Drivers 'behaving worse towards cyclists', says local club chairman

Gordon Dick told the Advertiser that he feels there needs to be more “mutual respect” between drivers and cyclists after a series of deaths and serious injuries on the area's roads.

Mr Dick, who has been chairman of the Lomond Roads Cycling Club (LRCC) for the last 15 years, spoke out after club member Jonathan Ward was badly hurt in an accident on the Rosneath peninsula in December.

Mr Ward, who lives in Cove, is recovering in hospital after being struck by a car on the B833 between Mambeg and Rahane on December 15.

Just three days after that incident, cyclist Allan Smith, 58, from Glasgow, died after being struck by a car on the slip road leading from the A82 to the Erskine Bridge.

Back in September, 48-year-old Allan Fleming was killed after the bicycle he was riding was hit by an articulated lorry on the A82 near Duntocher.

And further afield, Helensburgh cyclist and LRCC member Graeme McGilvray, 49, died last year after being struck by an HGV in Majorca, where he was on holiday with other members of the club.

Mr Dick said: “Awareness of the potential for accidents is quite high among our members, although maybe that awareness is particularly heightened with all that's happened over the last few months.

“Sadly there's not a club run now where we don't have some sort of incident with a motorist.

“In a club setting, we generally ride two abreast, where road conditions allow, for safety reasons, but more and more motorists don't want to wait for a few seconds in order to carry out a safe overtaking manoeuvre.

“We're all drivers ourselves, and we fully appreciate that people just want to get to where they're going as soon as possible, but there has to be mutual respect on the roads.”

Mr Dick said the club's members were now accustomed to receiving verbal abuse – and sometimes worse – from passing motorists.

“I drive everything from motorbikes to HGVs,” he continued, “and I like to think I have a wee bit of patience and consideration for cyclists when I'm driving.

“It would be nice to think that would be reciprocated where possible. But people do seem to be in a bigger hurry to get where they're going in recent months, and we do get a lot of verbal abuse – and sometimes worse.

“More and more people will wind down their windows and shout abuse at us. On one occasion someone actually threw a bottle at one of our members from inside a car.

“We accept it's going to happen, and to a certain extent we make allowances. As far as possible we don't react.

“But if somebody does something that's dangerous, and we have an opportunity to point it out to them – for example, if we get stopped at the same set of traffic lights – some of the guys will say 'do you realise how close you were to us?'.

“And in fairness some will react positively. But others don't.”

Many drivers will tell you that one of their pet peeves is cyclists who blithely ignore the Highway Code by, for example, going through red lights.

And Mr Dick fully acknowledged that not every cyclist is entirely innocent on the roads.

“Yes, on occasions people do stupid things on bikes,” he said.

“All of us have made mistakes. But in the case of most club cyclists, you learn from your mistake, and you don't do it again.

“But a lot of occasional cyclists, or people who perhaps only cycle to commute to and from work, maybe don't have the same skills as a club cyclist.

“I've seen cyclists going through red lights. And as someone with many years of cycling experience, it infuriates me.

“I once saw a cyclist go through three red lights while I was driving. It turned out we were both going to the same cycle shop, and by the time I arrived, he was already in there, haranguing drivers for cutting him up.

“So I said 'hang on, I've had enough of this. You went through three red lights on the way here – don't you realise how dangerous that is?'”

With that need for education in mind, the club has produced a comprehensive safety briefing document for new members, which is also sent to anyone who submits an enquiry to the LRCC website (www.lomondroads.org).

“As a club we take education quite seriously,” Mr Dick added.

“We have club runs every Saturday, and on the first Saturday of every month we have an introductory run for brand new cyclists or riders who are new to the club.

“The safety briefing we give them explains what to do as a group, what to do at junctions, what safety equipment they need and so on, as well as giving information about basic fitness levels.

“About 20-30 of our members will meet up for our weekly road run every Saturday.

“That's too many as a single group, so before we set off, we split them into smaller groups, depending on their experience levels and what they want to do.

“We are fairly responsible as a club. To my knowledge there's no other club in the west of Scotland that goes to the same lengths we do to keep people safe.”

Police Scotland's website provides a list of safety tips for adult cyclists, including wearing a helmet at all times, fluorescent clothing during the day and reflective clothing at night, and ensuring bicycles are properly maintained and roadworthy.

The site also advises cyclists what to do in the event of a collision with a motor vehicle.

Inspector Adam McKenzie, from Argyll & West Dunbartonshire's divisional road policing unit, said:“To improve safety it is important that cyclists and drivers share the road with respect and tolerance.

“Whether it is drivers not giving cyclists enough room at junctions or cyclists not properly illuminating their presence on the road – it’s important to challenge this behaviour, especially considering the shorter days and wet weather we are currently experiencing.

“Police Scotland, along with a range of partner organisations, provide a wealth of guidance on how to stay safe on the roads which can be found online.

“Cyclists should also check online for cycle paths in their local area or which can supplement their commute or leisure travel."

Safety and training videos are also available at the Cycling Scotland website.