Why you shouldn't give cyclist a wide berth when passing

[Grumpy old git]

tigger1 said:

To the OP: Come on, google link to this 8 mile stretch of road, I'm calling custard

This

[rossub]

It does sound rather unbelievable.

Are there really cyclists in the world that are such arrogant selfish s that they'd make a car sit behind them for 50 minutes? Really?

And sitting behind a cyclist for that length of time and just accepting it without going bat st crazy on the horn and not trying some questionable manoeuvres to get by? I sure as hell couldn't!

[mph1977]

typical PH post

there;s little or no point demolishing all the fallacies posted by the powerfully built on the thread as they will just ignore them or witter about strawmen

[StottyEvo]

pablo said:

Wills2 said:

pablo said:

Dear OP, I'm currently sat in hospital with a double pelvis fracture and a broken thumb, last Wednesday I was cycling along a fairly quiet road approaching a roundabout when a car on the road to my left pulled out in front of me, those of you well versed with the highway code will attest that it was my right of way but he obviously hadn't looked for incoming traffic, most likely because as confirmed by a witness to the police, he was on his phone at the time.

It is most likely that he barely slowed before joining the roundabout based on where he knocked me off and where I landed, he got out, muttered something to a witness and drove off without leaving any details. To my knowledge the police have been unable to trace him.

So you can take your jolly little bicycles don't deserve to be on the road thread and shove it right up your fking arse you utter utter and possibly in the future, think before you post such utter fking nonsense again.

Edited by pablo on Tuesday 23 August 16:25

But it's not nonsense is it? Those cyclists should have let him past out of common courtesy, but what that has to do with the driver who hit you I have no idea?

Because his pathetic little cyclists don't deserve equal standing on the road nonsense permeates into other people's heads and becomes acceptable.

I've been overtaken on wide roads with no oncoming traffic and been hit by wing mirrors, maybe it was accidental or maybe it was on purpose because in the drivers mind, I'm not worthy of equal standing when it comes to traffic and he was teaching me a lesson.

My point is writing st like this may be tongue in cheek but for others it's reaffirming an opinion, one with very severe consequences. Maybe the driver who hit me had been held up previously on his journey by a cyclist and just thought fk it....

And eight miles? Really...

I'm healing well thanks for asking, I'm surprised you're not asking about the fking car....

You road cyclists are insane! You're 5 times more likely to have a fatal accident on a bike when compared to a car and the chances of serious injury are astronomical. I enjoy cycling but I stick to cycle tracks, wooded paths etc. Not only is it immeasurably more fun, its impossible for some slack jawed nutter to wipe me out.

[newoldfart]

And nobody has mentioned yet that cyclists don,t pay road tax or v.e.d or whatever else you like to call it.

[FGB]

Given the ops description miss daisy would have told her driver to run them off the road.

[SteveSteveson]

I don't believe the OP for a second. Stuck behind them for the best part of an hour? Right.

I don't think I have ever been stuck behind a cyclist for more than a minute. Tractors and caravans however, they are a nightmare in summer. Tractors I have some sympathy for, as they have a job to do, and about 50% pull over. Caravans however, I have never seen one pull over and in the Cotswolds we get loads, who will happily sit at 30 and ignore the long line of cars.

[J4CKO]

Weird thread !

Trying to justify 50 minutes sat transfixed by some Lycra covered buttocks...

[g7jhp]

newoldfart said:

And nobody has mentioned yet that cyclists don,t pay road tax or v.e.d or whatever else you like to call it.

They have paid because they all have cars. Bikes are just another toy!

[Usget]

Waiting for someone to post a thread: "I was stuck behind some fking prick who was so fking incompetent behind the wheel he sat for 50 minutes behind a group of cyclists rather than overtake them"

[Usget]

julian64 said:

After that little meeting I'm now of the opinion that cyclists should not have equal access to the road as cars.

So let's break this down.

OP basically said:

After that little meeting with two examples of an easily distinguished group to which I don't belong, I have decided that they represent the whole of that easily distinguished group; and that the easily distinguished group should therefore be denied rights which are afforded to my own group

Does this represent your attitude to every part of life? Not too keen on foreigners perhaps?

[BGarside]

The OP is clearly a very atypical motorist. Around here no-one waits even a nano-second behind a cyclist before overtaking, regardless of whether there's any space, blind corner, roundabout, oncoming traffic, whatever. It seems a suicidally dangerous overtake is preferable to waiting a few seconds until it's safe to pass....

[CubanPete]

DoubleD said:

g7jhp said:

I drive and I cycle. There are idiots in both camps.

Cycling two a breast is usually dangerous and best saved for quieter roads. If a car comes you go single file and let it past as soon as it is safe to do so.

