To think this cyclist should have pulled over?

[MsMarvel]

I'll say first that indont know the specific rules of what a cyclist should do, im not a cyclist and im haooy to be told that actually cyclist was in the right...Im not posting this to start a bunfight!

Was driving to work this morning, along a windy country road that is pretty busy, lots of traffic both ways, hgvs etc.

Get stuck in a queue of traffic going about 5 miles an hour and look ahead to see that about 3 cars in front of me, aorry is stuck behind a cyclist.

At this point im thinking fair enough, windy road, cars cant safely overtake, doing the safe thing and sitting behind cyclist until safe opportunity arises, but knowing the road that could take miles.

See a sign for a parking bay and think that the cyclist can easily pull over without even stopping and letting the (now 10) cars pass him. He cycles right past, staying very confidently in the middle of the road lane. In the end cars started overtaking him on dangerous spots, which isnt acceptable no matter how frustrated you are, but AIBU to think that the cyclists could have moved over slightly to avoid the dangerous isituation occuring?

If it was a slow car or lorry with a queue of 10 people behind him there would be no discussion over whether they should have pulled over, but not sure if the rules are different for cyclists...

[That1950sMum]

Horse riders are usually polite and female.
Cyclists are usually entitled and middle aged men.

Not sure I agree with this. I think I've been irritated more often by horses on the roads than bikes. Most cyclists are aware of their surroundings. Horses should not be on the road in the first place.

And yes, OP, your cyclist should have pulled over.

[LostSight]

Horses should not be on the road in the first place.

You are aware horses have been using roads for hundreds of years? Riders have just as much right to use roads to get around as car drivers.

[Castironfireplace]

The cyclist should have pulled over.

We need to make some better provision / clear laws for cyclists.
I know they are very vulnerable & my poor DH is always complaining of bad drivers on his way to work but some of them have a death wish.

It's always middle aged men and older, in packs usually and all over the road. What is the most frustrating is when we are out walking and they seem to consider the country foot paths (clearly signed no cyclists) fair game as well and wizz down them, tinkering their little bell for you to shift out of the way. When I was 8 months pregnant walking along a pavement a cyclist came round the corner and went straight into me. He was so apologetic but I could have been seriously injured. He said that the roads were just so dangerous to cycle on.

I thinks it's great to cycle, but now it's a massive fad and there's just too many people doing it. I don't what the answer is though. Yes more car driver need to be considerate but it goes two ways and round here it's getting out of control.

[MsMarvel]

Lostsight but surely a cyclist training isnt an excuse to create a dangerous road situation? Should a rally driver be allowed to practice on his morning commute?

[whattheseithakasmean]

Horses should not be on the road in the first place.

Of courses horses should be on the road. How else do we get to nice off road riding? Or maybe it is a quite country lane, suitable for some road work to harden legs. Stop being a silly billy

[Mummyoflittledragon]

Exactly lostsight. I think 1950's mum needs a name change because horses and carts were still being used in the 50's as work vehicles. And of course the Queen's horse guards should never be on the roads either. What a load of twaddle!

[BeingATwatItsABingThing]

I think the rules for cyclists need to be made clearer for everyone, drivers included. Then maybe there would be less accidents/arguments and the roads would be a safer place for all road users.

[UnderTheGreenwoodTree]

I live in place with lots of windy country roads and a fair few cyclists and horseriders. I'm very mindful of them, give them a wide berth and am patient if they don't pull in.

I find the horseriders pull in very promptly, cyclist less so, but then they are going faster. I do think they pull in tbh, if there is a massive queue of traffic behind, so yanbu - but the real problem for everyone on the roads (drivers, cyclist & pedestrians) is impatient, aggressive car drivers. There are far more of them around here.

[LostSight]

Lostsight but surely a cyclist training isnt an excuse to create a dangerous road situation? Should a rally driver be allowed to practice on his morning commute?

He didn't create a dangerous situation. The drivers who were overtaking dangerously did that.

It is difficult. People should try to consider others and maybe the road wasn't suitable. But perhaps equally, there are not enough provisions for cyclists and they are also in a frustrating, no win situation.

[MsMarvel]

I do agree completely that the cars that dangerously overtook were completely in the wrong, and thought I would state that I waited behind the cyclisy until a straight bit of road, despite cars behind me overtaking me and the cyclist.

But I also think that a simple manouver from the cyclists point of view could have prevented any dangerous frustrated driving from the car drivers. Although i suppose a dangerous driver will drive dangerously no matter what the road situation.

[Ifailed]

I hate being stuck behind a cyclist as I find it incredibly dangerous. What if they fell off
What if they did? You should always leave a safe stopping distance between yourself and any other vehicle.

[purplevase4]

I think the rules for cyclists need to be made clearer for everyone, drivers included. Then maybe there would be less accidents/arguments and the roads would be a safer place for all road users

I think most people will agree with this.

I'd have pulled over if there was a layby and there weren't so many cars that I would never have got out of it again.

[TwistNshout]

YANBU Cyclist should have pulled over.

