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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To always wait for a very big gap to overtake cyclists

115 replies

ladymabel · 26/05/2018 16:49

My question - how do mumsnetters overtake cyclists? I’m a new driver. There’s loads of cyclists where I live on both the urban and country roads. They give me the heebie jeebies.

People ahead of me overtake them with ease without crossing the centre line but I just can’t do that. I have to wait for a big gap ahead and go into the other lane to overtake.
I only drive a small car! Is this something I should continue to do or do I majorly need to assess my spatial awareness.
I know you shouldn’t pass them on blind bends but even on a slight bend I won’t overtake as it just doesn’t feel safe to me.
I actually feel cyclists should ride in the middle of the road so everyone would treat them like passing cars.
Tips and hints welcome

OP posts:

ivykaty44 · 26/05/2018 17:36

Some police forces put police on bicycles and they have cameras attached. If you pass with 1.5 meters they will pull you over and you get points & a fine etc just like you do for other driving offences.

You never know if you’re passing a cyclist with a camera fitted, they can also supply the film to police and you can be prosecuted. Many cyclists do film as there are so many cases of bad driving unfortunately.

Not all drivers are reckless, but it’s best not to be as bad driving can easily kill a sister, mother, brother or grandchild etc

Sirzy · 26/05/2018 17:38

If I can’t clearly see the road ahead and know it is safe I won’t overtake. I would rather piss off a driver behind me than knock a cyclist off their bike.

Sirzy · 26/05/2018 17:39

And also bare in mind pot holes because they may make the cyclist need to swerve to stay on

GiddyGardner · 26/05/2018 17:46

Keep doing what you are doing. I Absolutely give as much room as possible and wait as long as I need to, even if the car behind looks inpatient. If I knock a cyclist off the car behind me won't be responsible, i will. For the sake of a few minutes, it's really not worth risking, over cautious is much better, everyone should get home safe.

GiddyGardner · 26/05/2018 17:47

*impatient

BikeRunSki · 26/05/2018 17:48

As a cyclist I appreciate as big gap.
As a driver I always give one.
The only time I have been “clipped” recently was by a lorry from the road building company “Steelphalt”. Their logo - emblazoned on the lorry is “making roads safer”. , although I wasn’t so much at the time.

CaptainHammer · 26/05/2018 17:51

You’re doing it right OP! I hate watching drivers squeeze close by when if they’d wait 10 seconds they’d have a lovely big gap to pass.

Ellboo · 26/05/2018 17:57

Thank you! The terror of people who try to sneak past, usually putting their foot down, is awful. I reserve a special wrath for the drivers who do this when I have a toddler on my bike, then when I (inevitably) pass them in a queue of traffic they’re on the bloody school run with a carful of little kids themselves. How can you be so selfish?

SongsOfInnocence · 26/05/2018 18:00

Thank you OP! You’re doing the right thing. Apart from all the other good reasons already mentioned, the gusty wind created by a close-passing vehicle can be enough to make a cyclist wobble dangerously.

DoneDisappeared · 26/05/2018 18:01

Thank you OP for giving cyclists plenty of room - it's much appreciated!

Jengnr · 26/05/2018 18:01

I give loads of space too. I don’t want to hit and hurt anybody.

Considering how vulnerable they are it’s insane that such a large percentage of them are so reckless.

ShotsFired · 26/05/2018 18:03

Thanks you for your consideration @ladymabel.

treat people on bikes as if they were the same size as a car. If you wouldn't overtake in the space or time available, don't do it to a cyclist (i.e. crossing centre lane and not cutting back in)

Or think about it this way:

If I were to tumble sideways off my bike as you passed me, would my head go under your wheels? Don't get any closer than that.

PinPon · 26/05/2018 18:20

Thank you! I’d be happy to have you pass me on a bike. There have been some bad avoidable accidents around here because other drivers weren’t as reasonable as you. YANBU

donajimena · 26/05/2018 18:28

I'm relieved to know I am doing it correctly. I often feel pressured by cars behind but I never risk it even if it means crawling. Sometimes the cyclists will pull in which is appreciated but definitely not expected.

yikesanotherbooboo · 26/05/2018 18:29

This is all the more relevant at the moment with the state of the roads . The tarmac camber around here is disintegrating and there are potholes everywhere. This is very dangerous for cyclists.
One can feel pressurised by a queue of traffic behind but good drivers wait. Ignore the idiots behind.

