rules for cyclists on dual carriageways

[fitzyafcb]

Hi to everyone, this is my first post on the site and i'm looking for some useful answers/advice on dealing with the same situation in the future. thanks

I am not a cyclist but my question is about a cyclist that I almost collided with this morning on the way to work. After coming off a busy roundabout to enter a dual carriageway which is about 300yards long. At the end is another roundabout. There is a slight bend just off the first roundabout, I was in the right hand lane and as I moved onto the straight part of the road there was a cyclists just a head of me. He was on my outside, in the same right hand lane I was in. This dual carriageway also has a cycle lane along the footway. As I was trying to pass the cyclist a car on my left hand side beeped and flicked me the V's and the cyclist called me a pr*&k. I had to break and the car behind me also beeped and flicked some V's. I kind of felt like I was in a no win situation here but i'm sure the cyclist should either be in the cycle lane or on the inside of the left hand lane. I have been a bit shaky since that happened an hour ago.

Is the cyclist allowed to ride like this on this side of the lane? What did I do wrong? I did cycling proficiency many years ago but never dealt with dual carriageways as far as I can remember.

Any help would be really appreciated.

thanks

 

[fossyant]

The cyclist is allowed to ride where ever they need to be and the dual carriage way is just 300 yards long. Cyclists have the same right to the road as car drivers. I would suggest you were in too much of a hurry. Cyclists should use the correct lanes, as car drivers do, especially if negotiating roundabouts. The saying is 'ride like you were driving a car'.

Cycling proficience means nothing. Cycle lanes are not compulsory, and at best are only suitable for children. If the cyclist was doing over 15 mph, he should be on the road.

I am afraid this does look like your driving is at fault as you had both the cyclist and another mororist have a go at you. I would suggest slowing down, and not trying to pass until it is safe to do so.

I would also suggest you update your knowledge of the highway code !

 

[Spinney]

Cyclists are as entitled to use all roads (except motorways and roads like the A1(M) that are effectively motorways). This includes dual carriageways.

Cycle paths are there for cyclists to use if they wish to. There is no obligation for cyclists to use a cyclepath (and in fact many cyclepaths are really badly designed and can be dangerous). In fact, it is recommended that cyclists use the road, not the cyclepath, if they are likely to be travelling at 18 mph or above (I forget the exact speed) - and this is a speed that many cyclists can easily achieve.

Many cyclists do not use dual carriageways because of the volume and speed of traffic, but this does not mean that they are not allowed to.

It is unusual for a cyclist to be on the right of a lane (the recommendation is for them to ride centrally or to the left of centre), but perhaps he felt safer there as cars could only pass on his left, instead of passing both left and right if he was to cycle on the left of the right hand lane.

If the cyclist was abusing you, it is likely that you passed too close. The recommendation is at least a metre - and preferably more than this if you are moving fast.

If the car to your left was abusing you, it suggests that you veered into his lane/path while undertaking the cyclist. And you are not supposed to 'overtake' on the left unless you are in a traffic queue - and it does not sound as if you were.

If the bit of dual carriageway you are talking about was only 300 yards long, why not wait behind the cyclist until you get to the roundabout? All the abuse you received could have been avoided with a little patience.

PS - almost all the cyclists on this forum are also drivers

 

[ianrauk]

Instead of undertaking (that's how I read it), just wait behind the cyclist. After all it's only a 300 yard stretch of road.

 

[vickster]

As a cyclist, there is no compulsion to use a cycle path, most are pretty dreadful and shared with pedestrians
You can also ride wherever you wish (other than motorways), in a position that is safest for you and enables you to manouevre as required. Although I personally try to be considerate of other road users, if I am picturing the road correctly, I would probably have kept to the right hand side of the left hand lane, assuming I wasn't going left at the next round about

A picture might help.
Try to think about it from the cyclist's perspective as to where he wanted to be and where you wanted to go (presumably straight on or right at the next roundabout too).

If you are really interested, Cyclecraft by John Franklin is an excellent book

 

[summerdays]

I assume the cyclist wanted to go right at the second roundabout, if they were in the other lane then cars in that lane would presumably expect him to take an earlier turning that he was intending to and possibly turn across him causing an accident.

Roundabouts aren't the easiest things for cyclists to deal with.

 

[fossyant]

PS I'd say 99% on here are drivers. We also have a lot of petrol heads too (me included) some of whom race their cars (or have done - on tracks BTW).

The highway code of 'do not overtake unless it is safe to do so' is about the number 1 rule, as it usually accounts for a vast majority of accidents. Impatience !

 

[nickyboy]

So is the view here that the appropriate positioning for the cyclist would be the right hand side of the right lane. Obviously there is no question that they should be in the right lane, just whether they should be the right or left side of this lane.

