Anxious when Overtaking cyclists driving help

[Jessie1995]

Hi guys,
im a cautious driver and when it comes to cyclists I always give them enough space wait for a safe gap or hang back if I don’t think it’s safe!

today I was driving here and I was about this far away from the roundabout where I had 2 bikes infront of me one infront of the other with a gap between them.

there was no cars on the other side of the road but I was turning left at the roundabout I was approaching and the cyclists looked behind at me so I took that as they were planning to go right at the roundabout and after this bus stop in the photo it goes to 2 lanes to go left and right at roundabout!

so anyway I decided to stay behind the cyclists as they weren’t going too slow probably around 20mph and I then had 3 cars overtake me so I came away from the scenario feeling like I was too cautious?

the photo makes it look a bit further away than it is and the bikes did have a gap between them so it’s like overtaking 1.5/2 cars!

ohoto attached of approx where I was when I decided to just sit behind the cyclists to turn left!

You were absolutely right, people are impatient and rude on the roads.

You were right to do that. Drivers are so inpatient. Better to wait and pass safely, for the sake of a few seconds less on your journey time. As someone who mostly cycles, I wish more drivers were like you!

I’m not sure if maybe I was too hesitant and the distance with no cars on the other side meant I should have gone!?

however I’m always cautious approaching a roundabout or an island!

do you think I had time to go. Can I get in trouble for being too cautious!?

I’m not sure if I was too cautious?
it was because I was approaching a roundabout and they looked like they’d go right and as it was 2 bikes it’s a bit harder to judge than 1 and I just felt safer staying behind!
can I get in trouble for being too cautious?

Remember you actually had a better view than them so better to make a judgement call.

I just think appaoraching a roundabout with 2 cyclists to overtake when they aren’t going super slow I felt was safer to stay back for a few seconds longer! But came away from it feeling was I too cautious?

3 cars overtaking in the short time suggests perhaps you were being overcautious, whilst it's good to be over careful than reckless, this does reach a point where it can become more dangerous. Generally I'd say carry on going with your instinct, if you're not comfortable or confident in doing an overtake then don't, but be extra vigilant as to what cars behind you are doing.

I did watch them and the last 1 overtook but had to go right at the roundabout ( not sure if out of choice as had no time to come over left lane) so I would say it was quite tight! I could see the bike infront of looking over his right shoulder which to me meant he wanted to go right in a second! And as it was 2 bikes with a car length distance between them that meant overtaking around 2 car lengths which I felt was a bit tight!
maybe I am over cautious and I did see the cars behind me overtaking I was checking my mirror the whole time
hust felt like was I too cautious afterwards and felt a bit rubbish

Honestly don't feel rubbish about it, no one was hurt, they chose to overtake both you and the cyclists but it sounds like it wasn't for very long at all so they could have easily been more patient without their day being affected.

Better safe than sorry IMO. I think you were quite right. As for being over hesitant I’m sure it was no more than a couple of minutes at most. Keep being cautious 🤗

It was about 30 seconds/1 minute max I was sat behind the cyclists for! The cyclists were driving around 20/25 mph in a 30 zone so not like it’s a 40/50 road anyway! And as I was approaching a roundabout the cyclist infront of me kept looking over his shoulder like he wanted to turn right in a minute so I took that as to stay back as I’m turning left in a minute!
after I saw them overtake me I just felt rubbish like my judgement was off and overly cautious! X

Thank you! It was only around 30 seconds/1 minute tops I was sat behind them for! It was also only a 30 road and the bikes were doing around 20/25 mph so not like it was a fast road and we were going super slow!
I just felt a bit bad afterwards as to whether my judgement was right but better than judging wrong and overtaking in the wrong place I guess! I put nobody at harm being cautious!

As a cyclist I’d hazard a guess you were being the only safe motorist in this situation. I get so many unsafe passes it’s untrue. If you don’t feel it’s safe then it likely isn’t. Don’t let others pressure you.

2 cars overtook you and the cyclists, in the 30 seconds during which you were going 20 in a 30 zone, approaching a roundabout?

Either you live in boy-racer central, or something doesn’t add up there.

the Picture I attached is the distance to the roundabout. I have guessed it was around 30 seconds/1 minute to get there. The cyclists were not going too slow so I didn’t feel it was too slow!
sorry my estimates might not be quite right but the picture is approx tue distance and the people overtaking me did speed past!

