sure what else I can do to stop this from happening, I have read the RAF chaps article.
I had a motorbike for many years, the only way I found to keep safe from cars pulling out of side roads / roundabouts was to fit a loud-ish exhaust, so if they didn’t see me hopefully they would hear me. It seemed to work but cant be applied to cycling!

Sorry to hear about your incident Kevin. Good to know you and the bike are ok. I see you quite often on your bike and know you are always lit up and hi-visd!!

Just a thought about Rowstock, would traffic lights help there to calm that section down? I agree with Didcotbob as I am a rider and motorbiker and eye contact with the driver is really key. If you haven’t had that eye contact then you back off a bit and brace yourself for anything that hopefully will not happen.

Fair point about the round-about not being special. I just thought if they are going to re-work it anyway then people can have their say on it. I have no real opinions on it. I just avoid it. But I think any work is a long way off. From Didcot commuter’s point of view it would be better to see to the Winnaway, connecting the short stretch from the crossing to the Winnaway. Then using Rowstock becomes a personal choice. I think that’s a previous topic though and been said before.

I have been knocked off twice from people pulling out. Once outside Harwell many moons ago. That was in the old halogen lights days, before LEDs. I tend to do the eye contact and planning for the worst thing. Motorcyclists have the same problem of course. I guess it is down to the individual. My sister says “expect everyone to be an idiot then you will be okay”. If I see some-one on a mobile phone I just stop and wait anyway as they are definitely not paying any notice.

One cyclist I spotted recently had a loud electric horn on the handlebars. It definitely worked. You knew he was there, but I do not want to start something with horns. Us cyclists are annoying enough as it is. I use the bell, that can sometimes heard.

I am glad that the cyclist at Rowstock and yourself were okay.

As an historical note from an old fart… Rowstock in my time has been roundabout, lights and back to roundabout again. Given that lights (e.g. the ones at Milton interchange) are now much more intelligent (…well less stupid anyway) and reactive, it might tbe worth having them again. FWIW, the bit of the cycle to work from Abingdon I liked least was not Rowstock but turning right at the top of Steventon hill (there is the issue of the cycle path between Drayton and Abingdon but agreement on that is unlikely in any forum).

I find the increased pleasantness of cycling from Didcot via Upton and up and up the side of Hagbourne hill and staying on the cycle route more than compensates for the extra length but, as I say, I’m an old fart who likes to look at the scenery when cycling. My days of head down time trialling to work are over (OK they never existed, but you get the point). And the Winnaway is a bit treacherous in the dark. And Harwell is a bit crap for cycling.