Passing Cyclists

[DiG]

Must admit, its very annoying when you have to pass a cyclist when there's a mile long, totally empty path right next to where they are. There's just no need for it.

*runs away*

I do give them more than enough room though. Otherwise it just doesn't feel safe enough.

Try cycling, then you will realise why these paths are not used

 

[EdGey]

Try cycling, then you will realise why these paths are not used

I have, but i suppose it depends where you live.

 

[bigsharn]

Admittedly it makes me laugh the amount of different ways I can be overtaken, being beeped at and signalled to ride on the pavement was my favourite (for that immense stupidity, and the fact that he was the only car behind me, I cycled in the middle of the road until the next set of lights).

I get the people giving me the full lane when overtaking, but on the flip side there are people that think I can squeeze into a ~1" gap between a parked car and their trying to pass it, at which point I have to jam on the brakes.

I reckon 1m space is enough to pass a cyclist for any vehicle (except on the country roads where the limit's 60, then they should try to go into the other lane)

 

[grudas]

Admittedly it makes me laugh the amount of different ways I can be overtaken, being beeped at and signalled to ride on the pavement was my favourite (for that immense stupidity, and the fact that he was the only car behind me, I cycled in the middle of the road until the next set of lights).

I get the people giving me the full lane when overtaking, but on the flip side there are people that think I can squeeze into a ~1" gap between a parked car and their trying to pass it, at which point I have to jam on the brakes.

I reckon 1m space is enough to pass a cyclist for any vehicle (except on the country roads where the limit's 60, then they should try to go into the other lane)

thats exactly why i hit a car when the driver did not give me enough room and just jammed on the brakes.. as you know i can't stop so quick with the bike so i basically left stuck between two cars.. the driver heard a bang and started to blame me for hitting him.. then he drove away.. so did i.. even tho i think i did damage his car a bit..

 

[andyp]

I have found bus drivers and lorry drivers to be very good at overtaking (leaving around 2 metres).

I'm sure our resident trucker will say something similar for his training but a couple of years ago when I was taking my PCV lessons they really drilled it into you about giving cyclists room, especially the 'give as much room as you would passing a car' mantra.

In fact, on my PCV test I had a 'shall I, shan't I' moment with a cyclist ahead of me and decided to hang back, knowing fully well that I wouldn't be able to pass for another good mile or two. So I sat a good 20 metres or so back and followed him until he pulled up onto the pavement and waved me past.

Back at the depot I was told I'd have failed if I'd gone for the overtake, but I still got a minor for hesitation - work that one out lol.

And two years on I'll still happily sit behind a cyclist on the road until I know it's unconditionally safe to pass with enough room to not cause distress or endager them.

 

[Housey]

Never had a problem going around bikes, driven over loads, never much problem.

 

[InvaderGIR]

There are some people who try and overcompensate and give the cyclist tooooo much room, just incase they swerve

I treat them as any other road going vehicle, give them the whole lane and use the other to overtake. If someone is headed towards me when I overtake though I will move towards the cyclist (keeping loads of room mind) and continue my manoeuvre.

I was taught to give cyclist, motorbikes and cars all the same treatment...as if they are all the same size, large, unless the situation changes.

 

[DiG]

And two years on I'll still happily sit behind a cyclist on the road until I know it's unconditionally safe to pass with enough room to not cause distress or endager them.

Very sensible, the thing is I think a lot of drivers forget how vulnerable a cyclist is, clip a car on an overtake and its probably an insurance claim, do the same to a cyclist and they could be dead, worth being overcautious I would say!

 

[andyp]

Very sensible, the thing is I think a lot of drivers forget how vulnerable a cyclist is, clip a car on an overtake and its probably an insurance claim, do the same to a cyclist and they could be dead, worth being overcautious I would say!

Of course it's worth being overcautious.

It comes down to the same old thing, people are impatient, lack concentration and attention to the act of driving and more often than not incapable of accurately reading such a dynamic environment that is our roads.

It's the impatience that annoys me though, people just do not care how they can get 10 yards further up the road and it's quite pathetic, if I had a quid for every near-miss I've seen caused by impatient twonks over the last few years I'd be able to retire tomorrow.

When confronted, all you get is - 'I'm making progress'.... no you're not, you are being selfish and unnecessarily endangering other road users so your usually pointless journey progresses a little further up the road at any give time than it would if you were driving sensibly.

 

[I get around]

I probably scare the crap out of cyclists, theres no gap to small for my car. Only since i've been driving a van though, the car seems tiny in comparison.
I wouldn't say I'm dangerous but I will always pass at the slightest sign of a gap leaving as much room as I can.

I love scaring the ones with a £1000 bike wearing lycra a bit .
They're clearly just showing off, if you really wanted to get fit you'd ride a rusty piece of crap and wear dirty old rags making it hard for yourself. Instead you're just gonna go be smug somewhere aren't you, smugbag

 

[snowdog]

Of course it's worth being overcautious.

It comes down to the same old thing, people are impatient, lack concentration and attention to the act of driving and more often than not incapable of accurately reading such a dynamic environment that is our roads.

It's the impatience that annoys me though, people just do not care how they can get 10 yards further up the road and it's quite pathetic, if I had a quid for every near-miss I've seen caused by impatient twonks over the last few years I'd be able to retire tomorrow.

When confronted, all you get is - 'I'm making progress'.... no you're not, you are being selfish and unnecessarily endangering other road users so your usually pointless journey progresses a little further up the road at any give time than it would if you were driving sensibly.

