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I think many feel the pressure to rush everywhere, such tight timetables of work, school, life. Constantly running late
Indeed, I await the member of this very place who justifies such behaviour around schools because he's 'time poor'.
Knowing a lot of schools I wouldn’t be surprised if they mainly said “don’t forget to wear a polystyrene hat”.
100%. If there's one thing to stop kids wanting to cycle to school, its a school mandated helmet. What do you do with it all day (currently OK as Dad escorts them, I'm thinking more secondary school).
I agree with this, but what interests me more is why a driver makes the decision to squeeze past a cyclist, particularly a child.
I do think that the vast majority of drivers haven’t been cycling on a road in many years. They just don’t relate to the activity.
Some drivers will have genuinely no idea that a close squeeze is an issue. I mean they didn't hit you so what's the problem?
Get the school to publish this:
On the TDF rest day program yestarday there was a quick interlude from Chris Boardman about the uptake of cycling in lockdown, LTN's and cycling in the UK going forward. There were many shots of him cycling around local roads etc not wearing a helmet, clearly done on purpose.
The more we chip away at the fallacy that helmets and hi-vis are the best way to save lives the better.
Some drivers will have genuinely no idea that a close squeeze is an issue.
Agreed, although I don't think that's what happened in this particular case. I think she started to overtake because Must Overtake Bike. By the time she was alongside me I think she realised the problem, but it still didn't occur to her that backing off and tucking back in was the safer solution.
Although if drivers had it drilled into them that you overtake on the other side of the road, it's possible she wouldn't have tried in the first place.
I've ridden on the roads with my kids for a number of years and one thing which I no longer do is wave a car passed.
If i'm riding further out in a protective position, i'll pull in a bit when i belive its safe for them to pass ( more like single file, than 1.5 width ) - but i dont wave them past... its their call if they want to pass or not and if they can see safely.
Knowing a lot of schools I wouldn’t be surprised if they mainly said “don’t forget to wear a polystyrene hat”.
But the point is, you won't know unless you ask them to act. I can only speak for our school but they are actually really good at communicating with parents, calling out selfish behaviour and coming up with solutions.
So in the OP's position I would prepare something that they could drop into comms easily then have a meeting with the head to discuss. Maybe their head is rubbish and doesn't take the care of pupils seriously enough, but IIRC the safety of pupils on their journey to school is a part of their remit and responsibility. Am I wrong?
I’ve ridden on the roads with my kids for a number of years and one thing which I no longer do is wave a car passed.
I agree. Sometimes when driving I've followed a cyclist who has waved me past when there's zero chance they could see for a safe distance down the road. It's very tempting to take the wave as a green flag rather than engaging your brain to decide whether it's actually clear/safe or not, especially if you're at the head of a queue of traffic.
Anyway. What a nightmare for you, OP. My kids are too small to cycle to school currently, and luckily school is close enough that it's probably quicker walking. I'm not sure if I'd be brave enough to cycle them on the road to school: although it's mostly quiet, there's a very busy main road to cross, and then the dodgems up near school to contend with.
Although if drivers had it drilled into them that you overtake on the other side of the road, it’s possible she wouldn’t have tried in the first place.
This.
Sometimes when driving I’ve followed a cyclist who has waved me past when there’s zero chance they could see for a safe distance down the road.
I had that recently. Held back through a series of blind bends, ignoring the waves and waiting for a safe opportunity (and was right to do so as, lo and behold, one or two vehicles appeared).
In the end the guy on the bike pulled over and shouted through my window some sort of suggestion that I should learn to drive. Regrettably I gave him the bird as I drove past (regrettable partly because that’s not normally how I roll, but also because he probably though I was miffed at being held up rather than because I thought his opinion was ****).
I mean, I know how uncomfortable it is to be plodding along with drivers plodding behind, but at the end of the day it’s better than having a head-on crash unfold alongside you.
I never wave anyone past. If they can see, they don’t need me to; if they can’t, they shouldn’t be trusting someone else’s judgement anyway.
The only waving I do is a ****er sign after the driver has close passed or overtake on a blind bend.
Some of them even see my wave and stop for a chat about it.
About every other ride someone will overtake me either on the corner or in the short stretch before the next corner
then riding wide has done its job - no car coming the other way, plenty of room for y9ou to dive out of the way. A close pass is when they squueze past when a car is coming the other way
I think she started to overtake because Must Overtake Bike.
