BBC to air helmet cam documentary

I think Posh is suffering from observation bias: if you're sat in a stationary car, you only see the cyclists who overtake it, not those who wait in line or who take quieter alternative routes. Of course, some of those who are happy to "mix it" with cars are nuts, while some make mistakes. Likewise, if you're on a bike on a quiet road, you don't see the cars moving at modest speeds in tidy lanes on the main roads - you see the rat runners.

The key things are to share the road, don't sink to the level of the nutters and remember not to overgeneralise about any type of road users.

Drove though central London last week during peak evening traffic. May be due to inexperience of the conditions but quite an eyeopener. Motor traffic generally kept to lanes at a modest pace. Cyclist and motorcycles all over the place weaving in and out of traffic.

It was also clear that those cyclists who were more passive were tempted to follow the practice of the more "assertive" and were clealy uncomfortable in some of the positions they found themselves.

All road users must relise that the roads are not race tracks and need to be shared. Stop jumping lights, stop racing and stop expecting all others to accommodate your bad habits.

Commuting is just that and nothing more. Ride in a manner that is appropriate for the conditions.

The attitudes shown by motorists to cyclist are also the same as those shown by some cyclists to motorists. Get used to sharing this common facility.

RSVP.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/nov/30/cycling-documentary-b...

Mmmm, can't help but worry that the programme will bring the headcam loonies to a wider audience.

I've seen the stuff on Youtube, and a percentage (not all) of it appears to be generated by people on bikes almost looking for a confrontation.

I agree with Ironbloke above - I'll watch the film, then comment.

I have decided to watch the film.............................................................................................and then comment.

Cheers BBC and Leopard Films. Let's see what happens the day after.

Commuting in London is fine as long as you keep your eyes and ears open for the numpties. 90% are just bad drivers and the others are out to be dickheads to you I reckon. I agree with one comment above that pedestrians one of the worst problems in central London (and at Elephant & Castle...). "Stop, look and listen" has now become "step out, look the wrong way, wonder where the "aaaaggggghhh sh****t" noise is coming from, look the right way, jump a mile and crap yourself".

I think this documentary is going to make everyone angry - remember, there is absolutely no TV value in showing clips of people having a nice calm normal ride to work or whatever - it's all going to be "adrenaline fuelled" (their words) confrontation and drama, otherwise it would just be boring. When did you ever hear a news headline that said "man goes to work, does not much all day, goes home, goes to bed, nothing happens"?

Word from some of the headcam crowd is that their footage has been pulled - and no preview sent....

best year ever to be a cyclist...ruined by dopers and now the bbc...great.

This smells of sensationalistic journalism from the unbiased scumbag that is the BBC, whoops I might not have sat on the fence with that comment . Have they cut the budget for their war correspondents that much that they can’t get to a proper warzone so they manufacture one a bit closer, reminds me of Drop the Dead Donkey . I wonder if they will have Clarkson as the narrator.

I commute on Manchester roads too. I find the standard of driving varies quite considerably according to area. in Gorton, rusholme, and Hulme its pretty dire for instance. In my eyes is is simply because the driver knows they won't get caught, and even if they were seen the police won't stop them.

Although it is the minority of drivers that are bad (just as it is the minority of cyclists) if it is ignored it won't be long before an ever increasing number perceives it to be normal behaviour.

"The War On Britain's Roads"; Correct me if I'm wrong, Leopard Films, I'm guessing by the title that there will be plenty of collisions, clashes, fights, swearing and arguments.

As a cyclist, I don't put myself in a situation where I'm in any real danger from motorists, although there are a few cyclists that do.

As a former professional driver, I have plenty of time for cyclists and give them plenty of room when I overtake, although there are plenty of motorists that don't.

We all know that motorists are potentially selfish, dangerous morons; treat them as such only when they act like it.

It's disappointing that the BBC has fallen for the production company's pitch for this programme - another angle on cycling to extend the story of the year. Of course it has to be presented tabloid style and sensationalised.

Hopefully the tosser count (motorists and cyclists) is about even.

It will just put people off cycling despite it actually being quite safe. Even one death is one too many, but all the time people are hearing how unsafe cycling is, we'll have fewer cyclists on the road.

