Priority on Single track lanes

[OverSteery]

I am just interested after a couple of "meetings" with oncoming vehicles - all sorted without any issues, but it made it wonder.

Are there are rules about who has priority when one vehicle needs to back to a passing spot.

Specifically

1) towing my motorcycle trailer EMPTY - it's a serious b*gger to back as it's invisible in the car's mirror and rear window until turned (yes I do plan to fit a stick up marker.)

2) riding with a friend, both on motorcycles, an oncoming vehicle waited while I got off my bike and pushed it back up the hill and then walked down to help the 5tf 4 lady push her bike up the hill. Had I been on Harley I doubt I could have moved it backwards up the hill, nor turned it around.
I note cars are not required to have reverse gears either -albeit uncommon

[cologne2792]

Having driven on them locally, every day for the last 37 years we don't really rely on rules - just practicality and common sense.

Essentially: Whoever is nearest.

All the locals seem to know what they're doing and drive according to their vehicle type.
If in an old pickup or Land Rover we just drive up the bank / off the road etc to make room for cars.

Very rarely do I meet anyone with an ego - except in Summer.

We're mostly all happy to back up 1/4 of a mile or so, if necessary.
Personally, I'd always give priority to anyone with a trailer, large vehicle, horse or anything that's difficult for the other person to reverse in the situation.

[Bill]

cologne2792 said:

Having driven on them locally, every day for the last 37 years we don't really rely on rules - just practicality and common sense.

Essentially: Whoever is nearest.

All the locals seem to know what they're doing and drive according to their vehicle type.
If in an old pickup or Land Rover we just drive up the bank / off the road etc to make room for cars.

Very rarely do I meet anyone with an ego - except in Summer.

We're mostly all happy to back up 1/4 of a mile or so, if necessary.
Personally, I'd always give priority to anyone with a trailer, large vehicle, horse or anything that's difficult for the other person to reverse in the situation.

With the caveat that it's often quicker and less painful for me as a local to back up than it is to watch some Muppet struggle to reverse 5m.

[OverSteery]

I have no intention on relying on the legal priorities. I don't know 'em and I suspect 99% of the people I meet will not either.

I would still be interested to know if they exist.

[Red9zero]

Bill said:

With the caveat that it's often quicker and less painful for me as a local to back up than it is to watch some Muppet struggle to reverse 5m.

Same here. It is painful watching some people try to reverse.

[airsafari87]

Scenario 2. Sounds like you encountered a bit of a bell chopper.

If that was myself and my Mrs both out on our bikes and there was no way to comfortably and safely squeeze past the car I’d go and ask the driver if they would mind backing up due to the difficulty of having to push 2 motorbikes back up the hill.

If they flat out refused it would take me a very long time to push the bike back.
I’d be stopping to get my breath back.
I’d probably get thirsty due to the physical effort and need to pause for a drink.
I’d get hot and need to take my jacket and helmet off.
I’d need to check back up the hill to make sure there wasn’t any vehicles coming down towards me.
And so on and so on.

[cologne2792]

Bill said:

With the caveat that it's often quicker and less painful for me as a local to back up than it is to watch some Muppet struggle to reverse 5m.

Yes, very true Bill.

A quick assessment of the other driver often pays dividends

[RizzoTheRat]

OverSteery said:

2) riding with a friend, both on motorcycles, an oncoming vehicle waited while I got off my bike and pushed it back up the hill and then walked down to help the 5tf 4 lady push her bike up the hill. Had I been on Harley I doubt I could have moved it backwards up the hill, nor turned it around.
I note cars are not required to have reverse gears either -albeit uncommon

Legally I think they were in the right as the Highway Code says you should give way to the vehicle going up hill, but that doesn't stop them being a tt.

Bear in mind though that some people can't reverse (and shouldn't be on the road!), Years ago I had to reverse a 8 tonne trailer a fair way back after the woman coming the other way tried to reverse back 20 yards or so to a gateway and nearly put her car through the hedge!

[Zeeky]

The only priority is when going uphill.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/gener...

