Cyclists riding two or three abreast down country lanes.

[Roseforarose]

AIBU that it's a bit of a hazard. We've just come back from a journey and there was a bike rally or something. We were trailing behind for ages from the ones who refused to get in single file. Surely for everyone's safety they should be in single file? What do you all think?

Mythical how was him cycling legally and safely provocative and stupid? The driver was aggressive and dangerous in that video. Many people would respond in anger to being treated like that.

Think you must have watched a different video from me mythicalkings if you really watch that and say the cyclist was provocative!!!

Is that the priory lane that leads to roehampton gate of Richmond park?

As far as I remember the cycle path peters out and then you are left on the wrong side of the road and yes, you do have to keep stopping. I also used to have to circumnavigate cars parked on the pavement.

Ironically most people going along priory lane will be heading for Richmond park where the speed limit is 20 and will have left the Upper Richmond Road which is often one long traffic jam.

Cyclists are travelling up hill so might be a little slow, but really, there are plenty of other things to slow down traffic.

Yes it is Merrymouse.

If cyclists wish to ride two abreast on smaller roads, that's up to them but they can then expect to be overtaken by people giving them the same amount of clearance that would be be given to any other slow moving vehicle.

I generally try to give cyclists more space than I would perhaps give a tractor, but, if they are deliberately riding on or close to the centre line of the road I can't do that. This used to stop me overtaking them but it doesn't any more since I learned that it was a deliberate policy advocated by cycling clubs.

Cycle path photo if it works...

He wasn't cycling safely. They were swerving all over the road overtaking each other and showing no consideration for other road users. Typical of the minority of arrogant cyclists who get the rest a bad name.

He could have let the car go past but, no, he had to make his point. And then he carried on shouting after the driver went to get into his car. He was every bit as bad. Both of them were twats.

Nice bit of victim blaming there Mythical, you know that the 4x4 hit the cyclists elbow with such force it bent his wing mirror in? Amazing the cyclist wasn't knocked of. That man actually tried to kill a cyclist with a car and then proceeded to get out and threaten to kill him (having already tried) but yes it's the cyclists fault for being provocative. Ffs.

Does a country lane not count as narrow? What I'd call a country lane is just a single lane. I cycle on them lots and it is difficult.

How was he swerving?

Cyclists are allowed to overtake other cyclists.

Sorry, polar - yes it's a 'should'.

You are definitly watching a different video. I don't see any of that.

I see a cyclist overtaking a slower cyclist (like a car overtakes a cyclist, shock horror!).

The cyclist is then at the side of the road, not preventing the 4x4 from overtaking him (when safe to do so) at all. The 4x4 then dangerously overtakes him far too close and is completely crowding him.

I agree the 10 cm strips painted onto the side of the road are dangerous and best ignored - those are cycle "lanes" not cycle paths though.

There are cyclists and cyclists of course - it's the ones riding on the road because they are entitled not to be slowed down - usually the same ones who don't follow the rules at traffic lights and run red lights or filter past standing traffic and then position themselves past the light in the middle of the road in front of the first car so as to stop for the shortestmoment possible who are probably not putting safety (including their own) first - the ones I talked to said they ride on the road because they are road cyclists and have the right not to be slowed down - not because they're keeping other cycle path users safe by heroically risking mingling with traffic.

The cyclist at that point said quite reasonably "hey come on". Quite probably trying to make sure the motorist was aware he was there.

Motorist went crazy immediately and was extremely aggressive. Yes the cyclist shouted back at him but to be honest I would have done as well. If someone is that crazy Id be wanting to shout to try and scare him off from attacking me. 99% of the time the cyclist is shouting at him to fuck off and "get away from me" as he's obviously quite freaked out and wants the bloke to go away.

Driver is a psychopath. He's been identified as a local cafe owner and cyclists are leaving loads of shitty reviews about his cafes now.

*not referring to the video btw which I am not going to watch as my kids are in the vacinity and it doesn't sound suitable!

NurNoch yes SOME cyclists go through red lights. They are twats, please do not generalise because most don't. The same way SOME twats use mobiles whilst driving. Also taking position in the middle of the road is also legal and cyclists usually do it to tell cars that it's not safe to pass them. Again maybe you get the odd cyclist that does it because they are a twat but I'd think this is rare considering how so many drivers use their cars as weapons against them.

They can ride abreast but equally the Highway Code says they should move aside to allow traffic past (obvs the word should not must) - if more cyclists observed this rule you wouldn't have cars behind them trying to overtake which on some country B roads can be difficult as fewer spaces to overtake safely. Consideration all round is needed.

And most country B roads have plants of gate entrances that can server as stopping points Ime

Safe places to overtake cyclists include:

-straight road sections
-wide road sections
-corners if there is good visibility

Places not to overtake cyclists:

-roundabouts
-sections of road with solid traffic islands making the lane narrow
-when the cyclist has their arm out indicating they are going to turn right.

I'm a driver (20k miles a year, so pretty experienced) and also a road cyclist.

If I'm trying to navigate any of the second set of circumstances I will ride bang smack in the middle because impatient drivers don't leave enough room. I will pull in closer to the kerb in the first set because ultimately if a car is ahead of me it is highly unlikely to hit me so being overtaken is preferable.

