Primary position and heavy cycle traffic.

[domtyler]

Thank you. I used to post very infrequently on C+ (as Catford Boy), didn't feel comfortable with BikeRadar or ACF, so I've ended up here! Great videos Magnatom.

When I say forced off the pavement, I mean when they and I are walking in opposite directions. I could go on and on about how much this annoys me, but I would end up looking like a raving loon.

Welcome Molecule Man. We have plenty of raving loons on here already so I doubt one more will hurt!

 

[Tynan]

hmm

cycling with disregard to other cyclists it sounds like to me, taking primary when other cyclists are travelling faster than you is bound to cause problems, I pass inside if I think it's safe, a ding on the bell first mind

as for slapping people in the face, surely safe road position for a turn is one that stops people passing inside/outside you, quite apart from position signalling your intentions

 

[Jacomus-rides-Gen]

If they are travelling faster than you an overtake to your right as any other normal vehicle travelling faster than you isn't out of the question surely?

 

[Cab]

hmm

cycling with disregard to other cyclists it sounds like to me, taking primary when other cyclists are travelling faster than you is bound to cause problems, I pass inside if I think it's safe, a ding on the bell first mind

I was in primary behind a van, on a very narrow street. Its possible to try to get past me on the inside then between me and the van, then out past the van on the outside, but not without mounting the pavement. I'm not holding anyone up by being where I am unless they're prepared to endanger me and any passing pedestrians. Of course as the guy on my left went past and pulled into no gap at all there was another bloke coming up on my right, also too close, leaving me almost sandwiched.

as for slapping people in the face, surely safe road position for a turn is one that stops people passing inside/outside you, quite apart from position signalling your intentions

Again, my road position was dictated by conditions; motorised traffic going not a great deal faster than me so in primary, looked over shoulder, signalled, hand back to brake for corner, signal again before starting turn (all of this taking moments, the last signalling lasting for a second or so before the guy hit my hand with his face!) and a bloke who had been well behind me got slapped in the face because while I was indicating he chose to continue accelerating through in secondary position past me indicating to turn left. Stupid manoevre.

You don't go past someone turning left on their left. And you don't overtake so close that you'll hit their outstretched hand.

 

[Tynan]

yeah yeah yeah we all know that but the whole point of a defensive position is that it erm .. defends, if you leave a channel on your inside you know people will go through it, that's why you're in primary after all isn't it, to stop cars passing you on the outside?

for me, the left signal should have been accompanied with moving to the left

face it, loads of cyclists have no idea what primary is and they so aren't going to pull all the way out to pass on the outside, why would they? they're going to keep on keeping on

not rowing but come on, putting your arm out in front of someone's face because you didn't know they were there is plain poor surely?

Cambridge does sound a pain I'll agree with you there

 

[summerdays]

that's why you're in primary after all isn't it, to stop cars passing you on the outside?

for me, the left signal should have been accompanied with moving to the left

Surely that is the point of being in the primary and signalling left is you want to be in the middle rather than tight in around the corner.

 

[Tynan]

shags of road between primary and tight

my understanding of road position for a turning is that it should make it clear to others what you're doing and also 'take the lane' and discourage others from getting in your way

signalling and then trying to turn left from primary on a bike is asking for other cyclists to run up the inside of you unless you're the fastest

triply so in Cambridge by the sound of it

 

[Cab]

yeah yeah yeah we all know that but the whole point of a defensive position is that it erm .. defends, if you leave a channel on your inside you know people will go through it, that's why you're in primary after all isn't it, to stop cars passing you on the outside?

for me, the left signal should have been accompanied with moving to the left

Thats a dangerous way to corner; you're usually safer in primary because otherwise you risk a left hook at the corner when a car tries to turn through you.

face it, loads of cyclists have no idea what primary is and they so aren't going to pull all the way out to pass on the outside, why would they? they're going to keep on keeping on

While thats true, passing someone indicating to turn left on his left is realy asking to be flattened whatever vehicles are involved. You've got two choices when someone in front indicates left, you go around the outside or you wait behind, undertaking just isn't an option at all.

not rowing but come on, putting your arm out in front of someone's face because you didn't know they were there is plain poor surely?

Looked over right shoulder, no one there, signalled, slowed, repeated signal, the guy behind just hadn't even been looking. He passed kerb side, too close, after I had clearly signalled to turn left. Plain poor? Yeah, entirely, but 90% his error and 10% mine.

 

[Cab]

shags of road between primary and tight

my understanding of road position for a turning is that it should make it clear to others what you're doing and also 'take the lane' and discourage others from getting in your way

signalling and then trying to turn left from primary on a bike is asking for other cyclists to run up the inside of you unless you're the fastest

triply so in Cambridge by the sound of it

I was going faster than the other guy until slowing down because I was approaching a corner. And as for taking secondary before cornering, you're really, really asking to be squashed if thats how you're taking turns.

 

[Tetedelacourse]

Sounds to me like you could have possibly avoided the undertaker(!) by going round the corner in secondary, but not knowing much about the other traffic at the time of the manouevre I can't say whether this would have been more appropriate or not.

A left turn in primary is safer if there is traffic around and a risk of being swiped, but if you're more likely to be undertaken than a bike then secondary would have been safer. This is what Cambridge sounds like to me.

Either way though, the twat that got your hand across his beak deserved that, a good bollocking and a windmill attack if he got lippy.

 

[BentMikey]

Sounds like you're doing all the right stuff to me, Cab. Not your fault so many twunts want to invade your safety zone.

 

[Cab]

Sounds to me like you could have possibly avoided the undertaker(!) by going round the corner in secondary, but not knowing much about the other traffic at the time of the manouevre I can't say whether this would have been more appropriate or not.

Fairly busy road, not a lot of motorisde traffic on my side but pretty constant on the other. Parked cars on the left until shortly before the corner (fifteen yards or so). On both sides of the road you can see 'Hobsons conduits', sunken ditches about a foot and a half across and six inches deep, constructed a long time ago to take fresh water to the market to wash vegetables, but now a historical curiosity. So not a kerb as such, more a shallow, hard ditch.

A left turn in primary is safer if there is traffic around and a risk of being swiped, but if you're more likely to be undertaken than a bike then secondary would have been safer. This is what Cambridge sounds like to me.

Either way though, the twat that got your hand across his beak deserved that, a good bollocking and a windmill attack if he got lippy.

I didn't think that I was likely to be undertaken there, especially having indicated. Could be argued that such is always a risk in Cambridge, but I've never come close to hitting a bike undertaking when I've indicated to turn that way.

 

[Tetedelacourse]

Better safe than sorry though - I suggest you stick with primary and get wear boxing gloves with horseshoes in them from now on.

 

[Cab]

Better safe than sorry though - I suggest you stick with primary and get wear boxing gloves with horseshoes in them from now on.

I did think that what I need is a cycle trailer with an orang utan in it, just waiting for me to yell 'Left Turn Clyde!'.

 

[fossyant]

let rip with an airzound.....they will think you are a HGV