There are now cycle lanes marked on the road and the freedom to take any road position I please within these, keeping me away from traffic and making me feel secure in going out around drains, glass, tin cans, and general debris. Much much safer.
Having spent 20 years hugging the kerb, all has changed. I don't know if it's advice that has adapted or if I've only just listened to debate on the subject, but I'm now a fully signed up member of the claim the road gang. The theory here is that however far you are from the kerb, that's approximately the amount of space a car driver will give you when overtaking. No more near brushes between wing mirror and handlebar with any luck.
My conversion took place following a bit of analysis of one of my cycle commute daily near death incidences. I like to mull over how I could have avoided being in such situations. What happened is on a kind of normal residential road so not all that wide, a lorry overtook me. I was, as was my practice a couple of years ago, sedately travelling maybe 8 - 10 inches from the kerb, perhaps not even that far away. As the lorry went past me he began to move back towards the nearside to keep within the lane I presume. The impact of this was that as his rear wheels drew level with me he was close. Really close. So close in fact that I had to use all my room for manouevre and was so close to the kerb that I didn't dare risk bringing my left pedal down for fear it would hit the pavement and I would fall under the lorry. He brushed my handlebars. I reckon this situation would have been avoided if I had been more like 12 - 18 inches from the kerb, highly visible, and instead of something he just passed without having to make a pulling out decision I would have been a proper obstacle and my chances of remaining alive would be greatly enhanced. The Institute of Advanced Motorists puts this forwards as their view too. Which is nice.
Us old burds are somewhat slow to change our ways sometimes, and another thing I have had to grow into are the advanced stop lines for cyclists. Having cautiously attempted to use a few of these, I now love, adore and embrace them. So much so that when I find naughty motorists not complying I have been moved (recently) to write to my MP suggesting a poster campaign so that motorists goddam use them. Our highway code advises thusly:
"Motorists, including motorcyclists, MUST stop at the first white line reached if the lights are amber or red and should avoid blocking the way or encroaching on the marked area at other times, e.g. if the junction ahead is blocked"
Wouldn't it be wonderful if they did stop at the first line and not in my box. I get all possessive. The wonder of these boxes is that rather than sit within a queue of traffic where, once it all gets moving I will be a frustrating obstacle to those behind me, I move safely into the advance box, and stand there proudly, hogging centre stage if I'm honest, and once the lights change, that's it, I'm off. I find it funny still that with very little effort the first few pedal strokes away from the line is consistently faster away than the cars move away from the lights. I'm out of the way before they are moving, an let's face it, it only takes a distance of maybe 6 foot to ride into enough space that the car drivers can get through and all are happy. Where, as is frequent in Manchester City Centre, cars instead of waiting behind block these lanes it does pose a problem. If there is enough traffic that I haven't realised my coveted green box is occupied then I'm moving to the front of the queue only to find there is nowhere legal to go. All I can safely do is plonk myself in front of the car and in front of my box, often with a compromised view of the lights. Awkward and puzzling. My safe at home debriefs have reached only the conclusion that motorist education not my education is at fault here.
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