Paying lip service to cyclists

[HarryB]

While I don't necessarily agree that a 3 foot rule is the right way to go I do think that being skimmed by a passing driver is one thing that puts me off cycling. All my friends think I am mad to ride into London every day and when questioned, the usual reason given is that drivers get too close.

So here is the government response to the 3feet2pass petition.

3Feet2Pass - epetition response | Number10.gov.uk

So what gets me cross is that this response is obviously written by the office boy/girl. The gist is that we will not change the law as the highway code, as it stands, is adequate. We are then pointed to the relevant rules of the road 163, 211-216 etc and reminded that all rules with "MUST/MUST NOT" in them are enforceable in law etc. In fact it turns out that none of the rules of the road 163, 211-216 have "MUST/MUST NOT" in them. So a driver can pass us at 60 with an inch to spare and not be breaking the law. I think I might give up cycling.

 

[Barnowl]

Drivers passing too close scares me off as well. I've changed routes because of that. Traffic speed bollards are the worst - the ones that narrow the road at intervals and force the cars to pass even closer.

As far as the law goes I don't see it makes much difference. It's been illegal to use a handheld mobile phone while driving for some time and that's got worse.

That last inch really bothers me..

 

[HarryB]

I have had my head knocked by a portaloo being carried on the back of a low loader - well the poor driver - it was overhanging. But my cycling technique has changed since I had my handlebar mirror knocked by the rear wheel of an HGV. I position myself so they cannot pass at the pinch points but I am still amazed to be buzzed by cars who don't bother altering their course at all. They couldn't be doing it on purpose could they?

 

[Eddie F]

I have had my head knocked by a portaloo being carried on the back of a low loader - well the poor driver - it was overhanging. But my cycling technique has changed since I had my handlebar mirror knocked by the rear wheel of an HGV. I position myself so they cannot pass at the pinch points but I am still amazed to be buzzed by cars who don't bother altering their course at all. They couldn't be doing it on purpose could they?

The way you ride has an importants to how you are pressured on the road. If you put yourself in the gutter or just skimming the drains you will get pressured. If THEY think they can get in the gap thay will go for it. Ride out in the road, make them go around you. When you start holding up traffic because of oncoming traffic, and they can’t get past you can pull in and let them pass on your terms and they will have reduced speed.
When i cycle toured many years ago i thought the red sticky out reflectors on a arm were silly but because of traffic i will be investing in one as well as a high vis with `pass wide and slow`. On the back.

 

[flecc]

Yes, this is probably the worst aspect of cycling. Like Harry, I position myself at all pinch points well out to prevent this happening and I'm never shy to dominate the traffic in this way when necessary for safety.

And of course a good mirror is essential to get warning of those who are most likely to skim close. I tend to ride with enough left clearance at all times so I can suddenly grab an extra foot if I see some one is about to skim me, but of coure it can't always be anticipated.

In the urban parts of my area it's trucks that seem to be the biggest problem with dangerous skimming.
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[Alex728]

Yes, this is probably the worst aspect of cycling. Like Harry, I position myself at all pinch points well out to prevent this happening and I'm never shy to dominate the traffic in this way when necessary for safety..

I do this and don't have any problems (apart from the occasional angry horn blast) but to be fair there are so many potholes here (which have also damaged a fair few peoples cars! that motorists are used to cyclists being further out in the road. That said I've seen motorists actually swing right into the other lane in order to pass me putting themselves in danger of oncoming traffic (and of course endangering the people coming the other way )

I wouldn't say that cyclists are being deliberately targeted (at least here) but some of the driving standards today are quite simply parasuicidal - I think it might even have got worse with the recession and the worries about stuff like war, peak oil etc as well as increasing family problems...

 

[Mussels]

I think the three feet rule would make a stupid law, how would you prove in court that a car passed within three feet? Apart from that on UK roads it's impractical a lot of the time and as a consequence may make filtering illegal.

As others have mentioned the rider should know how to take control of his/her space, I rarely have a problem with people passing too close in London. That's easier said than done though, it's a common concept for motorcyclists but requires a leap of faith for a normal cyclist to try.

 

[monster]

i don't have many problems with traffic any more. i think i've mellowed out slightly because i used to get very passionate about this issue. its only the high speed limit single lane roads that usually pose a danger of this. in these situations its difficult and probably illegal to block 50mph traffic just because you don't like it. the best solution is to go fast and get off that section of road asap or avoid it altogether.

skimming doesn't happen in urban areas as our speed is almost the same as traffic speeds.

