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

[WinstonWolf]

caelite said:

WinstonWolf said:

If the majority of cyclists aren't using the path the path isn't much cop. Be very careful what you wish for, the only way you'll get more cyclists on dedicated paths is to give them priority at junctions. Your wish will work out worse for all of us when we drive...

Thats why I said that incentive should be required for them to use the path, negative or otherwise. Im sure many would move onto the path if £60 FPNs started getting chucked about. And the ones who dont will be in a far smaller minority than before which would for the most part solve the issue.

It's only a "problem" for a small minority of selfish road users. Most of us co-exist quite happily. A bicycle might delay a small portion of your journey, you'll only end up arriving at the next jam caused by our cars a little sooner...

[Digby]

FiF said:

I'm still maintaining however that there are a few cyclists, usually singletons, who do seem to ride looking for confrontation.

A short while ago, I followed a group of nine or ten riders down a country lane and even though there was room to pass, I waited as I was turning left at a junction approx a mile ahead and they were not riding single file all of the time. Behind, I had another group of riders numbering five or six. I drove patiently along behind them, sat between these two groups and as we eventually approached the junction, the group ahead stopped to turn right and I stopped to turn left.

The group behind me who would have obviously noted my patience (?) then caught us up and despite me being close to hedgerows on my left with my indicator on, proceeded to then ride single file (just) up the inside of my car, turn left in front of me and then block the road seconds later once I had turned after waiting for the other group to move off to the right.

I was now on another stretch of lane with no room to pass and with this group all spread out.

We had words and they couldn't see anything wrong with what they had done and I was told "You are on camera" approx five or six times during the exchange.

Edited by Digby on Thursday 25th August 20:59

[Antony Moxey]

spookly said:

But when they made the choice to go for a ride in a group they already decided to do something that would inconvenience drivers and cause this annoyance.

They decided nothing of the sort, other than to go for a ride. They didn't know beforehand who or what - if anything - would be on that exact stretch of road at that exact time so didn't decide beforehand to inconvenience or annoy anyone.

However, if you are inconvenienced of annoyed, well live with it and relax. Perhaps, unlike you it seems, people who do happen upon them aren't inconvenienced and are happy to wait until they can pass - certainly am when I'm driving, I just pass when I can and then get on with my life without being annoyed at an inconsequential hold up.

Edited by Antony Moxey on Thursday 25th August 23:45

[Slow]

As someone who lives with 10 miles of single track lanes before I get to town (no other choice) my tactic has been to pass them half off the road (Range Rover helps with this) then slow down to their speed, then slow down a little more. Then plant your foot flat to the floor while on the brakes quite abit too. Leaves a black smoke cloud that's like those American pickups.

Highly doubt they enjoy it.

[slk 32]

spookly said:

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

That is very sensible.

So, is it antisocial to be riding in big packs of cyclists, as they are near impossible to overtake?

Round here the problem isn't so much a lone cyclist, it's that they all meet up and go off in packs of anything from 4 up to 20 or more. Try getting past 10 or more cyclists, it won't matter whether they are 2 abreast or not, you'll be waiting a while.

The closest I've come to being killed on my bike was in Richmond Park. A huge gaggle of 20 cyclists were riding 2/3 abreast leading to an irate range rover driver overtaking on a series of bends missing me by inches coming the other way.

Whose fault was it?

The cyclists for thinking they own the road or the range rover driver for the frustrated dangerous overtake?

Both are at fault but I would say more rests with the cyclists for riding in that manner.

As per some earlier posts we should break down the boundaries and see ourselves all as road users with equal rights. Courtesy and consideration for others is key. In 2000 miles I've been on the bike I've only had two other incidents , both older drivers overtaking closer than I would expect . .no doubt due to age related spatial awareness issues.

[gazza285]

Slow said:

As someone who lives with 10 miles of single track lanes before I get to town (no other choice) my tactic has been to pass them half off the road (Range Rover helps with this) then slow down to their speed, then slow down a little more. Then plant your foot flat to the floor while on the brakes quite abit too. Leaves a black smoke cloud that's like those American pickups.

Highly doubt they enjoy it.

You sound like a complete tool.

[Slow]

gazza285 said:

You sound like a complete tool.

And the fkers on bikes who ride past countless passing places before I do this arent?

Pretty sure they are deserving of it by this stage.

[Antony Moxey]

slk 32 said:

spookly said:

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

That is very sensible.

So, is it antisocial to be riding in big packs of cyclists, as they are near impossible to overtake?

Round here the problem isn't so much a lone cyclist, it's that they all meet up and go off in packs of anything from 4 up to 20 or more. Try getting past 10 or more cyclists, it won't matter whether they are 2 abreast or not, you'll be waiting a while.

The closest I've come to being killed on my bike was in Richmond Park. A huge gaggle of 20 cyclists were riding 2/3 abreast leading to an irate range rover driver overtaking on a series of bends missing me by inches coming the other way.

Whose fault was it?

The cyclists for thinking they own the road or the range rover driver for the frustrated dangerous overtake?

Both are at fault but I would say more rests with the cyclists for riding in that manner.

As per some earlier posts we should break down the boundaries and see ourselves all as road users with equal rights. Courtesy and consideration for others is key. In 2000 miles I've been on the bike I've only had two other incidents , both older drivers overtaking closer than I would expect . .no doubt due to age related spatial awareness issues.

What? So an oncoming vehicle narrowly misses you after overtaking slower moving traffic through a series of bends and it's more the fault of the slower moving traffic than the idiot racing towards you on your side of the road? Riiiiiiiiiiight....

