Is A Bike No Longer Classified As Traffic?

There have been times when i just feel that i become invisible to some motorists when i ride my push bike.

Why ?

Allow me to explain what it is that i am talking about.
As a cyclist and a motorist i see both sides of on going discussions that have been going on for several years between them both for many different reasons.
I am bemused by some motorists at the best of times when i am behind the wheel of my car but on a push bike, that is a whole new world i have been introduced to this summer.

During the summer months i got myself involved with a small group of people who went cycling on the roads most days during the week. So i purchased myself a rode bike and off i went cycling with them almost daily, i do get involved in off road biking during the winter months.
Road biking is an all new concept to me which i really enjoy but can be spoiled by the odd motorist who seem to have an issue with cyclists or am i just paranoid?

It all started one day this summer (2010) as i was riding to meet the guys one evening in my local village, when i approached a section where the road narrows and the road sign clearly states to the motorist coming towards me, Priority to on coming traffic and the motorist continued to drive at me forcing me to move over and stop. What is that all about?

These kind of situations started to happen more and more, for an instance i was riding along a fairly busy main road early one morning and i was approaching an island in the middle of the road signifying the road narrows, when clearly there was insufficient room for the safe passing of a cyclist and a motorist together. When suddenly the motorist continued to drive through the gap narrowly missing me but his door mirror clipped my handle bar, my concern was that i don't think the driver even saw me. Believe me when i tell you that my cycling jersey is the brightest orange you will ever see.

Please don't get me wrong, this does not apply to all motorists but it does apply to many. I know there are motorists out there who are frustrated with cyclists and as with motorists there are some terrible cyclists who ride as though the rules of the road/highways don't apply to them.

In my opinion this all starts from an early age when a child receives their first bike.
I am of the opinion there are many parents out there who purchase a bicycle for their little ones to enjoy riding but don't have the patience to teach them to actually ride it safely, without the use of stabilizers? Once the child has built up enough courage to keep his/her balance on the bike without the stabilizers, i can't help but admit as a parent, here is where i thought my job of teaching my child to ride the bike was now complete.

I could not have been more wrong.
Questions i failed to ask myself:
1. is he aware that by law he shouldn't ride on the pavement?
2. is he not too young to ride on the road?
3. is there actually a legal age for riding a bike on the road?
4. does he even know the difference between a stop sign or give way sign?

The list does go on but I'm sure you understand what i am trying to say.

Safety is paramount, now that your child can stay on their bike without falling off it, may i suggest guiding them through some basic safety rules on how to actually ride. By explaining that riding on the pavement is actually illegal as it is a public footpath but as a child it is not recommended that they should be on the road at this stage due to the many dangers that the traffic on the roads can deliver. However, this doesn't mean for one minute that riding anywhere is without its dangers, even the footpath is dangerous if not ridden with due care and attention. Cycling too fast on the footpath is a big concern and vehicles pulling off driveways is another, the accident rate is rather high to say the least.
Come on Mums and Dads, surely it is worth just to run through some basic rules of road safety for your children before they go out cycling on their own?
Ask yourself this question. How do you know they know? Because i can tell you now They Don't.

Be Bright At Night
The evenings are drawing in here in the UK and it beggars belief when i see cyclists without lights on their bikes, there are so many lighting options available these days and reasonably priced so no excuses please. Besides, i suppose it all depends on how much you value your life.
The rear lamp i use is this one which has a tail light, brake light and directional indicators and it even comes with a horn, now how good is that? Works for me.
These are just some examples of the   bike lamps available to you.