Why Primary?

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joebingo

Über Member
Location
London, England
I'll tell you, it's so that when the idiot in the black mini stuck in traffic on hampstead road (link below, I was just coming up to the end of the bus lane) decides to cut into your lane without looking or indicating, while your front wheel is parallel with their back wheel, you have enough space to swerve and accelerate away.

I (obviously) didn't measure how close I came to hitting his nearside wing and being splayed onto tarmac at a fair rate, at a guess it looked about 3 to 6 inches - I'd not yet started the second syllable of 'Jesus' by the time I came level with the passengers open window, I think I might have made his girlfriend go deaf with my terrified blasphemy, so sorry for my short and very loud scream girlfriend of idiot - you looked almost as scared as I felt.

Next time, however, please be in a slightly less embarrassing car to be scared of. :smile:

Still the homeward journey will be nice - empty roads and sun rises are nice for cycling.

Link to where it happened:
http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&l...k0WFBx_Yf5jGmf34J0ijOQ&cbp=12,205.33,,0,21.74

And thanks for letting me vent!
http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&l...k0WFBx_Yf5jGmf34J0ijOQ&cbp=12,205.33,,0,21.74
 

jimboalee

New Member
Location
Solihull
You was in 'Primary'. ( half way across lane ).
Car squeezed past closely.

You say "good job there was space to my left to swerve into"

Think about riding in 'Secondary'. ( inside tyre track ).
Whan car overtakes, its not near you. No problems.
 

goo_mason

Champion barbed-wire hurdler
Location
Leith, Edinburgh
Primary - more escape room from idiots like the one in the OP
Secondary - nowhere to go.

It doesn't matter where you are, there's always an idiot who'll swerve into you or pass you with an inch to spare.
 

Origamist

Legendary Member
jimboalee said:
You was in 'Primary'. ( half way across lane ).
Car squeezed past closely.

You say "good job there was space to my left to swerve into"

Think about riding in 'Secondary'. ( inside tyre track ).
Whan car overtakes, its not near you. No problems.

Not on that stretch - the two lanes are both about 2.8ish metres wide. If you ride in the tyre track you'll get far more close passes and will have less room to manoeuvre. Check the link...
 

dondare

Über Member
Location
London
Primary and secondary are just two options out of an infinite number of possibilities. Sometimes neither will be right.
 

Sh4rkyBloke

Jaffa Cake monster
Location
Manchester, UK
jimboalee said:
Weigh up the risks.

Primary - closer to the cars.
Secondary - further from the cars.
So by that logic we should all be in the gutter as this is potentially the furthest from the cars? Hmmm, me thinks not, thanks. :biggrin:
 

Origamist

Legendary Member
dondare said:
Primary and secondary are just two options out of an infinite number of possibilities. Sometimes neither will be right.

Road positioning is not about being right or wrong! Use your road position as part of your plan to deal with hazards safely and effectively.
 

dondare

Über Member
Location
London
Origamist said:
Road positioning is not about being right or wrong! Use your road position as part of your plan to deal with hazards safely and effectively.

I didn't mean morally or legally right.
 

Origamist

Legendary Member
dondare said:
I didn't mean morally or legally right.

Neither did I, we're talking about road positioning, and primary and secondary are elastic terms too.

Think about a cyclist safety bubble that continuously moves and changes shape according to the road conditions.
 
Location
EDINBURGH
Fact, if you are in primary they will pass within three feet of you and then cut you up, if you are in secondary they will pass within three feet of you and then cut you up, if you are in secondary you have nowhere to go.

Alternatively ride a recumbent trike, they will avoid getting any closer that ten feet from you even if it means driving over a cliff.
 
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