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

[patmahe]

I am a big believer that we are all just trying to get somewhere. So if I am going slower than someone behind me wants to go and its safe for me to do so, I'll move over. The situation described in the OP would enrage me beyond belief. A little courtesy and common sense and we all get where we are going efficiently.

[Wills2]

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....

Stop being so rude and you might get a better hearing....

[Antony Moxey]

MDL111 said:

Even most slow cars let faster cars past when the opporunity arises (think caravans etc), I'd suggest that cyclists should do the same - common courtesy not to hold other people up when it is clear you are much slower than them an well below the speed limit for a given road

No they don't, you've made that up. It's not even a tiny fraction who move over, let alone most.

[TwistingMyMelon]

Blimey how many threads like this are there going to be

So you met a couple of idiots of the road...didums get over it life goes on..the idiots chose to ride bikes, they also drive lorries, cars, motorbikes etc etc idiots use any form of transport.

8 miles? Really Really ? I cant think of 8 miles road where this can happen

So you met 2 idiots , so now you are going to stereotype every road user who uses that form of transport, bit like me saying "I met a black bloke once...seemed a bit shifty...from now on I am going to be very suspicious of everyone who is black....."

Edited by TwistingMyMelon on Tuesday 23 August 17:00

[kambites]

Antony Moxey said:

MDL111 said:

Even most slow cars let faster cars past when the opporunity arises (think caravans etc), I'd suggest that cyclists should do the same - common courtesy not to hold other people up when it is clear you are much slower than them an well below the speed limit for a given road

No they don't, you've made that up. It's not even a tiny fraction who move over, let alone most.

From my experience I'd say 80% of cyclists do so reasonably promptly and maybe 20% of slow drivers. I've certainly never been stuck behind a cyclist for more than a couple of minutes; I've spent far, far more of my life stuck behind caravans, tractors, Nissan Micras, etc.

I suspect the difference mostly comes down to the fact that even good cyclists are very slow compared to other road users where slow drivers have far more tendency to be utterly oblivious to what's going on around them. For similar reasons I think it's far more likely that someone towing a caravan will let you past than someone who's just pottering along really slowly in a normal car.

Edited by kambites on Tuesday 23 August 17:02

[DoubleD]

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?

I hope you get better very quickly pablo. What happend to you is nasty and wrong, but these are two very different things.

[numtumfutunch]

8 miles at 10mph you said

So you sat behind them for 48 minutes??

Really?

[anonymous-user]

julian64 said:

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

They are the same but different. When someone posts things like the quote above, what on earth do they expect to achieve other than drive a deeper wedge between cyclists and motorists. OP is probably sensible and doesn't actually believe what he's writing (in which case why write it?!) But as its clearly evidenced on pistonheads, they're are hundreds of morons around these days who do vehemently share this opinion. OP offers no solution, no description of what access cyclists should have instead, it's just the usual lycra clad buzzword bingo inflammatory anti cyclist rubbish that pistonheads devours.

We really do need to see all forms of road user simply as traffic and drop the hierarchy.

Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 23 August 17:09

Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 23 August 17:10

[MDL111]

Antony Moxey said:

MDL111 said:

Even most slow cars let faster cars past when the opporunity arises (think caravans etc), I'd suggest that cyclists should do the same - common courtesy not to hold other people up when it is clear you are much slower than them an well below the speed limit for a given road

No they don't, you've made that up. It's not even a tiny fraction who move over, let alone most.

Well, I can tell you from experience Austrians with Austrian number plates in the Austrian mountains do - be it tractors, slow cars with trailers etc - Many Germans also). I do agree though most people with UK number plates or Dutch plates seem to be oblivious to the fact that they are slow moving road blocks. i have generally found driving etiquette in the UK lacking compared to Germany and Austria (sometimes I wondered if people realized that the higway has more than one lane - that one of course being the outside lane). Also drivers seemed to be a lot more aggressive more of the time - maybe its the lack of sun ....

[okgo]

julian64 said:

So I found the other thread interesting but infuriating. Always try to be courteous to cyclists and motorcyclist as I do both myself

However going down a country lane (with passing places) for cars for nearly eight miles on Saturday in my car. In front of me were two lycra clad cyclists drinking from water bottles, eating what looked like mars bars and generally chatting with each other while enjoying the countryside air.

They were completely aware I was behind them and spent the entire eight miles at about ten miles an hour, one of them demonstrating their hands off handlebar technique for about a mile. At no time did either of them think to pull into a passing place to let me through.

There were two occasions early on when the road started to widen when I could've made an overtake manoeuvre but I would have come very close to the cyclist to do so.

If I had known there would be eight miles involved I would've gone for it early on. Gawd only knows what people with that cycling attitude must create in a busy part of London.

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

Nobody is going anywhere fast in London, a bike is FAR quicker than a car through even the outer zones.

[okgo]

Also - utter bks did you sit behind someone for 50 minutes.

[xjay1337]

Here for the comments

Especially Pablo's rage. Get some pain killers down ya lad, and lighten up. Maybe have some skips.

(Crisps, not actual skips, because you have a broken pelvis).

[anonymous-user]

xjay1337 said:

Here for the comments

Especially Pablo's rage. Get some pain killers down ya lad, and lighten up. Maybe have some skips.

(Crisps, not actual skips, because you have a broken pelvis).

I'm done here, sorry to disappoint

[CABC]

okgo said:

Nobody is going anywhere fast in London, a bike is FAR quicker than a car through even the outer zones.

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.

[saaby93]

RobM77 said:

The situation you describe is adequately dealt with by the Highway Code, which clearly states that cyclists shouldn't ride two abreast on the sort of road you were describing. If cyclists follow that guidance, then the problem goes away. That's what was wrong here. The idea that these cyclists should pull in and let you past is just laughable The roads are provided by the government for everyone to use: horses, bikes, tractors, combines, walkers, cyclists, steam engines, lorries and cars, and we all need to share them together, which is perfectly possible if you're considerate and follow the HC.

Yep and being considerate means pulling over if someone behind is trying to make progress. Hasn't it always been the way?
There've been posts in the past about slow motorists driving without due care who've been pulled for not pulling over.

The trouble when cycling is trying to maintain momentum. Difficult if pulling over to let others pass.

[g7jhp]

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.

[spookly]

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

Very sorry to hear about that. Not nice.

That can happen regardless of whether you are on a bike, on a motorbike or in a car. Albeit you're probably least visible on a cycle.

[DoubleD]

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

[spookly]

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.

[newoldfart]

RobM77 said:

hat's like saying that because a lunatic on a motorbike breaking the Highway Code ran over your cat, all motorbikes should be banned The problem in your post is the cyclists riding two abreast - remove that and you remove the problem.

Edited by RobM77 on Tuesday 23 August 16:03