I hope he reported him.

[raleighnut]

View attachment 350946

I completely agree with this, the cyclist is in the road position I would use, he isn't sitting twice as far out as the guy in the clip which looks to me to be a position taken to deliberately antagonise anyone else on the road, if there was a 'pinch-point' or a junction nearby I could understand the cyclists road positioning but are you saying that if I'm on a road with 'no overtaking' double white lines I should move into the centre of the lane?

 

[mjr]

but are you saying that if I'm on a road with 'no overtaking' double white lines I should move into the centre of the lane?

Yes, basically, unless the lane is over 5m wide. I'm sure someone has a copy of the government's Cyclecraft book handy and can confirm whether it is in there.

 

[Will Spin]

I don't agree that it's a position that would deliberately antagonise other road users. Regardless of the white line, there just isn't room for a safe overtake with the oncoming traffic, so I'd move right out so that the traffic behind is discouraged from making a dangerous overtake.

 

[raleighnut]

Yes, basically, unless the lane is over 5m wide. I'm sure someone has a copy of the government's Cyclecraft book handy and can confirm whether it is in there.

I'd sooner have breakfast on a plate tomorrow rather than administered by a tube.

 

[Crackle]

Yes. It's 10 or 12, I forget which. Either way cyclist was exceeding it in that video.

I think it's 10. I have a similar piece of road. I've tried every position, it makes no difference, they still come past, so now I choose a few feet out and keep an eye out and just get out the farking way of the tossers who want to pass me in the same lane without crossing the line. For some reason they know they can't cross the line but they don't seem to know about the circumstances.

 

[smutchin]

are you saying that if I'm on a road with 'no overtaking' double white lines I should move into the centre of the lane?

Swings and roundabouts, innit. If the cyclist in that clip hadn't been riding that far out, the van driver would probably have tried to overtake sooner, possibly with much the same result.

In my experience, most motorists don't respond in such a hostile fashion when I take the lane. You get some who honk or drive as close as possible behind you to be intimidating, but I've never had one deliberately drive me off the road.

 

[smutchin]

Is it a cyclist's right to take the lane?
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2011/aug/01/cyclist-take-the-lane

 

[raleighnut]

Is it a cyclist's right to take the lane?
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2011/aug/01/cyclist-take-the-lane

The road in that clip isn't a 'narrow' road though and also it is a 'left hand bend', now if it was a 'right hander' with the danger of an idiot coming the other way running a bit wide into oncoming traffic then maybe you could be justified but that cyclist (and the van driver) are just being dickheads.

 

[dfthe1]

Rule 129

Double white lines where the line nearest you is solid. This means you MUST NOT cross or straddle it unless it is safe and you need to enter adjoining premises or a side road. You may cross the line if necessary, provided the road is clear, to pass a stationary vehicle, or overtake a pedal cycle, horse or road maintenance vehicle, if they are travelling at 10 mph (16 km/h) or less.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

if it was safe to overtake the Van Driver could have done it by completely crossing the white lines earlier. If it wasn't safe to overtake that way (regardless of the legalities) then it wasn't safe to overtake at all. The driver was not held up by the rider's primary positioning.

 

[Tanis8472]

Rule 129

Double white lines where the line nearest you is solid. This means you MUST NOT cross or straddle it unless it is safe and you need to enter adjoining premises or a side road. You may cross the line if necessary, provided the road is clear, to pass a stationary vehicle, or overtake a pedal cycle, horse or road maintenance vehicle, if they are travelling at 10 mph (16 km/h) or less.

Basically what I said then

 

[jefmcg]

The road in that clip isn't a 'narrow' road though and also it is a 'left hand bend', now if it was a 'right hander' with the danger of an idiot coming the other way running a bit wide into oncoming traffic then maybe you could be justified but that cyclist (and the van driver) are just being dickheads.

No, the cyclist may be a dickhead (I would argue not) but the driver is a violent and dangerous thug who should be in jail. This is just the same as if he leant out the window and fired a gun at the cyclist. His deliberate action could have easily killed the cyclist.

Or would everyone be banging on about the cyclist's riding if the driver had shot at him, as long as he missed?

 

[winjim]

No, the cyclist may be a dickhead (and would argue not) but the driver is a violent and dangerous thug who should be in jail. This is just the same as if he leant out the window and fired a gun at the cyclist. His deliberate action could have easily killed the cyclist.

Or would everyone be banging on about the cyclist's riding if the driver had shot at him, as long as he missed?

I read the thread up to this point before I watched the clip. Now I usually view these things with some skepticism as they can be a storm in a teacup, so I was wondering what the cyclist had done and what I might have done differently. I also take the view, which I think you've taken in previous threads, that bad driving doesn't necessarily need to be criminalised, but licensing be much stricter and licences taken away if drivers aren't up to standard.

Then I watched the clip. I don't give a flying fark what the cyclist was doing, that driver needs to be in prison.

 

[steveindenmark]

Double white line so council had decided it was too dangerous to allow overtaking. Rider most likely took primary to avoid illegal overtaking.

But he is not a police officer. Its not his job to prevent illegal overtaking.

This all looks a bit fake to me. But if it is real. The cyclist should not have been in the middle of the road and the van driver should be in prison.

 

[Markymark]

But he is not a police officer. Its not his job to prevent illegal overtaking.

This all looks a bit fake to me. But if it is real. The cyclist should not have been in the middle of the road and the van driver should be in prison.

It's not about preventing it because it's illegal. It's illegal because it is dangerous. He's preventing a dangerous overtake.