…who think that it’s acceptable to pass cyclists on A-roads without leaving your lane because there’s oncoming traffic? It’s bad enough when it happens on a quiet road at lower speeds, but I drove down the A59 yesterday and not a single vehicle (cars, HGVs, busses…) bothered to move across to pass the occasional bike that was using the road.

They just squeezed past at 50-70mph without bothering to even lift off a little bit.

If you think that this is acceptable – to be fair unlikely here – then you’re an ignorant, self-entitled, short-sighted, gammony ****.

Massage ends.

Massage ends.

Happy?

Yep, get this round me on the countryside A roads in and out of the Peak. I’ll do everything I can to stay off the tarmac for that very reason, it can very quickly turn a lovely ride in to a profanity strewn stress session.

ride primnary and you control who passes you when

Ride primary.. and still get people passing within inches because its just a cyclist

Primary plus on some bits of road.

Theory

ride primnary and you control who passes you when

Reality

Ride primary.. and still get people passing within inches because its just a cyclist

Primary works on narrow suburban roads. It doesn’t work IME on wider A roads.

I drove a bit of that road on holiday last year and it wouldn’t work on any of the stretches we used.

See also prats overtaking you blind just because you have a trailer and are waiting for a cyclist to go over a blind crest before overtaking and then nearly causing a head on. Idiots, idiots everywhere and not a legalised cull in sight.

Preaching to the converted here, I’d imagine most of us give cyclists due care. It’s persuading the non cyclists to walk in our spd’s.

ride primnary

The day I again begin riding primary on A roads in the UK is never. Haven’t done that for decades. A-roads when I was a kid/teen used to be my way to ride out of the choked urban conurbation. Rando/touring arterials. I’d do an easy relaxed century in a day out on the A458

Now they are simply death-traps.

ride primnary and you control who passes you when

Lovely thought, but in my experience…

Ride primary, and the **** still overtake you on a blind corner/crest, then pull in forcing you into the hedge, and in one case get out and punch you, then lie to the police, who do nothing cos they’re useless ****.

Any chance of getting cyclists to not do the same when passing walkers from behind? No bell, no warning, just whoosh about six inches away…

Common issue these days.

Try cut’n’pasting your post onto pistonheads and enjoy the spirited debate that follows…

Any chance of getting cyclists to not do the same when passing walkers from behind? No bell, no warning, just whoosh about six inches away…

Probably, any chance of “walkers” controlling their dogs, paying attention while spread in a group across a shared path or taking their effing headphones off so they can hear when I use my bell? I assume people wot use feet are a homogeneous group too, all prone to the exact same flaws… Right?

Its pretty scary when you slow down because it’s not safe to pass a person on a bike!

People beeping, tail gaiting and flashing. Even had one loon try and overtake both of us and become a hood ornament for a lorry.

Mind you I get similar reactions driving at or below the speed limit.

Any chance of getting cyclists to not do the same when passing walkers from behind? No bell, no warning, just whoosh about six inches away…

Not me. I always slow down, grunt hello, make my face approximate a smile and give plenty of room to walkers and dogs.

I ride primary on A roads.

But not doing it your compounding the issue that cyclists should be in the gutter .

But frankly you couldn’t pay me to ride on most English roads never mind the a roads.

I think theres a lot to be said about the way we’ve designed cycle infrastructure in the uk (or rather added it on as an afterthought) and the expectations they give drivers

The marking out of most cycle lanes (that aren’t separated from the main carriageway) implies that theres a space at the edge of the road for cyclists and that the rest of the road is for cars. Car drivers won’t feel like they have to leave ‘their lane’ to pass cyclists because cyclists aren’t in ‘their lane’ – their in their own lane (the gutter basically) whether that lane is marked on the road or not

ride primnary and you control who passes you when

If you ride Primary your tyres would never touch most cycle lanes

Any chance of getting cyclists to not do the same when passing walkers from behind? No bell, no warning, just whoosh about six inches away…

Are you from the Daily Fail?

