Straddle or use Lane 2 to Overtake a Cyclist?
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
- Most of the time it is safer to use Lane 2 to overtake a cyclist, however, sometimes that's not the best option.
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If I see a car or a van / lorry move over on a dual carriageway, strangely enough my first reaction isn't to think, "Oh goodie, now I can undertake him" it's "Why have they moved over? What's going on?". A controversial idea, I know. 😂
In all honesty my first thought is usually what's this bellend doing when nothing is in front. Usually right but you can't always see an obstruction ahead of them that they're blocking. In london it's usually a moron. Less so on a local road as opposed to a 50mph dual carriageway
Especially if it's a lorry!
Totally understandable on a ‘fast moving’ dual carriageway, What people watching this need to understand is human nature and psychology.
There are not that many people who will think “what danger is that car pulling out into the outside lane to avoid”, most people will think ‘why is that idiot pulling out for no reason and slowing me down’
So undertaking is wrong but it’s what a lot of people will do.
My first reaction would be to ask myself why they moved out : are they planning to turn right up ahead ? is there some hazard I couldn't see before they pulled out ? I would not even contemplate passing on the left unless it became clear they were turning right .
Kinda like" why have they stopped at the pedestrian crossing!, I don't see a pedestrian".. the one that's crossing infont of the stopped vehicle.
Anyone who undertakes between a vehicle and a cyclist are incompetent and should not be on the road without further training. It is a sad indictment of the standard of driving today that you have to think for others to stop them from doing stupid things. I soon learned this when I started riding motorcycles at 16.
agree.
Yes but as Ashley explains and shows in just about every video, a huge number of drivers are not observant, don't plan, and don't look ahead. That first driver wouldn't have even noticed the cyclist until they're about to pass.
@@ChrisCoxCycling They shouldm't be driving then if their observation is that poor.
@@gixxerman69 I agree. But authorities just don't take licences away. They don't retest for competence. Driving standards are shite because as soon as you get your license you're left to your own devices and absorb the bad behaviours of everybody else
Nevermind further training. That's beyond help. Ban them for life.
Excellent video, Ashley. That first clip is almost an exact copy of what happened to me when cycling on a dual carriageway: the driver of a big lorry gave me all the space by overtaking me in lane 2, and someone in a car passed the lorry on the wrong side at 60-70mph. The car driver was so close to me that I was pushed to the left by the force of the air! SO scary, and I changed the way I overtake cyclists because of it. Your video makes it super clear what a driver should do in these situations, and I hope it changes the way people drive.
The straddle position reserves the left lane for you to return to and also deters overtakering thus slowing things down behind slightly. Lane 2 usage opens the door for nutters and makes it more hazardous to return to lane 1 in case an undertaker is setting up.
"We weren't going this way but we are now" made me laugh; I did the same on my test, wasn't marked down for it. Still making the same mistake 40 years later.
On my car test (also back in 1981!) I went right and then left and then the examiner asked me to pull over to the side of the road and asked 'What are we doing here?' I said something along the lines of 'You asked me to stop'. His reply was 'I also asked you to turn left and then right'! He said that wouldn't count against me and to carry on, but you can imagine that it didn't settle my nerves at all!
We carried on and later in the test at a T-junction a cyclist - going from my right to left on the pavement and crossing the junction - shouted 'Learn to drive properly!' I presumed all was now lost and was very pleased when getting back to the test centre for the examiner to tell me I'd passed. I asked about the cyclist and he said 'He's a bit of a nutter, I've come across him before on tests'
@@FFVoyager 😂😅😃😂😁😅😃😂😁😅😃😂
Same here on my test (1987 😂) Took the wrong roundabout exit, however did everything correctly for the way I went so no negative marks against me for it.
We've all taken wrong turns now & again. If you deal with the situation safely, then that is ok. We have all missed turnings on occasion or been in the wrong lane due to poor signage then not been able to correct this, or maybe miss a turn to deal with somebody else's mistake.
@@TheRip72 Yeah road signs obscured by buses, vans or lorries, road names in unusual places at unusual heights or totally missing.
Now that’s why I watch your videos Ashley...... ‘ cause ya learn stuff! 👍
Awesome! Thank you!
