Greater Manchester be-an-ignorant-git-on-the-road day, today?

[benb]

Closest I ever had, back when I rode with clips and toestraps was a car catching the toestrap clip in his wheel arch and carrying me along at 30+mph for about a mile .

Look on the bright side, you probably got a personal best that day.

 

[MrHappyCyclist]

[QUOTE 1509504"]
8 feet?
[/quote]

Highway code rule 163: "give motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car"

A car is typically over 6 feet wide including the mirrors. It would be driving at least a foot from the kerb. So even if the overtaking car gave it 8 feet, that would only be 1 foot clearance! So 8 feet is an absolute minimum if the overtaker is to follow the guidance in the highway code.

 

[slugonabike]

I think that you should certainly report the private hire drivers to the council licencing officer, they won't do much with just one complaint but it will go on record. Locally our PH cars are allowed to use the bus lanes (they have a yellow + black checked sticker on the back so that this is clear to see) but I don't know if that applies to all reas.

 

[Mad at urage]

Look on the bright side, you probably got a personal best that day.

Highway code rule 163: "give motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car"

A car is typically over 6 feet wide including the mirrors. It would be driving at least a foot from the kerb. So even if the overtaking car gave it 8 feet, that would only be 1 foot clearance! So 8 feet is an absolute minimum if the overtaker is to follow the guidance in the highway code.

What always gets me on that picture is: How many cars would overtake another car on that narrow road, with two wheels still in the same lane! ? "As much room as you would when overtaking a car" my .

 

[400bhp]

Highway code rule 163: "give motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car"

A car is typically over 6 feet wide including the mirrors. It would be driving at least a foot from the kerb. So even if the overtaking car gave it 8 feet, that would only be 1 foot clearance! So 8 feet is an absolute minimum if the overtaker is to follow the guidance in the highway code.

It doesn't read like that to me. The width of the car is irrelevant, it's the space between the overtaking car and the overtaken car. The picture demonstares my reading of it too.

 

[Mad at urage]

Cars do not leave that amount of space between themselves and the overtaken vehicle, IME it's more usually about a foot. The picture is supposed (IMO) to show the two vehicles occupying separate lanes (which is what generally happens when a motor vehicle overtakes another). It fails of course, because the producers of the HC can't bear to give their cyclist that much room on the road.

 

[400bhp]

And it looks as though the indicator is on too (that could develop a separate thread in itself)

 

[MrHappyCyclist]

It doesn't read like that to me. The width of the car is irrelevant, it's the space between the overtaking car and the overtaken car. The picture demonstares my reading of it too.

See, even a cyclist misinterprets what it says!

Seriously, the picture clearly demonstrates my reading; the car has gone right over to the other side of the road.

 

[400bhp]

IME it's more usually about a foot.

Where do you drive?

Snetterton and Oulton Park.

Seriously, I get passed/pass that close in my race car, but not on the main road

 

[400bhp]

See, even a cyclist misinterprets what it says!

Seriously, the picture clearly demonstrates my reading; the car has gone right over to the other side of the road.

No it hasn't. It's straddling the inside of the dotted white line.

Can't believe we are arguing discussing a bloody pic out of the HC. Only on Cycle Chat Commute section.

 

[MrHappyCyclist]

No it hasn't. It's straddling the inside of the dotted white line.

Can't believe we are arguing discussing a bloody pic out of the HC. Only on Cycle Chat Commute section.

Indeed.

However, I did write to my MP about the ambiguous nature of that rule and he got a reply from some minister in the Transport Dept that said they thought it was perfectly clear. Oh, yeah?

 

[Mad at urage]

Where do you drive?

Snetterton and Oulton Park.

Seriously, I get passed/pass that close in my race car, but not on the main road

Wales, London, Portsmouth, Coventry ...

Dual carriageways with wide lanes tend to encourage reasonably wide passes, because most drivers think in terms of lanes, but when there are no lanes to guide them, many pass with barely room for both door mirrors. In heavy urban traffic no progress would be made if car drivers gave as much clearance between the cars as is shown between the car and cyclist on that picture, which is why they get so annoyed about us requiring that - after all, we're only 2 ft wide!

 

[400bhp]

How many times do you find yourself on single carriageway roads in heavy urban traffic and the opportunity presents itself to overtake?

 

[MrHappyCyclist]

In heavy urban traffic no progress would be made if car drivers gave as much clearance between the cars as is shown between the car and cyclist on that picture, which is why they get so annoyed about us requiring that - after all, we're only 2 ft wide!

Even though rules 212 and 213 explain quite clearly the reason for it. (AS if most drivers ever read the HC.)

 

[colly]

Pretty poor driving.

Your not so happy in some of those clips.