What would your positioning be?

[BentMikey]

Take a look at this stretch of road, and discuss where you'd ride, and how you'd deal with the traffic:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&h...338454,0.030727&spn=0.000668,0.00111&t=k&z=20

Here's a video of a bus overtake from Sunday, which was astounding to the oncoming car driver!!

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_2wU2FBbPw


Going northbound, it's easy, I'm rarely below 35mph, and usually over 40, so I'll take the whole lane. Southbound, it's steep, and I tend to only just about manage 5-10mph after a hard day's work. My mate takes the pavement, and he's a copper. I can't say I blame him, as it's a pretty intimidating piece of road with a 40 limit and very narrow.

 

[Cab]

Difficult one. My instinct is to say primary, but thats not so easy at 10mph!

The truth is that wherever you are, there isn't space for safe overtaking into the path of oncoming traffic, so if visibility is good I may well be tempted to be in, at least, an assertive secondary.

 

[Riding in Circles]

Whatever you decide, you really should cover those knees, they are 'orrible!

 

[BentMikey]

Whatever you decide, you really should cover those knees, they are 'orrible!

LOL! And you can't even see all the roadrash scars from skating!!!

 

[hackbike 6]

In a perfect world BentMikey your Rule 163 would be obeyed...but we all know this isn't a perfect world as certain road users make the rules up as they go along.

I thought your road positioning is fine but as I say you cant always stop a dangerous overtake or dangerous driving unfortunately.

 

[magnatom]

Another way to look at this is what should the driver of the bus have done. He should have waited behind you until it was safe to pass. That would have been after the video ended, but I am sure no more than 60 seconds. That is how long he would have had to wait if a tractor was in the same place.

So irrespective of your road position he would have had to wait the same amount of time if he drove correctly. That said, it would take a lot of guts to hold a primary there. I think I'd probably take a similar position to you on this one.

The problem is not your road position, but the unwillingness to be held up for more than 5 seconds by anyone. Yesterday on the way home a lady driver next to me got caught in the wrong lane at traffic lights (she wanted into mine but no space to move over). The filter on the lane she was in went to green and the motorbike behind them instantly started tooting their horn at them. I could hear the lady stressing and eventually she gave in (our lane moves only 20 seconds after theirs) and did a daft maneuver to pull into our lane beyond the lights.

I don't blame the lady driver, she got flustered, but why did the biker have to sound the horn for the sake of 20 seconds!?!?

The roads are a very impatient place!

 

[hackbike 6]

The roads are a very impatient place!

I hear that.

 

[davidtq]

I think my positioning would be exactly the same as yours there up hill Im not about to take a full primary and create a procession, but a strong enough secondary to make reasonable drivers leave sufficient space. When overtaking. (so they dont try to squeeze down without breaking the centre line).

Your cycling position is both courteous to drivers allowing them to pass when traffic the other side is clear and safe by dissuading squeeze by overtaking. However no amount of cycling strategy can ever rule our stupidity altogether.

In all likelyhood did the bus driver get to his destination any quicker for putting life and limb on the line or did he just get to the back of the next queue a bit faster and so spend more time stationary...

Rarely does waiting a few seconds for the sake of safety actually add time to a motorists journey.

 

[Origamist]

I'd have ridden in a similar position to BM. Dom may come along and chastise you for not being in the centre of the lane going up the hill, but this is the real world and on narrow 40mph lanes (where traffic is often going considerably faster) taking a primary position will create different kinds of problems.

 

[cannondale boy]

Take a look at this stretch of road, and discuss where you'd ride, and how you'd deal with the traffic

I would possibly ride on the pavement like your mate did. But saying that can cyclists cycle on that pavement shared with pedestrians? In my opinion the road does look dangerous, but it depends on how dangerous it gets though...getting near misses everyday i would do something about it.

Probably speak to your MP, or council and ask if they could make a cycle lane on the pavement. Of course its all well saying, paint a few lines on the pavement, but is the surface all that great...the answer would be probably not!

 

[leoc]

Your positioning looks okay to me. Is the bad overtake a one off or regular occurrence?

Looks like there's a longer route through Downe. Though if you've come from Hyde Park you've done a pretty long ride as it is!

 

[fossyant]

He gave you room, it's not your problem if he forces another road user over....

Your position was fine

 

[andyfromotley]

Tricky, narrow lanes uphill is aleways problematical, i feel that you do one or the other, middle of your carriageway or in the gutter, midway (assertive secondary?) just seems to be inviting the overtake with the minimum room.
sorry dont know all of the correct terms but that my view on it.

andy

Ps mikey......did yo know your bikes broke...its got no front wheel? weird.

 

[Mr Pig]

I would've cycled in the same position as you. Round here they'd string you to a lamppost if you rode up a hill in the middle of the road and I never cycle on the pavement.

I cycle on fast narrow roads, or wide ones pinched by traffic islands, every day and what I do regularly do is this. When I hear a vehicle coming up behind me I swing out a few feet from the position you're in on that road, then back in again. Not when it's right behind you, when it's a good bit back but close enough to see you.

This makes them slow right down, I assume because they're not sure whether or not you're going to do it again as they pass, and they'll either stay behind you until they can pull out further or if they do pass they pass slowly.

I've done this for years and it works pretty much every time. Low loader passed me today at about 10mph which was much better than it passing at 50mph :0)

 

[buddha]

I ride the A233 around twice a week.
Northbound - I'm just shy of full primary.
Southbound - I'm in the smoothed out LH car-tyre bit (if you see what I mean)
Drivers (of all vehicles) tend to be a bit mad on that road. Must be the altitude . But if you think that's bad, try riding up Jewels Hill / Saltbox Hill with a 314 bus on your tail!