Bit of advice...?

[Davidsw8]

I'm relatively new to cycling in London (9 months) and I'm pretty confident and feel I know the Highway Code and how to cycle responsibly and effectively. However, I had 2 incidents this morning, 1 particularly shook me, and I'd like some opinions on whether I was ok in what I was doing or if I could do (or expect) something different:

Incident 1:

Cycling north over Lambeth Bridge along the cycle lane, I need to go on to the roundabout to go straight ahead up Horseferry Road. I'm nearing the zebra crossing and I have a truck (with trailer) in front of me, he isn't indicating left so I assume he's going straight on but I hang back just in case he wants to turn left and so I don't get clipped by the trailer. So, he turns left (very lucky I hung back I think!) and moves on so I get into the centre of the left side lane as I approach the line. I've been aware that there is a massive coach to my right indicating left behind me and I know he's seen me at several points while we're crossing the bridge. As I'm fairly central and not indicating left, I assume he's going to hang back but as I move forward, he comes up level to me on my right and proceeds to turn left! Very startled, I quickly got off my bike (it's a Brompton, so easy to step out of quickly) and jumped onto the pavement. He broke hard and was waving me on at this point but I'm off my bike on the pavement so I just stood and waved him on instead.

Benefit of the doubt, he may have assumed I was another cyclist who doesn't bother to indicate but even if that were the case, it'd be silly to be positioned where I was to turn left and also there was no reason for me to be waiting at the line, I was able to just carry on cycling left if I wanted to.

So, my questions are: should I be positioned more towards the right to go straight ahead at a roundabout? and as a vehicle turning left, shouldn't he be as left as he possibly can be? He was driving a big coach but there are very wide chevrons on the corners of the roundabout which would give him more than adequate turning space.

Incident 2:

Cycling down King Street, W1 (where it's just one-way), wanting to turn right into Bury Street so I'm in the middle to right of the lane, right arm out indicating my intention. I look a couple of times over my right shoulder and notice a motorbike courier sneaking up on my right side. I'm expecting him to hang back a bit to let me turn but no, as I'm turning right, he's turning right with me at exactly the same time then sped off up the road. So, was he being a d!ck or was he ok to do that?

 

[Miquel In De Rain]

Never assume or expect and yes motorcyclist was probably being a dick,but that's normal in London.

 

[Davidsw8]

Thanks M, I do wish people would kinda realise they aren't alone on the road though, would make life so much easier.

 

[Miquel In De Rain]

Thanks M, I do wish people would kinda realise they aren't alone on the road though, would make life so much easier.

I don't find it easy cycling in London at times,people always do the unexpected and yes I must admit I do get caught out.

 

[Scruffmonster]

The junction can be ambiguous. pay attention to what the cars do. I use it often and generally;

Left lane - Things going left
Right lane - Things going straight or right

I go left there, but you're probably safer to own the right lane to go straight. You can always merge with cars that have used the left lane to go straight.

 

[Davidsw8]

The junction can be ambiguous. pay attention to what the cars do. I use it often and generally;

Left lane - Things going left
Right lane - Things going straight or right

I go left there, but you're probably safer to own the right lane to go straight. You can always merge with cars that have used the left lane to go straight.

I might try going a little more right, though as the road only goes from 1 to 2 lanes very briefly before the roundabout, it's often difficult to get from the cycle lane over to the right due to the heavy (and often very large) traffic. Most cyclists seem to do what I do and stay on the middle to right side of the left lane.

As I say, I'll give positioning a bit more right a go...

 

[Tynan]

if the junction is iffy I do small signal to indicate I'm carrying on

and motorbikes and bikes can turn together, car can too, sounds like he was waiting for you to start your turn so he could see your line and then make his turn

both sound ok from this distance, perhaps you're just a bit twitchy at the moment

 

[Miquel In De Rain]

I might try going a little more right, though as the road only goes from 1 to 2 lanes very briefly before the roundabout, it's often difficult to get from the cycle lane over to the right due to the heavy (and often very large) traffic. Most cyclists seem to do what I do and stay on the middle to right side of the left lane.

As I say, I'll give positioning a bit more right a go...

That's right,you have to learn the best tactics for how every road layout works.IMHO.

 

[Davidsw8]

Here's a vid of the coach incident:

View: http://youtu.be/pnrW3zdL7CY


I've learned my lesson in terms of positioning on this bridge and I'm hoping the new layout for this area proposed by TFL will improve matters.

I do think the coach driver needs to look out a bit more for cyclists though, especially if he's driving round London regularly.

 

[Dommo]

I take the left on that junction but I have similar issues on others where I'm heading straight. I think you're right in that a position more to the right but still in the left lane is the way to go. Actually getting into the right lane would be technically incorrect and you open yourself up to fun on the other side of the roundabout unless you move over quickly to ensure vehicles coming from the left don't assume that you're going right and pull out on you. I guess it's just another one where you have to assume dumb behaviour and take extra care. The same is true on the roundabout on the other end of Lambeth bridge - heading from Lambeth road over the bridge and having cars in the right lane hook you as they try to go down the Albert embankment.

 

[Dommo]

By the way, I admire your good humoured response to the bus! I've had several "discussions" with buses and taxi drivers in that area that were far less friendly

 

[Davidsw8]

By the way, I admire your good humoured response to the bus! I've had several "discussions" with buses and taxi drivers in that area that were far less friendly

Thanks Dommo, it's very rarely I get angry in the moment - My initial reaction was shock in what might have happened and just wanted him out of my sight and for me to get to work. Afterwards, I realised it was an honest (but stupid) mistake on his part.

 

[addictfreak]

On your approach to the RB, you under take the bus when he is clearly indicating his intention to turn left. Yes he has just passed you and should be aware of your presence, but to me its a recipe for disaster.

 

[Davidsw8]

On your approach to the RB, you under take the bus when he is clearly indicating his intention to turn left. Yes he has just passed you and should be aware of your presence, but to me its a recipe for disaster.

Hmmm, I'm not sure I agree with that... Every cycle on that cycle lane is going to be undertaking everything to its right, that's just the nature of it - and cycles are generally undertaking traffic all the time, surely it's one of the benefits of cycling to be able to move faster than the rest of the traffic?

And I undertook it a good way away from the roundabout, if I attempted to hang back to behind the coach that much, I'd be lynched by the cyclists coming behind me... The fact is, I hung back from the truck as it was because I was (correctly) suspicious of his indicating ability, I couldn't have also stayed behind the coach too. Just because he indicated early, which was good, he was a way off from executing his turn and you can see the traffic is moving very slowly.

 

[addictfreak]

There's a difference between undertaking and undertaking left turning vehicles, especially large vehicles. It's only my opinion, but I don't base my riding on what other cyclists do. Look at the statistics for cyclists killed and injured by large vehicles turning left. Some of those incidents will be the fault of the driver, but I have no doubt that others will be down to cyclists putting themselves in harms way.
Personally I try to return home safely at the end of the day, if that means waiting a few moments in traffic then so be it.