[ShotsFired]

I would have pulled over in this exact situation, partly because I get a little anxious if I know there is an HGV behind me, and partly because I am keen to do my own bit to stem this tide of utter hatred so many people have for fellow humans on bikes. If that means I delay my own journey for a few minutes, that's how it has to be.

That said, I probably would not pull over halfway up a hill, because it takes a huge effort just to keep going uphill, let alone having to stop and then restart! But each and every car will get a wave of thanks when to do pass by.

I also find the 5mph claim tosh. I am a comparatively slow rider, but I'm usually 12-14mph going easy, and will be up near the 20s when I put some effort in, and will be past 30 on downhills. So on the windy country lanes as described, I can't see any motorised vehicle thinking high speed is safe anyway?

PS. I also wear lycra - because it is the best clothing for the job, not because I fancy myself as the next Armitstead. I guess I am a MALIL.

[LostSight]

I think the rules for cyclists need to be made clearer for everyone, drivers included. Then maybe there would be less accidents/arguments and the roads would be a safer place for all road users

I think most people will agree with this.

Being's point is one I also agree with. Thanks purple for pointing it out. Both parties in this situation obviously felt entitled to act as they did and the road rules appear to be inconclusive.

I was thinking about the rally driving question and whether it being rush hour was pertinent. Maybe the cyclist was also going to work. Maybe if he stopped in every layby to wait for cars to pass, he would make himself late.

Should rally drivers practice? Well they can, so long as they do so safely and legally. The cyclist did nothing that was inherently unsafe or illegal.

You could always move to Norway, OP. Lots of cyclists, lots of cycle paths. Fewer cars, lower speed limits and much more patience on the roads.

[ThisPanCan]

oh nice, another cyclist thread.

I ride a lot. My safety comes first above the 'entitled' behaviour of selfish wanker car drivers (though being a car driver also).

I'd pull over on a hill to let cars/lorries etc pass. But not witnessing this particular incident I don't think I can offer an opinion. Lots of things are experienced by people on bikes that car drivers do not experience and so do not understand at all why we do them. Rough roads, pot holes, poor lighting, the effects of wind, avoiding 'door corridor' etc.

So unless a person on a bike were to tell me 'I was just a selfish twat' then I'd take it there was a good reason for making the decision. The last people we allow to make h&s decisions for us are car drivers.

[ThisPanCan]

I thinks it's great to cycle, but now it's a massive fad and there's just too many people doing it.

Don't MN posters just say the most fucking stupid things?

[heron98]

I'm a cyclist. Sometimes I do pull over in situations like this, it depends on the road and whether he'd have been able to set off safely again.

[Mistigri]

There's never a simple right/ wrong answer to these questions unless you know the specific roads from a cyclist's point of view. If the road was uphill and/or narrow, stopping would be inappropriate because of the difficulty of getting back up to speed and rejoining moving traffic. On a wide flat road, I would personally have made space for cars to pass, but only if doing so was safe. Cyclists must put their personal safely first because there is no guarantee that car and lorry drivers will do so.

[Ameliablue]

Whether pulling over might make a cyclist late or interrupt his training doesn't make it any less selfish if he is holding up a long queue of drivers. The highway code still applies, although perhaps not the mirror bit. "Do not hold up a long queue of traffic, especially if you are driving a large or slow-moving vehicle. Check your mirrors frequently, and if necessary, pull in where it is safe and let traffic pass."

[StripeyMonkey1]

I am also a cyclist (and a car driver).

I normally pull over when there are cars behind me and I have the opportunity to do so. Most car drivers are very courteous and say thank you!

However, there are certain spots where I do not pull over any more - due to repeated experience of cars then boxing me in. To be fair they are busy spots and the cars have probably had enough of the traffic queues (not caused by me!) but they then seem to feel entitled to barge past which is just not safe.

[FuckFaceMagee]

He should have moved.

Cyclist asshole.

[Paintedhandprints]

Generally if I were to pull over into a layby, when cycling, or even as a driver in heavy traffic, I would never get out again. However, I would probably try to avoid that route if I were commuting on a bike, if possible.
Some ridiculous comments about cyclists and a lot of hate. A bit more tolerance and understanding.

[CatchIt]

I think the cyclist was bu. I'm not a cyclist, but am a horse rider and always move over to a driveway/somewhere safe to let cars pass. If there isn't one I can see, I'll trot on until I can.

For those saying he shouldn't have because he would then be 'weaving in and out of traffic ' he could easily have waited for the traffic to pass surely?

Cyclists are not my favourite I have to be honest!

[Brekekekex]

It's hard to know whether he was being a twat or if there was a good reason not to pull in that it would have been hard to see from a driver's perspective e.g. the layby may have been full of broken glass. As a cyclist I would pull in under those circumstances as long as it was safe, but I do think that often drivers don't realise that what looks like a perfectly safe place to pull in - and would be safe for a car - is not necessarily safe for a cyclist, perhaps due to problems with visibility/sight lines for pulling back out again, or an unsafe surface, or similar.