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.

Also a cyclist and a car driver here.

Bikes can't go as fast as cars.
Let them take over. Do you seriously want them to drive behind you, along with a huge line of other cars pulling up? Sometimes there isn't 1.5 meters available op, but they can still overtake you safely.
You can also give them space safely.

Try to find the safest, quietest route op. Stay safe x

Yes, my child was hit by a bike running the red. Cyclist came off, so hopefully he'd think before doing that again!

HighlandCowbag

I can’t use these miles of shared paths as they aren’t joined up & don’t go in the direction I want to travel. they are continuous and abruptly stop

you don’t want cyclists in the road and you don’t want them off road 🤷‍♀️

Can drivers also stop going through red lights

Have a day off

Where did you find that info. Granted I've not looked in depth but a quick Google suggests it's 3.5 and the roads here are definitely no where near 5.5. with 3.5 if a cyclist is in the middle you would be able to overtake but if further to the right or cycling 2 abreast you won't.

Onabreeze, can I remind motor vehicles not to go through red lights, I see at least 10 every day, pretty dangerous given that they could kill someone - oh yes infact they do, 1000s.

I always give cyclists the full lane, how close I am to them depends on where they’ve chosen to place themselves in that lane.

I’m don’t take risks with cyclists safety, but I do sometimes get pissed off. I live rurally and a few weeks ago had the pleasure of coming across a pack of lesser spotted night MAMILS. It was pitch black, so I couldn’t see far enough past them to overtake even with full beam. And we were mostly going uphill, so I had to crawl behind them in first gear at about 7mph for 25 minutes. Wankers.

That’s incorrect. The power must cut out at 15.5 mph, but there is no speed limit that applies to an e-bike - nor any other type of bike.

Dynamix - do the 'locals' not cycle then?

Jaundiced outlook, and what about the 'irate' drivers?

Cyclists - and I am a cyclist in central London, frequently ride in the middle so you can't overtake. Last week I drove at eight miles an hour behind two cyclists riding abreast on a 40mph road. The queue behind me was getting very long. But there was oncoming traffic. Nothing we could do. What a waste of time, fuel and energy as we call crawled along. (Kids to pick up, work to get to trains to catch).....But they weren't budging.

Cyclists often come too close to the centre line so even if you are going the other way you're "too close". And they cycle right up beside me or inches behind me, pass me if I'm in traffic (or on my slow bike!), at speed and too close. Sometimes on both sides. (One guy took off my wing mirror as he whizzed downhill past my stationary car).

I've been cycling in Central London for thirty years and rarely had a problem - but then I've never tried to challenge the cars - any more than I do as a pedestrian.

Yanbu. But our roads are mostly quite slim and there's a lot of bad drivers. Personally I walk or cycle on the quiet paths, I don't trust someone on their phone or smoking weed to not hit me. We need far more cycle paths.

And cars have also become ridiculously oversized and there is a fashionable trend to have a bigger car than you actually need. Compare the width of your average family car from 1990 with that of today.

That link looks like it's about equal numbers of drivers and cyclists (1/4 of one and 'more than' 1/5 of the other).

We should all be giving each other space and consideration on the roads.

FWIW I prefer it when cyclists ride 2 abreast. As I am going to move into the oncoming lane to over take them, it's better I do so for as short a distance as possible. Riding two abreast means I can make the manouvre more quickly and more safely for us all.

As a general rule, though, I think more patience towards cyclists, horses, caravans, tractors is always going to be the right thing to do: and I live somewhere where you can expect to encountered each several times during a decent journey.

Lorries taking 15 mins to overtake other lorries on a dual carriageway on the other hand - really get my goat

@UnderHisPie

I particularly used that link to show that cyclists and drivers aren't much different, fact is people on different transport methods break the law

fact is though a motorist driving through a red light is more likely to seriously harm you than a cyclists, its nothing personal just physics

OP 😴.... were sick of hearing it and no we dont need reminding. Idiots on bikes who rise on narrow country roads who go for miles and refuse to pull over are inconsiderate arsholes as are cyclists who refuse to use cycle lanes and still expect a wide birth because they dont want to use them.

Cyclists who weave through all the traffic at lights then wonder why they cause chaos when ever one tries to pass them for all over again, or just ride through red lights on the pavement.