 

[monster]

i got annoyed a week ago when i over-herd a group of females in a resturaunt discussing how some cyclists ride too far out and make it "impossible to pass". they seemed like nice people and none of them had a clue about why it was. i think there should be a gov TV campain about it, to increase awareness.

 

[flecc]

i got annoyed a week ago when i over-herd a group of females in a resturaunt discussing how some cyclists ride too far out and make it "impossible to pass". they seemed like nice people and none of them had a clue about why it was. i think there should be a gov TV campain about it, to increase awareness.

Yes, I've noticed that females are by far the worst for harassing me when I'm well out for protection. At one set of lights where there wasn't enough room for a car alongside my bike so I was in front of a womans car, she called out three times to me to "get into the edge". I took no notice of course, but had the satisfaction of hearing her stall the car when the lights changed. I slowed to see the consequences behind and saw her only able to start the engine when the lights were back at red. Satisfaction!

On another occasion a woman driver kept blasting me with the horn when she was forced to follow on a narrow estate road, even though there was no room to pass anyway. When she took a chance to pass she ended up face to face with a bus coming the other way. I didn't stop, but she would have had to reverse since the bus had passengers and it's illegal for them to reverse when carrying. More satisfaction.

Those weren't the only occasions of females being objectionable about cycling, but I enjoy the way they were punished on those two occasions.
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[Alex728]

I've noticed this with women, always younger single ones, not granny ladies nor mums - and I am a very right-on non-sexist type of person... but in this area its more a look of annoyance than a blast of the horn or anything like that.. I get the impression they see being "held up" by a male cyclist as an extension of the glass ceiling and that cycling is a "testosterone charged" thing, although I don't go around in lycra (I'd feel it was indecent and even if I were brazen enough to wear it would have to go for a Vladimir Putin style fitness régime before I'd be happy going out in the street dressed like that )

 

[flecc]

Agreed Alex, it is always the younger single types in my experience too. I think you are right in your diagnosis of the reason.
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[Mussels]

When I read about other areas of the country it seems that riding in London is much easier as speeds are lower and everyone seems much friendlier to cyclists.

 

[flecc]

When I read about other areas of the country it seems that riding in London is much easier as speeds are lower and everyone seems much friendlier to cyclists.

That also reflects the general experience that the more cyclists there are, the better car drivers behave. London's huge cycling growth has been a blessing. My bad experiences are always on the outskirts and surrounding country where cycling in this hilly area is much less common.
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[Alex728]

When I read about other areas of the country it seems that riding in London is much easier as speeds are lower and everyone seems much friendlier to cyclists.

the same applies to Suffolk (but again there are a lot of cyclists here, and fast motor traffic is filtered onto the A12/A14 where it creates less of a hazard).

 

[Conal]

e bike speed

One of the main reasons I enjoy power assisted cycling is that the greater speed that I now travel at allows me to cycle a distance away from the curb on busy roads and not slow London traffic down. In bus lanes I can accelarate away at lights and avoid the buses queuing up behind me and understandably becoming frustrated. I would go as far as to say that having an ebike has probably helped me avoid being hit and injured. The only downside I can think of is when vehicles turn left in my lane in front of me or turn right from the oncoming traffic; in both cases obstructing me because they do not allow for my unexpected speed. Again this is understandable because power assist is not obvious from front or back, and I certainly don't fit the image of a fast cyclist!

 

[Mussels]

One of the main reasons I enjoy power assisted cycling is that the greater speed that I now travel at allows me to cycle a distance away from the curb on busy roads and not slow London traffic down. In bus lanes I can accelarate away at lights and avoid the buses queuing up behind me and understandably becoming frustrated. I would go as far as to say that having an ebike has probably helped me avoid being hit and injured. The only downside I can think of is when vehicles turn left in my lane in front of me or turn right from the oncoming traffic; in both cases obstructing me because they do not allow for my unexpected speed. Again this is understandable because power assist is not obvious from front or back, and I certainly don't fit the image of a fast cyclist!

Car drivers do that to motorcyclists as well, some are just morons.
I find most morons in London are pedestrians who shout at me for going the wrong way down a two way street or crossing a junction when my light is green or step out onto a cycle path without looking.