I can clock 5 or 6 mph quicker average cycling to work on the road than on cycle paths because they are straighter, the surface is better and I don't have to keep stopping and unclipping my pedals for aunt Mabel, her dog on a flexi lead and her 5 year old on one of those wiggly scooter things.

Maybe everyone who passes a driving test should have to do 20 miles round A and B roads on a bike...

Nurnoch - there is one junction where I have to position myself in front and in the middle of the solid white line - for my own safety , not to make a quick get away per se. The traffic lit junction has three "exits", one left, one straight ahead but with an immediate diagonal turn to the left which leads to an important cycle overpass so used by many cyclists and "straight ahead" straight ahead. There are two lanes at the lights but no road arrows - so cars on the inside line could be turning left, diagonal left or going straight ahead. So a cyclist going to the overpass can't stay in the left lane as they might be cut up by a car turning full left but they can't go in the right hand lane is they might then be turning across a car that is legitimately going straight ahead.

What the junction is crying out for is an cyclists apron and an advance stop line. In the absence of that, I will continue to wait ahead of the solid line as I prefer to stay alive.

Mistress Yes of course.

My point was that things done for safety (cyclists own or those of even more vulnerable pedestrians or less confident cyclists) are fair enough, but you do also get the twatish rather arrogant attitude from some who deem themselves "serious" middle aged men in lycra cyclists who are not to be inconvenienced but may inconvenience others.

It's not a major problem, but it's a sunny day here and the club cyclists are out in force and where I live they do have really good safe cycle paths they refuse to use on principle. If the principle were the safety of more vulnerable slower cycle path users that'd be fair enough - but I've only read that on this thread, irl from a friend's husband and his friends it's all about the right of the serious cyclist to go really fast - which might be fun but is a double standard when it necessitates holding others up!

Most "cycle" routes in the UK are designed for a maximum of 10mph (I think 8mph on Shared Use sections) In Glasgow where the infrastructure is really crap the cycling officer has even made the statement that, even where they have built expensive but narrow two way segregated cycle routes, they would expect confident cyclists to stay on the roads. This is because any time the design gets difficult (eg at junctions) they just give up and through the cyclists back on the road - if they're lucky, with an advance stop box but if they're unlucky, back on the pavement, having to dismount and use the Toucan lights.

SO everyone is unhappy - cars because one of "their" lanes has been appropriated for a two way cycle path with can only safely be used one way but they are still seeing cyclists on the "main" carriageway, the pedestrians because the cyclists are now coming onto the pavement and because they now have to navigate the two way cycle lane to get on to buses and cyclists, because at all the "difficult" points, the designer just threw in the towel and left it as unsafe as ever.

On the days I drive to work I often meet the same cyclist who is obviously on his way to work too. No Lycra, no road bike just an everyday guy on a bike going about 10-15mph I always meet him at the same place and follow him slowly for about 3-4 minutes until he turns into a side road. I don't overtake because it's through a tiny village with twisting corners and narrow roads (with double yellows that people love to park on making it much tighter). 4 minutes of my life so I'm not going to lose sleep over it. But the amount of times drivers behind me have started beeping, flashing, honking and screaming because they are held up is ridiculous. They know they can't/shouldn't overtake because it's not safe but they rage anyway. Even if I could overtake that guy I worry about leaving him at the mercy of the idiot rager behind me. For 4 minutes max....

We have a local cycling club who routinely seem to think they own the road.
I am a keen cyclist too so I'm not bashing all cyclists but this particular club are what I call 'militant cyclists' they simply refuse to move over even if they can. Everyone round here knows them for it and it is widely known that the club has an official policy advocating this type of behaviour .

Anyhow.... A few years back they were racing round one of the little country lanes 3 or 4 abreast and I was coming the other way in a tractor with a few tonnes of potatoes in the back. They couldn't stop in time and went straight into me at full pelt! I felt awful as if it were somehow my fault ( even though I was doing all of 15 mph).
Apparently, shortly afterwards, the club warned its members about cycling more carefully near xxxx farm after the incident which saw several of them hospitalised.
They still creep past in single file at walking pace to this day!

but it can be a very stupid thing to do on narrow bendy roads

Actually, it can be extremely sensible to do on narrow bendy roads. Because no one can overtake you. What happens when a car is coming the other way that overtaking motorist didn't see around the bend? There's only one way to go and that's into the cyclist(s). There are times cyclists ride abreast precisely because it stops dodgy overtaking.

I am not a fast cyclist, but I used to commute via priory lane by bike because it was the quickest way to cover 7 miles - faster than bus, car or tube. Cars are generally delayed by other cars, not bikes.

Now I live rurally. It's a popular holiday destination and there are many cyclists on the roads in summer and yes, you do have to slow down occasionally. However, it's nowhere near as bad being caught in the mile long traffic jam that often happens in a local village because the one way system in the narrow historic high street struggles to cope with cars.

It is clearly frustrating to have to slow down behind a cyclist, but I think people vastly over estimate how much and how often they are being slowed down.