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Am I in the wrong doing this?
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cubistFree Member
So my normal commute involves a shared use path 90% of the way with a small bit of road at either end. Today I took an alternate route which had a long stretch on a main road with a cycle lane marked on the left of the lane for the cars. The traffic was static, so I was cycling in the cycle lane up the inside watching for cars moving left to pull off the main road. When a car from the oncoming lane suddenly darted between the static cars right into my path. I managed to stop about 2 inches from the side of her passenger door (and this is where she managed to stop completely blocking the foot path, cycle lane and some of the main carriageway.
Now, obviously I would have lost any physical altercation with her car so I need to be more defensive and probably slow a little but I was scremaed at by the driver (who I guess was as shocked as me and probably dealt with it by getting deffensive) I should not be under taking cars. Is she right?
The highway code says
In congested conditions, where adjacent lanes of traffic are moving at similar speeds, traffic in left-hand lanes may sometimes be moving faster than traffic to the right. In these conditions you may keep up with the traffic in your lane even if this means passing traffic in the lane to your right. Do not weave in and out of lanes to overtake.
So I think I am in the right but its still going to hurt if I get hit..
brokenbanjoFull MemberYes you are in the right. She shouldn’t be cutting across lanes without giving way to the traffic in those lanes.
alwillisFull MemberI was once in almost exactly this situation in a London bus lane. Most of the traffic on the main road was stationary, and with a bus lane it’s very easy to pick up speed and forget about people turning right.
When someone pulled across me and I hit their rear left door, we agreed that we were both at fault and shook hands- I wasn’t particularly looking at traffic from that direction (assuming most cars weren’t going anywhere), and he was only looking for busses in the bus lane, not me doing 20mph down the middle of it.
I haven’t made the same mistake again though!
Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middling Edition
Latest Singletrack VideosFresh Goods Friday 696: The Middlin...nickjbFree MemberYou were in the right (but obviously would’ve come off far worse
Typical of our poor cycle infrastructure and poor standard of driving
scandal42Free MemberExactly, surely it’s no different to cutting across one car into another in the left hand lane?
People should try visualizing whether they would be in the wrong if the bike was a car.
SpeshpaulFull MemberYou were in a cycle lane, she attempted to cross that lane without giving way to the traffic using it.
You reacted quick enough to stop short of the point where you would have met, she didn’t, in fact she over shot it.
3 – Nil to you i’d say. Good work.
She probably doesn’t understand the difference between cycle lanes and “filtering”. Hence the aggression.
I hope she is somewhere having the same conversation, and getting the correct answers.trail_ratFree Memberbeen across the bonnet of a car doing this
would outcome in your favour – i was just glad i went over their bonnet and not them driven into me …. as they clearly were trying to rush it and accelerating hard to beat the traffic (oh and not looking – they darted out of a rat run left onto the road and immediately turned right without stopping. )
nickjbFree MemberI hope she is somewhere having the same conversation, and getting the correct answers
Bet she isn’t though. Bet she is being told about bloody cyclists who all jump red lights and don’t pay road tax. The poor love.
igmFull MemberShe’s jealous of your high speed low cost* fitness inducing transport.
*assuming your bike didn’t cost more than her car..,
jamesoFull MemberI should not be under taking cars. Is she right?
Yes in the ‘how to ride defensively’ sense, although I don’t think she’s correct by law. You may need to be there but it’s a ‘with a lot of care’ situation.
An oncoming driver turning right into space created at side-road junction often cannot see a rider approaching up the inside until it’s too late. They may look but the view is blocked. It may not be obvious there’s a bike lane there especially in queuing traffic. They may nip accross in order to not hold up the other lane of cars, not ideal but it happens all the time.
I’ve been hit by a car in that exact same situation, same as alwillis above, I was also in a ‘cycle lane’, and I wouldn’t put myself in the position where it could happen again, I’m really wary crossing t-junctions where cars may create a gap or flash a driver through not knowing I’m there. Undertaking on the left is simply a risky place to be and the number of accidents involving riders using bike lanes there in the ‘correct’ manner is one of the biggest issues in our traffic system imo. Left lanes and advance stop boxes for example – how to get taken out by a left-turning lorry.scandal42Free MemberI was cycling down your average residential street on Saturday, car waiting on the road to the right to come onto my road, she looked me square in the eye and proceeded to pull out on me to the point where I had to slam the anchors on to avoid going through her passenger window.
