How to handle oncoming cars?

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

summerdays

Cycling in the sun
Location
Bristol
I have to play this game daily on my way to school when the side of the road that my son and I are on is clear of cars and they are all parked on the other side. The road is not wide enough for a parked car, car and bike to pass. If I see a car coming before we enter the area of parked cars we wait for the oncoming traffic - otherwise I'm in primary to prevent them attempting it from either behind or infront... a couple still do even with a 9 year old on a bike!! One of them that regularly gets irritated with me is the local driving instructor who keeps pointing at the side of the road and trying to force her way through ... you would hope that they understood slightly better than the average motorist.

I wouldn't let my son cycle to school on his own because I wouldn't expect him to have the confidence to deal with them. Its never as bad in the evenings when we have the parked cars on our side ... perhaps because we are prepared to give way to the on-coming traffic.
 
OP
OP
T

taxing

Well-Known Member
As I understand it, the vehicle on the side with the obstruction (Eg a parked car) is the one that should wait - IE the vehicle with the unhindered road has priority - there don't have to be any specific signs.

I'd play it by ear - assert my priority if I had it, but give way if it just seemed like less hassle. I often ride up a street with parked cars on both sides, so neither vehicle has priority - although it slopes very slightly, so the vehicle coming down should give way to the vehicle coming up - but it's so slight I doubt most drviers would notice the gradient. Often there won't be room for a car to pull in anywhere, but there will be room for me to do so - in that case, it's daft to force the issue.

Sorry, I should have mentioned that there are parked cars on both sides of the street where I'm having the problem, that's why I don't think that either has automatic priority. No slope either.

I'm not being obstructive on purpose, usually there is somewhere for me to pull in and I will (sometimes I even get a thank you), but it's just turned out in the last couple of days that there hasn't been and I've been a bit stuck.
 

ultraviolet

it can't rain all the time....
Location
Hythe, Kent, UK
I take the position as if i were driving my car and came across a dickweed on the wrong side of the road.....i do not move,they do !  I had another pencildick behind me at the lights the other evening reving his "extension" whilst waiting for the lights to change,again this sort of action does not faze me and he had to wait whilst i pottered around the potholes....they will learn that we have equal rights on the road !

totaly right in my eyes! :-)


if i'm on a road with parked cars either side and i have priority i just ride a little further into the centre of the road to stop cars thinking they can barge past
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
If we were on the water, at least steam would have to give way to sail, so to speak...

A fully laden Maximus trike is quite good for getting priority! ;)
 

Ben M

Senior Member
Location
Chester/Oxford
I wouldn't let my son cycle to school on his own because I wouldn't expect him to have the confidence to deal with them.

Do you not think that cars would be a little bit more forgiving of a child on their own? When you're with him, you're seen to be in charge, so motorists are being badly behaved towards an adult, I doubt that anyone would behave as badly towards a child.
 

slugonabike

New Member
Location
Bournemouth
Do you not think that cars would be a little bit more forgiving of a child on their own? When you're with him, you're seen to be in charge, so motorists are being badly behaved towards an adult, I doubt that anyone would behave as badly towards a child.

you might be right - but I wouldn't want to take that chance if it were my child!
 

summerdays

Cycling in the sun
Location
Bristol
Do you not think that cars would be a little bit more forgiving of a child on their own? When you're with him, you're seen to be in charge, so motorists are being badly behaved towards an adult, I doubt that anyone would behave as badly towards a child.

Given that he's already in front of me so they should see him first (though admittedly I'm bigger), they already have the opportunity to be more forgiving. Personally I'm not prepared to take that risk (beside which that's only the 3rd worst risk on the route to school, with HGV's and a stretch of road where there are parked cars, up on the pavement, on a bend, cars driving on the pavement and lots of very bad driving on a very regular basis).
 
Top Bottom