Tailbacks caused by people unable to overtake cyclists
Discussion
How annoying.
Cecil cyclist peddling to work, saving the planet, being tailgated by mrs Miggins in the Metro, who is too afraid to overtake.
Net benefit of cyclist to environment completely destroyed by the 20 cars following in 1st or 2nd gear for a mile.
Is it the cyclist at fault, or Mrs Miggins? (apologies to genuine Miggins who can drive). Or should we really force car drivers to learn how to overtake with confidence? - maybe even ban cyclists? Ha. Overtaking while keeping in the speed limit?? what's the best outcome? all I know is that it pi$$es me off to get caught up in a cycle led procession, even if it isn't their fault!! And it scares the cr@p out of me to be tailgated when I'm on the mtb!
Don't get me wrong, I cycle, drive, and ride PTW's, so I have a greater insight to this than most. But I won't ride the 'push' bike during rush hour as I think it is selfish. Discuss.
Keep it shiney side up. EVERYONE.
C
Cecil cyclist peddling to work, saving the planet, being tailgated by mrs Miggins in the Metro, who is too afraid to overtake.
Net benefit of cyclist to environment completely destroyed by the 20 cars following in 1st or 2nd gear for a mile.
Is it the cyclist at fault, or Mrs Miggins? (apologies to genuine Miggins who can drive). Or should we really force car drivers to learn how to overtake with confidence? - maybe even ban cyclists? Ha. Overtaking while keeping in the speed limit?? what's the best outcome? all I know is that it pi$$es me off to get caught up in a cycle led procession, even if it isn't their fault!! And it scares the cr@p out of me to be tailgated when I'm on the mtb!
Don't get me wrong, I cycle, drive, and ride PTW's, so I have a greater insight to this than most. But I won't ride the 'push' bike during rush hour as I think it is selfish. Discuss.
Keep it shiney side up. EVERYONE.
C
I find riding the cycle (in town) during rush hour is the best time to do it .... spend most of my time overtaking cars .... probably in an annoying manner 
But I know what you mean .... I'm not sure whether being overtaken with 3mm to spare is better or worse than having Mrs Miggins sat in my blind spot for three miles.
When driving it's usually fairly easy to find a safe place to pass a cycle - a dab of throttle will usually do the job but this seems to be beyond the Migginses of this world.
But I know what you mean .... I'm not sure whether being overtaken with 3mm to spare is better or worse than having Mrs Miggins sat in my blind spot for three miles.
When driving it's usually fairly easy to find a safe place to pass a cycle - a dab of throttle will usually do the job but this seems to be beyond the Migginses of this world.
Edited by Mark-C on Wednesday 22 April 23:44
I find that around town it can be tricky to overtake a cyclist safely, without causing an oncoming car to brake, or getting too close to the cyclist, overtake on a crossing etc.
As soon as the right moment comes, I'm past quickly, but the amount of people who take big risks to get past cyclists is scary.
Having been knocked off a pushbike some years ago always reminds me how vulnerable they are.
I'll happily add a minute to my journey time to avoid taking those kind of risks, my time isn't more important than their safety.
As soon as the right moment comes, I'm past quickly, but the amount of people who take big risks to get past cyclists is scary.
Having been knocked off a pushbike some years ago always reminds me how vulnerable they are.
I'll happily add a minute to my journey time to avoid taking those kind of risks, my time isn't more important than their safety.
HertsBiker said:
How annoying.
Cecil cyclist peddling to work, saving the planet, ...
C
Oi, I take offense to that! I don't cycle to save the fCecil cyclist peddling to work, saving the planet, ...
C
king planet, I cycle because I can't abide paying the amount of money that the train/tube demands for such a poor service. I counter the greeness of my biking by driving round at the weekends with my foot glued to the floor in my v8. So watch it you :PSpeed_Demon said:
Not overtaking a cyclist is the driver's fault, generally not the cyclist's.
There seems to be a growing tendency for cyclists to position themselves well out from the side of the road ( possibly due to potholes ? ) leaving insufficient room to pass safely when there's oncoming trafficMartG said:
Speed_Demon said:
Not overtaking a cyclist is the driver's fault, generally not the cyclist's.