More cyclists would mean willingness from government to spend more on infrastructure and would mean better attitudes. Since I've explained to my mother in-law why cyclists might be riding primary at a pinch point or why they might not be in cycle lanes, she's become a lot more tolerant and by her own admission gives them more room because it could be me. Every new cyclist has that effect on someone to some extent.

We need to encourage cycling and this isn't the way to go about it!

Round where I ride, it's not direct aggression that's the problem, it's general numptiness.

I can deck my my bike with as many lights as I can fit on it and dress myself head to to with hi-viz and cars still don't seem to be aware of my presence.

Couple that with crap road design, cars parked half on the kerb and endemic speeding and it's a recipe for disaster.

Steven_L: If you were knocked off by someone opening a door, then that's completely their fault blame-wise AFAIK. Via §105 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986", the contravention of which seems to be an offence via §42 of the Road Traffic Act, 1988. There may have been things you could have done to reduce the risk of dooring, but, regardless, the blame lies with the person who opened the door (if a passenger, the driver may still bear some responsibility). Apparently...

I largely agree with Badback above - Most bad driving is that simply bad driving which everyone else suffers regardless of their mode of transport. These people cut everyone up. turn at the last minute without indicating. Drive at night with no/side/fog lights on (delete as appropriate) and are just generally b*st*rds to everyone else

There is however a proportion of motorists who actively think people riding bikes should not be on the road, and treat us like a sub-species and abuse and berate us, and a lot of the time try to kill us.

I don't commute by bike, but do cycle as much as I can at other times mainly in urban areas, and have a near miss nearly every time I go out. I have bought and have started using a cheap action camera due to this.
I do get almost no abuse for riding a bike though.

If this "documentary" turns out to be as confrontational as the trailer etc suggests then it will be a massive disservice to cycling and put the cause back quite a bit.

I wont be surprised though as the BBC has form for being at least passively anti-cycling by not getting us, and often actively feels pro-driver.

Battle?????
What friggin battle? Let me tell I dont know much but I know that a 20lb piece of carbon/alloy is no match for a 1.5 tons of motor vehicle.
GIVE WAY TO CYCLISTS AND GIVE THEM SPACE - END OF.

They'll most likely use most of the footage that comes from helmet cam users that don't really paint cyclists in a good a light. You know the ones - the ones who are hell bent on conflict and literally go out of their way to get something Youtube worthy on camera to such a degree they'll almost orchestrate an incident.

I hope that doesn't happen of course, but I wonder with these types of docu's....

Whoops this was from a local letter to the paper

To the driver of the builder's van who shouted a stream of obscenity at me on my bike in Filton on Friday. When I tapped on your window you didn't give me a chance to let you know this because you were shouting and then you drove off. It's possibly too late now but all I wanted to tell you was that your rear door sprang open as you went over the speed bump and your tools were falling out of the back. Still, you have probably found that out by now.

I agree with a couple of the above - it's probably about one nutter per week at the moment and it is about the same whether you're on a bike or in a car.

I really hope this documentary ends with a "share the road" message - smiling and waving at buses or drivers on small country lanes really helps, I think - but I fear it won't.

...And the missus will probably watch it, freak out and I'll never hear the end of it!

When I'm not on my bike I'm in my two tons of Ford Ranger.

Invariably every week I get people cutting me up, pulling out in front of me and generally behaving like I've got a stealth shield as an optional extra in my pick up.

When I go out on my bike I still get the same problem. (The difference is that I've not got my steel coat on to protect me then).

I don't think it's a case of drivers going out of their way to give cyclists grief - I just think its general bad driving skills in the majority of cases.

We've all had near misses and some of us (me included) have been knocked off our bikes so I'm not denying that there is a risk there - there is driving or being a pedestrian too. Unfortunately this type of documentary will do sensationalise any problems there are with cycling on our roads and just make people think that the risk of getting hurt and injured is higher than it is.

This will ultimately put people off from cycling on the road and using the bicycle as a means of transport which is a bad thing in anybody's books as I feel the benefits far outweigh the risks.

Going off topic slightly the best solution I feel is a compulsory re-take of part or all of the driving test every 10 years for every driver - there are people like my dad driving who learnt way before the introduction of motorways, never mind cycle lanes and ASL's.