I think a lot of drivers feel imaginary peer pressure from the drivers following them to get the overtake done quickly and not hold anyone up.
Teaching my two to drive at the moment, and regularly have to tell them not to change their safe driving to accommodate the asshole tailgating them.
Most of my rides involves a series of s bends a couple of miles from my house. Narrow country road, no pavement, 2 blind bends with a 20 metre straight between them.
Sounds familiar. I have lost count of the number of drivers around here who can magically see through drystone walls and hedges when planning their overtakes.
I used to ride everywhere with the kids, progressed from trailer to tag along to own bikes to them now riding solo.
I can honestly count the number of close passes or incidents on one hand. Not sure if we have just been lucky but the vast majority of drivers round here are very good, especially when they see kids around
ride on the road with my 4-year old sometimes (very quiet roads through the village). In those instances I ride in an extremely defensive position, just behind but out far enough to be alongside him. That way if he decides to swerve, he’ll clatter me rather than any traffic, and there is no way of a car getting through.
This was absolutely my approach
I think a lot of drivers feel imaginary peer pressure from the drivers following them to get the overtake done quickly and not hold anyone up.
You can’t pass your test without fulfilling this criterion. You’re conditioned to having a queue of drivers behind while your instructor tells you to “make progress” because the test demands it. Anecdotally I know at least one person who failed their test for being cautious; whereas I passed mine with several “minor” points relating to things like approaching junctions too fast.
If I’m second in line behind someone on a bike I leave a big gap to try and make it clear I’m not expecting the driver in front to rush it.
If I’m second in line behind someone on a bike I leave a big gap to try and make it clear I’m not expecting the driver in front to rush it.
Me too. Nudge psychology at its finest. Meanwhile the bloke behind me is blowing steam out of his ears because I've left a gap and made the queue untidy.
I mean, I know how uncomfortable it is to be plodding along with drivers plodding behind, but at the end of the day it’s better than having a head-on crash unfold alongside you.
Aye, true enough. Recently heading up Snake Pass I was waiting behind a cyclist who was grinding his way up the hill. The section of road we were on was twisty and fairly narrow, so this continued for some time. I got a right dirty look from him when I finally overtook, but I'm not sure what he would have wanted otherwise, unless perhaps for me not to have been there 🙂
I’m not sure what he would have wanted otherwise, unless perhaps for me not to have been there
Nail hit on head there, other road users are a nuisance.
then riding wide has done its job – no car coming the other way, plenty of room for y9ou to dive out of the way. A close pass is when they squueze past when a car is coming the other way
Guess I wasn't clear.
I am riding very wide to stop them overtaking me (sometimes because I can hear a car coming) and the fact they still overtake anyway means riding wide has had no effect. They are also close passing as they are squeezing by as the roads are narrow.
A close pass is when they squueze past when a car is coming the other way#
Duh, so it's not a close pass if they pass close but there's nothing coming the other way?? Jeez
I had a close pass this morning, round a blind bend - no kids involved though, so that's fine 😉
then it went into a drive "like, literally" 50 yards up the road so I followed it in. SUggested to the lady driving that her overtake wasn't very safe. She said "no, it wasn't and I apologise" I was a bit taken aback by the lack of defensive blustering abuse that I didn't respond and that seemed to make her fill the silence "I didn't see there was a car coming ... but then it was round a bend wasn't it? Sorry"
Apparently some tiny glimmer of hope for mankind there 🙂
You can’t pass your test without fulfilling this criterion. You’re conditioned to having a queue of drivers behind while your instructor tells you to “make progress” because the test demands it. Anecdotally I know at least one person who failed their test for being cautious; whereas I passed mine with several “minor” points relating to things like approaching junctions too fast.
That's not what "making progress" means at all. If you make a dangerous overtake on a test you will fail. The point is that you overtake if and when it is safe and sensible to do so. Otherwise you get the conga line following the old duffer doing 35 in a national.
If you make a dangerous overtake on a test you will fail.
Yes, and I didn’t say otherwise: I didn’t say you get taught to make reckless manoeuvres, my point was that you get conditioned to drive in a way that avoids holding other people up, including seeing the speed limit as the default “correct” speed in decent conditions. And this sense of needing to not hold people up inevitably influences decisions to the point where people reduce their safety margins out of a sense of (perceived or real) pressure. But this conditioning doesn’t really account for the logical inevitability that the people behind you will simply have a different (and higher) view to yours as to what is an appropriate speed. As your final remark neatly demonstrates.