Was I BU to not reverse?

[FedupofbeingtoldIcantusemyname]

I'm a little bit unsure of the 'rules' on reversing up/down hills

Was riding down the road near where I live (I ride a small motorbike) - said road is narrow in places so it is often necessary for one car to reverse to a wider point if 2 cars meet each other going in opposite directions.

There was a car in front of me that had another car facing the other direction in front of it, so obviously the 2 were trying to get past each other and having a bit of a stand off as neither was reversing.

When I arrived I expected the person facing up the hill to reverse as then there were 2 people waiting to come down the hill and as I am on a small bike I have no reverse gear and can't reverse up the hill. They didn't, they just continued to sit there until 3 or 4 other cars arrived in both directions causing a bit of a traffic jam! Eventually they did move but was IBU to not reverse before the queue built up?

When I learned to drive I was told that the person going UP the hill has right of way and those going down should give way.

Think its in the Highway Code you give way to those coming up the hill or it was 20+ years ago when I took my test.

Just checked... Highway Code rule 155 says give way to vehicles coming uphill where possible.

The trouble was that at the point where I turned up the person going down hadn't reversed yet (although they probably should have done) and once I turned up they couldn't reverse because I was in the way. I couldn't reverse because I have no reverse gear and can't push a bike heavier than myself up a hill

Rule 155 of the HC says the car coming uphill has priority. But I use single track lanes a lot and you just have to use your common sense. E.g. give way to more people or to tractors, trailers etc that are difficult to reverse.

Not sure how you can be expected to reverse a motorbike up a hill! Odd highway code rule, that one.

To be honest OP many people would expect you to turn round and ride back up the hill. What will you do if it's a tractor and trailer and they'd need to go back 100 yards for you?

I'd always reverse if I could, rather than get to a standoff, never mind what the "rules" are.

Motor bikes don't have a reverse gear because you can easily turn round and drive in the opposite direction?

Why could you not turn the bike round and go back down? If the road is wide enough for a car it is wide enough to turn the bike round.

God but some of you lot are so bloody logical.

Unnecessary, I tells ya!

It is apparently safer for the car travelling down the hill to reverse up it.
A car reversing downhill can is easier to lose control of.

Was there not room for you to slip past the two front cars and leave them to it?

Give way to those going up hill. You should have turned your bike around.

Whoever is nearest their passing place should reverse.
I'm a little confused by your question though - presumably having no reverse gear you couldn't have reversed first nor last?

You're right doodle, I couldn't have reversed either way!

There was only just enough room for a car so no space for me to go around or turn around, as it was other cars turned up behind me so I couldn't go back up anyway.

The person facing uphill was probably less than 10ft from a passing place!

Closest to passing place is one thing, the HC is another.

The safety aspects are old hat, based on older cars, old technology, but the HC has rules about such stuff to prevent such Mexican Standoffs. Road etiquette/rules mean those going downhill should have reversed. Anything else is personal opinion, preference etc.

Maybe he person coming up was a stickler for the rules... could no more reverse their car than you could your bike... it doesn't really matter. The legal answer is they were in the right to expect the other driver to reverse!

The driver going up hill has right of way for sound safety reasons. I suggest you leave your bike at home if you don't know the Highway Code and couldn't respond to this situation quickly.

I should add, I live in a very rural area, lots of single track lanes, tractors etc. I usually reverse, I seem to be one of the few who can

If the road was wide enough for a car, I can't understand why you couldn't turn round, at least at the point when there was no-one behind you, OP?

I was only there for about a minute before the other car turned up behind me Judy, the road is only just big enough for cars, eg a minibus/large van/tractor etc would not have fit so not enough room/time for me to turn around or pass.

I'm pretty sure that there are a lot of road users who don't know the whole Highway Code off by heart northern.

!!! Many of the rules in the Code are legal requirements, and if you disobey these rules you are committing a criminal offence. You may be fined, given penalty points on your licence or be disqualified from driving. In the most serious cases you may be sent to prison

I think you are supposed to give a bloody good shot! They are a combination of the laws and guidelines to road usage. Had there been an accident or incident in the situation you describe rule 155 would have been applied... Give way to vehicles coming uphill whenever you can.

It is an advisory, but would still be used to decide who was being most/least unreasonable.

See, this is part of the reason why I feel that the cbt (which is what I have) is not suitable for getting people out on the road really, you just aren't taught enough to know all that you need to know - my instructor was shit and taught me virtually nothing. I have done some of my own research and try to remember as much as I can but I can't recall the whole thing off the top of my head. I'm not required to in order to be on the road either and haven't done any kind of theory test. You should really have to to be on the road IMO but that's how it is at the moment.

I think the 'whenever you can' would have been applicable in this situation though wouldn't it Blanche? I normally give way to everyone and anyone when I can as I'm aware that as a biker I am the more vunerable road user and I try to get out of the way as much as possible but in this case I couldn't do that.

Possibly. But you didn't see how it started, you arrival shifted the scenario, as did the arrival of others.

I was clumsily making 2 points:

1. you do need to know the HC
2. Giving way to an uphill vehicle is the norm, and would be the starting point for any policeman/court considering any action.

As you need the theory and practical test in 2 years it might be worth your taking it as soon as possible. That might help you judge road situations more confidently.

Yes Blanche, I agree with you there.

Technically, I don't have to ever take the theory and practical test as long as I'm content to keep riding a 125cc or smaller, I could just keep repeating the cbt every 2 years which doesn't seem right to me. In theory, you could be riding around on the road without the faintest clue of the HC and have no test to make sure your knowledge is to a sufficient minimum standard. Ok, most people do eventually go on to a proper license but there's nothing to say you have to :/

Most motorbikes would need more than a single track Lane to do a u turn, even if ridden impeccably, on a completely flat surface. Trying to do it on a hill with insufficient space would be pretty foolish and likely to end up with a bike on its side.