To remind drivers to give space

[BelleMarionette]

According the the highway code , drivers should allow at least 1.5m, or 5 ft, when overtaking a cyclist. Cyclists are also not obliged to cycle in the gutter by the road: in fact cycle skills teaches a more central position for visibility and safety.

I am cycling to and from work as it's the right thing to do environmentally. Public transport is pretty limited unfortunately. Around half of drivers pass too close, often within a foot and at speed. I have noticed that it is often German car drivers.. I also had a driver intimidate be by coming up close behind me and sounding the horn because I wasn't in the gutter. In this occasion it was approaching a junction with no safe space to overtake.

I have also had a car reverse into me when I was still in a queue of traffic. It sounds simple, but drivers need to look in their rear view mirror when reversing.

To anticipate common moans people have about cyclists: I have third party insurance, I have done cycle skills training, and have a driving license so am aware of the rules of the road, and I stop at red lights.

Startfresh, you're the one criticising cyclists, I'm responding to that criticism. Why does it 'bug' you to 'finally get past a cyclist' - why does it matter, why the competition?

How is it competition to not want to be stuck meandering along, and wanting to get on with your journey? Strange view. I didn't say "beat them to the red light", did I?

You seem to have some sort of misconceived judgement because I just would rather not have to overtake the same person twice. As I said, when I cycle, I don't do this. I understand they're allowed, but it would be nice to leave the cars who overtake ahead of you at a short light stop. That's all 🙄

@BelleMarionette sorry to read your update, I hate when someone passes me by too narrowly, it has me on edge, and I always try to move out of the way where possible. Some people are just jerks. Hope you are able to find your confidence again. I've seen those poles you can attach to your bike to show the safe passing distance?



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@2greenroses

You don't get it... They have a RIGHT to be there... You do NOT have a right to overtake them ... You just think you do.

WTF are you on about? I have as much right to overtake cyclists as they have to be on the road. More probably!!!

Simply being richer and more entitled than someone else (living rurally) does not give you automatic rights over them in our society.

As a pp said, you're deluded if you assume everyone who lives rurally is rich. What an ill-informed and ludicrous comment.

@fernfen

To all those replying to me you obviously don't travel much or live in rural areas like me where cyclists are fucking idiots blocking the narrow roads for miles. 🙄

100% this. ^ They are a massive PITA in the rural areas. I have lost count of the amount I have been stuck behind them 3 and 4 abreast, holding me and some 15-20 other cars up for about 10-15 minutes, because they're too selfish and arrogant and entitled to shift! In addition, I have had a number of times when I have gone around a bend on a narrow country lane, and 4 of them are coming towards me - TWO on my side of the road.

And no they should NOT BE ALLOWED to take up as much room as a car, because they are much slower! So they hold up the traffic for MILES. I was stuck behind about 150 of them for about 10 miles - on the A49 several years ago, and because of the slowness and delay caused by them, my cousin who I was taking for a hospital appointment was late for her appointment. Absolute menace they are! On the big main roads AND the bloody rural ones. Should all be consigned to a velodrome. (Not 'ordinary' lone cyclists who simply cycle for cheapness/convenience/to get to work etc, I mean the MAMILS!!!) Utter PITA.

I am not saying all car drivers are all perfect, indeed some are not. It's this idea (from SOME) that cyclists can do no wrong that annoys me. Some of them are an absolute pain! And they're always men in roughly the same age group too. Imagine being married to one of these cockwombles?

You seem to have some sort of misconceived judgement because I just would rather not have to overtake the same person twice. As I said, when I cycle, I don't do this. I understand they're allowed, but it would be nice to leave the cars who overtake ahead of you at a short light stop. That's all 🙄

what about if they're sitting in traffic though? Do you wait for multiple light changes in a line?

What do you mean? If cyclists are sat in traffic I will stop behind them. Or have I misunderstood?

I mean when you're riding a bike and you get overtaken by a car and then decide to wait behind them. Would you then wait there even if they were in a queue of traffic and you weren't going to get through on one change

I'm not saying for them to wait at traffic lights for all cars to pass, I'm saying what I do and think it would be nicer if cyclists did, is queue behind the car you're already behind at the lights, as they have passed you already (usually) then cars behind can work it out when they have space to overtake later in the road.

Yes. I wait in the queue.

But in the areas I ride it takes 10-15 minutes to do some journeys that would be 20-25 in a car. But if I behaved like a car it would take me 20-25. I just don't see the point, it's defeating one of the primary advantages of riding a bike.

Not saying you should change your ways, you should ride like you want to, I just mean that wouldn't really work for many people

Maybe you could leave earlier so that you can drive safely and don't feel so rushed? Or better late than never, for you and other road users 😊

Ah see, where I cycle, it's about parking/health. The ride is not any quicker by bike even if I didn't queue as that's usually a small part of the journey, it's always going to be slower, even with cycle paths etc. and I hate delaying people in cars more than I already do.

I think most non-cyclists do not understand the role of momentum in cycling. If the road is even slightly uphill it’s not ideal to get started again if you come to a stop. Yes sometimes this is required, junctions etc, but if the road is a high double digit gradient uphill if you stop that’s it you are walking pushing your bike, which means that instead of being stuck behind a bike doing 6mph cars will be stuck behind a person pushing a bike at 3mph and that ascent will take them twice as long, thus on a steep hill is not the time to pull in. I always try and pull in at the top when it flattens out but this is when the give and take is required.