Rule 155

Single-track roads. These are only wide enough for one vehicle. They may have special passing places. If you see a vehicle coming towards you, or the driver behind wants to overtake, pull into a passing place on your left, or wait opposite a passing place on your right. Give way to road users coming uphill whenever you can. If necessary, reverse until you reach a passing place to let the other vehicle pass. Slow down when passing pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders.

[Roger Irrelevant]

I'm pretty sure there isn't a legal right or wrong with this. The highway code may say you 'should' do various things but that's not the law. So it really boils down to use your head and don't be a dick. Which is why so many people have trouble on single track roads. There are loads near me and as another poster said above they're generally no problem at all when it's mostly locals that are used to them using them, but come the school holidays in the warmer months and you get an influx of townies who think brushing foliage or reversing ten metres will cause their cars to explode.

[Red9zero]

Zeeky said:

The only priority is when going uphill.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/gener...

Rule 155

Single-track roads. These are only wide enough for one vehicle. They may have special passing places. If you see a vehicle coming towards you, or the driver behind wants to overtake, pull into a passing place on your left, or wait opposite a passing place on your right. Give way to road users coming uphill whenever you can. If necessary, reverse until you reach a passing place to let the other vehicle pass. Slow down when passing pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders.

A met a rather angry red faced man a while ago when I was going up a steep, narrow lane near us. We had nowhere to pull in and as he was approaching a passing place I assumed he would use it. No, he charged down the hill towards us, shouting and gesticulating for us to back up. Being a stubborn old git I shrugged my shoulders and put a dvd on to watch. Angry man got the hump after a few minutes and got out of his car, came down to us and opened my door (rookie mistake leaving it unlocked) and demanded we, and the car behind us, back up and let him past. My wife started getting rather upset then, so rather than dominating the road, I and the car behind me, reversed a good 50yds to let Mr Angry past. We did however get a note of his reg number and gave the Police a call when we got home. My wife called them for added effect and said while we didn't want him prosecuting, a visit to advise him on his behaviour would be nice. We got a call a couple of days later to say they had paid him a visit and he had offered his apologies. Not seen him about since, but you can see how these things escalate.

[PistonBroker]

Bill said:

With the caveat that it's often quicker and less painful for me as a local to back up than it is to watch some Muppet struggle to reverse 5m.

Yep.

9 times out of 10 I'll back up as I know I actually can.

[Biker 1]

Happens to me on a daily basis as my office is a mile up a farm track. There are sufficient passing places, but in summer its hard to see what's ahead due to the overgrown hedgerows - you quickly get to know who can drive & who can't. There's one young bloke who genuinely tries to get out the way, but the reversing!!!!! FFS: how hard can it be to back up a Skoda Fabia all of 5 metres? Must have happened at least 6 times over the last year alone that he's reversed straight into a post & rail fence in exactly the same spot - rear bumper & tailgate are totally fked.....

[Roger Irrelevant]

Red9zero said:

A met a rather angry red faced man a while ago when I was going up a steep, narrow lane near us. We had nowhere to pull in and as he was approaching a passing place I assumed he would use it. No, he charged down the hill towards us, shouting and gesticulating for us to back up.

It's terrible, but when this sort of thing happens to me I find that my reversing skills - which are usually pretty good from all the practice I get on single-track roads - completely desert me. I end up having to reverse really slowly, often having to shunt forward a bit as I've angled into the verge, and sometimes I even end up stupidly missing a passing place entirely and reversing all the way to the next one. I do feel bad as this long drawn-out affair means that it would have been much quicker for the poor person in the other vehicle who is clearly in a hurry to have just pulled in in the first place.

[Red9zero]

Roger Irrelevant said:

It's terrible, but when this sort of thing happens to me I find that my reversing skills - which are usually pretty good from all the practice I get on single-track roads - completely desert me. I end up having to reverse really slowly, often having to shunt forward a bit as I've angled into the verge, and sometimes I even end up stupidly missing a passing place entirely and reversing all the way to the next one. I do feel bad as this long drawn-out affair means that it would have been much quicker for the poor person in the other vehicle who is clearly in a hurry to have just pulled in in the first place.

