getting overtaken at pinchpoint while in primary..

[BentMikey]

My experience was taking primary on a country road when i sensed a car coming from behind, a car oncoming...and we're all going to meet at the same point.

One is supposed to look, not sense a car behind, and then negotiate out to primary. In your example, it's clear the negotiation didn't happen because there was no looking back, and would have probably failed anyway given the driver's attitude. In that situation, rather than take primary, I'd have slowed down and tried to negotiate for the gap behind that car.

 

[hackbike 666]

Not my impression. On here some use it as means of criticism and putting other riders down. The reality is that they would likely fair no better if they had been in the said same position confronted by a psycho.

Definetly.

I don't really have too much of a problem with pinch points because generally I know what's going to happen.

 

[Cab]

My experience was taking primary on a country road when i sensed a car coming from behind, a car oncoming...and we're all going to meet at the same point. Pity the driver didnt agree and pushed through at 30-40 mph'ish, within 2 inches of me.
Some will say you didnt take the correct position then, but short of stopping, measuring the width of a car with a tape measure, then measuring the distance from...you get the point

You can still make the right judgement, but it can still go wrong sometimes.

Yes, being in primary gives you the space on the left for avoidance...but in my case, by the time i'd even had time to think, due to the cars speed and proximity to me, it was past me anyway Avoidance space is only any good if you've the time to use it.

You 'sensed' a car behind you? You didn't see it or hear it as such? And then it was upon you? And while overtaking you, you had no opportunity to make a move into a position further away, into a secondary or escape position?

I don't get it.

How were you made aware of the car behind? Why did you not have time to move to safety?

 

[Cab]

Not my impression. On here some use it as means of criticism and putting other riders down.

No it isn't. It is used as a descriptive term for a better road position that would have prevented many (not all) of the problems people discuss. It isn't used as a means to put anyone down, but not using primary may be a fair criticism, describing how they got in to trouble.

 

[Cab]

there really wasnt any real danger , i looked after myself on their dangerous overtake , then they joined slow moving traffic, and i mean slow.

Oh, I see, he's come past you, and you're stuck behind him in traffic thats not moving much? His dangerous overtake was typical in that it was dangerous, annoying and ultimately futile? Oh, well, he's just going to have to put up with your flashing lights in his mirror then, nothing else you can do

 

[HJ]

I don't think this bit is correct. I don't recall anyone saying more than primary is a way of playing the odds, of reducing the chances of the driver behind doing something stupid.

That'll still leave the occasional idiot driver who will do something stupid, and that brings us to the second thing wrong with the above. Primary doesn't leave you in a worse position, it means you now have the space to correct for the idiot's mistake.

+1

 

[dudi]

Two wrongs don't make a right, we - as cyclists are supposed to embrace the motoring fraternity and accomodate those who drive bad badly, just the same as drivers accomodate those cyclists who ride bad badly.

But agree totally. need to know when to swallow it down and take a deep breath.

 

[gbb]

You 'sensed' a car behind you? You didn't see it or hear it as such? And then it was upon you? And while overtaking you, you had no opportunity to make a move into a position further away, into a secondary or escape position?

I don't get it.

How were you made aware of the car behind? Why did you not have time to move to safety?

One is supposed to look, not sense a car behind, and then negotiate out to primary. In your example, it's clear the negotiation didn't happen because there was no looking back, and would have probably failed anyway given the driver's attitude. In that situation, rather than take primary, I'd have slowed down and tried to negotiate for the gap behind that car.

Yep, my fault there for the confusion, a poor choice of words. Of course i looked...calculate the possible meeting points and take position accordingly.
The irony is, had i stayed to the left on that occasion, the blundering through driver would have done so with a lot less risk to me. Sometimes you cant win.

Why did i not have time to move over safely ?

A car travelling at 30mph (the minimum he was doing) is travelling at 44 feet per second...
At 40 mph its 58 feet per second.
I quite rightly assume having taken primary, he's not going to try to blunder through. So if i'm taking up 6 feet length of road...he's past me in around 1/10 second (minus a bit because i'm moving too).....not much time is it once he's there ?

 

[skudupnorth]

Nite rider's on strobe are the business for getting noticed but they annoy the hell out of motorists if set too high.How are your lamp doing for reliability ? Mine have gone back to the supplier for the second time with battery not charging up.Have asked for a re-fund this time and plan to get some Hope Vision 1's

 

[Bromptonaut]

Interesting debate here covering some of the same ground.

 

[BentMikey]

Let's face it, they have a point with cyclists not looking back and negotiating before making manouvres. It seems to be the majority of cyclists riding like this.

 

[hackbike 666]

lee is right yet again.

 

[Tharg2007]

Nite rider's on strobe are the business for getting noticed but they annoy the hell out of motorists if set too high.How are your lamp doing for reliability ? Mine have gone back to the supplier for the second time with battery not charging up.Have asked for a re-fund this time and plan to get some Hope Vision 1's

i got it off ebay as faulty, has a cable issue, so long as cable is bent the right way its ok. got it £18 bargain
its more of a flashing than strobe, not massively bright imo. My cree torch though is about 300 lumens and on strobe its noticeable

 

[Origamist]

Dont get me wrong, primary should be encouraged for ones safety....i would never dispute that, but for the sake of less experienced cyclists wishing to develop their skills...it does occasionally bring you closer to conflict.

I've often made the point that taking the lane will, in some circumstances, lead to abuse and problems. Many motorists will simply see you as a rolling obstruction when in primary and will not understand that you are riding in this position for safety reasons.

 

[hackbike 666]

I've often made the point that taking the lane will, in some circumstances, lead to abuse and problems. Many motorists will simply see you as a rolling obstruction when in primary and will not understand that you are riding in this position for safety reasons.

I knew that,honest.