Getting fed up of Motorcyclists pulling this stunt

[ianrauk]

Straddling lanes at a junction - not likely. Probably one of the most unsafe things a cyclist could do. A good exercise in antagonising 2 car drivers in one go with predictable results.

It's simple - at a junction, cycle as part of the traffic, either directly behind a vehicle or if in an asl, directly in front.

PS - I am not a head cam cyclist.

 

[Miquel In De Rain]

Im not a head-cam cyclist,it's on the handlebars.

 

[GrasB]

Why does any driver pass a cyclist with less than 12 inches of room, why does a driver pull out of a petrol station when there is a cycle coming towards them, why is grass green & the sky blue, don't answer these as I know the answer to the last two.

Because they are high risk taking, impatient drivers & consider it okay to drive well below the standard of driving required to pass the driving test.

So you have a van driver you're making deliveries, you've had a nice day so far & you're sat at a junction, when some ****head on a cycle decides to overtake you & position himself in such a way that he's going to hold you up away from the junction instead of being considerate & leaving you room to safely overtake him.

Oh so the guy is delayed getting to the next hinderance in his journey by 5s, obviously that's a huge hazard. No at worst it's a minor inconvenience for him. An attempt to overtake a cyclist at the junction is unsafe as the potential for unpredictable road conflict is high.

 

[Miquel In De Rain]

Oh so the guy is delayed getting to the next hinderance in his journey by 5s, obviously that's a huge hazard. No at worst it's a minor inconvenience for him. An attempt to overtake a cyclist at the junction is unsafe as the potential for unpredictable road conflict is high.

Yeah but they will do a dodgy pinch point overtake to save two seconds.I try to ride defensive from these dickheads.

 

[BentMikey]

As a member of the IAM how could I disagree,

Good stuff, so you do agree it's better to take the lane across junctions then.

do you think the IAM would approve of his van overtake?

Alan...

*That* is a whole different question. I like to imagine we'd probably agree that it would've been better to wait calmly and quietly behind the van, in primary. There would likely still be other vehicles behind the cyclist, mind.

 

[Miquel In De Rain]

Because they are high risk taking, impatient drivers & consider it okay to drive well below the standard of driving required to pass the driving test.

That's a good point,I often wonder how some of these people pass their driving tests,I just think the quality of the driving tests are crap when it is what you so rightly say,people dont drive to their driving test quality.

 

[boydj]

So you would rather be a hazed & cause annoyance to other road users, do you ever wonder why drivers hate cyclists.

Alan...

If you're an IAM member, have you read the IAM guidance on dealing with cyclists or their explanation of cyclist positioning? It's in line with Bikeability and Cyclecraft in recommending taking the lane at a junction. It only takes a couple of seconds to move into secondary after the lights change - if it's safe to do so.

Personally, I would not have been too bothered about the motorcyclist and I may or may not have filtered past the traffic on the right depending on just how much room there was.

 

[tonyhalsall]

Good stuff, so you do agree it's better to take the lane across junctions then.



*That* is a whole different question. I like to imagine we'd probably agree that it would've been better to wait calmly and quietly behind the van, in primary. There would likely still be other vehicles behind the cyclist, mind.

I think that getting to the front of the queue at lights should always be a judgement call based on a number of different considerations. If the light has been on red for a while there is always a risk it might change before you get to the front. In this instance I would not have attempted to get in front of the van on my bicycle because:
1) Available off side space because of the vans position - note what approaching black car had to do
2) Length of time light had already been on red and experience of how the front vehicle ususally likes to get a clean get away and does not expect a two wheeled user to appear next to him as he accelerates away.
3) Many motorists consider it an affront to be behind a slow cyclist and my fear would be the van driver trying an immediate overtake whilst traffic is also passing on the left filtering left.

Pausing behind the red van would be the most prudent action based on my own defensive riding experiences.

I am at a loss why the OP asked the motorcyclist to let him go first when the motorcyclist subsequently and almost immediately overtook him. Fortunately, in this instance, the motorcyclist was reasonable and measured in his reaction to the OP but I reckon that had the OP said that to 9/10 motorcyclists he may have got a different response and a subsequent "close pass" - further adding to the risk he put on himself.

