AIBU to ask what you would do if the cyclist in front of you

[MumOnABike]

stuck their hand out to the right

Cyclists should be restricted to cycle lanes to ensure no delays to car owners ....only kidding!!

You need to wear proper equipment...hi vis clothes...get a strong tail light and have it on if it's dull...get hi vis wristbands and on your backpack...you look more serious then and vehicles will see you as a vehicle...and not as a random woman on a bike.

Am I right in thinking that you have a child in a trailer? If so...the journey sounds a bit too dicey...I ride to school and DH rides everywhere but as I say we're rural.

Sometimes...depends if I've taken them both on the school drop off. To be honest, it isn't that risky because I wait until someone lets me go...and the alternative involves crossing the road in a similar location on foot, which I actually find even more dicey! Hoping a ped crossing will be put in soon

Its a 30 mph road not far from a school in a small town... Really should not be too dangerous to cycle (and the rest of my route is pretty pleasant / traffic free)

So...DH and I agree that you should make a smiley eye contact where needed and POINT where you're going...definitely be more aggressive....in a nice way iykwim!

If you stuck your arm out straight at right angles to your shoulder, I'd know immediately what you were doing and slow down to let you turn right. Pointing sounds like a good idea.

Unlike the cyclist I was behind the other day who put his hand out at bum level and waved it around a bit. I hesitated, thinking he wanted me to overtake him but there wasn't really room due to oncoming traffic, so I stayed behind him and it's a good thing I did because he was turning right after all

Motorists seem to be unable to grasp that sometimes cyclists have to go over there
->

they seem to think that all cyclists must have got up and got on their bikes to go over here

agree with MrsTawdry - if you cycle your route regularly and know its a busy road you need to start positioning yourself early before your turn. No driver is going to deliberately run you over because you are in the center position of the lane. When I need to turn right, I stick my arm out and move into the center of the lane and as I get nearer I signal again so the driver knows I am not some 'knobhead' of a cyclist (you do get them) deliberately cycling in the middle for no reason. I also then start to move more closer to the white line closer I get to my turn, this allows car to slowly 'undertake' you.

Also if the traffic is crawling I will move from my center position and ride up past the 'driver side' of the cars to get to my turn off point but that always comes with confidence but will never ever do this if there is a lorry or bus I need to pass on a single lane road. Just not worth it.

oh no its Welch's White Grape and Pear juice not apple & pear!

Oops ignore my prev post meant for another thread lol

Wait for thrm to pull out and turn right.

As others have said , like pedestrians cyclists are soft squishy and easily broken, so I affird thrm as much room as I can even if they are wobbly and probably shouldn't be on the road !

A remarkable number of car drivers overtake when you do this. I always look behind me, which is a good job! They must want to hurry past in case they have to stop. Its so dangerous and on a par with the equally stupid manoeuvre of overtaking a cyclist then immediately turning left.

I've also noticed that both the incidence and speed of overtaking a cyclist indicating to turn right is increased in rainy conditions. Cars also overtake you closer and faster in wet weather. Perhaps the drivers want to punish you for your stupidity in cycling in the rain by risking your life?

Oh, and I also move out when indicating to turn right - some cars just go wide to overtake you!

Well, assuming you stuck your arm right out at a right angle (the hand should be open with the fingers together to extend the length of the limb), then I would assume you were turning right and I'd slow down and, if necessary, stop behind you. However, dropping your arm down to 25-past and pointing your index finger at the road does not constitute a signal and I might well miss it (I'm looking at you, bloke riding the bike last Friday!)

Hang on OP, so you're travelling in with two lanes of traffic, and you're in (presumably far left of) the left lane. You want to turn right and at upcoming junction. So you put your arm up and expect to both the left and right lane to come to a stop so you can cross four lanes of of traffic?

No. One lane of traffic I each direction. And I don't expect both lanes to stop, just the car behind to pause for long enough for me to move across to the middle. They are then quite welcome to pass on my left while I wait for a gap in the oncoming traffic. So I hold them up less than a car turning right would, as there isn't space to undertake a car.

As it happens, the oncoming traffic often stop and flash me across anyway

In my experience I'd rev my engine, speed up past the cyclist and maybe hurl some abuse at them.

Agree with MrsT, you're too far to the left. When driving or cycling, committing early is the key to making space for yourself. Indicate and take the lane, then indicate and turn right. Thinking of it as two manoeuvres might help.

MumOnABike I find that it helps if you look behind and try to make eye contact before you signal (like looking in mirror for bikes but with a pointed stare) and then move assertively across the road, leaving the vehicle behind no choice (within reason, be careful of lorries who may not have seen you).

My pet peeve is cars overtaking me where there are solid white lines in the centre of the road. Are they really in such a hurry to take that risk? Probably not.

What's your usually cycling position?

I'm usually in the middle of my half of the road.

Although very quiet town.

yy looking behind always creates space, I think it's an automatic thing. The human brain is wired to recognise faces. When you're facing forward, you're an object. When you look back, you're a person. Drivers always drop back when I glance backwards. Or maybe I'm just a gargoyle

Was going to post the same as diddl, not excusing the motorists but it sounds like you need to be more assertive on the road.

To be honest, if I want to turn right in busy traffic, I've been known to get off and walk across via the nearest pedestrian crossing.

Do you drive?