I'm James from West Wales and I've been driving since I was 17...Just about 30 years....I stumbled upon your channel and I have subscribed. Nowadays i plod around in my 330d and I love your videos, You are a very talented instructor and seem like a tidy guy too. Keep up the good work.......Regards from Wales
Thank you as both a driver and a cyclist this is very helpful.
You are good teacher, you let them try to figure it out themselves first, but don’t leave them hanging to long till you explain it. Very good teaching.
I also straddle the line in cases to help protect pedestrians crossing or cars I am giving way to, exiting and entering junctions.
Great observation by Ellie in the 2nd part of the video, and thanks for this, an insight I never thought about straddling lanes on a busy road, I pull right out give a cyclist loads of space (as I'm a massive cyclist myself)
I am amazed that after years of driving and cycling, this had never occurred to me. Thank you for sharing this.
Glad it was helpful!
Very good point, Ashley. This will definitely influence how I handle this situation, as a driver and as a cyclist.
you are a good teacher telling your students to signal before moving lanes.
the amount of people in this county who dont know how to signal is appalling
Excellent video this Ashley, as a lorry driver I always try to give the cyclists plenty of room but you really have to be aware of the attitude of following vehicles. So when this clip started on an open road such as that I would only go into lane two if I had no following vehicles. When it comes to driving in traffic some drivers still try to squeeze by even when straddling the white line, you can not take anything for granted so you really have to keep a check on the nearside mirror in all these scenarios.
As you said Ashley, it depends on the situation.
I always thought lane 2 was best never gave a thought about the straddling position but it's a brilliant tip that I'll take on board when I'm driving. Great video 👍
I was taught to Put the indicator on, when moving over to pass other road users, it pre warns following motorists, and marks the spot where the obstruction is,( even a moving obstruction, like a cycle or Pedestrian,) its just an extra clue to help, what's following you. And I would straddle lanes, to deter, motorists undertaking me.
Wow, you’re a genius, thank you so much Ashley! What you’ve said makes perfect sense, if there’s nobody behind you then use lane 2 to overtake them so you give them more space but if there are cars behind you straddle to prevent vehicles from behind undertaking you to protect the cyclist, I’ll definitely be doing this from now on! 🙃
Top drawer as always Ash. The opening clip was a ⚡shocker⚡
To straddle, or not to straddle? That is the question.
Clearly depends on the situation and the awareness of other road users. Minimising risk is totally the best you or anyone can hope to achieve imho. Cooperation is also key. Nice to note that some people will be courteous; rather than closing the space.
Stay safe out there 👍
I often use straddling to control and protect people. I.e letting people out of junctions, letting kids amd grannies across the roads. You often see the person behind start to get frustrated but then realise what your doing.
I like how your demonstration worked. The other drivers flashed you across which showed their understanding of the situation.
Yeah that makes sense, it's creating like a protective "bubble" around the cyclist.
Had a situation last week where I gave a cyclist quite a lot of room (a straddle but 2-3rds into lane 2) and that was enough to trigger an Audi (of course) behind into flashing his lights at me. Not from pulling out in front - he was miles behind and not going that fast - I think he was just annoyed at me borrowing part of "his" lane or at me giving a supposedly excessive amount of space to the cyclist. I guess that is the kind of situation where if I'd gone fully into lane 2 he might have taken his offence-taking to the point of speeding up, undertaking and endangering the cyclist.
Learned a new safety tip, thanks ash
Happy to help!
great vid! as a HGV driver not really given that scenario much consideration. I will now too straddle the lane when over taking cyclists..
makes perfect sense.
If there is no risk from behind, give more space though! 👍🏼
Also give more space if the cyclist is already managing their own safety (as much as they can!) by "taking the lane", rather than riding in the gutter.
This is exactly the issue I had once, I moved to lane two to pass a cyclist, a van comes flying up lane three (over the 40mph limit), cuts across behind me to lane one and only just misses the cyclist I had moved over to pass. I think I have the clip somewhere.
Yikes
Sounds like a candidate for Ashley's "Driving Fails".
In that first scenario in the intro, that illustrates exactly why I would take the center of the lane if I were the cyclist, forcing drivers to recognize that it is not safe to attempt the squeeze.
This why also it is a good idea for cyclists to use their lights (in flashing mode) even during the daytime. Particularly on faster dual carriageways as in the clips shown to improve their visibility to other road users.