There seems to be a growing tendency for cyclists to position themselves well out from the side of the road ( possibly due to potholes ? ) leaving insufficient room to pass safely when there's oncoming trafficts that don't know how wide their car is sqeezing you into the curb and knocking you off. That's why cyclists ride further out - to give them space to evade the tts.Edited by rhinochopig on Thursday 23 April 08:00
Speed_Demon said:
Not overtaking a cyclist is the driver's fault, generally not the cyclist's.
Well. A good rider on a pushbike can be doing 22mph maybe 25mph - but probably not 30mph. In a 30mph limit this means a car will either need to break the speed limit or will need a long, long straight with no traffic to make a legal overtake leaving the cyclist enough room.So most people who overtake bikes simply don't leave enough room - you should give a pushbike-rider enough room that if he/she falls over towards your car you don't run over their head. It's actually quite a LOT of room - far more than most people leave.
Now - in a 60mph NSL you should always be able to make a pass provided there is a decent straight. But again - some of the racing-pushbike-riders can be doing real speed - 40mph maybe - with a slight decline? Tour-de-france guys are probably far faster...
Out on the country roads, with short straights and limited visibility you can be stuck behind a fast pushbike for further than you think....provided you are planning on leaving them enough room during the pass and not breaking the speed limit. Even IF you are happy to break the speed limit you will need a surprisingly accelerative car to cover the distance of a short straight fast enough...
You see both sides of the coin around here - the timid drivers who won't overtake a cyclist no matter how much they squeeze over and the "world of their own" cyclists that weave around meaning you can't overtake safely. IMO both sides need a decent amount of training in how to deal with each other safely!
MartG said:
Speed_Demon said:
Not overtaking a cyclist is the driver's fault, generally not the cyclist's.
There seems to be a growing tendency for cyclists to position themselves well out from the side of the road ( possibly due to potholes ? ) leaving insufficient room to pass safely when there's oncoming trafficI try to "look after" cyclists when driving (as I am one myself).
Main faults when overtaking cyclists to think about and try NOT to do.
(1) Simply assuming you will be able to pass, not being able to do so, arriving right next to the cyclist at speed, needing to squeeze between an oncoming car and the cyclist giving them no room. Don't assume you are going by: take a little time to assess traffic flow and the cyclist's speed.
(2) Taking too close a contact position, right behind the cyclist. Unnerving for them and leads to harsh steering when going for the 'take. Position the car further back.
(3) Not leaving enough room between the bike and the car. Make sure you position the car far enough to the right that you would not run over the rider's head if they fell over. If you leave enough room it's safe to pass at quite a speed. If you don't - it plain isn't.
(4) Misjudging the cyclist's speed versus the oncoming traffic leading to needing to move back over to the left too early and getting too close to the cyclist. Take your time, get a good look at the relative speeds, don't just assume you can pass - actively decide whether you can or not. Wait until it's safe and when you CAN go - don't hesitate - leave enough room and blast past.
HTH.
Main faults when overtaking cyclists to think about and try NOT to do.
(1) Simply assuming you will be able to pass, not being able to do so, arriving right next to the cyclist at speed, needing to squeeze between an oncoming car and the cyclist giving them no room. Don't assume you are going by: take a little time to assess traffic flow and the cyclist's speed.
(2) Taking too close a contact position, right behind the cyclist. Unnerving for them and leads to harsh steering when going for the 'take. Position the car further back.
(3) Not leaving enough room between the bike and the car. Make sure you position the car far enough to the right that you would not run over the rider's head if they fell over. If you leave enough room it's safe to pass at quite a speed. If you don't - it plain isn't.
(4) Misjudging the cyclist's speed versus the oncoming traffic leading to needing to move back over to the left too early and getting too close to the cyclist. Take your time, get a good look at the relative speeds, don't just assume you can pass - actively decide whether you can or not. Wait until it's safe and when you CAN go - don't hesitate - leave enough room and blast past.
HTH.
MartG said:
Speed_Demon said:
Not overtaking a cyclist is the driver's fault, generally not the cyclist's.
