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...

I had a similar situation recently when I had to follow a tandem for four miles along country roads where they refused to pull in and cycled past two lay-bys. By the time I managed to safely overtake there were about 20 cars behind me. The road is quite hilly and one of the lay-bys was just before a steep hill. They seemed totally oblivious to the situation that they had created.

Must say that horse riders aren't my favourite breed of road user either.

BUT....the get every curtesy, largely because it involves an animal that is just beautiful.

Repeated surveys indicate that the vast majority of adult bike commuters are also car owners. So we usually see the arguments from both sides. Unfortunately the majority of car drivers are not also riders, so remain ignorant at times.

We are all in such a rush on the roads these days. If we were all a little more patient, and not in quite such a hurry all the time, we would all be happier drivers/cyclists. I'm not a cyclist but I try and wait behind them patiently while I wait for an appropriate gap.

I still get annoyed that I got a minor on my driving test for not going around a bike. On a bend. About 20 yards from a junction. As it was, they then cut across me to get to the cycle lane on the other side of the road. I have been driving for years now and I still stand by that decision.

We have lots of cyclists round our rural roads and I have never seen one pull over to let traffic past.

The tractors, combine harvesters and pea viners all pull over if they are holding up traffic though.

Oh, and we also have a fair number of horse riders around here too and they are extremely courteous and grateful to drivers being considerate.

These threads always seem to sterotype indivduals...

I read somewhere most cyclists are middle aged men
Really?

I read somewhere most horse riders are naice courteous women
Really?

I would therefore like to the sterotype thread that non cycling car drivers are all entitled, impatient, dangerous, cocooned morons.

There are equally bad cyclists, car drivers & horse riders.

Repeated surveys indicate that the vast majority of adult bike commuters are also car owners. So we usually see the arguments from both sides. Unfortunately the majority of car drivers are not also riders, so remain ignorant at times

This is true. But this is exactly why I try to give way to drivers where possible, because I know how frustrating it is to be stuck behind me on a bike. As I said on the other recent cyclist thread, I am rarely out on a commute or journey I could have made by car (except when my son and I ride to the local leisure centre for his swimming lesson, a journey which is mainly on a cycle path) so I take the view that the drivers stuck behind me could be working, on their way to take an elderly relative to hospital or something else important and it's not my right to hold them up unnecessarily when I am just riding for leisure.

That said, I wish, when I've clearly indicated that I'm turning left at the next side road, that they'd wait 3-4 seconds for me to make that manouevre and get off the main road rather than overtaking me regardless.

I still get annoyed that I got a minor on my driving test for not going around a bike. On a bend. About 20 yards from a junction. As it was, they then cut across me to get to the cycle lane on the other side of the road. I have been driving for years now and I still stand by that decision.

I still get annoyed about a minor I got because of a cyclist too: I was doing a hill start near the top of a long hill. As I was about to pull off, I saw a cyclist at the bottom of the hill. I moved off. Apparently, I didn't see the cyclist. When I explained that I did see the cyclist, but he was a good 100yards or so down the hill, and as I moved off, said cyclist was still nowhere near me and did not need to slow down or change direction, so I continued with the manoeuvre, I was told I hadn't checked my mirrors properly. Before this, I had taken most my lessons in Oxford so was used to checking for cyclists as there are so many of them weaving about. Grrr.

Dangerous overtaking by impatient motorists is the issue here. I can't understand why people are so intolerant of cyclists

Probably because some,like this one, think the Highway Code doesn't apply to them.

The issue it not just overtaking by impatient drivers, it is the arrogance of a slow moving road user who thinks they don't have to move over.

If the cyclist pulls over on the up - does this mean that car drivers will pull over on the downs? On the hills around here the cyclists are much quicker on the decents than a car.

I don't see it on Long Hill, Cat & Fiddle or Winnats.... and on the narrow roads where even on the flats a cyclist can move quicker than many of our visiting drivers. There are plenty of places to pull over but they don't.

doctoratsea do you realise that the word you used to describe car drivers is considered disablist and thus offensive on MN?

Blue, it's annoying isn't it?

Just to be clear to everyone, I wasn't annoyed at the cyclist in my test (other than for cutting across me but that was because I was worried about hitting him) but at the examiner bitch!.

The cyclist was being a twat and inconsiderate. It's not fair to slow down traffic to 5mph (!) on a windy road when he could have pulled over and let other drivers get on with their day. It's quite passive aggressive "I know my rights" behaviour.

unescorted presumably the cyclists going faster than the cars are either undertaking queues of traffic or breaking the speed limit, if they are travelling faster than the cars?