Excellent point Ash and one I shall put into practice. I can think of various other driving situations whereby if you leave a sensible amount of room / sensible gap, you can be sure another road user will take it as a golden opportunity to fill it. The most basic and simple example is keeping your distance from the vehicle in front. But there are other examples too, such as complying with a "Keep Clear" for a side road or on a roundabout. Traffic is a bit like water flowing through a pipe - the water wants to fill the whole pipe as quickly as possible and will look for the path of least resistance. And "traffic" can consist of just one car, as in the insane example in the first clip.
Having spent significant time on the road on two wheels prior to driving a car, I acknowledge I think bike more often than it appears other car drivers seem to. Adopting a positing of straddling lanes is definitely my preferred option when overtaking a bicycle in Melbourne.
I mentioned in a previous video that when passing cyclists I will straddle in my truck to discourage just this!
When you see a truck take up 2 lanes, it’s almost Always for a good reason, don’t try to squeeze past, you might come a cropper, & if the trucker runs a dashcam, whether you do or not, you’ll be stuffed; the trucker can justify his actions, you can’t justify your risk taking.
Edit:- I will also straddle in my car sometimes, situation dependent, eg I’m sticking to the limit or below but no one else is, for exactly the same reason, as you taught Ellie there.
I remember doing this a few years back when there was a cycling time trial along the A40 between Monmouth and Abergavenny. The first couple I did go in lane 2 but realised quickly that it was safer to straddle. Great video :)
Yep - that's much more nuanced and a good example of your good observation causing those who aren't to make bad decisions whcih you managed well. And yes I completely agree that the distance to the cyclist should be as large as safely possible, and on a clear road in the second lane.
Brilliant! You may be in a different country across the Atlantic but I appreciate the wonderful teachings nonetheless. With any luck someone here is doing the same. Here's hoping I can share the road with people who understand as well as you do how to treat cyclists on the road. Cheers from Canada
As a cyclist myself, I've never had a problem with people overtaking me with a straddle, as long as it's a sufficiently wide straddle. I don't really care where a car does it, as long as I have room to feel safe.
As both a cyclist and driver, I've never even thought about the particular _reason_ behind it that you present in this video. It's almost a similar idea to the concept cyclists have of "taking the lane" to prevent dangerous narrow overtakes. I had never thought of applying the same logic when behind the wheel.
Very wise advice, that I will take into consideration as I continue learning to drive. Thanks Ashley!
Genuine care, consideration and competence keeps things safe. Just sticking dogmatically to " the rules" does not and you have brilliantly illustrated that here.
I was taught by the legendary John Lyon on his High Performance Course to leave at least 8-10 feet between you and the cyclist.. i.e. enough room for a 6 ft cyclist, standing on the pedals, to topple sideways with his hands fully stretched out. Good point about not encouraging people to undertake though.
I've always straddled the line if safe as i also think it sends a message to the people behind, that I've spotted something and that I'm trying to position myself so I dont get too close but also to show I'm only temporarily using part of the outside lane
I must confess, the risk of someone undertaking if I move over to pass a cyclist had never occurred to me - it should have done because I've had people try to undertake when I pass an HGV and give them a safety zone before pulling back in. To (mis)paraphrase Ian Dury, 'There ain't alf been some stupid bastards'.
Knock me down with a feather, Clever Trevor 🎶🎵
As a fellow subscriber to the Ian Dury school of sarcasm.... your post is absolutely kushtie 😁🤣
@@grahamnutt8958 If I'm going to misquote someone, best misquote a genius.
@@PedroConejo1939 👊👍👍
Good points about overtaking cyclists. It would be prudent to also point out that larger, less aerodynamic vehicles are displacing more air as they pass and therefore creating a bigger suction effect on the cyclist which is why you need the extra room in a truck or van. Fair point on undertakers though and it would be good if technology existed to alert them to these potential situations or they were simply shot.
The technology does exist and has done for some time now, it's commonly called the visual cortex.
3:34 once you complete the overtaking manoeuvre, you immediately signal left to let them know you are getting back in that lane.
Wish I had video of when cycling once through a town I slowed and moved to the centerline of a road to pass a horse and rider and an old lady driving a small car tried to squeeze through between us as she assumed I had moved to the middle of the road to turn right!
