You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
You will love this:
Cyclists who die are idiots.
Cyclists should only be allowed to use cycle routes.
I'd like to think that was a troll, but I doubt it.
As one commenter says, encouraging people to take pictures with their mobiles while driving behind 'law-breaking' cyclists isn't exactly best practice, is it?
He (or she) is pretty careful about that, specifying that its the passenger who should take the photo
they do state that the passenger should be doing the photography 😉
pretty bad isnt it? ive always thought that a big group of riders going down a road is very visible to cars/traffic from both directions.ive ridden in big groups and have always felt pretty safe
Should and must mean two totally different things in the highway code.
This person is really angry. And likes to photograph men's bums a lot. Whilst getting very angry about those bums. All those bums, getting in the way of his life, stopping him from being the man he wants to be. 'Aargh' he says to himself, 'why can't I stop thinking about men's bums!!!''
PS he also has a friend called 'Butty' (in the comments)
they do state that the passenger should be doing the photography
Missed that one. I'm sure all the contributors are scrupulous about doing that. The crazy thing about the original photograph of the triathlete bunch is that it appears to be an easy pass from that position. Good view of the road ahead. I can only assume that the 'passenger' was too busy taking a picture to get on with the overtake.
To be fair, as a driver I get pretty annoyed at groups of riders 2 or 3 abreast who insist on making it difficult to overtake them. There's almost a slight arrogance about them.
"We could be considerate road users and make it easier for you to overtake us when safe to do so, thus allowing you to continue your journey - but we won't - so tough sh*t"
If you want to have a chat to your mates, go for a walk with them, not side by side on the roads!
Around here the farmers are very good at pulling over in their tractors to let a queue of cars behind them pass.
Highway code regarding more than 2 abreast is not law as they seems to think.
[i]"You should never ride more than two abreast, and ride in single file on narrow or busy roads and when riding round bends"[/i]
Must do are law
Should do are recommendations
That said, I very rarely ride in a group and would never purposely hold up traffic as I know how irate drivers become.
2 abreast is safer - more road presence, legal and makes a given number of cyclists easier to overtake because the overall length of the group is shorter.
It's also more efficient - and was how club cyclists were riding before most of today's drivers' grandparents were even born! Certainly before cars came into mass usage in the UK after WW2...
The levels of ignorance apparent in the anti-cycling lobby are quite shocking.
On the other hand, with significantly more people riding, much more local and national political attention being paid to growing cycle use, social media giving us a voice against people like Emma Way, AA changing the way they teach new drivers to be cyclist-aware, and now even Jeremy Clarkson appearing to throw in the towel, it does feel like the momentum is beginning to turn and the antis are being seen as the ones who are out on their own...
I like the fact that that he spent ten minutes behind the Herfordshire 'Triathan' Club when you can clearly see, from the guy's own photo, that there was ample opportunity to pass.
If you want to have a chat to your mates, go for a walk with them, not side by side on the roads!
Well done ,I have just awarded you 100 internet points.
The longer the driver is "held up", the more irate they become, and so the more likely they are to execute a dangerous overtaking.
Many roads are wide enough for a car to safely overtake a line of single file riders, with oncoming cars.
I ride two abreast with mates/club on wide open roads, but (in the interests of harmony amongst all road users) we almost always go down to single file if it's holding traffic up.
The other day a white van man in a small Berlingo sized van spent so long shouting, swearing and doing the coffee bean shake at two cyclists who were riding 2 abreast while alongside them, that he almost forced me to swerve off the road as he was heading straight for me (I was driving).
It was only because I saw what was happening so had slowed down a lot and tooted at him that he realised where he was (completely on the wrong side of the road) and completed his overtake, while still shouting and swearing.
Not quite sure what his problem was, because the riders held no one up any longer than they would have done had they been single file. They were on a dead straight bit of road and until I 'got in the way', there had been no approaching cars, so the cars in front of this van just overtook as normal and used the whole road.
He decided he'd get all ranty for no good reason, took his eyes of the road and nearly caused an accident, but I guess that's OK because he pays road tax....? 🙂
The longer the driver is "held up", the more irate they become, and so the more likely they are to execute a dangerous overtaking.
This is like bullsh1t bingo! Please keep going... i'm waiting for "they think they own the road".
I can only assume that the 'passenger' was too busy taking a picture to get on with the overtake.
Or it was Molgrips driving?
I ................. would never purposely hold up traffic as I know how irate drivers become.