In cycling on the right side of the lane a drive has no option but to either wait or perform an undertake. If he rode on the left side of the right lane the driver could perform a normal overtake. I'm sure some would be of the opinion that riding on the right of the right lane is safer for the cyclist but if it encourages undertaking I'm not so sure

 

[davdandy]

I would like to say well done to the OP for posting this as his first post.He does not blame either cars or cyclist or himself but merely asking for answers.He is shaken up by this so seems to me as the OP of sound mind and body and just seeking advice.Who is right and who is wrong it is hard to say without pictures so is purely subjective on our part.

The driver on the left who seems to be overtaking is a jerk for sure,you do NOT overtake on the left.The driver behind is also a jerk for being too close.

I think the main message to be learn`t here is everyone slow down,a few seconds does not hurt but a collision certainly does.

 

[Profpointy]

So is the view here that the appropriate positioning for the cyclist would be the right hand side of the right lane. Obviously there is no question that they should be in the right lane, just whether they should be the right or left side of this lane.

In cycling on the right side of the lane a drive has no option but to either wait or perform an undertake. If he rode on the left side of the right lane the driver could perform a normal overtake. I'm sure some would be of the opinion that riding on the right of the right lane is safer for the cyclist but if it encourages undertaking I'm not so sure

I'd be in the right hand side of the righ hand lane in this scenario (but not in RH gutter either) - which I do daily on my commute. - or even in the middle of the right hand lane blocking it if more appropriate. Don't mind undertakes - but do mind people side-swiping whilst passin me both sides.
I

 

[DWiggy]

The best thing would have been wait behind the cyclist, slow down and use your brakes. Wait to pass the cyclist when safe to do so, common sense really! after all the section of road you was on was only 300yards long!

 

[w00hoo_kent]

Thinking about one of the roundabouts on my route which is two lanes in and the exit I take is far enough round that it requires the right hand lane on approach, I aim to move out in to the right hand lane around 10-15 car lengths before the roundabout and will sit in secondary (left hand side) of that lane on most days. Drivers tend to be faster on dual carriageways but equally they tend to be wider so it kind of evens out in practice. If the space were tighter, so cars coming in fast to the roundabout would be closer to me, I'd take more lane for safety.

Travelling around the outside of the roundabout to my exit would be far more dangerous, as I'd be in a road position that no-one would expect and would be wide open to being left hooked.

It's hard to tell from the OP, but considering the length of the dual carriageway I'd assume a rider that knew what they were doing was getting in to position for the roundabout in good time and the stuff with motors should just learn to live with it. Of course there's always the possibility that the cyclist was being an idiot and was in completely the wrong lane for what they wanted to do. There's no information on what they did when they got to the roundabout, and not every rider is a saint.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

As others have said, the cyclist is perfectly entitled to use the road as he did.

My advice to you, should you encounter the situation again, is:

Hang well back, leaving a really good gap to the cyclist and match his speed. This will give you time to think and to react safely to anything he does next. Ask yourself why he is in that lane, turning right ahead probably?

Now check your speedo reading (you might be surprised) and consider the distance to be travelled to the next roundabout. Will maintaining that position really add an unacceptable amount of time to your journey?; chances are that any percieved delay you'll easily make up after the next safe opportunity to pass the him.

Just let him get on with it and he'll be out of your way soon enough. Believe me, no cyclist wants to remain in the outside lane of a dual carriageway any longer than he has to!

Whenever I come across a similar situation when I'm driving, I prefer to maintain a following position and do the nice thing of acting as a bit of cover for the cyclist as he does his best to deal with a hazardous manouvre. He might not be aware but it gives me a nice warm feeling and it'll do the same for you too.

It sounds as though you felt rushed into dealing with the rider and as a result came into conflict with him and two other drivers. Assuming the cyclist was holding a steady speed and course, it seems to me that you misjudged how to handle the situation.

You seem like a nice guy, otherwise you wouldn't still be shaken up by it or come on here looking for advice. Good on you for that.


GC

 

[nickyboy]

[QUOTE 3149584, member: 45"]If staying in the right-hand lane, the cyclist should be in the middle of it.[/QUOTE]

It's a difficult one and I don't think you can give a black and white answer. I'd appreciate your opinion on this road which is local to me

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.4...ata=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sQ0gkG_AWYD0ofeHIfnKR9w!2e0

This is a 1lk stretch uphill. The right lane is a right turn only, left lane is straight on. So if you want to turn right you need to be in the right lane. But it's steep and if you take a position in the middle of the lane you will have a huge queue of traffic behind you. I'm sure some would say "so what, they have to wait"....but it doesn't feel like the right thing to do there. FWIW, I ride in the right lane but on the left side of it so as to allow space for car drivers to safely pass on my right. Must admit I cycle up it as fast as poss to minimise time there though

 

[vickster]

As a cyclist you can turn right from the left straight on lane no? And similarly go straight from a left only lane. That may not be the best thing to do there though of course