A good few years ago I used to deliver stuff for my Fathers company on a fairly long (12ft) trailer behind my car. I did a large amount of miles, probably 30-40k a year towing. I got reversing it down to a fine art, but I`d get so used to steering the "wrong" way I`d struggle to reverse without a trailer at weekends

[Castrol for a knave]

We live on a long single track. Like others have said, I know the passing points, so happy to whizz it back in reverse. I only get pishy if they don't acknowledge me, manners cost nothing.

My bug bear is at night, when I reverse and some choad follows me, right on my front bumper so I get a face full of headlights and can see the square root of feck all.

We do get the usual throbbers who come belting down like their arse is on fire but it is not uncommon to find them with a windscreen full of venison or stuck in a hedge to avoid a Manitou up their nose.

[mac96]

Zeeky said:

The only priority is when going uphill.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/gener...

Rule 155

Single-track roads. These are only wide enough for one vehicle. They may have special passing places. If you see a vehicle coming towards you, or the driver behind wants to overtake, pull into a passing place on your left, or wait opposite a passing place on your right. Give way to road users coming uphill whenever you can. If necessary, reverse until you reach a p assing place to let the other vehicle pass. Slow down when passing pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders.

I have never understood why it is supposed to be easier to reverse up hill than down, so I suspect the suggestion of giving way to traffic coming up hill refers to traffic approaching the descent, not yet descending,or descending traffic able to dive into a passing place while still going forwards. Not very clear though.

I have always found common sense prevails, along with a bit of 'might is right'. I don't expect anything bigger than a Transit to reverse for me, unless it is just a couple of feet.

[Solocle]

mac96 said:

I have never understood why it is supposed to be easier to reverse up hill than down, so I suspect the suggestion of giving way to traffic coming up hill refers to traffic approaching the descent, not yet descending,or descending traffic able to dive into a passing place while still going forwards. Not very clear though.

I have always found common sense prevails, along with a bit of 'might is right'. I don't expect anything bigger than a Transit to reverse for me, unless it is just a couple of feet.

The idea is that it's easier to get started again when you're going downhill, so if you pull aside and let the uphill vehicle pass, it should be better all around. If you've already reached an impasse, then that no longer applies.

[mac96]

Solocle said:

mac96 said:

I have never understood why it is supposed to be easier to reverse up hill than down, so I suspect the suggestion of giving way to traffic coming up hill refers to traffic approaching the descent, not yet descending,or descending traffic able to dive into a passing place while still going forwards. Not very clear though.

I have always found common sense prevails, along with a bit of 'might is right'. I don't expect anything bigger than a Transit to reverse for me, unless it is just a couple of feet.

The idea is that it's easier to get started again when you're going downhill, so if you pull aside and let the uphill vehicle pass, it should be better all around. If you've already reached an impasse, then that no longer applies.

Yes,good point and that is what I would do, but the Highway Code has always conjured up this picture of reversing up hill to me. Of course in some cars starting uphill in reverse was easier than starting uphill forwards, because reverse gear was lower than first, but probably not so much nowadays. And once every car is either electric or ICE automatic, there ceases to be any practical difference at all..

[Zetec-S]

Solocle said:

mac96 said:

I have never understood why it is supposed to be easier to reverse up hill than down, so I suspect the suggestion of giving way to traffic coming up hill refers to traffic approaching the descent, not yet descending,or descending traffic able to dive into a passing place while still going forwards. Not very clear though.

I have always found common sense prevails, along with a bit of 'might is right'. I don't expect anything bigger than a Transit to reverse for me, unless it is just a couple of feet.

The idea is that it's easier to get started again when you're going downhill, so if you pull aside and let the uphill vehicle pass, it should be better all around. If you've already reached an impasse, then that no longer applies.

Yep, I guess it goes back to the days of low powered cars, dodgy handbrakes, no hill-start assist, etc. Easy to forget how things have changed.

I remember my dad's old Talbot Samba, if there was a steep hill he'd need to get a run up in order to carry any sort of speed. There was a particular hill just on the edge of Chippenham where he would rarely get the opportunity for a run up due to the junction at the bottom of the hill. So we'd chug up it at I'd guess about 20-30mph. On the odd occasion he had to stop halfway up it became even more painful trying to get going again.

Funnily enough we ended up back there a couple of years ago while I was in my Focus ST, had a good chuckle about it and how things have moved on - looks pretty tame

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.4378893,-2.07178...