I regularly hold trafic up, if it's not safe to pass I'll stay where the cars nearside wheel would be and stop them. When it's safe to pass they can pass safely using a wider bit of road or the other lane. If it's safe to pass but the road's too narrow/busy to allow them over the central lines I'll pull over to the gutter momenteraly to let them.
If you ride meeky in the gutter thinking it'll appease the swivel eyed loonie fraction of drivers, you're just asking for a wing mirror to the back of the head when one decideds it's safe to pass when it isn't.
reminds me of my time in 'nam, man.
I love the way that some people think there is a different overtaking procedure , when it comes to cyclists.
If it is safe to overtake ,then do so.
If it is not safe to overtake ,then wait till it is.
Oh hang on,I will just squeeze past anyway.
With oncoming traffic ,would they squeeze past a ..
Milkfloat
Tractor and trailer
Horses
Motorcycle
No they wouldn't ,but it's only a cyclist 🙄
Many roads are wide enough for a car to safely overtake a line of single file riders, with oncoming cars.
- wrong. there is enough room to squeeze past not to safely execute an overtake with adaquate room - say i swerve out to avoid a big pothole that may throw me from the bike. - what corrective action will you take when you have no where to go ? that is why you give a cyclist/motorcyclist/scooter rider the same room as a car.
Milkfloat
I really want to see a two abreast milkfloat race now.
Trolling and hooking a few fish IMO 🙂
Troll or not I may just have been tempted to post the Highway code pic for overtaking cyclists there....
Got buzzed by a yout yesterday and caught him at the lights. I politely asked him if in future he could give cyclists more room.
Not sure he knew what to do with that...but he said yes. 😀
kayak23 +1. If you can face it, a good natured chat is always the most effective (and probably the hardest!) thing to do. Even if the person does have a [url= http://mentalfloss.com/article/50698/38-wonderful-foreign-words-we-could-use-english ]backpfeifengesicht [/url] 😉
Obvious facebook troll
"Troll or not I may just have been tempted to post the Highway code pic for overtaking cyclists there.... "
yep im waiting for the backlash for posting the ACTUAL highway code as oppose to their made up laws.
I really want to see a two abreast milkfloat race now
Now that you've suggested it, that's all I can think about 😯
OH dear here we goTo be fair, as a driver I get pretty annoyed at groups of riders 2 or 3 abreast who insist on making it difficult to overtake them. There's almost a slight arrogance about them.
Why nit go out in a group of riders on the road say 7 of you spread out in single file down roads and let me know how often and how many cars just overtake a few then pull in dangerously into the line ans let me know how safe you feel doing this.
When I ride two abreast the second rider is pretty much in primary so there being no one on the inside would make F all difference
"We could be considerate road users and make it easier for you to overtake us when safe to do so, thus allowing you to continue your journey - but we won't - so tough sh*t"
If all they met was considerate drivers whose primary response was to overtake without endangering them they probably would do this. sadly many tomes you have to ride in a manner that stops an impatient inconsiderate **** from endangering your life
if you ever rode on the road you would know this...go one say you cycle too as well as your defence 🙄
FWIW when [s]you [/s] they get irrate i feel glad i just saved myself from a **** with no consideration for my safety
Seriously car drivers will do all kind of crazy bat shit mental stuff to get past you
Once had a car with a trailer overtake me on ablind bend by being completely on the wrong side of the road [ i was doing 28 mph at the time] and drive straight into a bus. This was my fault for being so wide in the road - Why was i there to stop him overtaking and because when they try this move and see the bus they just pull over into my space and run me over.
[quote=Junkyard]go one say you cycle too as well as your defence
Funnily enough, yes. And probably more on the road bike than all the others combined 😉
[quote=Papa_Lazarou]
I ride two abreast with mates/club on wide open roads, but (in the interests of harmony amongst all road users) we almost always go down to single file if it's holding traffic up.
I have the same attitude as this ^^
I ride two abreast with mates/club on wide open roads, but (in the interests of harmony amongst all road users) we almost always go down to single file if it's holding traffic up.
I have the same attitude as this ^^
I ride in the same place in the road if it's me or if I'm in a pair 1/3 ish from the left. Enough that a car needs to think before overtaking as there is not enough room otherwise. I've had people squeeze past in the most stupid of places and as pointed out by others try and blame me for them nearly hitting oncoming traffic. At least out from the gutter I have somewhere to go.
ive got a bite 😉
There does seem to be a trend at the moment to pull out for an overtake without actually checking the road is clear.
