Road Positioning on a two lane road

[Chickc78]

I'm going to offer a slightly different opinion - not meaning to wind anybody up and certainly not trolling but:-

a) I know that road quite well and I'm not sure why anyone would cycle it - I don't think I have ever seen a cyclist on it when driving through in the car. In my mind it would be best to ride the quiter residential roads and leave the urban carriageway to the cars & trucks.

b) Taking primary on that road at anything other than the standing starts away from traffic lights is only going to wind up the drivers. It is a nice wide road and there is never a 'door strike zone' as it is a clearway so I don't understand why you would ever want to take primary? unless you are going to accelerate to 30mph at the same rate as any cars around you and even then the likelihood is that you will stop at the next set of traffic lights in a few hundred yards anyway.

Like I said - just a different opinion, interested to see what others think.

 

[CotterPin]

In reply to your second point, Chickc78, taking a primary position on the road is not always about avoiding a car door opening on you. It is also about making you visible to other road users. Riding in the centre of the lane puts you right in the eye line of the driver behind you. If you are over to the left then you are less likely to be visible. Also, as Uncle Phil mentioned, riding prominently gives you wiggle room if a driver does attempt to overtake you too closely. If you are already near the kerb and a driver passes you very closely you have very little space to go.

 

[dellzeqq]

develop the habit of rapping on the side window of the car with your knuckles. It works.

 

[Chickc78]

In reply to your second point, Chickc78, taking a primary position on the road is not always about avoiding a car door opening on you. It is also about making you visible to other road users. Riding in the centre of the lane puts you right in the eye line of the driver behind you. If you are over to the left then you are less likely to be visible. Also, as Uncle Phil mentioned, riding prominently gives you wiggle room if a driver does attempt to overtake you too closely. If you are already near the kerb and a driver passes you very closely you have very little space to go.

That does make a lot of sense - I feel there is however an 'in the real world' addendum - the perception of car drivers when faced with a cyclist riding in the middle of the left hand of a free flowing 30mph dual carriageway is surely going to be one of 'why is this cyclist blocking my way, if they were riding in the lefthand 1/3rd of the lane I could safely pass them without interfering with the right hand lane'.

I agree that a driver's correct response should be 'oh I see that cyclist, I should slow down, indicate and use the right hand lane to pass them when it is safe' but it has been my experience that the 'must pass at all costs' mentality overrides all other thoughts and a dangerously close pass is 99% of the time the result. The closeness of the pass could be mitigated by riding in secondary - I am not advocating 'gutter hugging' but merely suggesting that the primary positioning is actually what introduces the danger of the close pass.

The most dangerous close pass I have experienced was actually one where I was riding at an indicated 31mph downhill on a 30mph dual carriageway, I was in primary knowing I was maintaining the speed limit but this seemed to aggravate the lady driving the Mini behind me, she actually intentionally buzzed my handlebars to pass me, even though the right hand lane was completely empty.

 

[CotterPin]

You will always get the odd numpty who does have the "must get past at all cost" mentality, which is why looking back regularly can help. It lets you know what is coming up behind you and so allows you to decide whether it might be appropriate to move to the left to allow the driver to pass. Sometimes it can also change the dynamics of your (all too brief) relationship with the driver. Because they have seen your face they often modify their behaviour, slow down and pull wide around you.

 

[Lell]

develop the habit of rapping on the side window of the car with your knuckles. It works.

Did this the other day when a car passed me with about an inch to spare. The meat-head driver pulled in to the kerb as soon as he got past me and jumped out of the car... he didn't appear to want a sensible conversation. I avoided him and rode off at max speed and Meat-head got back in the car and gave chase. I lost him, but it scared the sh*t out of me.

My advice: think very carefully before rapping on the window of a car. If you do so, be prepared to deal with extreme aggression from the driver...

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Did this the other day when a car passed me with about an inch to spare. The meat-head driver pulled in to the kerb as soon as he got past me and jumped out of the car... he didn't appear to want a sensible conversation. I avoided him and rode off at max speed and Meat-head got back in the car and gave chase. I lost him, but it scared the sh*t out of me.

My advice: think very carefully before rapping on the window of a car. If you do so, be prepared to deal with extreme aggression from the driver...

Last time I did it, rapping that is, the driver altered course, followed me down the road I was riding down, and began to draw alongside. As is my practice I stopped. He got out of his car, I thought "here we go" and he promptly


















apologised for his misjudgement. We parted friends.