There seems to be a growing tendency for cyclists to position themselves well out from the side of the road ( possibly due to potholes ? ) leaving insufficient room to pass safely when there's oncoming trafficThe driving is pretty much sub-standard in this country. Cyclists are part of the problem, too though running red lights should be an offence for them too. Anyway in my opinion the worst drivers can be put into the following categories.
1.) Middle Lane drivers. Causing trucks to back up because they can't use lane three and these middle laners should know to keep left it's in the highway code and you covered it in your driving test. Police Do Nothing!
2.) Cyclists. As you mentioned so many incompetant drivers who just won't do the sensible/safest thing for all involved, overtake quickly so the problems behind you.
3.) The Muppets. You know the people, your behind someone doing 45mph in a National zone, and then when you come to the thirty zone they carry on doing 45mph. Why do 15mph below the speed limit to do 15mph over it?
4.) Roundabout Tards. Well these people think they can go left in the right hand lane of the Roundabout, I'm unsure of the reason for this driving incompetance maybe just confusion but generally female. Everday I come to work and 9 times out of 10 get cut up at the exact same two laned roundabout.
5.) What Are Those For. People failing to indicating are just Stupid, I like cars and bikes and cannot stand knobs who don't indicate, do it too soon, or too late. This is most probably the cause of countless accidents involing Bikers and Drivers.
6.) The Youtuber. Why why why video tape yourself doing stupid manouvers or speeds in your own car and then post it on a completly public site like Youtube. Surely these people shouldn't be on the road anyway and already are a huge burden for the human gene pool.
I am a firm believer that Traffic cops should deal with traffic, it's kind of in the name really and what we the taxpayer pay them to do.
That said with the recent spate of Traffic Cops being charged with manslaughter (not mentioning names John Dougal) you can't put too much faith in them, not only that I'm a firm believer they should do the speed limit without Blues, I hate double standards!
Rant Over.
1.) Middle Lane drivers. Causing trucks to back up because they can't use lane three and these middle laners should know to keep left it's in the highway code and you covered it in your driving test. Police Do Nothing!
2.) Cyclists. As you mentioned so many incompetant drivers who just won't do the sensible/safest thing for all involved, overtake quickly so the problems behind you.
3.) The Muppets. You know the people, your behind someone doing 45mph in a National zone, and then when you come to the thirty zone they carry on doing 45mph. Why do 15mph below the speed limit to do 15mph over it?
4.) Roundabout Tards. Well these people think they can go left in the right hand lane of the Roundabout, I'm unsure of the reason for this driving incompetance maybe just confusion but generally female. Everday I come to work and 9 times out of 10 get cut up at the exact same two laned roundabout.
5.) What Are Those For. People failing to indicating are just Stupid, I like cars and bikes and cannot stand knobs who don't indicate, do it too soon, or too late. This is most probably the cause of countless accidents involing Bikers and Drivers.
6.) The Youtuber. Why why why video tape yourself doing stupid manouvers or speeds in your own car and then post it on a completly public site like Youtube. Surely these people shouldn't be on the road anyway and already are a huge burden for the human gene pool.
I am a firm believer that Traffic cops should deal with traffic, it's kind of in the name really and what we the taxpayer pay them to do.
That said with the recent spate of Traffic Cops being charged with manslaughter (not mentioning names John Dougal) you can't put too much faith in them, not only that I'm a firm believer they should do the speed limit without Blues, I hate double standards!
Rant Over.
I cycle and don't hesitate to overtake cyclists in my car. Probably because I know how much space I would like cars to give me as a cyclist and therefore know how much I think I should give them. When following a car attempting to overtake a cyclist I find is unbelievable how much room some give, almost overtaking on the other side of the road!. Some people just dont know how to overtake.
illmonkey said:
MartG said:
Speed_Demon said:
Not overtaking a cyclist is the driver's fault, generally not the cyclist's.
There seems to be a growing tendency for cyclists to position themselves well out from the side of the road ( possibly due to potholes ? ) leaving insufficient room to pass safely when there's oncoming traffic
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