Pinch points and taking the primary position.

[Randochap]

For these kind of common cycling situations, I'm thinking of inventing and marketing an implant device on VeloWeb.

First branding idea is: ArsEyes. Any other ideas welcome.

 

[BentMikey]

Make sure you plan ahead, and negotiate out early rather than late. Look back, choose your gap, and signal right, before moving out when it's safe. I would move out well right too, perhaps to the 2/3rds lane position. The lane is usually where the wheel markings in the road are rather than the paint lines, btw.

Drivers dislike and find it stressful when cyclists aren't negotiating by looking back regularly and signalling their intentions. Do this and you can sometimes almost sense the relief at the cyclist paying attention and taking the decision about overtaking away from the driver.

 

[PK99]

. It was as though he thought I was going to stop in front of the parked car to let him through.

As others have said, it sounds very much like you are approaching too close to the obstruction before moving across.

If you are approaching the rear end of a parked car and are nobbut a few bike lengths away from it - it seems a reasonable assumption by a following or approaching driver that you are going to stop.

If you have to manouver around an obstruction you are leaving it too late - you should communicate your intention by signaling and positioning well before that point

 

[Origamist]

What kind of pinch points are you talking about, Riverman? I should have asked earlier as there are different types.

Different traffic calming measures present broadly similar problems (angle of deflection, lane width, chicanes, pedestrian refuges, speed bumps, one/two way etc), but they might well need a different approach depending on the (combination of) interventions employed.

 

[swee'pea99]

Lots of good advice here. Summary: go early, look back, make your intentions clear, signal if necessary.

 

[jimboalee]

[quote name='swee'pea99']Lots of good advice here. Summary: go early, look back, make your intentions clear, signal if necessary.[/quote]

That sounds familiar "Mirror, signal, manouver".

 

[HJ]

[quote name='swee'pea99']Lots of good advice here. Summary: go early, look back, make your intentions clear, signal if necessary.[/QUOTE]

Order is slightly wrong: Look back, go early, make your intentions clear, signal if necessary.

When approaching any hazard look to make sure you know if there is anyone behind and signal if necessary. Just like "Mirror, signal, manoeuvre" you can even breakdown the manoeuvre to: position, speed, look (M-S-P-S-L), is the familiar to anyone?

 

[GrasB]

One thing to remember is that if you've got out cleanly & early to primary & someone approaches you then sounds their horn you're in exactly the right place because they most likely would have just charged straight through leaving you with very little space. At this point you want to stand your ground & make double sure you're clear of any immediate problems before taking secondary & letting them through as when they pass they'll most likely give you no space.

If there isn't to much going on, a slow controlled over-shoulder check with deliberate eye contact usually calms them down a fair amount. If you do a shoulder check make sure it's not a knee-jerk reaction but a more conscious & deliberate action. But only do this if there's not much going on. I wouldn't shoulder check if say there was a car at a pinch point waiting to come through, I'd made solid eye contact with the guy in front. This is another key point, confident engaging eye contact make a lot of people slow down & consider what they're doing.

 

[Over The Hill]

OR

Ask you local authority -
1.Why they have designed a road that creates greater danger for cyclists.
2. Why they are making an obsicle to slow down cyclists as well as cars
3. Why they dont put in a cycle lane in the pinch point like this...

No need to even think about the pinch point or traffic.

 

[purplepolly]

OR

Ask you local authority -
1.Why they have designed a road that creates greater danger for cyclists.
2. Why they are making an obsicle to slow down cyclists as well as cars
3. Why they dont put in a cycle lane in the pinch point like this...


No need to even think about the pinch point or traffic.

There's something like that near me that's been in place for years but all the other pinch points in the area, even the newer ones, are standard design. Looks like my council needs to rediscover the wheel.

 

[GrasB]

3. Why they dont put in a cycle lane in the pinch point like this...

I'm very anti-pinch point as one of them was the direct cause of my single accident involving a motor vehicle but at least they tried to give a decent solution for cyclists which is better than most pinch-point installations I've seen, also they've got a reasonably good placement there. So who ever put that in was trying & doing a good job of installation design & if the road it kept debris free, as it seems in the photo. That install probably works quite well.

Around my area they don't work well due to the fact mostly everything done badly at budget price & we seem to get traffic control by information obstruction or information overload. I find you're trying to control your bike on the far side due a flat tyre (caused by glass/stones/etc as the road never get swept & if they are its done poorly) &/or the appalling road surface (due to the cheapest bid not really being enough to do the job). Then due to the poor placement of the pinch point the car behind you rushed through to avoid stopping, pulls as tight as they can into the curb, because they're avoiding the oncoming car, giving you virtually no space. Oh shall I also mention over-hanging signs & less than a handlebars width worth of tarmac to ride through.

 

[Origamist]

OR

Ask you local authority -
1.Why they have designed a road that creates greater danger for cyclists.
2. Why they are making an obsicle to slow down cyclists as well as cars
3. Why they dont put in a cycle lane in the pinch point like this...

No need to even think about the pinch point or traffic.

Answers:

1. You'll most likely be fobbed off with the greater good / wider public interest argument. I was.

2. Slowing down cars is important and councils are not too bothered if it delays or potentially endangers cyclists.

3. Not all roads (due to width and traffic flow) can have interventions like the ones in the pic. Moreover, I don't think that is a great design!

As I said in my earlier post, there are a lot of different traffic calming measures and they can present different problems for cyclists.

I used to think narrow two-way pinch points were a real problem, but I actually have more difficulties on one-way, wider roads with pedestrian refuges in the centre as cars are far less tolerant of primary position in these situations.

 

[Jonathan M]

OR

Ask you local authority -
1.Why they have designed a road that creates greater danger for cyclists.
2. Why they are making an obsicle to slow down cyclists as well as cars
3. Why they dont put in a cycle lane in the pinch point like this...

No need to even think about the pinch point or traffic.

Josh & I go through seven pinch points on the three miles to school. Two have a cycle lane similar to the photo above, five don't, but in all honesty the cycle lanes are pretty useless. They fill with leaves & road detritus, but also where the island & bollard end there are give way markings for the cycle lane.

We usually ride the pinch point, rather than the cycle lane. Two main reasons, it avoids the potential of punctures (or even coming off) on the leaf debris, but also keeps us in the flow of the traffic. I find this means the oncoming is less likely to take a chance with us.

Quick Q to Over the Hill - were you stopped when you took the photo, or were you driving one handed?

 

[HJ]

...
3. Why they dont put in a cycle lane in the pinch point like this...

A classic example of a cycle facility with make the road more dangerous for inexperienced cyclist. Experienced cyclists will know to take a primary position and ignore the supposed cycle lane, as it pushes the cyclist over into the gutter where they are less likely to be seen by following traffic and more likely to be left hooked. It is quite literally a death trap!

 

[Riverman]

It does seem abit dangerous given there is a left hand turn straight ahead.