Hand signal before pulling out to pass a parked car?

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MontyVeda

a short-tempered ill-controlled small-minded troll
if there's a car to signal to, I'll signal and pull out early... if not, I'll just pull out early.
 

theclaud

Openly Marxist
Location
Swansea
I tend to not set my expectations too high when it comes to trusting motorists to make sensible decisions .

If I trusted them completely then I wouldn't bother looking over my shoulder before moving out. But if you ride as though you expect people to drive properly, they are more likely to do so.
 

Jon George

Mamil and couldn't care less
Location
Suffolk an' Good
As my father told me when I got my first motorbike: "Always ask yourself, what's the worst *expletive deleted* thing, this *expletive deleted* can *expletive deleted* do?" He had a way with words did my old man, but I believe the gist was "always expect the unexpected."
 
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Banjo

Banjo

Fuelled with Jelly Babies
Location
South Wales
If I trusted them completely then I wouldn't bother looking over my shoulder before moving out. But if you ride as though you expect people to drive properly, they are more likely to do so.

Theres a lot of truth in that ,I think maybe the answer is treat each situation as you think best at the time.

In a different scenario when trying to change lanes to turn right at a junction /RAB I am allways amazed how many cars ignore your signal and just barrell on past in the outside lane just to join the stationary traffic a few seconds earlier.
 
No. I expect motorists to have grasped the fact that I can't levitate over parked cars.
I know what your saying but some goldfish brained muppets can't fathom that!

Edit:

If I trusted them completely then I wouldn't bother looking over my shoulder before moving out. But if you ride as though you expect people to drive properly, they are more likely to do so.
:thumbsup:
 

buggi

Bird Saviour
Location
Solihull
no its not the bikeability way. The bikeability way is...
You should ride in position 1 (secondary to us oldies) and as soon as you see parked cars, check over your right shoulder and move to position 2 (middle) checking over your shoulder again, move to position 3 (near centre line) by the time you get to the parked cars. Checking over your shoulder is the sign to the motorist behind that you are going to move out. You should then give way to oncoming traffic, hence no need to indicate to them, and then take a wide berth past the parked cars out of the door zone and not letting cars behind squeeze past you (this is likely to put you in the centre of the opposite lane which is why you should give way to oncoming traffic).

in reality of course, you move seemlessly through the positions and your glance behind tells the driver you're moving out... But if you feel he may ignore you, there's nothing wrong in making it clear with a hand signal.
 
I always look behind to make sure I can go round the car safely... but usually I don't signal as the driver should realise that I have to go round it, as I'm not likely to bunny hop over it and if I ever get challenged by a driver for not signalling to go around a car I will ask "Did you?"

I do understand though this may be of little comfort if I'm sprawled out across the road though........:whistle:
 

Ben M

Senior Member
Location
Chester/Oxford
I don't signal but I look over my shoulder way before I get to the car and start a long passing trajectory so it is obvious what I am doing.

Exactly my method too.

no its not the bikeability way. The bikeability way is...
You should ride in position 1 (secondary to us oldies) and as soon as you see parked cars, check over your right shoulder and move to position 2 (middle) checking over your shoulder again, move to position 3 (near centre line) by the time you get to the parked cars. Checking over your shoulder is the sign to the motorist behind that you are going to move out. You should then give way to oncoming traffic, hence no need to indicate to them, and then take a wide berth past the parked cars out of the door zone and not letting cars behind squeeze past you (this is likely to put you in the centre of the opposite lane which is why you should give way to oncoming traffic).

in reality of course, you move seemlessly through the positions and your glance behind tells the driver you're moving out... But if you feel he may ignore you, there's nothing wrong in making it clear with a hand signal.

Calling secondary 1 and primary position 2 is a great way to have introduced confusion. I wonder which genius thought that up.
 

I like Skol

A Minging Manc...
No. I expect motorists to have grasped the fact that I can't levitate over parked cars.
THIS^^^^^

I expect following road users to know that I am not going to slam into a parked car at around 20mph. I start to pull out from my position to the left of the lane I am in well in advance of reaching the obstacle, probably at least 50ft and sometimes much, much more especially staying out if there are multiple parked cars with gaps between them. The fact that I choose to ride to the left of the lane to kindly allow other road users to OVERTAKE if it is safe to do so is irrelevant. I am using the same lane as they are and they may only pass me 'IF' it is safe and clear. I do not indicate to show that I am staying in the lane that I am already using. This did not stop me having a massive altercation with a purple faced, aggressive, overweight, spitting, dribbling WVM last year after I complained when he nearly ran me into the parked car I was passing. He said I shouldn't have 'pulled out' in front of him :rolleyes:
 

ayceejay

Guru
Location
Rural Quebec
A tip from one who knows: as part of your overtaking routine, whatever it may be, check to see if there are people in the parked car. If there is exhaust or engine noise present they have not seen you and will pull out leaving you fuming or prostrate (note 'r'). If there is no exhaust or engine noise present they have just arrived and have not seen you so will open the door leaving you fuming or prostrate (note 'r').
for accuracies sake: it is possible to be both fuming and prostrate.
 

buggi

Bird Saviour
Location
Solihull
Exactly my method too.



Calling secondary 1 and primary position 2 is a great way to have introduced confusion. I wonder which genius thought that up.

I don't know who made it up but its logical when you think of it like this...(a) Bikeability aspires to catch people at a young age so using Position 1, 2 and 3 are less confusing for them as they have not heard of secondary and primary; and (b) Secondary and Primary is fine... but what do you call the 3rd position (nearer to the centre line) because us oldies don't have a word for it?

thus the terms Position 1, 2 and 3 were introduced.

I'm getting used to calling it Position 1, Position 2 and Position 3 now. It's evolving. i think us oldies are gonna have to catch up!
 

slowmotion

Quite dreadful
Location
lost somewhere
I don't signal but I look over my shoulder way before I get to the car and start a long passing trajectory so it is obvious what I am doing.

I was rather shocked to see how a friend went about it - she hugged the kerb until about 3 feet behind the car then turned through 90 degrees and shot out from behind it! I explained that it wasn't really a very good way of overtaking ...
Yes, "a long passing trajectory" is a great description.
 
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