Lovelly ride today

[Crankarm]

I wrote this on the end of "ok to use mobile phone" thread but have decided to post afresh as a separate thread as I don't want to hijack threads.

Anyway what I really wanted to say is I had a really lovely ride this morning and afternoon. Called it a day at 77 miles. Could have gone on for ages as the roads were empty and the weather blissfully sunny and warm. However about 3 miles from home I saw a fat bloke in a blue Vauxhall Meriva people eating an ice cream with his right hand and holding his mobile in the left as he approached and passed me. Admittedly the road was straight and he was coming toward me at about 45mph on a national speed limit rural road but what the feck was his fatso wife partner/doing sitting in the passenger seat allowing him to drive with both hands full and not with the steering wheel? And his kids as well little lardons or lardettes in the back. Apart from the wife troffing her ice cream she couldn't really have done anything I suppose.

Also about 1.5 miles from home a battered up G reg red Toyota Supra came screaming up behind very close to my back wheel. The roads are quite narrow and there were double whites down the middle. I had already clocked him coming anyway and gave a few long looks behind as he sat close to my back wheel. Deciding he couldn't wait he straddled the double whites on the blind bend passing close to me. When he was level with me I shouted "Careful!" The passenger window was open at which point he started blowing his horn repeatedly showing me he was one fingered mutant. There were 4 other blokes in the car, 2 squeezed in the back. They looked a bit like squaddies, not that they were mind. Anyway as he sped off black smoke bilching out the back he continued blowing his horn. There are quite a few bases around here. They might not have been though, squaddies. This put a slight downer for all of about 2 minutes then I was home and into the garden......
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[Crankarm]

You are allowed to overtake on double white lines, all depends on how fast the traffic is going that you are overtaking.

I'm not sure that is the case. Double white means - no crossing in both directions. Anyway that wasn't my main bone of contention with this driver. He came rather close and was very impatient. He straddled a double white on a blind bend passing me . One of these days I will get to see a head on when some one does this, only for a car to be approaching fast in the opposite direction .

 

[HLaB]

You can overtake if the vehicle you are overtaking is going less than 10mph, how many bikes go less than that anyway.

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.

 

[thomas]

You can overtake if the vehicle you are overtaking is going less than 10mph, how many bikes go less than that anyway.

I was about to say that but you've even posted some highway code +1+1

 

[Crankarm]

I really pees me off that when you post a thread like this the response you get is from muppets taking issue with a secondary point such as the Highway Code and double white lines. The car driver was very impatient speeding right up to my rear wheel scaring the crap out of me. He decided he couldn't wait to pass me until round the blind bend so over took me mid bend where he couldn't see around. If I couldn't he certainly couldn't! He came too close presumably to try to avoid being hit by any oncoming traffic. The driver repeatedly blew the horn as he passed and continued to do so into the distance once past. It was clearly not a safe place to overtake double white lines or not. They were put there about 8 years ago to try to stop drivers doing just this as several serious accidents had previosuly occurred.

Here is what the Highway Code states:

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.

[Laws RTA 1988 sect 36 & TSRGD regs 10 & 26]

For the muppets I was cycling at 18.5 mph after 75 miles .

And the first driver what do you think of that?

 

[HLaB]

Calm down cranky If you had read my full post:

You can overtake if the vehicle you are overtaking is going less than 10mph, how many bikes go less than that anyway.

I wasn't saying that the driver wasn't an idiot, I wasn't there, I don't know what the road is like. I merely suggested that drivers should only overtake when the vehicle is going less than 10mph which doesn't apply to most people on bikes certainly not if you were doing a good 18.5mph.

 

[Crankarm]

Calm down cranky If you had read my full post:


I wasn't saying that the driver wasn't an idiot, I wasn't there, I don't know what the road is like. I merely suggested that drivers should only overtake when the vehicle is going less than 10mph which doesn't apply to most people on bikes certainly not if you were doing a good 18.5mph.

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.

So basically if you are in a vehicle - car, a motor vehicle, then no overtaking, unless you meet any of the above criteria. A bicycle is not a vehicle. A road maintenance vehicle is clearly stated as although a motorised vehicle it travels at about 0.25 mph (I guess so no string of emails now on the speed of road maintainance vehicles. Paint dries more quickly than they move).

Legal Definition of "Motor Vehicle"
Vehicle and Traffic law section 125 defines a "motor vehicle" as "[e]very vehicle operated or driven upon a public highway which is propelled by any power other than muscular power..." Section 159 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law defines a "vehicle" as "[e]very device in, upon, or by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon a highway, except devices moved by human power or used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks."

Please don't call me Cranky. The last person who got too friendly got more than they bargained for .

 

[Jake]

Hmmm just thinking, if a car is coming too close to you, close enough to touch, then you might as well key it. That willl make him think twice

 

[HLaB]

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.

So basically if you are in a vehicle - car, a motor vehicle, then no overtaking, unless you meet any of the above criteria.

Yip that what the rule says but in practice its utter tosh and isn't even remembered by idiots like your driver. Drivers might remember it for their test but as soon as they've passed they forget the HW code even exists, leading to stupid/ dangerous manouvre like you describe.
The best you can do is forget about the moton , don't let him spoil what was a good ride.

 

[c2c]

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.

So basically if you are in a vehicle - car, a motor vehicle, then no overtaking, unless you meet any of the above criteria. A bicycle is not a vehicle. A road maintenance vehicle is clearly stated as although a motorised vehicle it travels at about 0.25 mph (I guess so no string of emails now on the speed of road maintainance vehicles. Paint dries more quickly than they move).

Legal Definition of "Motor Vehicle"
Vehicle and Traffic law section 125 defines a "motor vehicle" as "[e]very vehicle operated or driven upon a public highway which is propelled by any power other than muscular power..." Section 159 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law defines a "vehicle" as "[e]very device in, upon, or by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon a highway, except devices moved by human power or used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks."

Please don't call me Cranky. The last person who got too friendly got more than they bargained for .

you bored em to death did you........!!

 

[Origamist]

I really pees me off that when you post a thread like this the response you get is from muppets taking issue with a secondary point such as the Highway Code and double white lines.

Contrariness, tangential point scoring and arguing the toss are all de rigueur in the commuting forum.

Cyclists worst enemies are often other cyclists...