Dangerous/stupid driving near cyclists

Strider590

spadoosh wrote: »

Please inform your observations to the 2 cyclists (seemed fairly profesional, all the gear though no idea!!) I sat behind for 20 minutes because they felt the need to have a discussion in the middle of the road during rush hour (side by side making it impossible for anyone to pass)..... not cool!

In rush hour surely they'd be going faster than the queues?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8t3tAlBl4I

Lum

thelawnet wrote: »

I'm not quite sure what they mean here.

Either: imagine the bike in front of you was as wide as a car - where would you overtake.

OR
leave as much distance between your left wheel and the bike as you would between your left wheel and the right wheel of a car.

I've generally taken it to mean the second one. I would really love to be proven wrong on this however, will make it much easier to overtake them when they ride in bunches.

Strider590

This guy found an ingenious way to cope with cyclists............

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZHathcQR8k

Bongles

thelawnet wrote: »

I'm not quite sure what they mean here.

Either: imagine the bike in front of you was as wide as a car - where would you overtake.

OR
leave as much distance between your left wheel and the bike as you would between your left wheel and the right wheel of a car.

I know what you mean. Logically, "give them at least as much space as you would a car" matches your second suggestion, not your first. But I think from the picture in the Highway Code your first suggestion is what they are getting at. It's sloppy wording in the Highway Code in my opinion.

thelawnet

Lum wrote: »

Optimum speed for fuel consumption is generally between 40 and 60 depending on the vehicle, and given that we're talking about vehicles that get around 8mpg on a good smooth constant speed run, I'm sure that the cost of being stuck behind a cyclist is significant.

Hmm, well it's not 60.

I found this:

'Accelerating a machine weighing 40 tonnes to 60 km/h consumes 0.5 l diesel.'

So accelerating past a cyclist only to brake at roundabout is not cheap.

I don't think they quote below 60kph (37mph), but:
https://www.freightbestpractice.org.uk/fuel-efficient-drivers-handbook
says
37mph = 15.2mpg, 50mph = 9.5mpg, 56mph = 7.4mph

If you are going to be stuck behind a bike for miles, then it might just make sense to go past, but when you are turning right onto the A3, a multilane road in only a few hundred yards, there's just no point.

Lum

I'll take your word for it on the figures, but the real killer is the constant speed changes, but ok yes if you're that close to a DC it's somewhat silly, yes.

LisaB1970

Lum wrote: »

I find that once you get 4 or more cyclists in the same place they tend to ignore the rules anyway and ride in a massive blob shaped swarm that you have little hope of passing safely.

Ohhhhhh this REALLY annoys me. We have a LOT of cyclists where i live and they ride around in swarms of 10-20, all clad in lycra.
They weave all over the road, ride 3 and 4 abreast and are a real bloody hazard. On top of that when you stop at lights, they swarm in front of the car, then you have to wait an age while they all set off! They don't keep up with the flow of traffic and just seem to do what the hell they like! I've seen more than my fair share of near misses involving this lot!

anotherbaldrick

LisaB1970 wrote: »

Ohhhhhh this REALLY annoys me. We have a LOT of cyclists where i live and they ride around in swarms of 10-20, all clad in lycra.
They weave all over the road, ride 3 and 4 abreast and are a real bloody hazard. On top of that when you stop at lights, they swarm in front of the car, then you have to wait an age while they all set off! They don't keep up with the flow of traffic and just seem to do what the hell they like! I've seen more than my fair share of near misses involving this lot!

I think cars should be fitted with giant fly swats hinged on the bonnet, round here you could probably splat a small pelaton with one zap !!!

Ps I am led to believe that the collective noun for a group of cyclists is a BONK.

Actually the big problem at the moment is cyclists coming from all around to ride the 2012 Olympic circuit on the roads around Box Hill. It has prompted the Police warn them to behave and obey the rules of the road. Some chance.