When I'm driving I always overtake with an extra wide arc as I would with horses.

It's not hard to show consideration as a driver or a cycling, it's common sense.

Warning, sensible comment alert

I drive more than I cycle. When I'm on my bike I pick the back roads. I also hold back at traffic lights, rather than filtering up to the front of the queue, so everyone has to try and pass again.

Much more chilled, pleasant and i don't keep getting a facefull of diesel fumes.

[Finlandia]

https://goo.gl/maps/QNVHAw9mENJ2

Old google maps image, now there is a barrier/fence between the double white lines, to make the road a 2+1 lane road. Why would anyone cycle on a road like this?
The limit is 100kph and on the single lane bits you can't overtake a cyclist with a big enough gap in a car, and a bus or HGV simply can't get past at all.

Seen a few cyclists here, not on my side of the road though, but wtf are they thinking?

[FGB]

Usget said:

Not too keen on foreigners perhaps?

A bit early for the race card

[defblade]

I did actually get stuck behind a small group of horses (with riders) for over half an hour on a similar road once. I know it really was that long, as we missed our reservation for lunch at the pub because of it and had to go home again, hungry. They also knew we were there, could have pulled into many passing places/field entrances/etc; the only reason they got out of the way in the end was because they finally reached the bridlepath they were heading for.

My misses wouldn't let me use the horn for fear of scaring the animals, but cyclists would have no such sympathy....

[Timberwolf]

StottyEvo said:

You road cyclists are insane! You're 5 times more likely to have a fatal accident on a bike when compared to a car and the chances of serious injury are astronomical. I enjoy cycling but I stick to cycle tracks, wooded paths etc. Not only is it immeasurably more fun, its impossible for some slack jawed nutter to wipe me out.

Far better to bash yourself up trying to huck off some particularly gnarled bit of rooty trail than be taken out by some tit in a white van who saw a cycle lane sign 2 miles ago on a different road and wants to teach you a lesson. At least then it's your own stupid fault, you can pick your bike up, put your chain back on and trundle home for some cake in the happy knowledge you've got some new bruises and war stories to tell at work the next day.

(By which time the little bit of tree trunk you bounced off will have become a 12 foot cliff face surrounded by thorns and wild boars, naturally.)

Plus the annoyances tend to be more passive things like land access issues, poor drainage or trails being completely cut up by horses, which are all avoidable with a bit of forethought and local knowledge.

That said, when I do have to take to the road on my bike the vast majority of drivers are decent, especially if I'm clearly making an effort to use cycle lanes and create passing opportunities where appropriate. Same as most cyclists are decent when I'm in my car, really. It's just a small band of cocksockets (on either "side") making life worse for the rest of us, whichever vehicle we're in.

[julian64]

I suppose the point of the post was that it was a demonstration to me that there is a 'section' of cyclist behaviour which is unlike anything else you find on the road.

I've lived in my neck of the wood for nearly twenty years and due to its location ash, kent there are large quantities of times you will be going down small country roads behind caravans, tractors, hay bailers, horses. Its all expected and part of living in a small country roads area.

I've never met a pack of horse riders who didn't pull into the next layby, and thank you for creeping past so as not to alarm the horses.

I've never met a tractor driver or someone herding sheep who didn't put an arm up to thank you for waiting. Tractors often hold up cars but you can see them trying to get to the next field so no problem

These guys didn't have to travel at 10mph, they could've pulled over at any time and I would've been passed in a flash. I've done this countless times on a bike its simple just to pull into a driveway for a few secs, you don't even have to take your feet off the pedals.

The 'I can hold you up and bugger you' attitude is particularly peculiar to some types of cyclists usually the lycra clad ones. Its an aggressive attitude which is contrary to MOST road users.

perhaps I should say that I kinda like sorts cars so am unlikely to be the sort who just stays behind for no reason. I do draw the line however at roaring past with a few inches to spare even if they are annoying me.

[okgo]

CABC said:

especially when there are no traffic lights to obey and a pavement to use when suits.

rather than cameras i vote for more police action on dangerous road usage by anybody.

Most people don't do this.

What is amusing is that drivers whop then become cyclists often end up doing stuff like that straight away, its very funny to hear the same old st, and then someone gets on a bike and asks what my stance is on stopping for reds.

[Hol]

g7jhp said:

newoldfart said:

And nobody has mentioned yet that cyclists don,t pay road tax or v.e.d or whatever else you like to call it.

They have paid because they all have cars. Bikes are just another toy!

Yup, And its usually a cyclist that mentions it first, in a thread that includes words like 'nobody has mentioned VED yet'.




But, on the other hand nobody on this thread has mentioned that ALL drivers are 100% on their mobile phones whenever they are trying to overtake a cyclist.
(Do you see what I did there? )