If you are approaching a junction and planning to turn left, you shouldn't be overtaking, so you did the right thing.

Those cars were being driven by dickheads. I'm a cyclist and see it all the time, so it doesnt sound at all unbelieveable to me.
There is a T junction that I turn right at on my morning commute. Despite moving right, hand signalling, looking behind me etc. I still get some drivers attempting to squeeze past me in the approach to it.

When cars overtake cyclists unsafely, they are doing it because they know full well that it won't be them that gets injured/killed if it goes wrong.

Thank you you don’t think that distance in the picture was too hesitant? I possibly could have gone but with 2 cyclists in a line with a gap between them and approaching a roundabout where I want to go left and the cyclist looked behind him as if they wanted to turn right I just felt I shouldn’t but after they all passed me I felt I was too cautious?

I just want to say a huge thank you for being cautious with road cyclists.
I am one of them and wish there were a few more like you. (I am cautious around cyclists too, when I'm driving).
You would not believe how scary it can be when cars pass you too close or come up too close behind you.
You did the right thing. I also do not let other drivers pressure me, not as a driver or a cyclist.
Some drivers think it is worth risking a cyclist's life for a matter of a few seconds.

Did either of the cyclists indicate as they, and you, approached the roundabout? Things would be far easier to judge if they did. I would also wonder if the cyclist looking over their shoulder at you was because they felt you were too close, but who knows? I drive on lots of country roads and have had cyclists indicate I should overtake them on occasion. The reason I haven't done so already is because I can't see what's coming the other way.

The distance was fine - hanging back there was the right thing to do. It's what, 100m? Of which the final third needs to be spent slowing down for the junction anyway.

To overtake in that space you'd have needed to break the speed limit (as the cyclists were going 20-25mph, 30mph wouldn't have got past them fast enough), and then pull in sharply to turn left at the roundabout - right in front of the cyclists.

You would of course have needed to be on the wrong side of the road while overtaking, in order to leave 1.5m of space between you and the cyclists.

And what would you have done if someone had approached the roundabout from your left (no visibility there, so you wouldn't see them) and turned right while you were doing this manoeuvre and on the wrong side of the road? You'd have instinctly swerved in to the left to preserve your own safety, straight into the cyclists.

No they didn’t so I was trying to judge where they were going so playing it safe!
also I wasn’t too close at all I kept back enough he looked over his shoulder and then again about 30 seconds later before going in the right lane to go right! When he looked over the 1st time I assumed he was going right so I decided as I was unsure to just stay back! Cars behind me can’t obviously see him looking over his shoulder so they just went for it
i just came away feeling a bit rubbish I was too heasistant

I spent years doubting myself, but my local road is popular with cyclists and I have now spent a lot of time crawling behind a cyclist on some local roads, with masses of traffic building up behind me, but it is absolutely unsafe to overtake, and I've become hardened to it. I'd much prefer to piss off a driver than injure a cyclist.

I see way more people overtaking unsafely than safely, I'd say you're fine.

You weren't hesitant. Overtaking there would have been dangerous.

Overtaking should only ever be done if you are sure you have the space to do so safely, when you are not coming up to a junction (particularly one you plan to turn left at), and when you have full visibility for the entire distance you will be overtaking for. Whether it's a bike, a tractor, or a car you are overtaking doesn't change any of that.

Just because other drivers behave like utter wankstains with no regard for the safety of vulnerable road users, that doesn't mean you have to join in.

On my short cycle commute, about a quarter of the cars that pass me do so too close, or unsafely due to a junction coming up. Just because it's common doesn’t mean its ok.

No, I don’t think you were being too hesitant at all, especially in view of your planned left turn. If you’d managed to overtake them you’d have risked a “left hook” accident. Did the overtaking cars go straight on? Even if they did I think it was still dodgy overtaking just before a roundabout. A car could have come from the ro7ndabout in the other direction at any minute. The cyclists were travelling at a good speed and if planning to turn right at the roundabout may have been planning to move into the centre/right of their carriageway at any minute.

It does make you doubt your judgement doesn’t it? It was safe in a sense the road was wide enough to pass and there was no cars coming towards me but it’s the fact it was 2 bikes with a gap between them meant further to go round them and I was turning left in a minute at the roundabout I just felt approaching a roundabout and overtaking there isn’t safe!