As to the OP, loads of rearward observation on approaching the lights, plus a paddington bear hard stare on amber-before-green done from a position in the middle of the lane. Lead us not into temptation and all that.

I 'block' where I judge it appropriate, not all the time.

 

[dand_uk]

I'm going to offer a slightly different opinion - not meaning to wind anybody up and certainly not trolling but:-

a) I know that road quite well and I'm not sure why anyone would cycle it - I don't think I have ever seen a cyclist on it when driving through in the car. In my mind it would be best to ride the quiter residential roads and leave the urban carriageway to the cars & trucks.

b) Taking primary on that road at anything other than the standing starts away from traffic lights is only going to wind up the drivers. It is a nice wide road and there is never a 'door strike zone' as it is a clearway so I don't understand why you would ever want to take primary? unless you are going to accelerate to 30mph at the same rate as any cars around you and even then the likelihood is that you will stop at the next set of traffic lights in a few hundred yards anyway.

Like I said - just a different opinion, interested to see what others think.

Hi, in response to your points:

a) have cycled the road quite a few times and usually enjoy getting up to speed. In rush hour you are usually the fastest vehicle on the carriageway as it gets congested and the red lights slow down traffic. Speed camera also helps keep most drivers in sensible mode for a few seconds

b) I was cycling at 1m from the kerb, moving to primary to pass through a junction. I took the centre of the lane to be most visible, perhaps unnecessary. This also prevents the left hook from anyone passing me to turn left. After passing the junction I intended to return to 1m from the kerb. My acceleration roughly matched the car on the right to 20mph, that is why the driver got impatient and barged through. Looking back on the incident usually I can hear idiots behind approaching and take a shift move to the left but traffic in the other direction masked the sound of his approach.

 

[gbb]

I'm going to offer a slightly different opinion - not meaning to wind anybody up and certainly not trolling but:-

a) I know that road quite well and I'm not sure why anyone would cycle it - I don't think I have ever seen a cyclist on it when driving through in the car. In my mind it would be best to ride the quiter residential roads and leave the urban carriageway to the cars & trucks.

b) Taking primary on that road at anything other than the standing starts away from traffic lights is only going to wind up the drivers. It is a nice wide road and there is never a 'door strike zone' as it is a clearway so I don't understand why you would ever want to take primary? unless you are going to accelerate to 30mph at the same rate as any cars around you and even then the likelihood is that you will stop at the next set of traffic lights in a few hundred yards anyway.

Like I said - just a different opinion, interested to see what others think.

I dont have the local knowledge you guys do, but a road like that wouldnt stop me riding it. JMO though.

Part b does have a good point in some circumstances. I use primary VERY VERY sparingly. 1 metre from the kerb can be judged a reasonable secondary, where a car should reasonably be able to see you.
If there's a left turn at those lights, i'd take primary to dissuade drivers from cutting around me, but if there was no left turn, i'd take secondary. Primary in some circumstances can bring you (or it has me anyway) problems.
None of that means OP did it wrong. He did it right, but sometimes being right doesn't help you when there's idiots about.

 

[Chickc78]

Hi, in response to your points:

a) have cycled the road quite a few times and usually enjoy getting up to speed. In rush hour you are usually the fastest vehicle on the carriageway as it gets congested and the red lights slow down traffic. Speed camera also helps keep most drivers in sensible mode for a few seconds

b) I was cycling at 1m from the kerb, moving to primary to pass through a junction. I took the centre of the lane to be most visible, perhaps unnecessary. This also prevents the left hook from anyone passing me to turn left. After passing the junction I intended to return to 1m from the kerb. My acceleration roughly matched the car on the right to 20mph, that is why the driver got impatient and barged through. Looking back on the incident usually I can hear idiots behind approaching and take a shift move to the left but traffic in the other direction masked the sound of his approach.

It sounds like you take a very sensible approach. I ride in and out of Southampton every day from Bitterne and I am faced with the same connundrum as you but on a slightly more urban dual carriageway. When the traffic is stop/start or heavily congested I actually ride straight down the middle between the two lanes as I feel safer there out of the way of the left hookers - but I have to be very aware of random lane changers desperate to gain a 5 second benefit on their slow commute.

It would all be a lot easier if they just banned cars LOL!!

I often wonder where all the cars that drive into Southampton actually park - I can't honestly believe there are that many people who are prepared to pay £5 - £10 per day and I'm not aware of too many employers in the centre who have their own parking facilities.