Why you should give cyclists a wide berth when passing.

[diddles]

Finlandia said:

Maybe the cyclist shouldn't be drunk or steer under the car. The car gave plenty of room, the drunk on the cycle is the problem here, not the lack of space given by the car.

+1

[Mave]

DoubleD said:

Because it leaves more wobble room. With less wobble room you have to pass more slowly, this means you spend far longer on the wrong side of the road.

A driver should do everything possible to get past safely and a cyclist should do everything possible to help the driver get past safely.

Generally, if I can't leave sufficient wobble room then I don't pass at all. There's either sufficient space to pass with a decent speed differential or I wait. If a road is wide enough for 2 cars to pass each other briskly, then it's wide enough to pass a pair of cyclists if you use the full width of the road unless they're particularly broadly spaced out.

[frisbee]

DoubleD said:

Because it leaves more wobble room. With less wobble room you have to pass more slowly, this means you spend far longer on the wrong side of the road.

A driver should do everything possible to get past safely and a cyclist should do everything possible to help the driver get past safely.

Two riders side by side only take up half a lane, nothing wrong with overtaking at speed in the other lane.

Too many lazy drivers who just can't be bothered to change down a gear, turn the steering wheel or even indicate.

[Mave]

krarkol said:

Very true.

Except the law favours the minorities

I would argue that rather than favour the minorities, it's actually protecting the most vulnerable - but even then, the law has no teeth. Or if it has, it choses not to bite.

[Skyedriver]

spookly said:

I always give cyclists loads of room, and wait for a sufficiently roomy place to overtake even if it means waiting for miles.

Doesn't stop me from hating the lycra clad packs of cyclists for being in the way in the first place, but I wouldn't do something to endanger them either.

Seems the courtesy is never reciprocated though as I have never seen a bunch of cyclists pull in to let a big queue of traffic past.

Agree wholeheartedly

I have been trying to decide which is worse, one wobbly cyclist going slowly that brings you to almost a standstill until you can pass or the 15 bike peloton doing 15 or 20mph but are spread out over 25 metres of road and from verge to white line.

However when I'm out on my bike I'm always on my own and try to keep out of harms way. Unless on the rare ocassions where I have my 10 year old with me in which case it's quiet roads and I'm all over the road looking for vehicles from all directions and putting me between then and him. I think most drivers are prepared to wait a few seconds to avoid a cyclist with a child but I'm pleased he wasn't with me when the white 4x4 pick up nearly had me head on last weekend as he tried to squeeze between me and a jogger with dog at 40mph. about 300mm clearance between as pass and a possible fatal.

[jonnM]

gradsailor said:

Pot holes.

The roads are full of them.

The answer is for car drivers to pay more road tax. Then they could repair the potholes and us lycra louts wouldn't have to swerve around them.

[DoubleD]

frisbee said:

DoubleD said:

Because it leaves more wobble room. With less wobble room you have to pass more slowly, this means you spend far longer on the wrong side of the road.

A driver should do everything possible to get past safely and a cyclist should do everything possible to help the driver get past safely.

Two riders side by side only take up half a lane, nothing wrong with overtaking at speed in the other lane.

Too many lazy drivers who just can't be bothered to change down a gear, turn the steering wheel or even indicate.

Half a lane if they feel like using half a lane, more if they feel like using more. The problem is that i am far too lazy to turn the steering wheel or change down a gear. So i will sit behind them at 12mph for 3 miles.

[popeyewhite]

RenOHH said:

You should be fully into the other lane when passing a cyclist anyway. That is in the Highway Code for sure,

Actually it's not.

RenOHH said:

if you want to start quoting the HC.

I wasn't, but I will now - on overtaking: "give motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car (see Rules 211-215)"

RenOHH said:

And you've checked that the overtake is safe before doing it, so how is it more dangerous to be fully in the opposite lane? Sounds like you mean it's more dangerous for the overtaking car if they decide to do it on a bend or decide to do it with a car oncoming - something a lot of people think is okay to do.

