Indicating right? Doesn't mean anything...

[Cab]

I dunno whether I might have been too impatient here. Maybe, but I thought that my overtake was fairly safe.

Pootling along past Trinity College, Cambridge, with my barely functional camera strapped to the handlebars yesterday morning, waiting behind a van. He indicated and slowed down to turn off to the right at the point in front of Trinity where there is a passing point, so I started to pass him using that space (which is on the left).

Naturally, what he was really doing, was turning into that space to then reverse in to the right. So, indicating right, then turned in to the left right in front of me.

Wasn't that dangerous, but was pretty irritating. But then, I wonder, was I just too impatient here?


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHjs54Mj4KI

 

[GrasB]

Yeah there's a touch of impatience/push on there but really this is a classic example of inappropriate/confused signalling. Hence why it's better not to signal if you're unsure/confused as to where you're going or if the signal may give the wrong impression to other road users. At minimum he shouldn't have signalled until he'd pulled to the left & was ready to reverse round to the right.

 

[JiMBR]

I don't think you were impatient at all.

You're well within your rights to go past on the left imo...he is indicating right after all, and the last thing he should be doing is turning left whilst indicating right.

It could have been much worse if you were going fast along the same stretch.

 

[just4fun]

i would of done the same. i'm not sure if thats good or bad cycling though. i was thinking he was coming to a stop and then pulling in the the right i never would of expected a left turn.

 

[Cab]

Fat chance of ever going fast along there; during term time proper the situation would have been similar but there would have been another 28 cyclists with me, and usually another two or three delivery vans dropping off supplies at the colleges

 

[JiMBR]

hehe...yeah, I was in Cambridge earlier in the year and I've never seen so many cyclists.

 

[magnatom]

Not impatient at all. You are making progress IMO. However, the indication was daft by the van, it would have been better to pull to the right with a left indication. More importantly the driver should have used his wing mirrors to see what was behind him before starting the maneuver.

Anyway, no harm done. You were going slow enough to deal with the unexpected maneuver, so good cycling, not bad.

 

[Crackle]

I think I'd have done the same. Bad signalling by the van and poor observation too.

 

[Alien8]

However, the indication was daft by the van, it would have been better to pull to the right with a left indication.

Eh?

He (apparently) needed to go left to have enough room to swing back with his reverse.

He should have indicated left and stopped at the left side of the road. Then when clear both ways reversed back in to the turning.

 

[sheddy]

These days I switch the hazards on when reversing. Can't do any harm. He should have done the same.

 

[Cab]

These days I switch the hazards on when reversing. Can't do any harm

Oh, I hate that. I'd far rather someone actually indicates the way they're going; hazard lights seem to imply 'I'm about to do something, it might be something very stupid, but its okay, I've got my hazards on!'.

 

[magnatom]

Eh?

He (apparently) needed to go left to have enough room to swing back with his reverse.

He should have indicated left and stopped at the left side of the road. Then when clear both ways reversed back in to the turning.

He probably didn't know Cab was there, thus his pull to the right (I'll give him the benefit of the doubt). Yes I agree that he should have pulled to the left first ,but I was just suggesting what indication would have been better for the maneuver he made. I'm sure Cab would have stopped if he did what I suggested.

 

[jonny jeez]

Pretty street.

Perhaps the driver was distracted by the scenery

...MIRRORS.....MIRRORS!!

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

It's a tricky one... I'd probably do the same as the van driver - i.e. indicate my intention to allow people behind me to slow down, and you'd need to pull to the left in order to reverse to the right.... however, I'd like to think that I'd be aware/check for cyclists rather than just assuming that because cars can't get past it's okay to make my move.

 

[Cab]

Its quite hard on a very narrow one way street to ensure that the van in front of you knows you're there. Naturally, the only way to ride such a lane is in primary (right down the middle), but that means that the van driver in front can't possibly see you, you're in his blind spot. Thats okay as long as you give them space and time to manoevre, and so long as their own signalling and manoevres are reasonable.

Here it went wrong 'cos his signalling was poor, and my rather slow overtake was probably the only way I could continue down the road without either mounting the pavement (a very popular approach on that street, not just for cyclists...) or taking undue risks.

But had I tried harder to get into sight of his wing mirrors first, maybe that would have helped.