Cyclist in bus lane.
Discussion
Right, first off this isn't an attempt to start another bash cyclist thread, or an argument, I'm looking for an explanation why this guy rides like this.
There is a wide bus lane, and a single lane for other traffic, that's wide enough for a car, but vans and trucks struggle tbh.
So every evening I see this guy, well lit, plenty of reflective, riding down the bus lane on the right hand side hard up against the solid line between the bus lane and the lane for other traffic.
It's not avoiding grates and potholes as far as I can see, can accept in one short stretch it could be to keep clear of pedestrians just stepping out. It's not preparation for a right turn, as down the end he goes left.
It makes it impossible to leave decent space to overtake, so I don't pass him, wait as I know he's going to go left in a bit through seeing where he goes. Yet others aren't so patient and just go past.
He could ride down the middle of the bus lane and have plenty of space on both sides, so I really don't understand why he does this. Would like to understand a reason if someone could educate me.
Repeat, sensible points, let's not descend into the usual. Yeah yeah, I know.
There is a wide bus lane, and a single lane for other traffic, that's wide enough for a car, but vans and trucks struggle tbh.
So every evening I see this guy, well lit, plenty of reflective, riding down the bus lane on the right hand side hard up against the solid line between the bus lane and the lane for other traffic.
It's not avoiding grates and potholes as far as I can see, can accept in one short stretch it could be to keep clear of pedestrians just stepping out. It's not preparation for a right turn, as down the end he goes left.
It makes it impossible to leave decent space to overtake, so I don't pass him, wait as I know he's going to go left in a bit through seeing where he goes. Yet others aren't so patient and just go past.
He could ride down the middle of the bus lane and have plenty of space on both sides, so I really don't understand why he does this. Would like to understand a reason if someone could educate me.
Repeat, sensible points, let's not descend into the usual. Yeah yeah, I know.
He's not overtaking any traffic, there's almost no parked cars except for on 25 yard stretch. I can understand if there are junctions on left and possibility of vehicles emerging, or pedestrians about to step out without looking, seeing as there are hardly any buses. Taxis and m/bikes aren't permitted vehicles aiui. So in essence he's cycling along an empty bus lane with very few hazards to his left, any hazards are easily identifiable, yet placing himself right next to the lane that's busy with traffic. I'm just a bit puzzled as to why, and asking you guys for a sensible answer in here for other ideas that I might have missed.
It's in here to hopefully avoid the usual suspects in GG for obvious reasons.
It's in here to hopefully avoid the usual suspects in GG for obvious reasons.
We have a similar lane here in Bristol but it's at the bottom of a motorway so there never will be cyclists on it, but I'm trying to imagine what I would do.
Personally, I think I would flow normally with the regular lane. Maybe he is there because the traffic is moving much faster than he would be? But even that would scare me to try and move back across for a left turn!
Personally, I think I would flow normally with the regular lane. Maybe he is there because the traffic is moving much faster than he would be? But even that would scare me to try and move back across for a left turn!
How fast is he riding and how fast is the traffic? It's possible he is trying to "surf" the bow wave of air from the traffic. It's a version of drafting that still gives you a clean line of sight to the road and road surface ahead. I do it occasionally.
The giveaway will be if he's riding over 25mph/40kph and tends to sit just off the rear 3/4 of a particular car for a while. If so I'd say this is almost certainly what he's doing.
The giveaway will be if he's riding over 25mph/40kph and tends to sit just off the rear 3/4 of a particular car for a while. If so I'd say this is almost certainly what he's doing.
That's a good question Gregg, I'd say definitely over 20, but less than 30. It's in town so a 30 limit, and generally traffic is 25 ish. It's no hardship, at least to me, to hang back and show a bit of restraint, but others don't see it that way and squeeze past. I'll have to take note tomorrow night.
If that is what he's doing, every time a car pulls away from him he will be pissed off because he's lost his draft. When the next car comes by that's good as he can try to grab that one. For the same reason he would prefer a close pass than a wide one because the draft is then much easier to grab.
Yeah! Well yes and no. If he's knackered he might be happy to back off for a car and grab the next one. But have a good look at how close he puts himself to the cars in any event, because by the sound of it his road position is highly elective. If he's happy to stay close he won't be freaked out by a passing car that's in line with everyone else.
There are some, as above I can understand keeping out there, but it's a wide lane, he could ride down the middle and be completely clear of any emerging vehicles and have a good view. But the presence of a side road or not makes no difference. If anything there are more hazards to his right.
Not sure I understand the geography here. The bus lane is on the left and normal traffic is in the lane to the right? And the cyclist is on the right hand side of the left hand lane, closer to the traffic? If so, I would probably be left of your cyclist, nearer the middle of the left hand lane. But if there was NO traffic in that lane, does it matter where the cyclist is?
Could be that the road surface is ropey further across to the left, could be that he feels he would be less likely to be seen by pedestrians or drivers wanting to enter the road from his left if he were further over, particularly when there's nothing in the lane on his right for them to have to wait for.
Could also be that he thinks of himself as filtering down the left hand side of the traffic in your lane rather than using the bus lane per se?
Could also be that he thinks of himself as filtering down the left hand side of the traffic in your lane rather than using the bus lane per se?
For the second time, taxis not permitted vehicles, only buses and pedal cycles, buses few and far between. No problems with road surface to his left. A few entrances on left but doesn't seem to be that. Even does it on a stretch with no junction and pedestrians behind a barrier on edge of pavement raised a few feet above road surface.
I know taxis aren't permitted in the bus lane you're talking about, but I got beeped at by a taxi driver while cycling in a bus lane once. Then, when he got past me I got sworn at and told I was "holding him up". About thirty seconds later he was stuck in the back of a queue just after the bus lane merged with the regular lane for some traffic lights. I knocked on his window, blew him a kiss and disappeared off down the road. Ironically it turned out that I wasn't the one "holding him up" at all. That job was being done admirably by a Romanian registered Mk4 Golf that had dumped ALL of it's coolant on the road in the queue for the lights, and wasn't going to be going anywhere in a hurry... 
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