I'm impressed, even more impressed that the police have actually done something about it. Let us hope that this improvement continues.I've reported 30 so far in 2020, 17 for close passing or tailgating or similar, and 13 for using handheld mobile phone whilst driving. All of those have received some sort of corrective action from the police. 25 of these were during normal commuting hours though. Hopefully I'll have fewer to report in future if people driving are getting more used to coping with sharing the road with people on bikes. On the other hand it does seem that the real haters are raging a little more than they used to !
<I don't understand your last para, sorry.>
Well we don't really know! But in one sense, I don't care - the result is the same, a more pleasant road environment for mattBut my point stands - a lot of people ARE taking more care as they drive near cyclists.
I wonder if that is due simply to the fact there are fewer cars on the road rather than to some 'Covid19 factor'?
Well yes, but I'd add "... if you let it." to the end of your second sentence.
OP, I agree. Dare I say there's been some camaraderie amongst different road users in recent weeks.
That thought occurred to me as well. There have been a number of campaigns to try to educate drivers to give cyclists 1.5m of space when overtaking with limited success. I presume this is because there was no apparent benefit to the driver in giving the space, as it is about the safety of the cyclist only. We now have the pandemic and drivers are keen to give plenty of room when overtaking. Maybe because the 2m social distancing is now a habit, or some drivers are worried about the infection from a hot and panting cyclist, as the contagion seeps through car's air vents.The wide passing thing is really noticeable, and my theory is that people now have Social Distancing ingrained. They're driving to the shops, worrying about keeping that magic 2m gap - then they see a cyclist and sub-consciously they're thinking about spaaaaaace. And of course the fact that they are having to think AT ALL, means they are less likely to treat you like a pothole to be avoided by a few inches.
I am sure he will see your post and tell us about all the lovely drivers he has also met. He might even have videos@matticus You say driving is better but look at all the poor driving @Racing roadkill has posted about.
you started by saying restricted to an hour...it never was, it was once a day, no legislated time limit
Less traffic = less stress and a more relaxed and considerate attitude.
WVM / pick up man becoming more prevalent than earlier on in lockdown but behaving perhaps a bit better on average due to being in less of a rush as traffic ligher (still plenty of impatient nobbers, but fewer)
Since lockdown started in the UK I have commuted every-day mainly on A/B roads, and have seen far more examples of considerate driving towards cyclists. I don't just mean drivers sticking to the rules, I mean drivers giving us twice the recommended passing space, or slowing right down before passing, even giving way when they don't need to; stuff like that.
A very similar outlook to myself as both a driver and cyclist. When I'm riding I will always acknowledge a driver who has shown me extra courtesy. I say "extra" because I find the majority treat us with respect, pass correctly etc. It's those which sit back rather than forcing through, those who stop/slow to let us turn right etc. who get the wave or thumbs up. Usually there is an acknowledgement back. Many of the people I ride with do likewise.When I am driving, I always do this. I hang back, wait for a safe space to overtake (round here that can be half a mile doing 12 mph), pass wide and slow, and generally treat cyclists with kindness and good manners. I very rarely get any kind of acknowledgement from the cyclist, which I feel is a shame. It makes sense for us to reward good behaviour, if only for purely selfish reasons - the driver who gets a friendly wave is more likely to treat the next cyclist he/she meets with goodwill. I always give a wave or a thumbs-up if a motorist has been courteous, and I often get a nice wave back. It improves my day.