Moaning about cycling two abreast

[Accy cyclist]

Listening to the local radio phone in tonight, a few bikes in cycle lanes and riding two abreast calls were made.One cretin was told by the show presenter that cyclists could be killed in certain situations to which he cheered. Then we had some old duffer moaning about riding two abreast. He kept saying "I'm not too certain but i'm sure it's illegal" which had me shouting at the radio that it isn't you thick ~@#t! A woman came on defending cyclists saying they can't use the cycle lanes in her part of the world as they're full of rubbish, to which someone phoned in and replied that all cyclists are rubbish so that's where they belong.
I went on my group ride today. We rode side by side quite a bit, but when a car approaches from behind it's "car up"! and we go into single file. Most motorists sit back patiently but there's always the one! Today Mr(or Mrs)Scumbag in their 4x4 buzzed us then slammed on their brakes, then started swaying from side to side in front of us. What is wrong with these people? Are they thick or just evil gits?

 

[snorri]

Radio 'phone in programmes may provide a degree of background entertainment, but if you have any knowledge of the topic being discussed they will have a negative effect on your blood pressure. You could call in yourself and attempt to put the record straight, but would you really want to be associated with the ill informed clowns already contributing?
My advice would be to switch off or change programme.

 

[steve50]

They are quite simply ignorant....................ignorant of the laws of the road.............ignorant of the fact that we are human beings, flesh and blood riding a bike, that we can be hurt very easily by a vehicle driven by a bloody minded moron. The chances are they will never have ridden or enjoyed a bike ride in the countryside so they will have no perception of how a cyclist can share a (their) public road. On your ride today did anyone have a camera running, did they get any footage of above mentioned chelsea tractor driver behaving in such a moronic manner. If so report them to the old bill.
In answer to the question of whether they are thick or evil i would suggest it is more a case of they feel so secure in their metal box they quite simply let common sense go out of the window, i am willing to bet that if they had to stop and get out of their vehicle and be confronted by a group of cyclists that they had just been harassing they would probably be very humble and apologetic.

 

[Accy cyclist]

Radio 'phone in programmes may provide a degree of background entertainment, but if you have any knowledge of the topic being discussed they will have a negative effect on your blood pressure. You could call in yourself and attempt to put the record straight, but would you really want to be associated with the ill informed clowns already contributing?
My advice would be to switch off or change programme.

I usually turn the programme off when something comes on that pees me off, then turn it back on 5 minutes later, but every time i turned it back on an anti cyclist rant was taking place,

 

[Accy cyclist]

They are quite simply ignorant....................ignorant of the laws of the road.............ignorant of the fact that we are human beings, flesh and blood riding a bike that can be hurt very easily by a vehicle driven by a bloody minded moron. The chances are they will never have ridden or enjoyed a bike ride in the countryside so they will have no perception of how a cyclist can share a (their) public road. On your ride today did anyone have a camera running, did they get any footage of above mentioned chelsea tractor driver behaving in such a moronic manner. If so report them to the old bill.

No head cams,the group is very non confrontational, they tend to keep their heads down and accept the abuse. I'm the only one that swears and gives it back,

 

[kiriyama]

Amazing how much abuse you get when riding 2 abreast, makes you wonder how many more rules these angry drivers dont understand.

Smile and wave.... only way to win these confrontations. In my experience they don't know what to do with it and just drive away swearing and cross and you can carry on enjoying your ride without raising your own blood pressure. Don't let them ruin your ride.

 

[flake99please]

You could call in yourself and attempt to put the record straight, but would you really want to be associated with the ill informed clowns already contributing?

I was told to never argue with an idiot. They would always bring you down to their level, and beat you with their experience.

 

[classic33]

I was told to never argue with an idiot. They would always bring you down to their level, and beat you with their experience.

Along these lines?

 

[Dogtrousers]

Radio 'phone in programmes may provide a degree of background entertainment, but if you have any knowledge of the topic being discussed they will have a negative effect on your blood pressure.

This.

Do not listen to them. They are cretin magnets.

 

[benb]

If they gave it a moment's thought they'd realise that in group situations, it's often easier to overtake cyclists 2 or more abreast, as there's less linear room to navigate.

 

[mjr]

Where's that diagram from @benb and can it be reused widely?

 

[moo]

Riding two abreast forces motorists to cross the dividing line and take responsibility for their own safety too. We can't have that. Best to ride single file so they can squeeze past within the white line while using their mobile, completely oblivious to other road users.

 

[Dogtrousers]

My favourite was recently being beeped and gesticulated at by the driver of an oncoming car because we were riding two abreast. He wanted to come into our lane to overtake a small farm vehicle thing (maybe a quad bike, I forget). And, of all the cheek, we were actually using our lane, which meant he had to wait all of 10 seconds before furiously performing his overtaking manoeuvre. (Long, straight, relatively wide, minor road btw)

 

[Accy cyclist]

I'll hold my hand up and say i was wrong. I've seen quite a few vehicles cross double white lines to overtake our group when we've been riding two abreast. I thought they were breaking the law but they aren't.



CROSSING DOUBLE WHITE LINES
It is illegal to cross a continuous solid white line if the solid line is on your side of the road, except under certain conditions. You are permitted to straddle or cross a continuous solid white line to enter a side road or property, to manoeuvre round a stationary vehicle blocking your side of the road, to overtake a cyclists, horse or a road works vehicle moving at 10 mph (16 km/h) or less. Crossing double white lines where the line closest to you is solid is illegal outside of the circumstances described above.



Yet they put approaching vehicles and us at risk by doing so. An irate motorist loosing his temper after being "stuck behind" cyclists for a while is allowed to lose his rag and go onto the other side of the road, even on an un sighted(blind)bend as happened yesterday!

 

[Milkfloat]

I'll hold my hand up and say i was wrong. I've seen quite a few vehicles cross double white lines to overtake our group when we've been riding two abreast. I thought they were breaking the law but they aren't.



CROSSING DOUBLE WHITE LINES
It is illegal to cross a continuous solid white line if the solid line is on your side of the road, except under certain conditions. You are permitted to straddle or cross a continuous solid white line to enter a side road or property, to manoeuvre round a stationary vehicle blocking your side of the road, to overtake a cyclists, horse or a road works vehicle moving at 10 mph (16 km/h) or less. Crossing double white lines where the line closest to you is solid is illegal outside of the circumstances described above.



Yet they put approaching vehicles and us at risk by doing so. An irate motorist loosing his temper after being "stuck behind" cyclists for a while is allowed to lose his rag and go onto the other side of the road!

10 mph is pretty slow though.