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.

Shame drivers don’t have the same option with the cyclists.

I wasn't aware of the research but I am not surprised that is the effect 😢

100%. @SemiRetiredLoveGoddeess‘s incoherent rant is a classic example of this mindless rage.

My dad has been targeted by a lady who lives in his village and previously thought to be a sweet older lady, very lovely to everyone, goes to church etc and we've known her for 20/30 years. But when she is driving and comes across a cyclist, she passes too close and aggressively, beeps and shouts and swears at them. No reason other than she really doesn't like cyclists. This is on rural roads with plenty of space and not much traffic.

It discourages me from cycling sometimes and I wonder if I actually should get in the car to drive to the gym, as it would be safer than going for a bike ride. My husband commutes to work by bike and anytime he is unexpectedly late home I worry he has been knocked off. 😭 But we both love cycling, I'd hate to give it up because of angry drivers. But like you, I'd be reluctant to encourage my kids to cycle on the roads (they are only little so some way off this)

Also the automatic hatred towards anyone in lycra I just can't understand. It's literally the same as a swimmer wearing a swimsuit or a runner wearing shorts, it's the appropriate clothing for the sport! Would I not be hated if I cycled in jeans and a t-shirt? (Id be less comfortable that's for sure!)

We get these Mamils round our ways too…..at the weekends. Not only is it usual for a group of them to hog the country lanes, ensuring that no car can actually pass them but they often meet up in a local cafe…….
god it turns my stomach when you’re simply having a quiet cup of tea in a lovely cafe that you also have to put up being eye level with their Crown Jewels stuffed in those bloody silly Lycra shorts. Yuck!🤢

I'm not sure why the pro-cyclists on this thread are assuming the people moaning about the large cycling groups are all dangerous drivers who are the most risk to cyclists - it's actually the careful drivers who only pass when it's completely safe to do so that end up stuck behind cyclist's the longest and therefore get the most held up and most fed up. The dangerous drivers have already overtaken them on a blind bend and are long gone....

or they risked it and caused an accident

Why would that have improved everyone’s safety?

I was riding with the flow of traffic, within legal limits. Me cycling where I was positioned was no different to a HGV realistically.

I was safely riding, the safety only became compromised when a driver chose it was a better outcome for them to hit me rather than another vehicle.

I also want to point out that 99% of the drivers I encounter, are actually very pleasant. Unfortunately, a bit like the hate for cyclists.. it’s only the bad drivers that get mentioned and I can be guilty of this too!

You should overtake cyclists as you would a car in terms of space. If it was less than 6'6" and single track then you wouldn't be able to safely overtake a single cyclist.

Most road blockages are caused by sheer weight of traffic, nothing go do with bikes

That's interesting and this is a genuine question: how does the name 'vehicle excise duty' tell us that it's based on CO2 emissions? That name just seems to indicate that it's a charge on vehicles. Does it apply to off-road vehicles, for instance?

Whereas the rest of london - the amount of cars is insanity...

Can’t imagine if vehicles are being driven on private land they’re liable for VED.

Motorcross bikes racing a private course or ride on lawnmowers for example.

What do you think they should wear instead? Do you think they wear them for fashion or to please other people?

A legal but dick-filled move 🤮

It doesn't. But it does make it clear that it's a tax on vehicles, not a tax on road usage. The fact that cars are banded according to CO2 emissions comes from actually paying it.

Not getting from A to B in a hurry?
Not if they're in Richmond park - the speed limit's 20mph

You didn't, though. You've never paid Road Tax in your life.

In the village I used to live there’s a single track road with passing places for about 10 miles before it becomes the normal 2 way road.
This is the road that goes to GP surgery.
How much earlier should I have left the house to get to my appointment to accommodate the cyclist that won’t pull over to let me overtake him/her?
The general consensus is that you pull over to let the vehicle behind you pass but I suppose SOME cyclists think that general rules of the road just don’t apply to them.

Don’t even get me started about the ones choosing to ride on the road with just-because-I-can attitude when there’s dedicated pedestrian/cycle lane parallel to the road.
Not to mention lack of lights,helmet and dark clothing when riding in insufficient daylight (and night).

I’m a cyclist too and use the roads with common sense and safety in mind as I have kids to come back to every every day.

Cyclists are uninsured, self-satisfied dickheads who don't pay road tax, are frequently unruly guests on the road and almost certainly don't own copies of the highway code - or choose to interpret it creatively. But they are here to stay and ultimately we have to do everything we can to keep them safe. However irritating they so often are, however much they inconvenience us, deep down we don't want to harm them. As a driver you'd be devastated to cause them even a scratch or a bruise by dinging them with your big metal box on wheels. Keep them safe, self-satisfied and obnoxious though they may be. You did the right thing, as you don't want to harm the annoying little bar stewards - simply. you never want that on your conscience, even when they do engage in top class prickery.

You don’t pay road tax.

Cyclists aren’t dickheads and they aren’t guests of the roads - motorists don’t own the roads, the roads are to be shared. Only drivers have a complex to be billy big balls and go faster and behave dangerously.

Also most cyclists also drive cars.

Why do motorists think that the highway code is just something that happens to other people and that road tax is a thing?

We’re cyclists and motorists and we always get off the road/go single file for traffic behind us. However, unlike on the continent, the vast majority of motorists are horrible to cyclists. They don’t allow for a wobble or a waver, not aware when they force a cyclist into the side of the road they could end up under them if rider hits a pothole.
They pass too close and at speed and manners seem to desert them when they get behind the wheel. I have wonder if they don’t have children or grandchildren who ride bikes; surely if they did they wouldn’t behave as they do unless they’re complete morons.
We rarely have a ride out that we don’t see some idiot overtaking on a blind bend or forcing a cyclist onto a verge.
Your cyclists shouldn’t have done what they did - two wrongs don’t make a right - but I can fully see where they were coming from; there’s safety in numbers.
In France and Austria, motorists are lovely to cyclists and the highways authorities have put in dedicated lanes (not silly hatched lines that people can park in), proper crossings and even underpasses for bikes.

Apart from your uneducated post regarding road tax. I pay £41 per month insurance for my bike.

Every cyclist I ride with has insurance…whether private like me or through British Cycling.

You are probably thinking about someone just riding a push bike including children.