Double white lines - impact on cyclists?

[Spinney]

The local council are proposing to add double white lines to a stretch of B road near me. The road goes from the M5 J14 eastwards towards Tortworth/Charfield/Wotton-under-Edge. Details below.

I cycle this road now and then, and it is used by quite a few lorries, including quarry waggons. Most of these overtake with adequate room, although sometimes get a bit impatient when I (and they) are going up a steepish (for me) bit of hill.

My first thought on seeing this proposal was that double white lines would either:
- encourage closer passes if they do overtake a cyclist
- stop people overtaking cyclists, and given that the road is slow for cycling going east (because of the hill), induce impatience/crowding from behind behaviour.

I'm not so worried about going west, as I can achieve the speed limit for a lot of the way (courtesy of gravity!).

Any thoughts?

Here is the plan:

Beginning of the stretch

The hill

End of the stretch

 

[fimm]

Legally, the driver of a vehcicle may overtake a slower-moving thing on double whites so long as the slower moving thing is going at less than 10mph. In practice I get overtaken on double whites when I'm cycling a lot faster than that...

 

[Davidc]

Have had a similar bit of painting done on one of my regular routes and the overall effect is to reduce the overall amount of suicidal/ homicidal overtaking, but not to zero.

It's perfectly legal to overtake a cyclist on double white lines.

Lorry and other professional drivers know that and act accordingly. Some car drivers don't and will as a result pass too close.

Trouble is that no painting of roads, road signs or anything else stops bad drivers from being bad drivers.

Highway Code:

129
Double white lines where the line nearest you is solid. This means you MUST NOT cross or straddle it unless it is safe and you need to enter adjoining premises or a side road. You may cross the line if necessary, provided the road is clear, to pass a stationary vehicle, or overtake a pedal cycle, horse or road maintenance vehicle, if they are travelling at 10 mph (16 km/h) or less.
Laws RTA 1988 sect 36 & TSRGD regs 10 & 26

 

[Spinney]

Thing is, I also drive that road quite often, and have never seen cars overtaking each other, and definitely no homicidal overtakes...

 

[Crackle]

Write in to object to the proposal, pointing out the increased risk for cyclists of vehicles overtaking closer. This happened on a road near me, slightly differently but the effect was to reduce the width and make it a less comfortable place to be. I've even been honked there now because there is a useless adjacent cycle path which they think I should be on, so write now and raise your concerns.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Highway Code says:

129
Double white lines where the line nearest you is solid. This means you MUST NOT cross or straddle it unless it is safe and you need to enter adjoining premises or a side road. You may cross the line if necessary, provided the road is clear, to pass a stationary vehicle, or overtake a pedal cycle, horse or road maintenance vehicle, if they are travelling at 10 mph (16 km/h) or less.
Laws RTA 1988 sect 36 & TSRGD regs 10 & 26

Driver reads

129
Double white lines where the line nearest you is solid. This means you MUST cross the line or straddle it, regardless of oncoming traffic, to overtake a pedal cycle, horse or any other vehicle, if they are travelling at less than the national speed limit. Or be rendered impotent for 180 days.
Rules ABD & I pay road tax & SALOON bar

 

[HLaB]

Its more down to the driver psyche than lines on the road IMO/E and it is impossible to say if they have a good/ bad or indifferent affect. Some times the adding of solid lines makes drivers more cautious and overtake better, other times they get fustrated at not being to overtake and when the opportunity comes they do a bad overtake, other times the sqeeze through as if they are constrained from crossing the line.

 

[Whiskey88]

The effect that solid whites have on me, personally, is that I ride further out so as to discourage poor overtakes. Of course, that has a knock-on effect of the drivers then thinking "that bloody cyclist is trying to prevent his own death! How f*ing dare he!" then they get a bit aggressive. So as I see it, for competent cyclists - no issue. For not so competent cyclists - an increase in scariness.

 

[Banjo]

Sadly it seems that only cyclists are aware that you can cross the lines to pass a slow moving bike.

 

[lukesdad]

Hmm more to the point can a fast moving cyclist overtake a slow moving car ?

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Sadly it seems that only cyclists are aware that you can cross the lines to pass a slow moving bike.

That must be a valleys thing.

 

[Mr Celine]

Criteria for installing double white lines can be found in chapter 5 of the Traffic Signs Manual, which can be found here. If you don't think the road satisfies the visibility requirements contained in the TSM then point that out to them.