Also plonkers that take their 5 year olds on main roads as seen latley.

Sort out pathetic riders actions first then come back to me.

www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/2068852/shocking-video-nine-drivers-jump-red-light-falkirk/

I always make sure I give tons of room when I overtake cyclists, and if there isn't room, I wait.

However, the number of cyclists I've had pull out in front of me, either by shooting out from a side road, or shooting across a roundabout when it wasn't their right of way, or just hopping down off a pavement without even looking, is exasperating. I will continue to give space, because it's the only safe thing to do, but I can readily understand a lack of goodwill to cyclists, certainly locally.

As a German car owner I can assure you that there are no shortage of twats on 4 wheels of all nationalities. Apart from having a sense of decency towards other road users (mostly) our insurance predisposes me to drive carefully.

If the AIBU isnt in your favour it's because there are no shortage of twats on 2 wheels (like the guy who thought he was in the Tour de France and bounced off our bonnet recently as he wasn't looking where he was going - this was at a junction).

Women are disproportionately more likely to be killed than men. The theory some claim is that men are more confident and willing to break rules where necessary (hopping onto the pavement or running red lights might be forbidden, but they often keep you safely out of the traffic - I don't do either, mind).

No. Sorry. I just do not get the “some cyclists behave like twats, so none of them deserve to be safe” argument. Imagine if every time a motorist was caught speeding, every other driver with the same make and model of car received points on their license? Except with cyclists, the collective “punishment” isn’t an administrative penalty, it’s potential death.

The OP is clearly a woman, commuting (ie. cycling out of necessity) in a city, so trying to justify her endangerment by banging on about Lycra-clad men on country lanes at weekends makes no sense.

I commute to work by bike too and I obey all the rules of the road because I am not an idiot. Part of my route I drive in my German brand of car and I also manage to obey all the rules of the road and behave considerately towards other road users, including giving cyclists and e scooter users plenty of room, because I am not an idiot.

It's not cyclists are angels vs drivers are idiots or vice versa. Some people are considerate on whatever mode of transport and leave time to complete their journey safely, others don't.

As a cyclist I keep myself safe by being as visible as possible- I wear hi vis, have lights on my bike and on my helmet and ride in a defensive position (so not in the gutter but also not right by the white line unless I have moved to turn right, usually about a meter from the kerb).

There is one section of my route that has a shared pedestrian and cycle line and I don't use it because a) there is no easy way to get on or off it without suddenly having to try and get your bike through a line of parked cars and join a busy road; b) it's a very busy footpath usually completely taken up by oblivious secondary school students at the time I use it; and c) the surface is so awful and wobbly on it I felt slightly motion sick the time I did try and use it.

I have cycled in the Netherlands and it is an absolute joy to do so (even with the weather!)- safe cycle routes are well thought out, children receive cycle training, there are clear rules for drivers and cyclists so people know their right of ways and their responsibilities. Yes, it has taken a lot of investment from the government for all the cycle lanes and the flat nature of the country makes cycling a bit easier, but it helps ease congestion on the roads and keeps the nation fitter so it is worth it IMO.

I believe laws around driving need to be tightened up. Anyone attempting to endanger or involved in an accident with a vulnerable road user and proven to be deliberately dangerous should be banned from driving for life.
None of this fine and 2 yr ban, license forfeited.
Permenantly.

I'll preface my answer to you with a big 'in my experience' caveat, though from most of the replies to this thread people both cyclists and motorists are simply talking from their own personal experiences anyway ....

I've never met a local person who rides in the huge 'peletons' I mentioned no. In rural communities people talk and almost without exception, the 'peletons' are considered to be an absolute menace.

They are mostly, but not all men, and wear Lycra team names emblazoned across their backs- most with the names of cities / large towns 30-40 miles away. They drive in to the edge of the National Park and then let rip in MAMIL formation. They ride 2-3 abreast and often 5 riders deep from front to back. There's a lot of steep hills - getting stuck behind them can easily add half an hour to your journey. It's a complete pain the arse to be honest. I drive safely and wouldn't want to risk anyones life (and don't), but it doesn't stop it being fucking annoying. Since this thread began with a plea for courtesy it would be nice to see it work two ways.