Oh come on, in an overtake situation from the perspective of oncoming traffic it has to be safer if you're closer to your own side of the road! Only an idiot would argue otherwise.

RenOHH said:

But yes, say you ended up with a queue of 5+ cars behind you, you'd pull over and let them pass. I do this every day on the way to/from work when I'm on single lane country roads, even if only 1 car is behind as they cannot pass me safely on such a narrow road.

Good, it's nice to see decent road manners. A tractor pulled in for me the other day - a pleasant surprise.

[GetCarter]

Imagine, for a moment, that you are driving on a single track road - that's one car's width. No overtaking possible. Imagine that road is 11 miles long. Then imagine three cyclists riding side by side at +/- 8 mph, with a convoy of a dozen cars behind them, including delivery vehicles, workmen etc.

Imagine the cyclists NOT using the passing places to let the motorised vehicles past. Just taking the whole road at their speed. Deliberately slowing all traffic to their speed.

Imagine you were on your way to the vet, 60 miles distant with a very ill dog.

Imagine how annoying that would be.

Welcome to my day today in the North West Highlands.

ETA... for those that know me, Jackson dog is on pain killers and antibiotics - prognosis fair to poor.


...oh, and before cylists turn up and say 'minority'. It happens all the time. Just ask the Tesco drivers!

Edited by GetCarter on Saturday 20th August 20:14

[caelite]

GetCarter said:

...oh, and before cylists turn up and say 'minority'. It happens all the time. Just ask the Tesco drivers!

Edited by GetCarter on Saturday 20th August 20:14

Tesco driver here, can confirm. I always remember to give a couple of short blasts of the horn before I pass them closely in my large box van so they know a large vehicle is preparing to pass and can prepare appropriately.

Oh god its funny watching them trying to hold on to there wobbling bike while simultainiously trying to flip me off.

[funkyrobot]

GetCarter said:

Imagine, for a moment, that you are driving on a single track road - that's one car's width. No overtaking possible. Imagine that road is 11 miles long. Then imagine three cyclists riding side by side at +/- 8 mph, with a convoy of a dozen cars behind them, including delivery vehicles, workmen etc.

Imagine the cyclists NOT using the passing places to let the motorised vehicles past. Just taking the whole road at their speed. Deliberately slowing all traffic to their speed.

Imagine you were on your way to the vet, 60 miles distant with a very ill dog.

Imagine how annoying that would be.

Welcome to my day today in the North West Highlands.

ETA... for those that know me, Jackson dog is on pain killers and antibiotics - prognosis fair to poor.


...oh, and before cylists turn up and say 'minority'. It happens all the time. Just ask the Tesco drivers!

Edited by GetCarter on Saturday 20th August 20:14

I would say the cyclists in question aren't courteous. However, the problem arises when all cyclists are judged in this manner.

There are blanket comments in this thread along the lines of 'idiots in lycra'. These are made by some about pretty much every cyclist they see. Painted with the same brush and all that.

If it's any consolation, I don't behave like the cyclists you mention. I'm sure that the majority of cyclists on here (who have a good balance of driving and riding experience) would be the same as me.

[GetCarter]

funkyrobot said:

GetCarter said:

Imagine, for a moment, that you are driving on a single track road - that's one car's width. No overtaking possible. Imagine that road is 11 miles long. Then imagine three cyclists riding side by side at +/- 8 mph, with a convoy of a dozen cars behind them, including delivery vehicles, workmen etc.

Imagine the cyclists NOT using the passing places to let the motorised vehicles past. Just taking the whole road at their speed. Deliberately slowing all traffic to their speed.

Imagine you were on your way to the vet, 60 miles distant with a very ill dog.

Imagine how annoying that would be.

Welcome to my day today in the North West Highlands.

ETA... for those that know me, Jackson dog is on pain killers and antibiotics - prognosis fair to poor.


...oh, and before cylists turn up and say 'minority'. It happens all the time. Just ask the Tesco drivers!

Edited by GetCarter on Saturday 20th August 20:14

I would say the cyclists in question aren't courteous. However, the problem arises when all cyclists are judged in this manner.