I can imagine it just not occurring to him. With tractors they are blatantly really slow and people do pull over, but the safety advice to cyclists is very much ride dominant. If you cycle with your mind on giving way to cars all the time you will get boxed into the gutter and go flying over the handlebars at the next big drain cover. Ideally yes I think he should have pulled in this time, and I like to think I would have, but having a big layby on a small winding road is not all that common round here. Especially if focussing on changing gears etc or keeping the momentum on a hill, combined with the "default setting" of ride dominant, it just might not have occurred to him in time. Maybe it was just a misjudgement. You may always make perfect decisions when driving but I sometimes kick myself for having failed to take a decent gap, or to create a good gap for someone who's joining the motorway, or not letting someone turn right out of a side street when I'm waiting to turn into it.

Horses are a completely separate group IMO. The culture on the road is to slow right down for them and give them tonnes of space. Culture and highway code are different for bikes - for many good reasons - but why expect them to behave the same when, day to day, they have different norms and treatment?

msmarvel 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 ocurring

Somewhat of a contradiction. Not cycling I can't comment on cyclist rules or courtesy, but the only cause of a dangerous situation here can only ever be the impatient drivers choosing to do this! It was still a choice!

It's quite passive aggressive "I know my rights" behaviour.

But he doesn't know his rights according to the Highway Code.

why would it necessarily be that over taking cars means breaking a speed limit?

Sunnymeg The road is quite hilly and one of the lay-bys was just before a steep hill.

If you don't cycle, you (quite understandably) really wouldn't appreciate how every inch of a run up to hill helps. And how difficult it is to start moving uphill from a standing start. I take every bit of run-up I can, even on smaller hills, even if that means I am furiously pedalling down a preceding one, just to build up the momentum!

Also yy to previous who commented that the view from a car seat is VERY different to what you see from the saddle. Minor road defects can be very dangerous on a bike, broken glass is a continual hazard etc etc

Lovelyupnorth
. And I don't know many road cyclists that would be going at 5 miles per hour 10-20 more like.

I live in SW on the country side PLENTY of roads like that, where if you get stuck behind a slow moving bicyclists or car/tractor you are there for 5 miles. Really not unusual. Unusual for them not to pull to the side and let you by though.

IFailed. Obviously. Yes, I appreciate you need to be a fair distance away. I've been driving since I was 8 so I think I can get that one. Still it is a massive responsibility as a car driver. A car to a cyclist is a motorised weapon. And a weapon, which can go wrong - failed brakes, oil on the road, hidden pothole, driver error, all of which could lead to a fatal accident.

I think there is definitely an education issue. Whether they abide by it or remember it or not, car drivers have been tested on their knowledge of the highway code (I appreciate that many cyclists are also drivers). many road users cherry pick parts to suit their own situation without thinking about the whole picture. For example many cyclists will quote that the Highway Code permits cycling 2 abreast and indeed in some circumstances it can be safer and more convenient for other users if they do. However it also says "never ride more than two abreast, and ride in single file on narrow or busy roads and when riding round bends" Now I agree that that is subjective, but cyclists riding two abreast will always state that they are allowed to and it's in the highway code but the never take into account the circumstances that permit this. I regularly get held up in a queue of traffic unable to pass as the road is busy and not wide enough, because cyclists are riding two abreast so they can have a conversation. This is on a 60 limit country road with many bends.

So as road users cyclists need to ensure that they actually are aware of the rules that apply to cyclists and also those that apply to all road users such as pulling in to allow traffic to pass. Frustration leads to accidents and it's all very well maintaining the moral high ground when someone has been injured.

Drivers would do well to re-familiarise themselves with the rules too.

There are twat drivers but there are twat cyclists too.

5more No they aren't doing either, but in a twisty hill a cyclist can easily go faster than a car. A car rarely manages the speedlimit as soon as there are a few bends. A cyclist can go much faster than a car around a corner.

I'm a cyclist (and a driver!). There are so many variables here. But I would make a decision on whether to pull over based on how long it might take me to get back out and how long the road is awkward for overtaking until it widens/straightens up again (if I know the road).

If i was going to have to wait longer for all the cars to pass me in my lay -by, than the car would have to wait to overtake me at a safe spot - then I would probably not pull over.

CatchIt Cyclists are not my favourite I have to be honest!

That's a shame. I am always courteous to horses and their riders - all my cycling friends are the same too.

If I am behind you, I will call out a friendly good morning and make certain you know I am there, before I pass slow and wide, usually with a bit of friendly chit chat.

If I am coming towards you, I will again slow right down in advance (however fast I was hoping to be going along that stretch of road before I saw you), and again pass the time of day with you as we crossed.

As we're both vulnerable road users, it's unfortunate you feel antipathy towards me, given we share so many "characteristics" and risks on the road. I hope you will reconsider and give your local riders a second chance