Why you shouldn't give cyclist a wide berth when passing
Discussion
DoubleD said:
Also all types of road users need to allow quicker users to get safely past.
Oddly (or not) it's the same type of drivers (white vans, poorly maintained bangers and the usual germs suspects) are the people who seem to pass to close when I'm cycling and also block me from filtering when I'm on my motorbike. How many people condemning cyclists give room for motorbikes to pass?The OP provided the route he claimed. Turned out it was less than 4 miles, had plenty of options to go other ways, and a totally unbelievable route to take give my that there was an alternative of taking the M20 and another main road which were much much quicker. The OP is either making it up or going out to find arguments.
blueg33 said:
I can think of plenty of roads in places like Devon and Cornwall where you could follow a cyclist for 8 miles at 10mph if they don't pull over at passing places.
Even in London, with all the stop starts, I've never had a average speed of below 11mph as measured by my gps unit for rides that have been 28 miles in distance at the most . I've cycled and driven in Cornwall, so I don;t think the OP is telling the truth and like most anti-cylcing ppl exaggerate (lie) about the whole situation. As a driver and cyclist, it's drivers that do the most s
tty things.And to cycle at 10mph for 8 miles, you must be five years old and on stabilisers.
Harji said:
blueg33 said:
I can think of plenty of roads in places like Devon and Cornwall where you could follow a cyclist for 8 miles at 10mph if they don't pull over at passing places.
Even in London, with all the stop starts, I've never had a average speed of below 11mph as measured by my gps unit for rides that have been 28 miles in distance at the most . I've cycled and driven in Cornwall, so I don;t think the OP is telling the truth and like most anti-cylcing ppl exaggerate (lie) about the whole situation. As a driver and cyclist, it's drivers that do the most stty things.And to cycle at 10mph for 8 miles, you must be five years old and on stabilisers.
I have cycled from Cheltenham to lands end in a day. Devon is a killer. Its about 240 miles and took us 24 hours. Most of the guys doing it were experienced even hardcore cyclists. Average speed circa 10mph
Edited by blueg33 on Monday 29th August 16:49
I've seen the hills. I live there. 99% of my rides are there, including a fair bit on country lanes & Dartmoor, I'd struggle find a ride averaging less than 14mph let alone 10mph & can't think of a single road where a car couldn't get by me without any cooperation from myself for 8 miles.
blueg33 said:
Try the lane from Croyde to Woolacombe via Putsborough
It's 3.4 miles, hardly 8 that the OP was bleating on about. Although yes, you'd need the cyclist to give way, but it's still a long way off the fictional 8 miles & 50 minutes of the OP. I've plenty of roads just like that near me & I've never managed to hold someone up for nearly an hour. I doubt this thread reflects the reality of the overall decent cohabitation between people using a bicycle and those using a car in the UK. By and large it's not a massive issue.
However, as mass cycling is only a recent phenomena in the scheme of things, and compared to longer established cycling cultures, there is still a bit of residual resistance to change, on both sides, but only on the angry extremes.
Another 10 or 15 years and those threads won't exist any longer.
The only bit I wish I had seen mentioned is the actual synergy between the two modes of transport : more bikes tend to mean less cars, so more space for the drivers. What's not to like ?
Btw, and that's incidental, the OP made it all up, albeit 8 miles, 4 miles or half a mile.
However, as mass cycling is only a recent phenomena in the scheme of things, and compared to longer established cycling cultures, there is still a bit of residual resistance to change, on both sides, but only on the angry extremes.
Another 10 or 15 years and those threads won't exist any longer.
The only bit I wish I had seen mentioned is the actual synergy between the two modes of transport : more bikes tend to mean less cars, so more space for the drivers. What's not to like ?
Btw, and that's incidental, the OP made it all up, albeit 8 miles, 4 miles or half a mile.
blueg33 said:
Harji said:
blueg33 said:
I can think of plenty of roads in places like Devon and Cornwall where you could follow a cyclist for 8 miles at 10mph if they don't pull over at passing places.
Even in London, with all the stop starts, I've never had a average speed of below 11mph as measured by my gps unit for rides that have been 28 miles in distance at the most . I've cycled and driven in Cornwall, so I don;t think the OP is telling the truth and like most anti-cylcing ppl exaggerate (lie) about the whole situation. As a driver and cyclist, it's drivers that do the most stty things.And to cycle at 10mph for 8 miles, you must be five years old and on stabilisers.
I have cycled from Cheltenham to lands end in a day. Devon is a killer. Its about 240 miles and took us 24 hours. Most of the guys doing it were experienced even hardcore cyclists. Average speed circa 10mph
Edited by blueg33 on Monday 29th August 16:49
SteveSteveson said:
DoubleD said:
Also all types of road users need to allow quicker users to get safely past.
Oddly (or not) it's the same type of drivers (white vans, poorly maintained bangers and the usual germs suspects) are the people who seem to pass to close when I'm cycling and also block me from filtering when I'm on my motorbike. How many people condemning cyclists give room for motorbikes to pass?And I still condemn cyclists out in packs on roads where they can't reach the speed limit. No problem with cyclists in towns.
SteveSteveson said:
The OP provided the route he claimed. Turned out it was less than 4 miles, had plenty of options to go other ways, and a totally unbelievable route to take give my that there was an alternative of taking the M20 and another main road which were much much quicker. The OP is either making it up or going out to find arguments.
Not really, to be fair. OPs route was a perfectly valid choice. Going via the A20 (the main road you're talking about I think) would add a further 2 miles and take the same amount of time, going by Google maps. And due to the junction layout, the M20 isn't a practical option at all. I know the area well, and if I was driving from Ash to Trottiscliffe, I think I'd probably be taking the same route.
PHmember said:
I've seen the hills. I live there. 99% of my rides are there, including a fair bit on country lanes & Dartmoor, I'd struggle find a ride averaging less than 14mph let alone 10mph & can't think of a single road where a car couldn't get by me without any cooperation from myself for 8 miles.
I don't care if you are doing 14mph, 10mph or even 25mph. If the speed limit is 50mph or more and there are limited overtaking opportunities then you are getting in the way.You can justify that to yourself as much as you like. You are still holding someone up. If you can convince yourself that it is fine to be doing that then great for you. Personally I'd be embarrassed to be out holding up traffic for my own enjoyment.
PHmember said:
blueg33 said:
Try the lane from Croyde to Woolacombe via Putsborough
It's 3.4 miles, hardly 8 that the OP was bleating on about. Although yes, you'd need the cyclist to give way, but it's still a long way off the fictional 8 miles & 50 minutes of the OP. I've plenty of roads just like that near me & I've never managed to hold someone up for nearly an hour. 
nickfrog said:
Btw, and that's incidental, the OP made it all up, albeit 8 miles, 4 miles or half a mile.
And you base that on ??.......Not only did I not make it all up. But I provided you with a detailed AA map showing the distance and challenging you to show an overtaking place on google roadmap. Just to add authenticity for those of you who were still suspicious I told you it started from my house so I couldn't pull the road out the air as my home address could probably fairly easily be found by someone persistent enough.
I am actually a cyclist, motorcyclist and car driver and have said so on this thread so I have no particular axe to grind. Starting to get one now though. Mainly to idiots like yourself who think their comments are important enough to post despite not bothering to read the thread.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff