Cyclists Regulations A class road.

[bigdavy]

As per title, are there any?

Every Saturday morning i take my daughter to her weekend job which involves travelling a twisty A class coast road which has a lot of blind bends & hills. This road has now become very popular with sports cyclists many of which are fine, however there seems to be a few groups who are constantly cycling 2 or 3 abreast chatting away merrily whilst taking up the whole lane. Now due to the nature of the road this means you can't easily overtake safely when they are doing this. Now this morning i was stuck behind them for quite a distance and i eventually blew the car horn, this simply resulted in a dirty look and the middle finger but no attempt for riders 2 & 3 to go single file to let me & the other cars behind past.

I personally think they are being a) inconsiderate road users b) bloody dangerous. I would like to find out if there are any regulations regarding this. I just can't understand why they can't pull in single file to allow other vehicles past safely.

Thoughts?

[henrycrun]

Could your daughter cycle to work instead ?

[fatboy b]

I believe 2 abreast is legal on most roads.

[John145]

If it's too dangerous to pass a pair of cyclists riding 2/3 abreast then it's probably fairly risky passing 2/3 riding in a line.

I understand cyclists riding like this, protects them from people who're overtaking when really they shouldn't...

[bigdavy]

No she couldn't cycle to work, its over 20 miles.

If it's perfectly legal to ride 2 abreast fair enough, that's what i'm asking. I still think it's dangerous & inconsiderate.

I disagree that if it's unsafe to overtake 2 or 3 abreast then it's unsafe to overtake them in single file.
Quite simply, there is enough room to get past if they are single file, not if they are abreast.

[John145]

Although you can squeeze through it just takes an imperfection in the road to have a cyclist hit the side of your car. Should always try and leave a car's width between yourself especially when on N/S roads.

[bigdavy]

Yes John I agree. My point still stands that i can safely pass cyclists who are travelling in single file but i can't pass 2 or 3 abreast which would involve me completely crossing the white line.

[Engineer1]

bigdavy said:

Yes John I agree. My point still stands that i can safely pass cyclists who are travelling in single file but i can't pass 2 or 3 abreast which would involve me completely crossing the white line.

You may well have space to squeeze past, but read you highway code, a bike should be passed with as much space as you would give a car, so 2 abreast takes up the same amount of road space.

[mikecassie]

OP, you may feel you can safely overtake cyclists who are travelling in single file. I, being a cyclist, would prefer it if you change your attitude a wee bit. Sometimes I cycle a couple feet from the verge to dissuade people like you trying to overtake, be it for solid white lines which many motorists believe it's ok to cross when passing cyclists or because the road is potholed or drains are so bad.
I do try and tuck as close to the verge when I feel it is safe to let vehicles pass and I'll wave vehicles past to let them get on their way quicker, but all it takes is a bad drain or a gust of wind and I have a wobble which could end with me smeared all over a car or lorry.
Just give us cyclists more room than a car or even a motorbike, I'm sure a couple seconds extra will save a lot of heartache/paperwork/police interviews at some point.

[spogxy]

I often have the problem that motorists are reluctant to overtake me on my mountain bike, often I have to wave them on!.

It bugs me when a car gives me a massive 10ft berth, a couple of feet is sufficient. I really hate holding up traffic, makes me look bad when they won't go past!

[John145]

bigdavy said:

Yes John I agree. My point still stands that i can safely pass cyclists who are travelling in single file but i can't pass 2 or 3 abreast which would involve me completely crossing the white line.

It isn't difficult to overtake something doing <20mph even if you have to put the entire vehicle on the other side of the white line. Maybe in the other lane for 2 seconds...?

[Marcellus]

There's nothing wrong with riding two abreast although generally three abreast is frowned upon even with cycling circles.

The reason is that it forces car drivers to slow down and overtake the cyclists as though they were a car and also to condense the length of the group of cyclists.

Say there were 10 riders riding single file 1 to 2 foot from the edge of the road.... That's 30ft as a car driver that you will be over the white line, similar to overtaking two cars at the same time, no gap no chance to pull back in,

Whereas 10 riders riding two abreast will be a single car length so a lot safe for you.

Also most of these groups will be riding at around 20mph and will be aware of you way before yu are aware of them, usually out of coutesy if they know there isn't really a safe overtaking opportunity for you very soon they will single file to give you more room.

Btw how much does meetingthese cyclists really delay you from reaching your destination.... And what's worse a tractor or a group of cyclists for delaying you?

[Dr Jekyll]

mikecassie said:

OP, you may feel you can safely overtake cyclists who are travelling in single file.

The whole point is that you can often pass single file cyclists with several feet of clearance where there isn't room to pass 2 cyclists side by side.

[John145]

Dr Jekyll said:

The whole point is that you can often pass single file cyclists with several feet of clearance where there isn't room to pass 2 cyclists side by side.

On an A road I don't see this as being plausible.

[anonymous-user]

swerni said:

And they don't even pay road tax.

lucky that no one does then..

[Dr Jekyll]

John145 said:

Dr Jekyll said:

The whole point is that you can often pass single file cyclists with several feet of clearance where there isn't room to pass 2 cyclists side by side.

On an A road I don't see this as being plausible.

Suppose there is room to pass with my nearside 12 feet from the verge.

If a cyclist is close to the verge then I can pass him with 6 feet of clearance.

If 2 cyclists are say 3 feet apart, then I can't.

[chriscpritchard]

mikecassie said:

OP, you may feel you can safely overtake cyclists who are travelling in single file. I, being a cyclist, would prefer it if you change your attitude a wee bit. Sometimes I cycle a couple feet from the verge to dissuade people like you trying to overtake, be it for solid white lines which many motorists believe it's ok to cross when passing cyclists or because the road is potholed or drains are so bad.
I do try and tuck as close to the verge when I feel it is safe to let vehicles pass and I'll wave vehicles past to let them get on their way quicker, but all it takes is a bad drain or a gust of wind and I have a wobble which could end with me smeared all over a car or lorry.
Just give us cyclists more room than a car or even a motorbike, I'm sure a couple seconds extra will save a lot of heartache/paperwork/police interviews at some point.

Just like to point out

The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002 said:

(6) Nothing in paragraph (2)(b) shall be taken to prohibit a vehicle from being driven across, or so as to straddle, the continuous line referred to in that paragraph, if it is safe to do so and if necessary to do so—

(f)in order to pass a pedal cycle moving at a speed not exceeding 10 mph;

[lyonspride]

Engineer1 said:

You may well have space to squeeze past, but read you highway code, a bike should be passed with as much space as you would give a car, so 2 abreast takes up the same amount of road space.

Glad to see plenty of these responses.....

Common sense seems to be alive and well in PH land.

[Meoricin]

chriscpritchard said:

Just like to point out

The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002 said:

(6) Nothing in paragraph (2)(b) shall be taken to prohibit a vehicle from being driven across, or so as to straddle, the continuous line referred to in that paragraph, if it is safe to do so and if necessary to do so—

(f)in order to pass a pedal cycle moving at a speed not exceeding 10 mph;

Show me a road racer/proper cyclist cycling at less than 10mph. The kind of cyclists who cycle at those speeds are also the kind who ride in the kerb and don't try to protect themselves - so are very easy to pass (though it doesn't seem to stop some drivers passing them with inches of clearance).

[Dr Jekyll]

lyonspride said:

Engineer1 said:

You may well have space to squeeze past, but read you highway code, a bike should be passed with as much space as you would give a car, so 2 abreast takes up the same amount of road space.

Glad to see plenty of these responses.....

Common sense seems to be alive and well in PH land.

No.

You have to give the outer of the 2 cyclists room to fall off, and he will be further out than a single cylist would be.