I'm surprised I've not seen a head-on collision yet, I've seen a few close ones... I am rather shocked at the lack of risk assessment and ability to think through the consequences of their actions...
Then again, I could say the same about the RLJer in Croydon who came very close to being hit when, as well as going through a red light, made the schoolboy error of not looking for traffic coming through the green light either. Maybe he was blind?
If there isn't room to get past two cyclists riding abreast, then you shouldn't be overtaking.
Deary me. 😕
I suggest some tactical "Liking" of the sensible comments.
If there isn't room to get past two cyclists riding abreast, then you shouldn't be overtaking.
Nail. Head.
For the record I spent a fair bit of time riding three-abreast at the weekend (on quiet singletrack roads).
The only aggro we got in three days was while we were riding single file!
Some daft bat in a Faux-by-Faux decided to attempt a close overtake, rather than waiting literally 30 seconds for the next passing place. Funnily enough even in single file there wasn't enough room for her to pass safely on a singletrack road. So she drove dangerous close to the back rider, sounded her horn, then squeezed past with two wheels on the verge while giving us the finger.
If we had been riding 3 abreast we could have kept her safely behind us till the passing place.
If we had been riding 3 abreast we could have kept her safely behind us till the passing place.
Are you deciding for her when it's safe to overtake?
Are you deciding for her when it's safe to overtake?
Safe for who?
Are you deciding for her when it's safe to overtake?
We should have done. Yes.
What's wrong with that? Pretty much the official recommended procedure, no?
Yep I will decide when it's safe for someone to overtake me thank you very much, seeing as they might be held up for a few seconds but if they get it wrong I could be killed by a child's face fired from a muslamic swan's raygum.
Are you deciding for her when it's safe to overtake?
Well she [and many other road users] seems incapable of doing this tbh.
Are you claiming that her decision on when it was safe to overtake was a good one? Was it safe to pass when she did?
Yes I am frankly as car drivers often do daft shit like that and you will be the one who gets hurt.
if they never did this I would never need to ride in a manner designed to ensure my safety as they would do this for me.
nope im for deciding when its safe for me to be overtaken - she can make her own assumption after that 😉
Single-track road with passing places then?
nope im for deciding when its safe for me to be overtaken - she can make her own assumption after that
Yeah - that's a better way of putting it t_r.
It's not "deciding when it is safe" - it's giving a clear signal when it is definitely not safe.
I've not tried it but I hear they still can't cure being dead, even if you go private. On this basis I will take an active role in staying safe and alive.
If there isn't room to get past two cyclists riding abreast, then you shouldn't be overtaking.
I disagree.
Take my commute home, there are loads of places where a driver can overtake me and someone drafting me with complete safety. There's far far fewer places where they could do it safely two abreast.
Car drivers [u]always[/u] travel two abreast...even when there's only one person in the car.
Why do they do that?
someone should set up a Motorists Single File Please facebook page....showing what our city streets would look like if cars were half the width they currently are.
Indeed.
[img] 
[/img]
bit like that ?
[quote=IanMunro ]
Take my commute home, there are loads of places where a driver can overtake me and someone drafting me with complete safety. There's far far fewer places where they could do it safely two abreast.
Yep. Roads aren't exactly a standardised width.
[url= http://road.cc/content/news/84602-proud-be-bloodycyclist-buy-jersey-and-tell-world ]Bloody cyclists[/url]
I prefer to be a non bloody cyclist, but I wear my blood with pride when it happens! 😉
Page has been pulled already 🙂
The comment I was unable to post would have read…
Yes, last year 122 cyclists were killed in road traffic accidents, most of those were individuals that were riding single file. What does that tell you? Riding in groups is safer, it might be an inconvenience, but it's safer and 2 a breast is not the law. Stop trying to push your petty grievances as some 'for the greater good' safety thing.
Are you deciding for her when it's safe to overtake?
No, I image they were deciding for her when it [b]wasn't[/b] safe to overtake – subtle differences…
awwww i was enjoying that... he's already resort to internet shouting. 😈
[s]There is a far more hardcore one though, "Cyclists who ride in grouds should stay in single file!!!! [sic]" with a very calming and tasteful profile pic. [/s]
scrap that, its quite dormant.
Hast the page been deleted or have they blocked me?
its deleted
I disagree.
Take my commute home, there are loads of places where a driver can overtake me and someone drafting me with complete safety. There's far far fewer places where they could do it safely two abreast.