TheBogWitchIsBack · 26/05/2018 18:33

Have been a cyclist and I'm a driver. Definitely take your time, find an opportunity to pass where you can give a cyclist loads of room.
It really puts the fear in you when you're on your bike and someone passes too close, it can be terrifying and it's one of the reasons i avoid road biking these days.
Don't feel you have to hurry because there are drivers behind you getting impatient, that's how accidents happen.

MereDintofPandiculation · 26/05/2018 18:35

It’d be nice if cyclists would stop doing shit like riding two or three abreast or forming a mini peleton to give me space to do this. That way we could all share the road and faster vehicles could pass safely. The theory is that to pass a single cyclist safely, you need to have at least half your car on the other side of the road, so you need the road clear, in which case you might as well pull right over, with room to overtake two abreast. And you can get past two abreast (car length) much more quickly than two line astern (more like lorry length), so it's all round safer.

OP: remember that no matter how much you're holding up the impatient drivers waiting for a safe spot to pass, you'll hold them up a whole lot more if you muff it and cause an accident.

ivykaty44 · 26/05/2018 19:09

It’d be nice if motorists could stop being quite so enthusiastic to use there cars solo, them riding around in cars with three and four empty seats. if they could just either fill up the seats and car share or just pull over when they make long queues each week day - let cyclist get past instead of causing an obstruction...I find motorists hold me up each weekday, but I’m patient and share the road 😉

FirstNameSurname · 26/05/2018 20:29

My advice on country roads is to ignore those cyclists who try to wave you on. Don't rely on them. I've had them get quite upset with me for not passing in potholed edged roads and waiting for a wider passing place.

I've even had a guy get so annoyed that I didn't follow his instruction to overtake him going up a hill (couldn't see oncoming cars on a 1 1/2 track road) and so decided to "teach me a lesson" and position himself so I couldn't pass in the wider parts. Don't be bullied into doing what they say and stick with safety.

Murane · 26/05/2018 20:37

My friend killed a cyclist who swerved in front of her as she overtook him. She was obeying the speed limit but he hadn't taken safety precautions (no helmet etc). Not only is she facing charges but the cyclist's family has also made death threats. Leave plenty of room for cyclists in case they swerve and ideally slow down as the turbulence from a fast car can destabilise them.

TireSwing · 26/05/2018 20:44

I must admit, I am someone who often feels pressured to overtake a cyclist and has occasionally done so with a smaller gap than I might have liked. It's not something I've felt good about at the time and reading this thread makes me feel even worse. I have been (not to mention th cyclist I've overtaken) lucky on those couple of occasions, that nothing has gone wrong.

Reading all these replies has made me feel much happier to stick back at a safe speed and distance and not to overtake until I can leave a decent sized gap so thanks OP ans PPs!

JamieVardysHavingAParty · 26/05/2018 21:00

Leave plenty of space. Until you've done a few road-miles on a bike, it can be difficult to appreciate the potential strength of the air current created by a motor vehicle travelling at speed. If a driver overtakes go too near to a cyclist, that aircurrent can make them unstable and they may fall into the path of the vehicle creating it.

jasjas1973 · 26/05/2018 21:09

My friend killed a cyclist who swerved in front of her as she overtook him. She was obeying the speed limit but he hadn't taken safety precautions (no helmet etc)

She was obeying the speed limit but took the life of a father/son/mum etc so she should face the consequences, as it would appear (she is facing charges) she didn't give him enough room, a few extra seconds of patience and he would have gone home that day to his family and your friend would nt be in a shit load of trouble.... death threats are of course totally unacceptable.

2cm of polystyrene does not protect the cyclist from 1.5 tonnes of car, travelling at 40 to 60mph, they offer little in the way of real terms protection, they are also not a legal requirement.

To the PP, Cyclists ride 2 abreast because in many situations it stops motorists ignoring them and overtaking at speed, come-what-may.

I must say i am impressed that all posters take care and consideration :)

User467 · 26/05/2018 21:13

I always err on the side of caution when passing cyclists, I move right over and wait until a stretch of road I would also pass a car on. I can tell it sometimes frustrates drivers behind me but after several years of working in a head injuries unit I couldn't care less.

ivykaty44 · 26/05/2018 21:15

Well said jasjas😪

Victim blaming is appalling especially when the victim is dead

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