No.
Don't always blame the motorist.
- Thread starter gavroche
- Start date
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No.
OP
OP
gavroche
Getting old but not past it
- Location
- North Wales
And that is precisely my point, I couldn't give them the space I wanted due to their irresponsible riding . If I had been following another car , it would have been ok as I would have matched my speed to him and stayed behind but not those cyclists at possibly 10 mph for a long way.
growingvegetables
Guru
- Location
- Leeds
My apologies for editing your OP - but I think it's the bare bones?
Conveniently "pruned" to reveal
1 - a fact.
2 - a harsh judgement. Did you stop and ask them politely why? Nope.
I take my son's girlfriend out on a few rides - she's just learning; and I ride to protect, and to communicate guidance or advice; and I spend a lot more time riding two abreast than ever I would normally. I've ridden similarly protectively of my kids, when their confidence has been shaken by repeated squeezes from a bunch of impatient halfwits (one halfwit is scary, but when you get one after the other ........?) - and again, abreast for a lot longer than I would normally, until they have recovered their poise. Any of us who have experience of riding with people developing their skills and confidence could come up with a dozen such scenarios.
But you didn't. Not for a second. Just a callous judgement - they "did exactly what cyclists should not do."
3 - a shockingly harsh judgement. "Pretty dangerous" - really? Hold on, mate! I'm going to suggest an alternative reading - that the impatience, the willingness to jump to angry conclusions, the motor-biker bullying them ........ any of those are far more dangerous.But you didn't. Not for a second. Just a callous judgement - they "did exactly what cyclists should not do."
Next step - "Let's a have a damned good witter about
- how 'not all cyclists are angels' (duuuuh!)
- and how there are fictional characters on the forum who think 'all cyclists are always angels'. (Again - duuuuh!)"
And you have my sincere apologies. My tirade is not particularly directed at you personally - I'm just peeved that it's yet another multi-page thread on exactly the same subject, with the same basic problem at its heart. "Let's pick on an anonymous couple, and make an example of them."
jefmcg
Guru
It is actually since 1969, so that is 47 years, not bad hey?
I had a close overtake from a driving instructor who literally brushed my elbow with the wing mirror.... I caught up with him in traffic and questioned his overtake.
Apparently he was also a cyclist and knew just how close he could overtake safely
All that 3' and "same distance as you would give a a car" is total BS, cyclists in reality only need a few inches
Now that is something we do get on a lot of roads around this way.
OP
OP
gavroche
Getting old but not past it
- Location
- North Wales
I had no idea the motorbiker was also a ex or current driving instructor. Thanks for pointing it out. You must be psychic.
Brandane
Legendary Member
- Location
- Costa Clyde
"Give cyclists at least as much room as you would a car" ....... The room I would give a car depends on the speed of both vehicles; e.g. if the car is stationary on a narrow road and you are passing it at walking pace, you aren't going to be giving it as much room as you would if you were travelling at 60mph and overtaking a car doing 40mph...
Transfer this to the scenario given by the OP talking of cyclists doing 10 mph and you aren't going to have to move completely into the opposing lane, as long as they are in single file. I am not familiar with the road he was travelling on, but as the OP is a retired driving instructor I am going to trust his judgement on this. There are times when it is perfectly safe to pass a single cyclist (or 2 in single file in this case), but the width of the road can sometimes dictate that it is not safe if they are 2 abreast.
I am sure I remember something from the Police Roadcraft bible about the space given when passing other traffic being proportionate to the speed of the vehicles. I will try and find it.....
I had that with a motorcyclist on the way into work, pointing to the cycle track.
Then caught up with him at lights one day... and asked him why he kept signalling left, but when I slowed to let him in, he carried on at the same speed
He then explained he was signalling for me to get on to the cycle path..... you can imagine the rest of the conversation
You managed to read that line different to the way I did.
Is it anything like the one I use to suggest that an overtaking driver has passed me with a mere two feet to spare?
OP
OP
gavroche
Getting old but not past it
- Location
- North Wales
Why should I make it up? In my mirror, I clearly saw the motorbike giving the cyclists a hand signal to move back behind the each other.
He did not read your post correctly. It happens often with some posters.
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