More seriously shared use paths (and pavements) are an issue of sorts but there’s an order of magnitude difference between a <10mph closing speed and 100kg of bike and rider and a 50mph closing speed and 2tonnes of Range Rover. Even at the same closing speed the Range Rover is carrying 20x the kinetic energy of the cyclist. That energy increases with the square of speed. So the risk of a KSI between those two scenarios is massively different.

More seriously shared use paths (and pavements) are an issue of sorts but there’s an order of magnitude

That may be but both are massive bell ends and should be made to walk a mile in the others shoes for a bit .

That may be but both are massive bell ends and should be made to walk a mile in the others shoes for a bit .

That doesn’t work. I walk, drive and cycle. I’m not a bellend to others no matter which method of transport I happen to be using. If a bellend walked in my shoes it would still be a bellend. Albeit in ill-fitting shoes.

Bellends walking in other bellend’s shoes are (presumably) perfectly comfortable.

That doesn’t work. I walk and cycle. I’m not a bellend to others. If a bellend walked in my shoes it would still be a bellend. Albeit in ill-fitting shoes.

Not sure what your point is… Are you saying you buzz past people at speed expecting them to jump out your way on shared use paths ?

That’s not how I read p7eaven’s post.

Re. the bellends are bellends whatever their mode of transport, yesterday I was walking along Houndkirk Road. Two cyclists were approaching so I moved to one side of the track. Now Houndkirk is not exactly narrow is it? These two wanted to use the exact bit of track I was walking along. Why?

If only we had an under resourced Police force and something with a catchy name like Operation Close Pass to try and deal with it….

It comes down to better driver education, and proper enforcement when rules are broken.

And yes, I’ve ridden with a lot of people who rant about close passing drivers but do the cyclist equivalent around pedestrians and horses.

And lots of pedestrians can be bell ends as well.

There’s no excuse or defence for either. Slow down, be courteous, pass safely.

That’s not how I read p7eaven’s post.

That’s because it’s got an extra paragraph and an edit since I posted.

It comes down to better driver education, and proper enforcement when rules are broken.

A regular set of information adverts on TV, social media, press, etc. Like the old days of Green Cross Code and Clunk Click. Or “Look Petunia a sailing dinghy”.

Its pretty scary when you slow down because it’s not safe to pass a person on a bike!

People beeping, tail gaiting and flashing.

This has never happened to me 🤷🏻‍♂️ And sometimes I think I’m too cautious overtaking bikerists

This has never happened to me

Me either … But then loud noises and lights behind me don’t scare me. And if it protects the cyclist Infront from even one close pass -im ok with that.

Thinking I’ve had far more “abuse” and close passes (that is near head on collisions )for daring to drive my camper van over the last 5 years than I have in 25 years of cycling.

And seeing the abuse tractors get locally on the community Facebook groups is at times unreal.

If by riding primary you mean take up the first third of the lane, then yes, that’s the only way to make sure they treat you like another vehicle. That’s what I do. Always use running lights front and back too.

Until they plough into you and kill you of course.

Until they plough into you and kill you of course.

Let’s be honest here …that was happening even if you were in the gutter.

Simply for having the audacity to use “their” roads….sorry no I mean because they were not driving with due care and attention. Still see loads of drivers on their phones when out and about – especially in vehicles where the drivers think car drivers cant see them -most notably multi drop delivery vehicles (herpes/Amazon etc)

This has never happened to me 🤷🏻‍♂️ And sometimes I think I’m too cautious overtaking bikerists

I’ve been on the receiving end of it and it’s very unpleasant when the ****** doing it is in a 7.5tonne van a few feet from your bumper and your kids are in the back seat.

then loud noises and lights behind me don’t scare me.

It’s not the lights and the honking it’s the proximity to my car that bothers me.

It’s also an advertisement of a risk factor for them going round you, finding an oncoming vehicle you were cautious about and being shoved in the hedge when they swerve.

Had this in the New Forest last year. I could see the oncoming vehicle that the gesticulating, honking and shouty young lady in the car behind that was tailgating me could not along with the signed cross roads and what would have been to her blind crest into a right hander. She went round me and my trailer and she narrowly avoided causing a 60-70mph head on smash and cut up the cyclist I was waiting patiently behind. She carried on oblivious.

ride primnary

On the A59? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Will you be going for a jog down the middle lane of the M6 later too?

