Motorbike incident

[Angelfishsolo]

If there is an obstruction ahead of you, be it a stream of vehicles (which will in any case need to move out to overtake the cyclist - big clue there, which you should be able to spot) or a curve in the road, then you should be driving / riding at a speed at which you can stop in the distance you can see to be clear. This means you do not come round the curve and find yourself unable to slow (indeed stop) simply because there is a cyclist in your path.

If there is a vehicle tailgating you, then you should be looking to increase the available stopping distance (i.e. ride/drive slower) rather than closing in on an unknown situation ahead: Riding faster because you are tailgated is what causes multiple pileups.

The bicycle is a vehicle and progressing at its own vehicular speed. If there is no overtaking lane then the cyclist should be looking for sensible place to let any queue that is forming go past. 'Sensible' in this context includes the cyclist's right to make progress at cycling pace however, and this does not mean diving out of the way of every Clive Toad.

Where there is an overtaking lane, that is the place where overtaking vehicles should be when carrying out that manoevre. It matters not a jot whether they are overtaking a cyclist, a tractor or a granny in a Suzuki Roll-over. In my experience 90+% of drivers manage this quite conveniently; Sure they sometimes have to wait for a gap, but that's just the way it is in crowded road conditions caused by the number of cars (usually with one occupant). I suspect that you are one of those who finds this impossible. I strongly suggest that you look into (as in take) some advanced driving lessons. This is a good site to start with http://www.advanced-driving.co.uk/

Commuting is not a war zone BTW, it is (or should be) about reasonable people cooperating to allow everyone a safe and predictable journey with their chosen form of transport. Heavy metal dragged by engines increases the risk exponentially and it is incumbent on the drivers of these vehicles to drive safely around all more vulnerable road users, including the ones who actually belong on the road with the motorists.

 

[Clive Atton]

Oh dear, I must be a terrible driver/rider, I've only managed a couple of hundred thousand miles without hitting anything/anyone or causing an accident.........

 

[Mad at urage]

Lucky you. I hope (for the sake of those you put at risk) you continue to be lucky. I wonder how many cyclists you have knocked off balance as you passed, how many have hit the kerb - perhaps even then fallen under the following car.

 

[Clive Atton]

Lucky you. I hope (for the sake of those you put at risk) you continue to be lucky. I wonder how many cyclists you have knocked off balance as you passed, how many have hit the kerb - perhaps even then fallen under the following car.

Blimey, what's it like being so perfect?

 

[Mad at urage]

Close passes can cause cyclists to wobble, fact. Wobbles by cyclists riding close to the kerb can cause them to hit the kerb, fact. Hitting the kerb can cause cyclists to involuntarily dismount, fact.

I've seen cyclists who ride close to the kerb, knocked into the kerb by an overtaking car's slipstream and fall over, it happens. This is one of the excellent reasons for the road positions recommended by Cyclecraft and why I adopted a strong road position long before I ever heard of Cyclecraft; so that I had space to wobble into when knocked sideways by the slipstream of an overtaking vehicle.

 

[Clive Atton]

[QUOTE 1531361"]
What? Don't be daft.
[/quote]

Thanks for the support but I think we are wasting our time. I suspect mad@urage is an 'Elf n Safety Officer or similar. As he feels free to presume I am a bit of a psychopathic maniac with zero road skills, I thinks it's my right to presume, that him being from Wales, he is also a sheep sh*gger!

 

[Norm]

I'm pretty sure I was taught to use my indicators to show I was overtaking something.

I was taught to indicate in advance of changing lanes but not when moving within the same lane.

I was specifically taught in my motorbike training not to indicate when moving within my lane as anyone adhering to Roadcraft would have one side or the other constantly flashing on some roads.

 

[Norm]

I've seen cyclists who ride close to the kerb, knocked into the kerb by an overtaking car's slipstream and fall over...

You've seen cyclists knocked off that way?

