The couple of people in the cycling club I ride with who stop in the middle of the road at junctions

Sounds like exactly the right thing to be doing tbh.

I meant whilst waiting for the rest of the group to catch up, thus blocking the junction for other road users (rather than stopping at the side of the road in single-file).

Road Captains !

seen yesterday in Sheffield:

a cyclist, riding down a busy pavement, not-quite in control.

yes, it was a policeman, on a ‘police bike’.

Well if he’s not quite in control then he probably shouldn’t be on the road either 🙂

I believe the police guidance suggests that officers turn a blind eye to cyclists on the pavement if they are clearly inexperienced and/or the road is unsuitable for them.

Didn’t realise this extended to their own officers though 😆

Would have been a sight if he decided to try and make a run (or cycle) for it – two police on horseback galloping after him……..

I saw two mounted police chasing a car on Glasgow:

Charging Police Horses by Ben Cooper, on Flickr

They got him too 😉

Awesome.

Are mounted officers required to shout “Nee-Naw Nee-Naw” when in pursuit?
And where do they stick the blue lights on the horses??

Are mounted officers required to shout “Nee-Naw Nee-Naw” when in pursuit?

Neigh.

Interesting scoring system. Some MAMILs who could have scratched some paintwork versus an inattentive professional driver who could have killed someone.

Interesting that you think I was more concerned that someone might get a scratched car than my actual concern which was that a MAMIL doing 30mph would hit a car doing maybe 20mph and kill himself.

At 30mph they would no way hear a car coming towards them due to the wind in the ears – I ride that road the other way in the mornings going to work and that corner is blind and you hear nothing.

With the HC thing about giving a bike as much space as you would a car, does that mean that you should pretend the bike is as wide as a car, or that if you would pass a car with say 80cm between you then you should give a bike 80cm of room as well? Not arguing either way, just curious as it seems ambiguous.

The HC does come with pictures to help you with stuff like that. If you bothered to read the whole thread it might help…

I agree that the HC text is ambiguous, especially as the supporting picture is quite clear. It seems almost to be written to give drivers a defence.

Bloody cyclists: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/sheppey-crossing-crash-kent-pileup–involving-up-to-100-vehicles–leaves-more-than-200-hurt-8799266.html

The HC does come with pictures to help you with stuff like that. If you bothered to read the whole thread it might help…

I find the picture confusing as well tbh. If there were 2 cyclists in that picture (or another car) then overtaking on that road would be impossible without the offside wheels being on the grass verge.

So has anyone else experienced an on the spot fine for misdemeanours on a bike? Seems to be an increasing trend in Portsmouth!

Portsmouth Local

On a charity ride last Sunday..

We were funnelled onto a cycle path from a roundabout.. Guy on beach cruiser / fat tyre style bike cuts across me at last second. I manage to avoid him and suggest he might look before making any sudden moves..

He replies “I’m just trying to enjoy the ride”

When I mentioned that my enjoyment of the same ride could be curtailed by getting knocked off by someone else’s last second swerves he apologised: for not having eyes in his arse!

Wasn’t quite sure how to respond to his Stephen Fry like wit so just rode away from him

Earlier in the summer i saw what i thought was UTTER STUPIDITY….

Riding through the centre of town, on the main road, a mother, riding with a tag on + child. OK, not a problem usually!, except that she had a dog attached to her h.bars 😯

Not a small dog either !!!!

Shook head in dissbeliefe 🙄

Cycling with kids and dogs, eh? They have a word for that in Holland: “Cycling”

Christ she’s not even wearing a helmet! And neither is the dog! And where’s her high viz??

I can only assume that seconds after this photo was taken they were both horribly killed. 😉

Nope I’ll tell you what happened !

Some one saw her ! Thought how disgustingly perverse her none helmet wearing nonchalance was and the fact that she wore a cap was making a mockery of the whole affair !

They daren’t say anything to her for fear of confrontation but then went home logged onto their favoured cycling site “tuliptyrebashers” and tried to disgrace her because she dared not conform !

Highway Code says give bikes as much space as you would a car, but hardly anybody actually does that… But often, if there’s not space to pass 2 bikes side by side, then there’s not space to safely pass one bike.

And Rule 66 states that you should only ride in single file on narrow roads.

It’s called manners, something which 90% of the population seem to be sadly lacking these days.

Yesterday coming back from Brighton to Lewes on A27 kept pace with a cyclist in front who was going a good speed. Didn’t get too close and didn’t have an 11th gear to overtake. Caught him going uphill and he waved me on which I thought was pretty cool and said so.

When I got into Lewes and traffic there was a bike cop who I cycled past and before stopping at a red light. The earlier cyclist then sails by me and through the red light. I turn back to look at the cop and shrug. Catch up with the cyclist and overtake and at the next traffic stop he swoops past me again and this time onto the pavement. Turn back to look at the cop and smile, and he takes off and collars the guy. I know this shouldn’t give me any satisfaction but when you ignore all the rules other road users follow you increase my chances of being taken out by some driver that sees you and thinks all cyclists are scum.

It’s called manners, something which 90% of the population seem to be sadly lacking these days.

Yep and both need some, if you can’t pass 2 bikes safely then you can’t pass 1. It’s actually true it’s not about manners really it’s about not getting killed. As this is the idiot cyclist thread it boils my piss watching the hide in the gutter brigade cowering away from any kind of traffic putting themselves in the situation where they are going to get wiped out. Was out with a group when 1 told me that we were going to ride single file (in a line of 8 ) to let the cars pass easily with a series of road narrowing traffic islands comin up 🙄

…road narrowing traffic islands…

or ‘widow-makers’ – to use their technical name.

And Rule 66 states that you should only ride in single file on narrow roads.
It’s called manners, something which 90% of the population seem to be sadly lacking these days.

If the choice is between “manners” and my safety then I’ll choose my safety every time. Sorry if that seems selfish.

If riding single file means that cars can get by us safely (e.g. where the lane is wide enough for a car and a bike and clearance) then yeah, obviously I’ll ride single file. That is good manners – plus I’d rather not have an irate driver behind me.

But Rule 66 is wrong. It is daft to suggest a blanket rule that you should always move into single file on all narrow roads, or whenever a car is behind you, regardless of road hazards and conditions. The overriding golden rule, especially for vulnerable road users, should be “Avoid doing anything that makes a situation more dangerous”

Plus as others have pointed out, if a motorist intends to pass you safely, in accordance with the Highway Code, then moving into single file makes his role much harder – how is that good manners?