Little flag or not?

[XmisterIS]

I was driving along the other day and I came across a group of three windswept-looking and sinewy old roadies in single file going at a fair lick in the cycle lane. The lead rider had a little fluorescent flag on the end of a pole a couple or three feet long sticking out into the traffic lane as an indicator of the "three feet to pass" rule.

I always hang back and give cyclists a wide berth anyway when I'm in my car (I'll overtake on the other side of the road if I can).

But do you think a flag's a good idea? I'm thinking the flag could work both ways - (a) those people who simply don't realise how close they overtake would consciously drive round the flag, but ( those drivers who are aggressive and have the "get cyclists off the road" attitude might see the flag as a target ...

 

[levad]

I have often thought about a sprung flag sticking out with a carbide point on the end of the stick. Any vehicle that thinks that less room is required would end up with a nice scratch

 

[XmisterIS]

What a capital idea! Seriously!

 

[Moodyman]

Nice idea, but wouldn't do much for your aerodynamics.

 

[snailracer]

Nice idea, but wouldn't do much for your aerodynamics.

Ah, but a carbon-fibre aero-profiled pole will actually make you go faster .

 

[HLaB]

Suppose at least if drivers are treating it like a target, they're targeting 3ft away from the actual rider!

 

[summerdays]

I've thought they could be useful but then again there are times when I want to get through a little gap - and they would potentially stick out and potentially snag.

 

[wafflycat]

This sort of thing?

Flash flag

or this sort of thing?

Safety wing

 

[potsy]

He won't be doing much filtering then,I tuck my bar-end mirror in when I filter even though it's probably OK not to.

 

[Armegatron]

Funnily enough I was discussing this with my parents the other day and was thinking of putting something together to try it out with a rear camera observing reactions.

 

[jimboalee]

Little whip flags mounted on the horizontal were quite popular back in the eighties.

I saw one on the very first Audax I rode.

It was mounted on the seatstay as high as possible without interfering with the leg movement.

It was a three inch red trianglular sheet of flimsy plastic which whipped up and down with the vibration of the bike.

Not seen one for twenty years.

 

[Arch]

Forget flags, for the best clear space when overtaking, strap a garden fork across your rack*...

Helps if you have an allotment to go to, of course.


*or get a recumbent. A trike is best, because you have a nice metal hub as your widest point, and a special grinding device up front for suddenly opeing doors.

 

[Trumpettom001]

I always thought permanant parker would be better... just on a carbon aero pole thing...

 

[jimboalee]

Forget flags, for the best clear space when overtaking, strap a garden fork across your rack*...

Helps if you have an allotment to go to, of course.


*or get a recumbent. A trike is best, because you have a nice metal hub as your widest point, and a special grinding device up front for suddenly opeing doors.

Make one out of styrofoam and cleverly paint it. No need to go carrying 5kg of metalwork around.

 

[BentMikey]

The problem is not the weight, it's the aerodynamics.