Move left or keep the line?

[Number14]

Nice gentle cycle through Eastleigh this morning doing just under 20 mph past a row of parked cars and there's a junction on the left with a gap in the parking for about 25m or so. After that it's parked cars again for another 75m or so.

I'm cycling on the edge of the door zone - maybe a little too close to the parked cars. Traffic is light, visibility is good and I'm in no rush.

Would you pull into the gap or keep your line across the junction :?:

 

[gaz]

Hold your line but your line should be strong. A car door opens wider than you think

 

[skudupnorth]

I would keep my line across the juntion,dipping in and out of gaps is not good,i like to make sure the "fellow" road users can see me.

 

[Tynan]

how long to cover 25m at 20mph?

 

[HLaB]

I would hold my line or move out slightly; I've found through observation that any shimmy to the left is seen by some drivers as a left turn and they either dart through too close or left hook. Plus on a minor annoying side sometimes drivers don't let folk merge back in easily they expect them to cycle 20mph into the back of a parked car

 

[ianrauk]

Keep the line..

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

At a guess keep the line

Your vid cut off too early to say

 

[atbman]

how long to cover 25m at 20mph?

2.6 seconds

Agree with other forumers: keep line and maek sure outside door zone

 

[gaz]

[QUOTE 1161331"]
0.223 is the ratio when converting mph to mps. So 20*0.223=4.46, 25/4.46=5.60s
[/quote]

You've got your ratio wrong.
It's 0.447 which gives you a final answer of around 2.3 seconds

 

[Tynan]

It was a largely rhetorical question

 

[Origamist]

As a general rule, hold your position. It's a good idea to have a quick shoulder check when you come up to a sizeable gap between parked cars as you can then make an informed decision whether to continue or pull in (i.e if there is an impatient driver behind, I'd pull in and let them through). That said, if you're travelling at a considerable speed (25mph + in a 30 zone for example) the gaps in parked traffic need to be long before I'd consider this.

 

[661-Pete]

I have a situation very like this on my regular commute, and in general I hold the line (at a lower speed than yours - usually ~15mph). If I move over to let a following vehicle overtake, likely as not the car - and I behind it - will have to wait at the next parked vehicle to allow an oncoming vehicle through. On the other hand the road's wide enough for me to continue even with oncoming traffic, if I'm in front. Yes I know this may sound like a selfish motive, but I think it makes sense.

But I do move over if there's no approaching traffic and only one car following me, and it's safe to do so. Sometimes a 'friendly' gesture is worth doing.

 

[crumpetman]

Keep the line of course. Would any other vehicle that is moving slightly slower than traffic pull into the gap to allow others to overtake at 5 to 10mph faster? Would a tractor pull over? Or a learner?

I do not think I would have stopped when he pulled in though. Not sure if you motioned him to do so.

 

[Matthames]

I do not think I would have stopped when he pulled in though. Not sure if you motioned him to do so.

+1 Although I probably would of either gone down one of the side roads or done a U turn and gone down the road you have just passed.

 

[magnatom]

Yup. Hold the line, and as others have said, take a stronger line than you currently do.

The way you have cut the footage suggests to me there is going to be a follow up video? Is there an incident about to happen at the end of that video?