[img] 
[/img]
if he rides on singletrack roads then its possible.
[quote=ransos ]
[img] [/img]
br />
[b]Read.the.words. [/b]
If you had to leave the space shown in that photograph when overtaking a car then it would be impossible to overtake any vehicle on most single carriageway roads.
Page has been pulled alreadyThe comment I was unable to post would have read…
Gah!!! I just spent 10 minutes making this...
[img] 
[/img]
Can i just point out that rule 66 says you should never ride [b]more than[/b] 2 abreast....... This means 3 or above. So on a roads that are not narrow or busy 2 abreast is not against the law.
If you had to leave the space shown in that photograph when overtaking a car then it would be impossible to overtake any vehicle on most single carriageway roads.
The photograph - of a single carriageway road - shows that you are completely wrong.
27abreast is not against the law.....it would be stupid but not against the law.
lets face it - they dont have the same moans about tractors do they..... one of my best rides to work was the day i overtook a tractor and was chased to town by it - meant i had no mad cars trying to squeeze me off the road - they were all stuck behind the tractor 😉
2If you had to leave the space shown in that photograph when overtaking a car then it would be impossible to overtake any vehicle on most single carriageway roads.
The photograph - of a single carriageway road - shows that you are completely wrong. "
someones not reading it right. blinkers off ....
put a car where the bike is .... put the space between the car and the bike between a car and a car - the cars in the field somewhere....
the key is - cars are not affected by the draft suck of cars like a cyclist is - cars dont tend to wobble or deviate from their line much to avoid pot holes as they dont tend to get chucked over the bars by big holes in the road etc etc .
I really must mock up that photo to show another car
put a car where the bike is .... put the space between the car and the bike between a car and a car - the cars in the field somewhere....
The clue is in "at least".
Anyway, I would agree that the wording could be clearer. But what is quite clear from the photo is that the car is giving the cyclist plenty of room, and would not be able to overtake if there were a vehicle approaching in the opposite direction. In other words, cyclists riding single-file would not present any additional overtaking opportunities compared with cycling two abreast.
never mind - we are clearly fighting the same war - just coming at it from different sides 😉
[i]On that particular stretch of road.[/i] However, there are wider single carriageway roads where a [i]solo [/i]cyclist and two vehicles could quite safely pass each other. It's not always true, but it often is.Anyway, I would agree that the wording could be clearer. But what is quite clear from the photo is that the car is giving the cyclist plenty of room, and would not be able to overtake if there were a vehicle approaching in the opposite direction. In other words, cyclists riding single-file would not present any additional overtaking opportunities compared with cycling two abreast.
put a car where the bike is .... put the space between the car and the bike between a car and a car - the cars in the field somewhere....
I [i]think[/i] the vague wording around that Rule/photo is [i]supposed[/i] to mean [i]"as if you were passing a car whose [b]left[/b] (not right) wheels are where the cyclist is"[/i], and not [i]"the space between you and a cyclist should be the same as you and that Audi you banged wing mirrors with the other day"[/i].
But sadly it is a terribly worded rule.
It would be FAR clearer if they actually specified a minimum safe distance as they do in some other countries: http://www.3feetplease.com/advocacy
I always used to teach my punters to leave enough room when overtaking cyclists so that if the cyclist falls off sideways you dont run over their head.
On that particular stretch of road. However, there are wider single carriageway roads where a solo cyclist and two vehicles could quite safely pass each other. It's not always true, but it often is.
Even if we accept your premise, we're down to a small subset of road types (of the sort cyclists don't tend to use much), some of the time. Doesn't sound like something to get motorists worked up about, does it?
[quote=ransos ]
Even if we accept your premise, we're down to a small subset of road types ([i]of the sort cyclists don't tend to use much[/i]), some of the time.
Really? I had a stretch like that on my daily commute and I've ridden hundreds of miles on similar roads.
Really? I had a stretch like that on my daily commute and I've ridden hundreds of miles on similar roads.
Perhaps that tells us it would be better to not draw a conclusion from a single example.
scotroutes - Member
On that particular stretch of road. However, there are wider single carriageway roads where a solo cyclist and two vehicles could quite safely pass each other. It's not always true, but it often is.
They also tend to be much higher speed limited roads. The kind I would choose to avoid simply because they may have enough space to get past but the speed and wind does not make me feel safe at all.
Whack-a-mole!
(Never mind it's from 2010)