Cyclists two abreast on busy 'A' road, selfish?

I think it works both ways.

Drivers should be careful about more vulnerable road users like cyclists. However, cyclists shouldn't flaunt their "freedom" and be aware and considerate to other road users too. It's a bit of both.

Whilst I realise some people may think it's unfair that a driver will necessarily/automatically get the blame in any interaction between a car and bicycle - they both have a responsibility to one another to be safe and courteous.

Unfortunately, as most things in life, the exception doesn't make the rule, but they are the ones we remember (being cut up, having to swerve, running red lights etc....).

I was run into by a bike when I was crossing the road (it was green for me to cross) - he went over the handle bars, I got a massive bruise (I spoke about this on here many years ago IIRC), and yet he tried to blame me for having seen he was coming and not getting out of his way. :rolleyes:

Anyway, when I'm in my car, I always wait until it's safe to over take, and try and be as careful as I can - most of the time I get a thank you, but sometimes some cyclists are so oblivious to what they are doing.

Riding 2 abreast in some situations is fine, but in a busy place like London? No, it's daft.
 
Kenai said:
"never ride more than two abreast, and ride in single file on narrow or busy roads and when riding round bends"

To me that suggests you should only be two abreast on quieter roads with less other traffic.
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Basically it's supposed to say "it's fine to ride side by side if the road is clear, just make sure to drop down to single file if a vehicle approaches or when your cornering" however it was worded by bureaucrats :p

To be fair the majority of cyclists do it that way anyway.


Burnsy2023 said:
[Citation needed]
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I found it by typing "83% cyclists car" into Google.
 
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Not read the whole thread but...

Being an enthusiastic driver living in a rural area, a horse rider and also a keen cyclist who is recovering from a serious facial injury due to hitting a car (2 hours surgery for a smashed nose that was hanging off with most of top lip)...
I feel there is care and courtesy to be taken by all road users.

Where I live it is the 10% minority that end up causing the most problem. With the great weather everyone seems to be losing the ability to share the road responsibly I have had so many problems in the last week with just individual users. Anyone vulnerable road users (IE; Cyclists) using the roads in a group where the conditions mean an approaching vehicle cannot pass safely with oncoming traffic is selfish, short sighted and asking for the inevitable.

I get miffed and sometimes angry, but I do not rise to it from the saddle or my drivers seat, it makes me as bad as them. I just do my utmost to stand by my standards of road use and make sure when I do encounter idiots I do not further escalate the situation.

The world is full of cowards, idiots and selfish people. The roads are just a drop in the ocean of examples sadly.
 
Kenai said:
I drive with respect for cyclists. It would be nice if that was met with a similar respect, rather than arrogance and an attitude of 'picking and choosing' which bits of the highway code they think should apply to themselves and others.
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I wish more people did.

It also worries/upsets me, as a cyclist, when I see the copious amounts of highway code breaking/risk taking that cyclists take on a daily basis exactly because of the attitude it engenders in motorists towards them.

What i'm saying is that both groups need to learn that they can't have it all their own way and expect everyone else to accommodate them, something this very thread demonstrates is far from the case on both sides.
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As always, good road use should be about compromise. The biggest concern for me - as both a driver and a cyclist - is the number of people that seem to drive in a hurry and in a bad mood, and they make it dangerous for everyone, not just cyclists. What it comes down to at the end of the day, for me, is that in the event of an accident between a car and a bike, only one person is coming out of that ok; and because of that motorists should just treat cyclists as they should any other road user: safely. The one thing I just cannot understand is the blind rage/hatred that some motorists have in particular towards cyclists. It always makes me wonder how on earth they cope socially.

I also whole heartedly wish some cyclists treated drivers with more respect as well, but then I'd like people in general to treat other people with more respect but you can't change human nature can you?
 
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