I don't treat multi lane town roads (the 30 limit ones) like a motorway so the concept of "passing lane" doesn't always exist. For instance, over the Wye bridge in Hereford. I pick the left lane for Ross Road, or the right lane for Belmont Road, or Asda. I don't have to "overtake" people on the way to Asda because it's the lane by the central reservation in the bridge. Also each end of the bridge has traffic lights.
There are a few in Gloucester with 40 or 50 limits, but they go more around the outside of town.
Massively insightful.
Sadly knew exactly where the video was going before 30 seconds in - had people do it to me when driving my pickup a few times hence I tend to straddle these days.
This was such a helpful video, I didn’t think of this, I usually just give as much room as possible but will be using this method from now on, obviously whilst still giving plenty of room 😂👍
Good point well illustrated
I have no issue with vehicles straddling lanes 1 & 2 when overtaking; when they do so as Ellie did in the last clip, and I appreciate that they may be doing so to help protect me. However, when 'straddling' means sticking just about the offside tyres over the white line, and nothing else, I have an issue; especially on a dual carrigeway. Highway Code Rule 163 has a handy image with it, which actually shows a vehicle straddling the two lanes. That, to me, is the ideal positioning when overtaking cyclists as it gives the cyclist plenty of space in lane 1, with the majority of the vehicle in lane 2, but still shows to any vehicles behind that you've not fully left lane 1. Add in a more sweeping movement to this means that lane 1 is actually 'blocked' by the overtaking vehicle for more than long enough to stop an undertake, whilst ensuring as much space as possible is given to the cyclist being overtaken.
The car following at 1:18 is guilty of this. barely moves position to overtake
I usually use lane 2 to overtake a cyclist whenever I can, but mostly on small roads where undertaking me would not be possible. Nevertheless this video brings a very good point I'll keep in mind in the future. Thanks!
Giving any rider the recommended 1.5m (the distance the police consider to be the legally safe minimum) would be great. Unfortunately so many don't, hence so many riders go 2 abreast or take primary position to force drivers to go wide. Riding in the gutter or single file is an open invitation to unsafe, impatient drivers to make an attempt of forcing their way through
where I live, if a cyclist is in the lane at all, they own the ENTIRE lane. if they are not in the lane, you must still give them enough room to fall over without being hit. so if the cyclist moves to the other side of the paint, you can then straddle to overtake them, but if they are on your side, you must use the other lane. it's safer for the cyclist, but it's a frustration when you run into one who doesn't figure out that if he is riding ON the paint, half of him is still in the lane.
I have never heard of and it has never occurred to me to move completely in to lane 2 (when available) to pass a cyclist! It is obviously dangerous for the potential undertaking opportunity you point out. The only reason I can think of it being safer is if the speed differential is very high i.e. bike 5mph, car 70mph. Frankly when using my bike I go to great lengths to avoid cycling along dual carriageways, they're just too dangerous for a cyclist and such slow moving traffic (bicycles) is a hazard and causes problems for faster moving traffic.
What are the chances of the same scenario with both outcomes happening in the same lesson!
I was never really sure if to straddle or to just change lanes, Often treated it as a judgement call depending how stable and confident the rider is. If they were a bit wobbly then I'd go big and bold with a wider spacing.
Well done Ellie and thank you Ashley, It definitely gave me a different view on the situation and take it forward.
The new Highway Code says 1.5m at 30mph when passing a cyclist. This distance increases as the speed of the road increases so not sure how straddling the lanes will help in that situation as the driver won’t be giving enough room.
This will always be a problem when daft people take their position from the road and not the cyclist.
That was more of a a dangerous overtake of the cyclist rather than an undertake of the truck.
Thank you, I thought the same thing too and the learned lady, Ms. Jill Pretorius I think also hit the nail on the head. Due to this clip, is Mr. Neal now suggesting that we don't have to overtake cyclists properly anymore? I am going to have to throw away my Highway Code book!! Rule 162 163 167 and there's more!
Personally, I use both. Residential streets, or 20/30mph roads I'll straddle. Any road over 30mph I'll use lane two. I'd not like to have a car whizz past at 40+mph.
In your clip at 1:18 watch how close the following car gets to the cyclist.
Thought it was good practice to give cyclists the same space to overtake as you would a car. And this is because the cyclist may hit a pothole and fall over or something. I get why the straddling is a good idea but I'm conflicted as both a driver and cyclist on this.
Until I saw this clip I always believed it was best for cars to pass in lane 2. Have total change my mind now.
