"Hogging the Middle"

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Pgd

Veteran
Location
East Grinstead
Morning all!

Coming northbound up Brixton Road after the Vassall Road lights, keeping a decent speed up (in the bus lane) when I see a vehicle ahead signalling left. So I slow down for it; it ends up turning quite slowly, so I'm practically at a standstill and have to get up to speed again.

At this point I'm in the middle of the bus lane, and since I know there were cyclists I left behind at the last lights, I prepare to move more to the left.... HOLY shoot there's a ninja under-taker almost alongside me. Instinctively swerve to the right... TING-A-LING!! Blow me if there isn't also someone simultaneously trying to overtake me. (All this is within the bus lane, remember.) "Can't go left, can't go right, where d'you expect me to go??" I shouted. "Stop hogging the middle, then!" came the reply.

In hindsight I have some sympathy for the over-taker, he was probably as unaware of the ninja as I was; as far as he was concerned I was simply swerving into his path. But at the time I was livid. :angry:

Besides which, "hogging the middle" is something I am aware of with London bus lanes. You do get slower cyclists effectively taking primary in the bus lane. Fair play, they probably feel more comfortable there. It sometimes prevents an immediate overtake, so you (well, I at least) just hang back until there's space. I can't help feeling that my over-taker was barging past too quickly, whatever the rights or wrongs of my movements.

Anyway. Grrr, don't barge past even if you feel someone's "hogging the middle", but most importantly DON'T UNDER-TAKE! :angry:
 

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
Idiot cyclists not paying attention to what's happening up front and why you are positioned where you are.

We don't have enough cyclists up here to get those situations - it's rare to get more than one or two at a set of lights. You always get the idiots that will try and barge through though.
 

AnotherEye

Well-Known Member
Location
North London
Cyclists undertaking me (especially when I'm passing parked cars); the most annoying thing that happens almost daily on my commute. I'm thinking of getting one of those naff orange lolypops & fitting it on the left side.
There's another issue here; when the majority of cyclists ride near the gutter it re-inforces the expectations of motorists that that is the correct position!
 

SomethingLikeThat

Über Member
Location
South London
Idiot cyclists not paying attention to what's happening up front and why you are positioned where you are.

We don't have enough cyclists up here to get those situations - it's rare to get more than one or two at a set of lights. You always get the idiots that will try and barge through though.
This. Where I live there are ASLs everywhere but they rarely have one cyclist, never mind completely filled like you see in London.
 

Tynan

Veteran
Location
e4
primary is fine but you have to accept a bike passing on the inside if you slow down and there's always the chance of someone passing quite correctly on the right

hold your line in short and signal and check before moving to either side
 
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