To be honest, in my eyes the bigger problem is cyclists sharing the roads with cars in far too many places, people should lobby for normal cycle infrastructure, cyclists sharing the road with cars on NSL 60 mph bits is a disgrace.

And ''impatience'' wouldn't be such a problem if the road network was coping with the traffic properly. It's such a shame that some time in the past, many western countries stopped expanding their infrastructure fast enough to cope with demand. A well functioning infrastructure would, aside from bringing in a lot of wealth, make the roads safer in my eyes.

 

[Draeger]

I love scaring the ones with a £1000 bike wearing lycra a bit .
They're clearly just showing off, if you really wanted to get fit you'd ride a rusty piece of crap and wear dirty old rags making it hard for yourself. Instead you're just gonna go be smug somewhere aren't you, smugbag

No, feeling smug is being sat on my Pinarello worth £1k and looking at the tin shed that has just overtaken me in a ridiculous manner and thinking "My bike's actually worth about double the value of your car".

Yes, that's smug.

 

[oldbag]

Driving up Ditchling Beacon is a fair challenge with the number of cyclists looking knackered trying to get up the hill!

 

[rypt]

Try cycling further out. If you take a more active defensive position then you will be a lot safer.

If you are going to cycle further out than don't forget that you should pull over and let faster vehicles past, as per the highway code
There is NOT a single cyclist that does that, even those morons riding 2 or 3 abreast in the middle of the road, despite it actually being in the highway code that a sufficiently slow vehicle should pull over now and then to let faster vehicles past

Ok then for everyone here would you perform the stupid braking that the woman from my OP performed if a car came around a bend or would you finish the pass?

Depends on the on coming car, at times you get retards who will NOT move over to give you enough space to fit you, the bike and themselves.

 

[Moorron]

ive always gave cyclists plenty of room, more than a car. But last year i got into the hobby of cycling and often go out on the roads with a mate or two. I just cant believe how some people get passed the age of 10! 1 woman exiting a side road atually looked right at me and still pulled out, luckily i managed to slow down and pull into the opposite junction or i would have been under the rear tyre and they didnt even stop or wave 'sorry'. The same happened to my mate who i was following, when i asked him did the driver look he told me yes right at me!

For this reason im not enjoying being out on the roads on a bike as much as i should, i wear bright coloured clothing and even use a flashing rear light in the day. Like said earlier on here, some people have no idea whats around them which i find horrible.

Thanks to the local council we have many paths for us and i try and use them all the time now. Its just not safe to be on the roads when i simple mistake can kill someone.

grrrr

 

[SlyReaper]

To be honest, in my eyes the bigger problem is cyclists sharing the roads with cars in far too many places, people should lobby for normal cycle infrastructure, cyclists sharing the road with cars on NSL 60 mph bits is a disgrace.

And ''impatience'' wouldn't be such a problem if the road network was coping with the traffic properly. It's such a shame that some time in the past, many western countries stopped expanding their infrastructure fast enough to cope with demand. A well functioning infrastructure would, aside from bringing in a lot of wealth, make the roads safer in my eyes.

Hear hear. I feel very sorry for the cyclists I see on my daily commute; the roads are narrow, parked cars all over the place (including parked cars on the few cycle lanes that exist), and idiots like me who get impatient and don't give them enough room (I have since mellowed and now treat cyclists more considerately, but not everyone does). Having a proper network of cycle routes separate from the road network would not only ease congestion on the roads, but would make things a lot more safe and pleasant for the cyclists. Alas, that would cost money, and I don't imagine for one moment our local council are prepared to fund such an expensive project.

Well, I've recently ordered a bike from Halfords and it'll arrive next week. I will soon get to join those unhappy souls trying to dodge death on the roads.

 

[DiG]

Alas, that would cost money, and I don't imagine for one moment our local council are prepared to fund such an expensive project.

Indeed, they would far rather spend the money on pointless cycle lanes like this:

 

[EvilDreams]

I've also had people get annoyed when I overtake them whilst they're queuing to get out at a junction.

Rightly so, it's a pain overtaking a cyclist, then getting to a junction/roundabout only to have the cyclist overtake you, (and possibly even run a red light), then 20 seconds later you have to overtake the same cyclist again. Then you come up to another junction, etc. etc.

 

[Scania]

I've had the articulated lorry passing within 30cm of me at 50 mph and felt the breeze wobble me about quite strongly.

Wobble you strongly? more like put you under the wheels.... Way too close...

but lorries cause problems if they leave less than a metre.

As you point out yourself.

I've sat for miles behind people on bikes, in my car or truck.

I've also seen too many times what happens when bikes & vehicles fight over the same space....

People show no respect to fellow roads users, it must be said that people on bikes do themselves few favours by the general lack of standards.

Cycling Proficiency should be a legal requirement imo.

Rant over!

 

[Participant]

Rightly so, it's a pain overtaking a cyclist, then getting to a junction/roundabout only to have the cyclist overtake you, (and possibly even run a red light), then 20 seconds later you have to overtake the same cyclist again. Then you come up to another junction, etc. etc.

Cry me a river. People that can't stand being overtaken by things able to move more efficiently than them through the road system, need psychotherapy.

stuff

Sorry...what exactly was your point?

Road users should behave properly? Well duh .

People show no respect to fellow roads users, it must be said that people on bikes do themselves few favours by the general lack of standards.

You can add your average dumbarse truck driver to that pigeon hole also .