There are blanket comments in this thread along the lines of 'idiots in lycra'. These are made by some about pretty much every cyclist they see. Painted with the same brush and all that.

If it's any consolation, I don't behave like the cyclists you mention. I'm sure that the majority of cyclists on here (who have a good balance of driving and riding experience) would be the same as me.

I'm a cyclist myself. And of course most of cyclists don't behave like this. But SHED loads do, and they are driving the locals nuts as we are at work and they are on holiday, and they don't seem to get that we have to be somewhere, and they don't. And then they turn on the 'militant' thing. Grrrr. Ask the locals what they hate most about the NC500, it's not the blats, the fast cars, the noise, or even the single day B&B occupancy (though that's close), it's the cyclists.

You have to understand we are in a unique position here as most of the time we simply cannot overtake cyclists unless they let us.

[Mave]

popeyewhite said:

Oh come on, in an overtake situation from the perspective of oncoming traffic it has to be safer if you're closer to your own side of the road! Only an idiot would argue otherwise.

From the perspective of oncoming traffic; if you can't safely complete the overtake before hazarding oncoming traffic then you shouldn't be attempting it. The overtake is either on or its not. On a narrow B road you shouldn't be planning to be on the wrong side of the road when you pass the guy coming the other way.

[funkyrobot]

GetCarter said:

I'm a cyclist myself. And of course most of cyclists don't behave like this. But SHED loads do, and they are driving the locals nuts as we are at work and they are on holiday, and they don't seem to get that we have to be somewhere, and they don't. And then they turn on the 'militant' thing. Grrrr. Ask the locals what they hate most about the NC500, it's not the blats, the fast cars, the noise, or even the single day B&B occupancy (though that's close), it's the cyclists.

You have to understand we are in a unique position here as most of the time we simply cannot overtake cyclists unless they let us.

I understand Mr Carter. I live in Lincolnshire and mostly ride small country lanes (to get away from vehicles and traffic). Cars only pass me safely if myself and the driver cooperate.

It's a shame there are so many idiots tarnishing the reputation of decent people on bikes. Makes me realise why some people hate me for simply being on a bicycle.

[popeyewhite]

Mave said:

popeyewhite said:

Oh come on, in an overtake situation from the perspective of oncoming traffic it has to be safer if you're closer to your own side of the road! Only an idiot would argue otherwise.

From the perspective of oncoming traffic; if you can't safely complete the overtake before hazarding oncoming traffic then you shouldn't be attempting it. The overtake is either on or its not. On a narrow B road you shouldn't be planning to be on the wrong side of the road when you pass the guy coming the other way.

[fangio]

RenOHH said:

You should be fully into the other lane when passing a cyclist anyway. That is in the Highway Code for sure,

Can't find that anywhere. It says give cyclists the same room as when passing a car. I give a car about 3 feet!

How much do you give a car?

[Twilkes]

fangio said:

RenOHH said:

You should be fully into the other lane when passing a cyclist anyway. That is in the Highway Code for sure,

Can't find that anywhere. It says give cyclists the same room as when passing a car. I give a car about 3 feet!

How much do you give a car?

The wording is ambiguous, but the diagram shows that you should pass as if the cyclist was taking up as much space as a car:

[Finlandia]

Twilkes said:

fangio said:

RenOHH said:

You should be fully into the other lane when passing a cyclist anyway. That is in the Highway Code for sure,

Can't find that anywhere. It says give cyclists the same room as when passing a car. I give a car about 3 feet!

How much do you give a car?

The wording is ambiguous, but the diagram shows that you should pass as if the cyclist was taking up as much space as a car:

Which is what the car in the video did, then the cyclist decided to wobble across the road and throw himself at the car.

[WinstonWolf]

Had he given that much room he would have missed the cyclists head. That is the correct position to be in when overtaking cyclists.

It was completely the cyclists fault, but as a driver I'd rather avoid hitting anyone. If you can mitigate a poleaxe by giving a bit more room it makes sense to me.

[heebeegeetee]

Really not sure there is anything to learn from those Russian video, other than there's a thousand ways to kill a Lada.