As a cyclist, I usually take primary position in lane 1 when there is multiple lanes. This makes all other road users take lane 2 completely to overtake.
I know this may slow traffic down. But being to the far left is just encouraging people to overtake me in the same lane which is a close pass. Too dangerous.
I’d rather be that “bloody cyclist in the middle of the road” than a dead one.
I do agree though straddling both lanes to overtake cyclists if they are in secondary. But you should still make sure there is enough space as you pass.
it's the same on a motorcycle, if you move over too much some idiot will undertake you in your own lane, has happened to me before, small toyota flew past the inside of me in a 30
Personally if space allows id use as much of lane 2 as I can whilst still straddling to stop this situation happening. Also I would put on hazards if I felt it necessary to try to warn others of not taking the lane I had just left due to something they can't see
I mostly straddle when driving, with the exception being on narrow roads. And when cycling I actually prefer people to do this. I have rear view mirrors on my bike and can see a car easier if its straddling than in the other lane.
5.45.....WOW!! didn't the van get a long way!!
Regarding the cyclist overtake at 1:28. In the highway code it states that you should not overtake a vehicle closest to the crossing on zig zag line. Does a bike count as a 'vehicle' and if so would this mean that the overtake there is against the highway code?
Good question. No overtaking for motorised vehicles. Cyclists are fine pass safety
6:25 do you think it would've been better for the cyclist to ride in the centre of their lane?
So before watching...
I use lane 2 as it gives cyclist maximum space and allows vehicles behind to them and move over in plenty of time.
Well i just learned another learney thing. Thankyou. I shall alter my driving habit accordingly.
As a cyclist, I thank you.
In the case of a truck or a bus I think changing lanes is a good idea, they are big and heavy and create a large draft, really you shouldn't have to worry someone will undertake you, as they should have the common sense not to unless they are filtering and that is the situation where I'd straddle or even just hold back to shield them. Car driver there was an idiot! Squeezing between a truck and a bike, totally ridiculous. Why would you undertake a vehicle with a massive blind spot like that under any circumstance? I'd assume he was making an overtake rather than just moving over for the sake of it to annoy me! It wasn't a protected filter lane after all, so he'd have no other reason to be there!
We get to see why 'undertaking' moving vehicles at speed is utterly foolish.
if I can, I always go half over to the other lane when I overtake a cyclist, That way no one can overtake me or undertake me and sees that I'm moving over to not drive to close to the cyclist.
If I can't move over, I slow down a bit until I can move over.
or in worsecase I can't do neither, I dunno. I never reached a point where I need to overtake one without being able to move over a bit, usually cars in opposing lane move slightly towards the shoulder giving me a room to get close to the midsection without being to close to either them or the cyclist.
Question about other drivers attitudes. Will other drivers behave differently depending on whether your pupil is a younger or older female compared to a younger/older male.
A lot of assumptions here because a lot of drivers will not see your vehicle never mind notice who is driving.
Why is the standard of driving so low?
Ellie just sat there yep hehe 😆
Maybe to be honest the whole teaching, road system and signs, and the highway code need to be fully reformed and rewritten, these days the highway code s cluttered full of rules and suggestions that they overlap sometimes and even confuse people. Maybe we need to make it as simple and efficient as possible (within reason of course).
The undertaking driver was dangerous. However, it looked as though you and Ellie overtook a cyclist on the zig-zag lines at the crossing - I understood overtaking is not allowed or has the rule changed?
It's always been the same, it's only motorised vehicles. This is a common misconception 👍🏼
So having watched the clip half way (4 mins in) I completely disagree with your analysis thus far.
1. That undertaking vehicle straddled. - The cammer (i'm assuming HGV/LGV given height) appears to have his awareness about him and correctly did not attempt to pull into the undertaking vehicle, the cyclist didn't get straddled by a HGV, but he did get straddled by an undertaking vehicle.
2. That straddle you did with the student, check out what the fiesta did behind you, they didn't, they wiggled within lane 1, not giving the 1.5m space Well done, in your instructor branded vehicle you just reinforced a lesson to someone to not give a cyclist space.
Carrying on watching the video but wanted to get those two comments in first whilst they were fresh in my mind.
