Undertaking - the reason why not to do it

[biking_fox]

not great on manchester roads though, especially when that pot hole suddenly appears from under the buss right in front of your wheel.

Well true, but a wide drafting position keeps you out of the potholes.... recessed drain covers are a bit of a nasty surprise though! I've hit a few of them quite hard now and again.

 

[Ben M]

It wouldn't have been undertaking as you were in a separate lane. A lane which he shouldn't have been driving in unless absolutely necessary (dashed cycle lane)

Him being in the wrong would have been academic, however, if you'd been knocked off and put in hospital. Except for the damages claim of course.

 

[Tharg2007]

The line seperating the cycle lane from the road is broken not bold.

Nice vid.

that means he can go in it as long as its not occupied, which it was, so he shouldnt have gone in it.

 

[tdr1nka]

buses have a bad habit of opening their doors and letting passengers off, out in the middle of the road sometimes, said passengers never bother looking

so undertaking buses is something I do with care

I can vouch for this having had 10 people appear in the road in front of me, the bus hadn't even pulled over.

And tho I didn't hit any of the passengers, it scared one highly strung young man enough to want to kick the carp out of me and then promptly removed a tooth for me at no extra cost.

I keep away from undertaking anything, ever.
IMO.
The reason it always feels a bit 'naughty' or 'scary' when you do undertake a vehicle like this is because you know that you have engaged in taking a pretty enormous and stupid risk.

 

[Ben M]

that means he can go in it as long as its not occupied, which it was, so he shouldnt have gone in it.

I thought that the law was that if it is a broken line, then you can only go in it if there is no other option. Hang on let me find a source.

"

140

Cycle lanes. These are shown by road markings and signs. You MUST NOT drive or park in a cycle lane marked by a solid white line during its times of operation. Do not drive or park in a cycle lane marked by a broken white line unless it is unavoidable. You MUST NOT park in any cycle lane whilst waiting restrictions apply.

[Law RTRA sects 5 & 8]
"

Stolen shamelessly from here:
http://cyclechat.co.uk/forums/showpost.php?p=754655&postcount=9

 

[Riverman]

Round the corner from where I live there is a cyclelane on a long straight road leading to some traffic lights. The straight road has no turnings before the lights.

There is a tendency to want to undertake vehicles that are in the middle of the queue for the traffic lights because the queue can get really long, however after seeing that video I can see the potential dangers. There are however no right hand turns either. I guess there's the possibility someone might turn into a house drive from the other side of the road.

The cycle lane is the colour of the road so people no doubt mistake it for the regular road.

 

[gbb]

I thought that the law was that if it is a broken line, then you can only go in it if there is no other option. Hang on let me find a source.

"

140

Cycle lanes. These are shown by road markings and signs. You MUST NOT drive or park in a cycle lane marked by a solid white line during its times of operation. Do not drive or park in a cycle lane marked by a broken white line unless it is unavoidable. You MUST NOT park in any cycle lane whilst waiting restrictions apply.

[Law RTRA sects 5 & 8]
"

Stolen shamelessly from here:
http://cyclechat.co.uk/forums/showpost.php?p=754655&postcount=9

Interesting, cos i didnt know the distinct difference (solid and broken lines).
But....that regulation is so so so abused by everyone, i doubt if anyone knows or cares. Similar lanes in Peterborough are constantly blocked and partially blocked in rush hour traffic, i often find myself overtaking on the offside. Adds a bit of fun..

But, to the OPs video...no, i wouldnt have undertaken.
The bus is making good headway when he can. He's not hanging about. If i undertook him, i suspect he'd soon be overtaking me, so what's the point.

More importantly, the bus is angled toward the kerb as OP approaches. If you dont see that as potentially dangerous...you're heading for a fall sooner or later.
(edited to say..thats not aimed at you Ben...just a comment in general)

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

It's interesting that the law says "unless unavoidable"... I would have thought that it would be completely avoidable in this situation just by braking slightly to wait a touch longer for the car to complete its turn...

 

[Tharg2007]

It's interesting that the law says "unless unavoidable"... I would have thought that it would be completely avoidable in this situation just by braking slightly to wait a touch longer for the car to complete its turn...

unless unavoidable = do what you like

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

unless unavoidable = do what you like

Oh yeah, forgot about that definition which applies to all drivers.