I was utterly gobsmacked.
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‘ ‘shaggyFull MemberI got hit by a car that did this, she got flashed through by stationary traffic. The driver was really apologetic and took full responsibility . The insurance money paid for our kitchen.
dknwhyFull MemberI won an insurance claim a few years ago on my motorbike filtering up the outside of stationary traffic. A car pulled from a car park on my left, through the stationary traffic and cut across my path.
Not identical to your situation but the basic argument was that I was entitled to make progress and the responsibility was with the driver was to ensure that the road was clear of hazards before proceeding, particularly paying attention to more vulnerable road users.cubistFree MemberI am always cautious at junctions and try to make eye contact with drivers waiting to pull out. However this was a car pulling on to a driveway.
toby1Full MemberBeats this morning’s fall out for me.
Car pulls out of a small carpark on the left of the road, not stupidly close in fornt of me had he accelerated, but he pulled out and did 5 to 8 mph, this left me half way along the side of his car waiting for him to accelerate, he still didn’t so I over took as it seemed like either he had a problem or was about to stop (an assumption on my part I understand).
I made the overtake and stayed out towards the middle of the road as we have 2 doubledecker schools buses that block that lane. Can now hear the car behind accelerate. Directly after the school buses is a mini roundabout, queue car driver overtaking me, albeit with plenty of clearance on the far side of the road and then the wrong way round the roundabout shaking his fist at me through a closed window mouthing something, as he drove off he cleared his rear windscreen, I just raised a hand and shrugged. Apparently I should have hit the brakes and stayed behind him.
I did catch him later so I gave him a salute (military style, not being rude honest) he still didn’t seem too happy.
It’s a real week for it as I nearly rearended a car that pulled out of a side road onto me on Monday morning too.
I must cover all of a 1 mile on roads which I share with traffic everyday, most of my commute is car free, thankfully!
tomdFree MemberYeah you were in the right but as others have said it’s a risky thing to do as invariably cars will turn across without looking properly.
I pass through a junction every day (Geogre IV Bridge / Royal mile for Edinburgers) where the traffic normally queues up but there is loads of space to filter along the left. Except that the oncoming traffic turning right just boots it through gaps in the traffic. It’s very dangerous, I just assume someone will do it every time I cross that junction and try and tailgate something solid like a bus for protection.
MoreCashThanDashFull MemberI use a small blinky light on my helmet when commuting in the hope that it can be seen above any cars in such a situation. I’ve not been hit yet, which I suspect is pure dumb luck rather than the light.
timidwheelerFree MemberNot your fault.
If she couldn’t see you, then presumably she wouldn’t have been able to see any kids walking along the pavement either.richmtbFull MemberNot your fault.
Your in a designated cycle lane so you aren’t just filtering up the gutter.
If the person was pulling into a drive way than presumably they live there and are familiar with the road, therefore they should be aware of the cycle lane and adjust their driving accordingly.
On the plus side you now know where she lives so go back tonight and wee in her shoes.
hairylegsFree MemberI’m a qualified Police driver and agree with everything said so far regarding you riding correctly and the driver being in the wrong. Unfortunately it’s an all too common tale of lack of knowledge/correct observation on the part of motorists but that doesn’t help you when confronted with a tonne of steel!
I have a very similar issue in that I don’t cycle on cycle paths shared with pedestrians which are separate from the main road that cross a lot of side streets as traffic turning into them is nearly always oblivious to you crossing. Rule 170 of the Highway Code states “watch out for pedestrians crossing a road into which you are turning. If they have started to cross they have priority, so give way”
My interpretation of that is that on a cycle path shared with pedestrians, unless there are give way lines on the cycle path as it crosses a side street, then cyclists are afforded the same priority as a pedestrian.
But in reality, that isn’t going to help you when you’re average motorist nonchalantly steers across your path.
Best advice is always ride defensively and be alert to potentially danger points. The scary thought is, as I think someone has already said, imagine the consequences of that driver’s action if it wasn’t a cyclist who was quick enough to react, but children walking on the pavement.
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