"Get on the side of the road!"

[Hip Priest]

Had my second ever ding-dong with a motorist tonight. Travelling along, I came up being a slower cyclist, so I did a shoulder check, saw a gap and pulled out to overtake. Whilst I was alongside I heard a car rev right up beside me, and the driver sound the horn, which caused both cyclists to swerve left.

He then shouted something as he went past.

I eventually caught up with him and said "What did you say?", to which he replied "Get on the side of the road, you're supposed to be on the side of the road." I said "No I'm not supposed to be on the side of the road. I was overtaking the cyclist in front of me. Overtake when it's safe. Right!", then cycled off.

I'm astounded that someone would basically drive at two cyclists, rather than wait 2 seconds, only to end up in traffic about 100 yards later. What is the matter with people.

This isn't a very interesting story, but I wanted to get it off my chest.

 

[BentMikey]

That's completely normal selfish behaviour. He's not a motorist, he's a moton or cager.

 

[Hip Priest]

That's completely normal selfish behaviour. He's not a motorist, he's a moton or cager.

True.

He was only a young lad, 18-21 I'd say, was well-spoken and didn't swear at me (nor me at him). He just seemed to genuinely believe that a cyclist should by law be riding at about 4 inches from the kerb, lest a car want to get past.

 

[HovR]

Had something similar yesterday. Me and a friend were cycling down a road which has a very narrow shared use path running along side it. We had the wind on our backs so were easily exceeding 20mph, and chose to use the road.

It was the middle of the day so the roads were practically empty, yet the red Astra driver still felt the need to overtake whilst leaning on his horn and pointing frantically at the tiny shared use path.

 

[Hip Priest]

Had something similar yesterday. Me and a friend were cycling down a road which has a very narrow shared use path running along side it. We had the wind on our backs so were easily exceeding 20mph, and chose to use the road.

It was the middle of the day so the roads were practically empty, yet the red Astra driver still felt the need to overtake whilst leaning on his horn and pointing frantically at the tiny shared use path.

Crazy isn't it. Though in some ways you can't blame them. The handbook that came with my first bike (a Halford's Apollo) contained some 'tips' on safe cycling, one of which was 'Stay as far over to the left as possible'. If the UK's biggest bicycle brand is telling people that...

 

[Ian Cooper]

I eventually caught up with him and said "What did you say?", to which he replied "Get on the side of the road, you're supposed to be on the side of the road." I said "No I'm not supposed to be on the side of the road. I was overtaking the cyclist in front of me. Overtake when it's safe. Right!", then cycled off.

Doesn't Bikeability teach that, for safety, the default 'Primary' position for most roads (too narrow to share) is the middle of the lane? Overtaking isn't the issue - you have a basic right to take the lane even when you're not overtaking, if only to secure your own safety.

 

[Hip Priest]

Doesn't Bikeability teach that, for safety, the default 'Primary' position for most roads (too narrow to share) is the middle of the lane? Overtaking isn't the issue - you have a basic right to take the lane even when you're not overtaking, if only to secure your own safety.

True, although this is a fairly wide road. Only the impending pinch-point prevented him from overtaking the pair of us. If I hadn't have been there, the cyclist in front of me would probably have received a close pass.

 

[MontyVeda]

People learn enough of the highway code to get them through their driving test.. after that they just make it up as they go along.

unrelatedish... but the other week i was a passenger in my friends car and he wasn't sure if he was driving in a 40 zone or not. So I said "It's 30 because of the street lights".

A few hundred yards later he said "so what speed is it now? The street lights are getting further apart."

me: What has the distance between the street light got to do with anything?

him: what has street lights got to do with anything?

me: ..er, have you ever actually read the highway code?

him (instantly stroppy): Yes of course i have, I'm a driver!

me: but you don't know what the speed limit is.

after a bit of a tiff on his part, I eventually explained to him what he, as a driver should have been fully aware of.

I still shake my head in disbelief that after 20 years on the road, a cyclist has to tell a driver what the speed limit is.

 

[StuartG]

Doesn't Bikeability teach that, for safety, the default 'Primary' position for most roads (too narrow to share) is the middle of the lane?

Bikeability/Primary is only taught to modern cyclists. Not to drivers who don't cycle or were taught the gutter position when doing their proficiency test. There is no mechanism for updating them (or older cyclists) on the recommended change in practice.

Hence if all they know has been gleaned from the HC it is quite reasonable for them to complain/hold a grudge against obstructive cyclists.

We need to use primary to avoid some immediate dangers but I do worry about the longer terms dangers of alienating drivers who mistakenly see it as bloodymindedness on our side. It would be nice if some of the enthusiasm into extolling the virtues of helmets and hi-viz were directed in this direction.

 

[MontyVeda]

...
It would be nice if some of the enthusiasm into extolling the virtues of helmets and hi-viz were directed in this direction.

+1

 

[Ian Cooper]

It would be nice if some of the enthusiasm into extolling the virtues of helmets and hi-viz were directed in this direction.

I agree. We have the same problem here in the US.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

It would be nice if some of the enthusiasm into extolling the virtues of helmets and hi-viz were directed in this direction.

Aye, it's a shame public information films don't cover this. Are public information films even made any more?

 

[Ian Cooper]

Aye, it's a shame public information films don't cover this. Are public information films even made any more?

Just what I was thinking! Here in the US, it seems they only get made to help us feel better about the good old US of A, or helping us to see why the next country we're going to invade desperately needs to be invaded.

 

[ComedyPilot]

I find driver's attitudes quite strange, they will blare their horns at me, and gesticulate with their hands (love that words - hands) and when they join the congestion yards later they seem VERY reluctant to continue the dialogue with a 6 foot, 16 stone, assertive bloke on a bike....?

 

[Banjo]

You would think that CTC or BC could put up some cash to make an educational film aimed at explaining to motorists why cyclists do what we do, and that its not just us being awkward.