[Antony Moxey]

Slow said:

gazza285 said:

You sound like a complete tool.

And the fkers on bikes who ride past countless passing places before I do this arent?

Pretty sure they are deserving of it by this stage.

No, they're just out riding, I'm pretty sure they deserve nothing more than a wide berth when overtaking.

[ambuletz]

I don't see the problem with 2 cyclists riding 2 abreast. I'm sure the highway code says you're allowed to
you're all on the left of the line that seperates the road then you're taking up around the same space as you would a car in that lane. If you're overtaking a cyclist you're meant to overtake by leaving as much room as you would a car. It's not rocket science.


<insert highwaycode photo here>

[walm]

Slow said:

gazza285 said:

You sound like a complete tool.

And the fkers on bikes who ride past countless passing places before I do this arent?

Pretty sure they are deserving of it by this stage.

They sound like selfish tts.

You however, have dropped to their level, possibly below.

How willing will they be to be courteous to the next Range Rover?

[walm]

ambuletz said:

I don't see the problem with 2 cyclists riding 2 abreast. I'm sure the highway code says you're allowed to
you're all on the left of the line that seperates the road then you're taking up around the same space as you would a car in that lane. If you're overtaking a cyclist you're meant to overtake by leaving as much room as you would a car. It's not rocket science.


<insert highwaycode photo here>

1. Riding 2 abreast generally makes drivers go absolutely nuts, because Victoria was on the throne the last time they looked at the HC.
2. You CAN go 2-up BUT for roads which aren't a nice wide 2 lanes with a centre-line you should help the overtake by going back to single file.
(These seem to be the only roads the whingers can come up with because even they can manage to overtake on the wide roads.)
3. We all know that you SHOULD leave that car space when overtaking but in many cases that is laughably too far and would make overtaking literally impossible when in fact it's perfectly safe - if you are in single file.

What drivers appear to very much appreciate is cyclists two up, who hear the car coming, take a look back and drop to single file.
I do this even when it's a wide 2-lane and pretty much all of the drivers wave thanks.

Unless you want actively to prevent an overtake, I think dropping to single file like that actually helps BUILD BRIDGES between normal cyclists and normal drivers.

[will_]

Anyone with half a brain knows that there's never an excuse to drive dangerously around vulnerable road users - however badly they might be behaving.

It's not for motorists to police the roads using 1.5 tons of metal as a weapon to "punish" other people (note - not "cyclists"; people).

Anything that cyclists do which is worthy of criticism, motorists do in much greater numbers, and with much greater risk to third parties. But that reality is regularly ignored. Why?

As is always the case with these threads, the ranty motorists can't see the bigger picture. It would be comical if such attitudes didn't actively put others at risk.

[Finlandia]

will_ said:

Anyone with half a brain knows that there's never an excuse to drive dangerously around vulnerable road users - however badly they might be behaving.

What about when it's the vulnerable road user with less than half a brain who puts himself in the dangerous spot, without the other ever knowing they are there in the blind spot?

[walm]

Finlandia said:

will_ said:

Anyone with half a brain knows that there's never an excuse to drive dangerously around vulnerable road users - however badly they might be behaving.

What about when it's the vulnerable road user with less than half a brain who puts himself in the dangerous spot, without the other ever knowing they are there in the blind spot?

Well you should definitely try to teach them a lesson by running them off the road when you do notice them.

Your example is not adding anything to the debate.

People take unnecessary risks on the road every day, not just cyclists.

[anonymous-user]

Stupid cyclists, causing accidents again

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3759542/Dr...

edit.Better pic of cyclist in the Currant Bun

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/1675526/driver-crash...

[anonymous-user]

Finlandia said:

What about when it's the vulnerable road user with less than half a brain who puts himself in the dangerous spot, without the other ever knowing they are there in the blind spot?

Do you randomly run small children over, they are vulnerable, and have less than a usual amount of common sense, or, do you make allowances? This all comes down to poor skill levels and a lack of respect for others. Still, PH is all about being 'right'

[s3fella]

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

Accidents happen and you as a cyclist are vulnerable, the proof of that is in your post. But will your experience change the way you personally ride from now on, assuming you will ride again? Will you be more wary of the risks to your body when things do go wrong? I think you will, as I did having been knocked off similarly 30 years ago and broke my leg. I ride far more wary of the vulnerability to myself. Which is why the OP is correct in what he says that these guys should have had the courtesy to move over. Otherwise they may have had some far less patient guy in a big vehicle behind who went for an overtake and made one of both of them end up in the bed next to yours.
No point being right but dead, as many motorcyclists are taught to remember when out on the roads.
Get well soon.

[andykram]

As a keen cyclist and owner of three cars I am very courteous to both sets of road users when I'm riding or driving. I regularly ride sportives and my experience of these are that we are very aware of traffic and let drivers past. On a recent sportive I was in the middle of quite a large peleton on a country road and we were riding in a bunch across the whole road. However, every time a car came towards or from behind us the rider at the front or the back called out and we all moved to single file to let the car past. All the rides I've done have been like that. It's common courtesy and awareness and, as many people have said on this thread, I'm supportive of the OP purely for the discourtesy of the cyclists. It would have taken them 10 seconds to pull in behind one another, let the car past and then go back to side by side and their chat.
Again, as has been said several times, I think it's a wider issue of society and the fact that so many people these days are just plain ignorant, be it on a bike, in a car, misbehaving on public transport etc. Or maybe it's just me who's getting old.....??????

[ikarl]

s3fella said:

No point being right but dead