 

[Buddfox]

...within the law.

Which on this occasion the motorcyclist failed to do by entering the ASL...

 

[TheLondonCyclist]

I see no problem in the videos. The motorcyclist accelerates at far greater speeds than a car and especially a cyclist. Why you asked "let me go first please", I don't know, but it had me laughing my arse off literally. Lol

 

[stowie]

I see no problem in the videos. The motorcyclist accelerates at far greater speeds than a car and especially a cyclist. Why you asked "let me go first please", I don't know, but it had me laughing my arse off literally. Lol

Sounds painful. How do you sit down?

 

[Linford]

Which on this occasion the motorcyclist failed to do by entering the ASL...

The law regarding ASLs is ill thought out and outdated. A motorcycle is just as vulnerable when along side a vehicle in traffic as a bicycle. The only difference being that a motorcycle can use its performance to accelerate away from another vehicle as they both approach a pinch point.

When cycling you need to be in the primary well before that arises, or hanging behind the larger vehicle and not risk getting squeezed.

As motorcycles are already allowed in bus lanes in Bristol, Swindon, London, etc and national policy is now to allow them access where the risk is not elevated, this should also be the case for their access to the ASL's. I suspect that this would need a rewrite of the highway code, and not a local bylaw as is done with the bus lanes now.

 

[400bhp]

Actually, I think we [bicycles and motorcycles] both need breathing spaces don't we?

i.e. we both filter which can and often does mean straddling between stationary cars, which isn't often particularly safe.

 

[Boris Bajic]

There is one fundamental difference. There is no need for motorcyclists to be given a breathing space at the front, they can sit in a stream of traffic perfectly well, it is just a desire to get away first and fastest in their case.

It is not just that. That may be part of it, but it is not just that. Generalisations about motive and mindset may not always be helpful.

As a motorcyclist and cyclist in London for many years, I liked to start at the front of a queue on both kinds of bike.

Sometimes (particularly when working as a courier) it was to allow me to get away firstest and fastest.

Sometimes it was because there is a sense of vulnerability in the midst of a stream of four-wheeled vehicles that one simply does not experience at the head of a line. This is much as it is for bicycles.

Sometimes it was because a passenger made the whole plot slightly less stable and responsive, so a little extra room was a blessing.

I haven't ridden a motorcycle since the early 90s and have no experience of ASLs when riding one, but I find it quite understandable that a rider would squeak his or her way to the front to benefit from one. I think I probably would, if still riding.

As to the 'fastest' element of your assessment of the desire of a motorcyclist in traffic, it is terribly difficult on almost any motorcycle not to the the fastest away. It's not some sort of Valentinik-wannabe race instinct kicking in.... It's just the way mtorcycles tend to be powered and geared, all the way from a Benly to a Buell.

 

[Linford]

There is one fundamental difference. There is no need for motorcyclists to be given a breathing space at the front, they can sit in a stream of traffic perfectly well, it is just a desire to get away first and fastest in their case.

You don't get a breathing space when cycling though when jumping to an ASL, as you shorten your time to stop and rest. I always use red lights as an excuse to stop and catch my breath when on a cycle, so why reduce that opportunity to take a breather for a few seconds more ?
You are always going to have vehicles passing when cycling on an open road. Why double the danger from a large vehicle by continually jumping in front of them at every set of lights ? They really do in many instances take a leap of faith to get past on road like that.

FWIW, that is York Rd in Bedminster. I worked in the petrol station a few yards back from that junction for about 6 months back in the mid 80's, so know it very well. I see no value at all in jumping a queue on that road with a cycle, you will gain a few seconds at most and encourage unneccessary confrontation in the process if that is repeated every few hundred yards.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=york road, bristol&hl=en&ll=51.445676,-2.584426&spn=0.000027,0.013368&hnear=York Rd, Bristol, United Kingdom&t=m&z=16&layer=c&cbll=51.445621,-2.584531&panoid=kDXNYBDrlcq9riVUU4wN0g&cbp=12,262.49,,0,-5.63