3. The van could have attempted to pass you in the middle lane. if you straddled for the distance you were suggesting she do, and you would then be squeezed towards the cyclist. 4:50 - 5:21 before you passed the cyclist. Assuming 30mph (though I suspect 40mph) limit you travelled almost half a kilometre
What did the van do though? he slowed down for the cyclist, pulled into lane 2 behind you and passed him without squeezing by.
Yeah... I see your points, but I do not agree with them at all. I think you're trying to replace one danger with another. Okay, so you do not have an undertaking driver to contend with, this is absolutely abhorrent and dangerous behaviour, I completely agree.
However, you've replaced the danger of an undertake which should be an uncommon occurrence since I hope most drivers out there aren't idiots and instead replaced it with risk to the cyclist, you've not given the more vulnerable road user the space they should be given and further, you've encouraged others behind your vehicle who don't have the benefit of your narration within the car that "oh its okay to pass cyclists closely" - You've in effect, normalised that dangerous behaviour.
Feels like everyone's in a rush these days
On the positive side 2 considerate drivers also looking out for your student. The intro car driver is just a selfish knob cheese and a dangerous driver. I think one of my bug bares is that many urban drivers just accelerate onto the bumper of the vehicle in front, to me that is driving idiocy because on urban roads you only ever have that space to move into so you get no benefit from being aggressive, you just end up burning fuel and brake pads and possibly going into the back of someone.
As a cyclist ty but people really dont care if they are clipping me as they drive past. As for roundabouts i tend to avoid them. Even been hit by a female police officer just turning right as she was following the car in front which shouldn't have gone
Front splitters on your car. Scoop em up and throw them over your bonnet.
Notice how the van driver felt he had to overtake after everyone had passed the cyclist
The van driver was taught a lesson by the learner. Brilliant, I bet that stung
7:18 7:24 7:25 looks like two cars and the cyclist are taking a short cut through the shop layby 😅😄😃😂😃
The Ford that flashed you in was doing things right.
Personally I’ll use as much of the other lane as possible to give the cyclist maximum room.
Theres no reason for a cyclist to cycle in the gutter on a dual carriageway when people have a whole other lane to overtake you in. If you dont want to be squeezed past by someone undertaking a vehicle in lane 2 you should take up primary.
I live in a middle-class Market Town, cyclists at every junction, and yes 90% of them in Lycra and faux race numbers meh !!!!
The cyclists in these clips are kerb hugging, if they were out more & using the lane more, you’d need to hone more room.
Sometimes I straddle the line when I know the radar gun is out, because car drivers so rarely straddle the lines to those behind it doesn't take long for the penny to drop.
1:34 looks to close to me
We were similar to the Fiesta that was following at 1:36. Nearly a car width!
@@ashley_neal must be camera's I trust you
Have a look at this ruclips.net/video/oxui0Uib0TI/видео.html
As a cyclist I’ve never expected a car to move lanes completely.
Frankly in the first clip nothing to do with the cammer; the car was just an absolute bloody idiot that should have his license revoked. And I don't ride a bike; I'm a van driver.
A couple of weeks back I had a car heading straight at me on my side of the road as they decided to overtake a cyclist and completely use the other side of the road insted of just passing the cycling giving them enough space(1.5 metres) I had to slam on my breaks to ovoid a head on, the thing was there was a cycle path next to the road that the cyclist chose not to use, it should be mandatory for them to use them if they are there in my opinion.
Ashamed to say in 20 odd years of driving, this hadn't occurred to me. Learned a new safety tip today, thanks Ash.
Glad to help
20 odd years of cycling, I also learned a safety tip today!! 2for1 Ash ☺
@@ashley_neal This video was great advice and really shows you are an excellent teacher, Ashley! Thank you.
And as I've just written above, I completely disagree with the thinking and explained in detail why.
I drive a HGV and straddling a lane was taught to me as 1. Allow enough " wobble room "
2. Act as a blocker to protect the cyclist . Still holds true today
William could not agree more. I only go fully into second lane if I have no following vehicles.
I cycle a lot (have eliplepsy, it's my only form of transport) and yeah I agree with this wholeheartedly, I rarely have issues with truck drivers or buses, it's usually the twunts on their way home at rush hour, scares the crap out of them when I catch up and they realise I'm 6'8" and rather pissed. On really narrow roads I often let things pass, it's safer for me tbh.
@@CobraElDiablo
letting things pass gives the cyclists control of their own safety. follow the highway code, let them pass.
