Safe Speed Forums

I only do this if I am sure there is enough room. I wave the driver through. Then I reclaim the primary position.

Alas - there are more poor cyclists than poor drivers around ...mostly kids who need proper instruction.. or "born again cyclists" who are not at all conversant with any road rules. In some ways these "born again" are worse than our middle aged "Hells Angels" .....in terms of ability to handle the bike....and honk up the hill.

Of course... if you adopt a primary when you should be in a secondary - and we see you... we have a little "helmet to helmet " chat about Cycle Crafts...

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Take with a chuckle or a grain of salt
Drive without COAST and it's all your own fault!

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A Smiley Per post
FINES USfor our COAST!

Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon - but driving with a smile and a COAST calm mind.

I think what he was meaning is that, if you are a driver travelling in the opposite direction to someone else who wants to overtake a cyclist, it makes sense to keep to the left-hand side rather than hogging the crown of the road.

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

Oh, goodness, that's a difficult one.

On the one hand you help everyone.
On the other you encourage a drive to overtake where they really shouldn't be overtaking...

I know exactly the situation, and when I am driving it's one of those questions I don't want to be asked....

I am afraid I have no idea what you are on about.

this one, like nearly all motorist's decisions, is about balancing risks. When in such a position I am sure that there is no possibility of any hazard occurring on my left that might otherwise need me to move out or be out, I maintain a position well to the left. This means that the motorist and cyclist coming toward me can make their own mind up and I am as far out of the way that I reasonably can be. If I cannot be certain that a hazard won't appear or may preexist on the left, I keep out a little, but ready to move in (and cover the brake or if necessary anchor up) in the event of the oncoming car going for the overtake or having made no indication of having spotted the cyclist in his approach, necessitating either a hurried and possibly close overtake or a late braking of his own.

See my earlier post about 24-foot main roads. You know you can overtake the cyclist, but on the other hand you know you're leaving a less than ideal gap. So do you go for it, or suffer a hooting truck two feet from your back bumper for a couple of miles?

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

Exactly. The sort of situation I would do this is where there IS room to pass the cyclist, then give the oncoming vehicle a little less reason to pass close by to the cyclist.

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Time to take responsibility for our actions.. and don't be afraid of speaking out!

Don't push the cyclist along with your wing mirror... That happened me once, and I don't cycle that often.

This bmw was really close to me, and he wouldn't pass, and I started to feel this thing pushing into my back. It was actually really scary, and I was doing 30 at the time, on a single lane road with national speed limit. As far as I know he would have been perfectly capable of passing me, there was a clear road and no bends... But maybe he just saw fit to scare me...

Wonder how many other people have experienced this??

...and don't do what the guy in front of me did today:

As I was about to pass the same cyclist in the same place as every day , the guy in front (in a tatty old turbodiesel 4x4) waited until the way was clear, then accelerated hard to overtake the him.

Result? a big black cloud for the cyclist to breathe in....

As I drive a TDi myself, I accelerated gently and passed widely.

I have occasionally found myself being encouraged to pass - driver slows or pulls over - but have chosen not to because I am turning off within a short space of time. However, I never pressure the driver in front to "get a move on" which seems to be the behaviour you are describing.

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Time to take responsibility for our actions.. and don't be afraid of speaking out!

I once did this when being trained on a motorbike. I got told off for doing so. I got told you need to keep an assertive road position at all times. I don't know if this applies to cars.

And if you're leaving a less than ideal gap - no doubt the lorry will go for it - if he's daft enough to be two foot of your bumper - whats a cyclist ( to him)- i'd tend to suffer said lorry untill i could see that both me and lorry could pass cyclist with cyclist in one bit.At least that way i could live with my conscience.

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lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

I dont think so - what you describe sounds like "defensive" riding, where you create a safety zone around you by assuming a position where you control the space around you by preventing access.
Were you told to ride in the centre of the carriageway or lane, and if in pairs, to ride staggered so as to occupy a whole lane width?

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Time to take responsibility for our actions.. and don't be afraid of speaking out!

Is it true that cyclists have the same rights as drivers?

Apart from the motorway

Pretty much, yes.

http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/

is as good starting point.

Und I do like Rules 45 to 66 - especially 45 und 46 - und 48 (Number 66 ist - only cross when Green cycle show! - ist lonked to tht other thread where people get cross over propoals to change some of these to "MUST" - as if we talk "SHOULD" or "PAY PARTICULAR ATTENTION" - ist not change It say that anyway - as is now...


und 50 und 52 to 55.

Ist interesting reading - nicht?

I am the person at the pub quiz who can put the number to the code und vice versa!...



Und page 82 ist also worth reading
Ist amazing how many get cross when I get them all right!....

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