Group of cyclists not letting cars past- is this legal?

[Serenity674]

Interested in whether this was legal. Was driving to my parents this morning, they live remotely so it was a single track country road, although not narrow, with wide verges on either side.

i came up behind a group of circa 20 cyclists, probably doing about 15-20mph and ended up stuck behind them for about 10 mins. Round the bends was fine and they actually went faster than I would have gone in my car but there were several very long straight stretches of road where I could have got up to 30-40 mph (it’s a NSL road) but they wouldn’t move to let me past, just rode 2 or 3 abreast taking up the whole road. They definitely knew I was there as the ones at the back kept looking behind at me.

i know the law says cyclists can ride 2 abreast and it’s actually safer as it means cars overtake them properly but surely this doesn’t apply regardless of the road? Were they just doing the safe thing or should they have let me past?

I am a horse rider so i am always on the side of passing more vulnerable road users safely but this just seemed like a bit of a dick move- or were they actually doing this for a reason I’m unaware of? If I was riding my horse on a road like this I would ride 2 abreast until the car slows down then move into single file to let them past.

There are no laws regarding how many bicycles may travel together, just as there are no such laws for cars.

But it is common sense. There are no laws around numbers of runners that constitute an event bit at some point it does become one or else London marathon would not require permitting,

I'm very cautious around cyclists, I slow down, give them plenty of space & try not to put them under pressure, but they are the obvious commuters, just getting from A to B, or working delivery drivers.
The lycra-clad wankers cycling 2 or 3 abreast taking up the whole road are something else though. I wish for them mouthfuls of insects, surprise hail showers, and chaffed testicles a-plenty.

It's not common sense, just what you think. If it was an event surely the police would be all over it.

The lycra-clad wankers cycling 2 or 3 abreast taking up the whole road are something else though

It is perfectly legal to ride two abreast. How much room does your car take up?

How exactly would police know to attend?

You can go over to the other carriage way (unless solid white line) to overtake (if safe obv) so I think there is room to pass a single or two abreast cyclist with 1.5m space. The cyclists should allow a build up of cars to pass in the same way any slow moving vehicle should.

Cycling version of man spreading, their want is more important than you need.

That.

Exactly.

2 abreast is legal, but a shit move if it prevents cars from passing safely. 3 abreast is definitely a liberty.

looking at the ops picture of the road the other car even if it went in the middle for the 1.5 would be riding the grass

It might be legal but it's utterly dickish. Decent people would pull in for the 5 seconds it would take to let you pass.

I live in a scenic place with narrow roads where people specifically come to cycle. We are plagued with this shit all summer. They are there on holiday and have all day to pedal their little bikes. Meanwhile locals have jobs and appointments to get to and can't for all the dick heads in Lycra.

I have a bike, I cycle. I am not antibike.
I am however anti entitled arsehole. If a car gets stuck behind me for more than a minute or two, I pull in to let them go by. Costs me nothing .

Sometimes I wonder if it’s less about cycling and more about low-level exhibitionism.
Here’s my balls and arse vacuum-sealed in Lycra — and there’s nothing you can do but sit in traffic and admire it.
Secretly all thinking they're Tour de France riders

not read all the posts but god cyclists are a pain in the backside 😂

If you’re overtaking using the opposite carriageway then you’re doing something wrong! 😂

As for the cyclists they allowed to ride like that but they should also be mindful of rule 169 of the HC which states that you shouldn’t hold up traffic as a slow moving vehicle and should pull in where safe to do so to allow following traffic past.

Op photos show plenty of room for passing if bikers travelling single file and allowing breaks between every 2-3 riders. Travelling in a different manner is cunty.

true but then the way some drivers speed on those lanes its understandable behaviour

OP, if you have a driver's license you should know this is legal and they are just a part of traffic as any motorist, horse or tractor. It is not practical or feasible for cyclists to stop or even ride in single every time a car comes up behind - if there's not enough room to safely overtake then you wait same as with any slow moving traffic. Where are cyclists supposed to stop or ride so you can pass squeeze past them? Riding at the road edge or even stopping and standing in a ditch is asking for trouble and punctures from the debris and thorns and broken bottles adorning the countryside. Remember, bikes were there before cars 😀

Btw, what's the definition of a safe place to pull into & to let motorists pass you !

We get it all the time here. In my opinion group cycling activities on roads should be completely banned. There are a menace on the roads cause huge delays. A friend of mine was recently seriously hurt after falling from her horse which was spooked by a group of cyclists coming full pelt at her down a narrow road. They didn’t slow down at all and raced past her much faster than a car would be permitted to drive past. She will be ok fortunately but it could have been much worse. The utter nastiness of the cycling club when contacted about it was shocking.

A car is about 1.8m wide. Plenty of room to pass, otherwise 2 cars could not travel down that road in opposite directions.

I'm in an urban area with lots of Sunday club cyclists.

Today, I came across about 30 in a group as I waited at a traffic light. I knew they were going my way. They went about 22 - 25 mph in a 30. It was no big deal for me to just go at their speed. This was on the main carriageway which had been reduced to accommodate a cycle lane which they did not use. I was aware that other drivers get angsty at not going 31+ in this stretch, that could well lead to bad decisions.

A club cyclist told me that they were encourage to be "big", ie cycle 2 - 3 abreast, for their own safety. It's hard to argue with that, especially with the greenwashing.

Sorry if someone has already answered this, but I passed my test less then 6 months ago and this a theory question I got it my theory test. Cyclist can ride 2 abreast and if it’s a narrow road they should ride single file.

@Yellowsubmarineunderthesea As a cyclist, I can tell you yes, you can absolutely tuck into a very small space. Your total width is less than 0.5m.
Cyclists have, wrongly in my view, been advised to "take the lane" and ride like a car. It’s terrible advice — all it does is wind everyone up and create more hatred between drivers and cyclists.
I’d bet good money that more cyclists are hurt by pent-up rage on narrow country lanes than by kamikaze-style riding in London.
Of course they can pull in but they won’t allow their precious ickle tyres or their delicate lyrca suits to risk getting pricked by a thorn or two at the side of the road.

@giddyauntie123 I'm a cyclist myself, did a group spin today 70km in a group of 6. Tucking into road edge or close together is very often more dangerous due to the state of the roads. Motorists have big metal cages around themselves, nice wide tyres for safety whereas our ickle tyres are what get us around, lycra getting caught in a thorny bush could pull you off the bike. Potholes and bad road surface means you have to allow for space between riders, riding too close together can be dangerous. Of course you would know all this if you really are a cyclist.

If I need to be half meter from roadside & my bike is half meter wide and motorists need to leave a gap to pass by, then it's not easy to just tuck into a small space on the road.

Do you non cyclists really honestly think we enjoy annoying other road users? Why on earth would we get a kick from that 🙄 we're just out exercising, trying to keep fit. It's a good cardio workout. And btw, it's not just mamils who cycle in groups

@Yellowsubmarineunderthesea

I think my point would be : can a road be blocked up by a group of 6 cars who have decided to use the road for a sporting activity, or a group of runners, or a group of horses - a marathon would involve a road closure. Why can groups of cyclists use the roads in a way that often causes problems for everyone else trying to use that road? If you continually encountered large groups of runners on your bike ride, who were running so that you couldn’t overtake - would you have got frustrated, could that have created a dangerous situation?
I personally don’t think roads should be used by cycling clubs - who often meet in groups larger than 6, and treat the roads like the Tour de France and want to get a speed record at the cost of any consideration of anyone else - including pedestrians.