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Arising out of the other two threads (Cyclist killed in Oxford and Compulsory tabard wearing).
I am a woman. I ride to work pretty much every day.
When I use my pink and red courier bag, and, in warm weather, wear more obviously 'girl's' clothing I feel that drivers squeeze me in, cut in front of me and generally take more liberties than when ...
I use my dark green backpack and, in cooler weather, wear more/darker clothes.
Now I am recovering from a back operation I am riding more slowly and less dynamically (I mean I am sitting down all the time, not out of the saddle) ie more like *generalisation* a woman. Guess what? Drivers squeezing me in, cutting in front of me (you know, to turn left).
Do drivers take more liberties with women? My very very very non-scientific 'research' (lol) suggests that may be so.
Nope, I've been known to sit behind a woman in Lycra for miles...
Just me then. Sorry ill get my coat
That's really weird that I find it to be the other way round! Not disbelieving you at all, but drivers up here seem much more wary of women cyclists.
It's women drivers you have to be careful of - on the whole they're the most aggressive drivers with the least concern with what's outside the piece of plastic in front of them.
LG - that is interesting.
aP - agreed, women drivers are aggressive, fail to anticipate, have limited/no awareness, tailgate
It would appear I'm neither your typical woman driver or cyclist then!
ap - I've found that to be so too.
Women drivers are less likely to actually cycle on the road, so therefore have no idea how scarey it is when we're 'not'seen' or given enough room. Everyone needs to have some form of cycling experience before taking their driving test imo (I think Samuri mentioned this on the other thread).
Karinofnine - I find that wobbling around a bit and constantly looking behind, so drivers can see that there is a human riding, with a face helps.
I also found that in a group I would be singled out for road rage comments and general aggressive behavior (being small and easy to shout at and mostly riding at the back). Not sure if clothing has anything to do with it.
Research has shown that women are given more room by passing motorists. 3.5" extra, IIRC, which is naff all.
According to the scientific research, drivers actually give women more space when overtaking
(go to "gender effects" section)
Could it be that you are currently more weary of traffic following your recent back op?
There was some "scientist" that put a device on a bike to measure the distance that traffic gave, results showed that female cyclists were given more space than male (although his research may have been flawed in actually showing men in wigs were given more space).
IME of riding about in That London (yes it's true!), I find that the very worst drivers are often young men, zooming about to impress their mates/girls. They can often be quite aggressive and I've had many run-ins with this type of driver. The next has to be mums with a car full of kids, on the 'phone, just no clue about what's going on around them.
In the centre of town, the worst are black taxi drivers. Driving in heavy traffic all the time means they are very aware of the size of gap they can get through, but consequently leave you bugger all 'wobble space', and can clip your bars/wheels. Also, many of them seem to think they have a God-given right to be able to drive and everyone else is in their way. Incredibly selfish a lot of them. Most trips into town see me having to shout at a taxi driver cos they've bin a knob.
Then it's White Vayn Mayn. Under pressure to get from place to place quickly, and in a vehicle that often don't belong to them personally, they can be a right menace.
A far less obvious but equally deadly menace is the 'don't quite know where I'm going' out-of-towner who is way out of their depth in the chaos of London traffic. Totally unpredictable and prone to sudden lethal movements. Invariably terrified and therefore even more dangerous.
But what unites them all, is that none of them give us cyclists 'enough' space....
Theres 2 men who cycle round here while dressed as ladies, and cars do give them a wide berth, and then usually swerve back in as the car approaching almost hits the motorist, ,because theyre to busy looking in their mirrors to check what theyve just seen.
Elfinsafety -
the worst are black taxi drivers.
racist
project - MemberTheres 2 men who cycle round here while dressed as ladies
Did we really need to know what you do in your spare time? 😉
I think you're reading too much into it, on the whole I believe drivers just see cyclists regardless of gender, clothing, hair colour or what they had for dinner.
It would be dangerous to wear different clothes and try to look like a man and assume that you will be safer on the roads.
gf is a roadie, and in all her lycra gets less room than when we are just pottering about.
agree that woman drivers are the worst, other than the usual ****ers (young men) , then people on phones, oh and people that don't overtake, but just sit behind you that's really annoying!!