@@CobraElDiablo It's all about mutual respect. Also I find a lot of drivers have no understanding of what it is like to cycle on a busy road.
You’re not alone with that thought. As much as cyclists would like you to give them some space when you overtake them, the recommended gap between your vehicle and the cyclist(s) only needs to be 2 metres tops. Depending on whether they’re the decent sort who go over to the left so the traffic can pass easily or the arrogant sort who plant themselves in the middle of the road for no blessed reason, you might even be able to give them that desirable 2 metre gap simply by straddling the lanes. I say this as a motorist who enjoys the occasional bike ride. Always helps seeing both sides of the coin.
The driver in the intro clip is a complete lunatic, I'm glad there were others clips to show a more "common" situation.
Road positionning is one of the most important clue you can give other people to show your intentions. Sometimes you can really shield a cyclist from dangerous situations.
Couldn't agree more. The villain of the piece was the Yaris (?) driver, who in any interpretation of the clip illegally overtook on the inside, and as the cyclist was there, did so dangerously. Absolute tool.
Yeah just because the cars going fast doesn't mean the drivers brain is.
I have to say that in the UK I find cyclists also forget this. In my driving lessons (in NL) positioning (especially in relation to cyclists) was a key part of driving lessons. Children get taught cycle positioning at about age 11. A very key one is actually to drive over the cycling lane if you are turning left (so the cyclist will not undertake you in your blind spot) - if you signal the cyclist should not be angry, just pass you on the right.
@@PauldeVrieze I see that but also, as a car driver, you shouldn't be passing a cyclist and then turning left in such a way that they will need to pass you before you complete the turn - drop in (across the lane if necessary) behind the cyclist and make your turn after they've passed the junction. This will prevent the cyclist having to make an unnecessary manoeuvre but also stops your vehicle from hiding the cyclist from any traffic waiting to turn into or out of the junction. The problem, as you point out, is that there is very little education in the UK on how to treat cyclists. While it's true that most adult cyclists are also drivers, it is not true that most drivers are cyclists or motorcyclists, so there is a huge disparity of understanding.
@@PedroConejo1939 This is not when you are just passing to turn left. This is more where you are already ahead of cyclists, and they may pass you. Most often this is because you have to wait for some reason (maybe a pedestrian crossing with priority). This technique is much more important for HGVs (which only an idiot passes on the inside corner)
Different scenarios require different actions and this is often due to experience . Couldn’t agree more . 👍
As both cyclist and driver, my preference would be "fully lane 2" in most circumstances; I get very fed up with the car drivers at the local business park where I work who make a very half-hearted attempt to enter (a completely empty) lane two, and barely cross the lane markings with their right-hand wheels.
However, I see your point. My suggestions would be:
1. It depends on various factors like lane width, vehicle size, and speed. If you're able to straddle the lanes such that the lane markings are just inside your passenger tyre, then I doubt you'd find any cyclist that would complain about that.
2. One other suggestion is that, as soon as you're half/two-thirds of the way into lane 2 (before you've reached the cyclist and are still moving right into lane 2), put your left indicator back on. That tells following traffic that you're going back again, and discourages them from undertaking.
I wonder if that car even saw the cyclist before he'd committed to that move.
Scaredest I ever been on a bike was on a quiet road: looked at a driver who was passing too close and saw a book propped up on his steering wheel.
Was it the Highway Code?
Nice advice, when cycling I'm happy if drivers give me a doors width, it doesn't have to be the entire lane.
If a driver takes that straddle position that give me that room, and saves me from an incident like that first clip, I'm happy.
I'm both a driver and cyclist (haven't ridden in 2 years though) and I almost always give about half a lane, but if I see an empty lane behind me and next to me, I move to lane 2, it takes me like 2 seconds to pass you and go back to lane 1, so why not?
Only when I'm cycling and the car passes close enough to throw me off balance with their air suction, am I really annoyed.
@@velianlodestone1249 Yeah. That's never good, I'm convinced that most have no idea how close they've come to causing an accident.
@@velianlodestone1249 which is why its absolutely ridiculous why Ashley seems to be supporting the HGV trying to straddle on that two lane road. The suction by a high sided vehicle is immense.
As a cyclist I can deal with an idiot like that yaris every once in a while, that doesn't mean I want driving instructors to be encouraging idiotic behaviour. It should be the exception that we have to put up with, not the rule they are promoting.