On the A59? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Well there in is another part of the issue. When even cyclists find it laughable.

The fact you are apparently a cyclist speaks volumes for the attitudes of the general traffic on our roads – and more so the poor quality infrastructure we have. A cursory Google of the a59 shows it to be home of some of the (Albeit self proclaimed) worst cycle paths in the UK….. Which does no one any favours. Entitled car drivers feel you should be using them. But they are often more dangerous than being part of traffic.

How ever the golden rule is if you don’t feel safe taking primary on a particular road. Find another route to your destination.

That’s not how I read p7eaven’s post.

That’s because it’s got an extra paragraph and an edit since I posted.

Yes sorry about that, must’ve cross-posted mid-edit. I’d noticed that it could be ambiguous, so attempted to clarify

the bellends are bellends whatever their mode of transport

True. Furthermore a true bellend cannot learn empathy. My Most Brexity Friend Forever (for instance) HATES cyclists. I mean really wants them off the road and is mentally enraged by their existence on roads even when he doesn’t see hardly any. But put him on a bike on the road and vulnerable, and all a ‘punishment pass’ would achieve would be that he still hates cyclists and they are in the way. Except for this One Special Bellend Exception, where he would see the passing driver as a justified fellow and yet also a bellend. Perfect parity with his own being.

Please don’t omit the cyclists that try to wave you past.
Especially when they haven’t looked behind to see that you are a loaded pickup/tractor with trailer following at a distance as they try to wave you past on a blind corner. It’s for their benefit I’m following until I can see a big enough space to regain speed and overtake.

The fools walk amongst all of us.

Preaching to the converted here, I’d imagine most of us give cyclists due care. It’s persuading the non cyclists to walk in our spd’s.

This.

Any chance of getting cyclists to not do the same when passing walkers from behind? No bell, no warning, just whoosh about six inches away…

Dicks will be dicks, regardless. I used to use a bell all the time when I rode, and I’d get walkers bitching at me for being rude! Others would stop dead, turn around and stare at me, as if I was some sort of bizarre alien species.
I’ve had walkers complaining about me riding too fast after I tried to squeeze past them and their herd of kids and pets having been behind them at walking speed for several minutes, then having to grab the brakes after one or the other walked straight in front of me.
As I said, dicks will be dicks.

I always try to find an alternative to using A roads especially two number A-roads. They’re just not safe for cyclists. Sad but true.

Round here it’s the middle aged men driving motor homes with the spatial awareness of your ninety year old granny that’s nearly done for me in recent weeks.
Think drivers just turn off to be honest. I blame vehicle designers for effectively turning cars into entertainment platforms. That’s what a bike is! (An entertainment platform.)

Well 51% of road cyclists appear to be knob heads… very twisty b road local to me 4 cyclists 2 abreast which is a big **** ing risk if a knob head over cooks a corner coming the other way. Anyway as i accelerate briskly past them for my safety as well as theirs one gives me the “hand gesture” so i stop put my hazards on and ask what the problem is? No coherent answer provided.

I must admit on local b roads my local cycle fraternity seem oblivious to on coning idiots.

Like many there I avoid A-roads if I can, but unfortunately between where I live and the N. Pennines some routes have stretches on the A68, which is truly horrible. Near my house is a B-road through a 30 zone where there is an island for pedestrians with restrictions (keep L/keep R) on both sides. I’ve become so annoyed with drivers who squeeze through between me and the island rather than waiting 10 sec until I’ve passed through that I now ride with a camera and send the footage to the police whenever it happens.

Well there in is another part of the issue. When even cyclists find it laughable.

The problem with a lot of the A59 (it’s a long road) is speed differential. It’s nice and flat but would you take primary on a road where the vehicle behind is closing at 60mph? It can be difficult enough to merge onto in a car especially when turning right. Cycle down the middle of that carriageway, they’ll be recovering you with a spatula.