Just to clear up any possible self-incrimination here, was that in your rear view mirrors?

 

[element]

Tosh. Utter tosh.

You can make any statement you like but having driven cars, ridden motorbikes, mopeds and even bicycles on some of the most dangerous roads in the world an not had a crash (apart from when I was drunk) I am pretty confident in my ability to judge when to 'own' the road and when to get the fudge out of the way. If you hear a sports bike roaring up behind you at high revs and there is a car coming the other way you can stay in the middle of the road of you want but I would make room for the motorbike to get past.

 

[User16625]

I'm a motorcyclist and I have also never heard the term stealth bombing.

My boss does motorcycle instructing and he was only explaining yesterday how they train motorcylists that when you overtake a cyclist you should always move to the other side of the road, i.e. cross the whiteline, if it is not safe to do so then you shouldn't overtake.

Thats overdoing it a bit unless your already doing 90+mph on an open stretch of lonely road. When Im cycling I appreciate it if drivers give me at least 1.5 to 2 feet of space (about what cars typically do). Its not necessary to move over into the next lane unless your driving seriously fast or theres surface water and your being considerate to the cyclist. I ride a motorcycle and I will typically move out near to the centre of the road but staying in my lane.

Having said that if I was a car driver I would deliberatly accelerate as fast as I could and run the poor sod down.

 

[Mad at urage]

Thanks for the support but I think we are wasting our time. I suspect mad@urage is an 'Elf n Safety Officer or similar. As he feels free to presume I am a bit of a psychopathic maniac with zero road skills, I thinks it's my right to presume, that him being from Wales, he is also a sheep sh*gger!

:troll:

You've seen cyclists knocked off that way?

Just to clear up any possible self-incrimination here, was that in your rear view mirrors?

No, in front of me, whilst driving and whilst cycling. It's always the gutter-huggers that get that type of overtake and it was why I originally started riding 3 - 4 ft from the LH edge of the road (that is, before I was trained to ride a motorcycle further out, by RAC/ACU).

 

[Angelfishsolo]

I was taught to indicate in advance of changing lanes but not when moving within the same lane.

I was specifically taught in my motorbike training not to indicate when moving within my lane as anyone adhering to Roadcraft would have one side or the other constantly flashing on some roads.

Car drivers are given different advice then. If passing a slow moving or stationary vehicle I was taught to indicate in advance of the manoeuvre to give warning to those behind of possible danger ahead and also to show my intentions.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

You can make any statement you like but having driven cars, ridden motorbikes, mopeds and even bicycles on some of the most dangerous roads in the world an not had a crash (apart from when I was drunk) I am pretty confident in my ability to judge when to 'own' the road and when to get the fudge out of the way. If you hear a sports bike roaring up behind you at high revs and there is a car coming the other way you can stay in the middle of the road of you want but I would make room for the motorbike to get past.

I'll ride in the gutter for no one fella. I wouldn't hold primary either. Most of the time I will ride in secondary (about a meter from the curb) If some a-hole wants to work on the premise that might is right and I am taking up too much space that is up to him/her. Karma has a great sense of humour though.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

Thanks for the support but I think we are wasting our time. I suspect mad@urage is an 'Elf n Safety Officer or similar. As he feels free to presume I am a bit of a psychopathic maniac with zero road skills, I thinks it's my right to presume, that him being from Wales, he is also a sheep sh*gger!

:troll:

 

[Norm]

Car drivers are given different advice then. If passing a slow moving or stationary vehicle I was taught to indicate in advance of the manoeuvre to give warning to those behind of possible danger ahead and also to show my intentions.

If you can move within the lane in a car without changing lanes, I would say, in general, don't indicate.

There may be times when you ere signalling an obstruction to a car which is tailgating, for instance, but a signal (arm or flashing bulb) is to indicate that you are changing speed or direction, and moving within the lane to overtake a parked car or a cyclist is not usually either of those