Momentum is also the reason most shared cycle paths in towns are unusable. The ones round here force you to stop at every side road, and they make it particularly hard to see in advance if it’s safe to cross so you really are slowing to a crawl every 1/3 of a mile, and then you have to get up to speed again. If you ride on the road the shared path follows you just keep spinning to maintain your speed, no having to expend energy to get back up to speed again. The bit that is missing in a lot of uk cycle infrastructure vs Belgium/the Netherlands etc where almost nobody rides in the ‘car’ bit of the road, is that the cycle route gives you the same priorities as if you were on the main carriageway. I’ve ridden hundreds of miles on the continent and aside from the dedicated shared streets whereby cycles and cars share but cycles have priority I’ve not felt the need to get on the road to make decent progress, whereas here in the UK my commute is 10 minutes less for 8 miles taking the road!!

its very rare for a driver to take a really long and slow route to be considerate for anyone else, yet they seem to expect this from cyclists. Allow for the construction of actually good cycle infrastructure with a well maintained surface and the same priorities and visibility as the road lane, suitable for road cyclists, who will travel at an average speed of around 20mph, so probably low-mid 20s on the flat and mid 30s downhill, (handy tip, this speed is not safe or sensible on any path shared with pedestrians) even when this takes space from cars and this will probably go a long way to giving everyone safe space.

It really would be work investing in a helmet camera.

I just would rather not have to overtake the same person twice

It rather seems like there wasn't any point in overtaking in the first place, if you weren't able to get ahead before you ended up at the next set of lights.

I see this a lot, people flooring their car to overtake me, only for me to pass them 100 yds later when they're waiting for a gap to turn right. What was the point? It's in a town so it's not like you're going to be behind me for long and opportunities to do more than 20mph are limited at the best of times. Even worse when they overtake and immediately turn left.

Purplebutterflywings, most traffic jams are caused by sheer weight of traffic, do you get equally as angry with those other pesky motor vehicles? Are they not also 'an absolute menace'? Driving with such anger is not safe.

Have you ever considered that you would have an easier time overtaking if you weren't sat two-abreast? Motorists often criticise cyclists for riding two-abreast (seen though they are within their rights to do so), yet they sit two-abreast in their cars. Often there isn't even anyone in the passenger seat. If you in a narrower vehicle (perhaps one with only two wheels) you might find it easier to pass.

100% this. ^ They are a massive PITA in the rural areas. I have lost count of the amount I have been stuck behind them 3 and 4 abreast, holding me and some 15-20 other cars up for about 10-15 minutes, because they're too selfish and arrogant and entitled to shift! In addition, I have had a number of times when I have gone around a bend on a narrow country lane, and 4 of them are coming towards me - TWO on my side of the road.

Nobody holds you up, it's a public road and public have to share the space. Motorways will give you cycle free traffic, but they don't all flow freely either as they are public roads unless you use the M6 toll road.

Has it ever occurred to you that cyclists don't want cars sat behind them on narrow country roads, there might not be anywhere to shift to. As for narrow country roads having a your side and their side - well its not narrow then is it? What would you do if you came round the bend and found another car? If its got a your side and their side then you'd both pass, if its only one car width then one or both of you will have to manoeuvre - and thats far more work than 4 bikes singling out and passing you.

Please drivers, give space when overtaking. I'm surprised so many here think it's ok not to.

the fact that 42% of voters think it's ok to break the law and put someones life in danger is probably why 5 people die on the roads every day.

😔

Regardless of drivers thinking cyclists are a pain, needing to get somewhere quick, etc, it should never be ok to endanger someone's life. I'm absolutely happy to drivers to overtake, just want room. Of course I slow down (and pray usually).

I do want to thank the drivers who do give space. Bus drivers are generally very good at this in London, I assume it is part of their training. I'm also glad to hear that hgv drivers have cyclist awareness training.

I'm also glad to hear that hgv drivers have cyclist awareness training.

Ive cycled a fair bit in France and the HGV drivers are particularly cycle aware To the extent I was at a cross roads with a long straight road - the HGV pulled out as if to overtake (the other lane was clear) so that the drag would be far less as he passed the junctions where I was waiting (for him to pass)

Spain this last year and the drivers were incredibly respectful, so far over on to the other lane I had to check myself I was on the correct side of the road. Time after time the Spanish drivers gave so much space.

Of course YANBU and I’m a driver not a cyclist. I’ve been held up by cyclists but not to the extent I’m going to overtake one dangerously and risk their lives. I might sigh in my car but I do the same for buses on a road where there are bus stops every 100m and lorries ‘overtaking’ on the motorway.

Wherever you’re going, you’ll be way later if you - or someone else - hits a cyclist. Just put on some music and wait it out.

I do avoid some routes on Sundays because the hobby cyclists are out in force but I have a choice to go that way and wait a few extra minutes or go another way.

HGV drivers don't have cyclist awareness training, some companies might do it, but it isn't a requirement to get your class 1 or 2 licence.
You have to be aware of all road users, and most will check for cyclists, especially when stopped at lights in case they come up on your left, but there is no specific cyclist awareness training.

It's a shame that cyclists aren't required to take tests on things like being aware of the blind spots of buses/lorries etc and not cycling alongside them at junctions. It works both ways!