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Undercover police cyclists
Comments
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What does trouble me is the 0.75 metres shown as distance from the kerb. in many circumstances this is not a bad shout, as it clears gully covers and the like, but there are circumstances when a more assertive position is safer.
This police action has generated a lot of discussion about safe passing distances (I'm pleased it has, and suspect that was the real intention), but there are people that will take that as 'cyclists must not cycle further than 0.75m from the kerb.0 -
What does trouble me is the 0.75 metres shown as distance from the kerb. in many circumstances this is not a bad shout, as it clears gully covers and the like, but there are circumstances when a more assertive position is safer.
This police action has generated a lot of discussion about safe passing distances (I'm pleased it has, and suspect that was the real intention), but there are people that will take that as 'cyclists must not cycle further than 0.75m from the kerb.
I tend to, on commutes, sit less than that (about 30cm or so) while minding pot holes as the roads are not really that wide and I'd rather have someone impatient/aggressive able to pass me and leave a metre than get them annoyed and then they zoom past leaving 50cm or less (there are, realistically, not enough police to catch even 1 in 1,000,000 cars passing bikes)
I will move out a metre or so when approaching narrow things like a pedestrian crossing in the middle to stop them trying to pass then but I also move left if there is parking or similar to let cars passSam Vimes' Boots Theory of Socioeconomic Unfairness:
People are rich because they spend less money. A poor man buys $10 boots that last a season or two before he's walking in wet shoes and has to buy another pair. A rich man buys $50 boots that are made better and give him 10 years of dry feet. The poor man has spent $100 over those 10 years and still has wet feet.
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I tend to, on commutes, sit less than that (about 30cm or so) while minding pot holes as the roads are not really that wide and I'd rather have someone impatient/aggressive able to pass me and leave a metre than get them annoyed and then they zoom past leaving 50cm or less (there are, realistically, not enough police to catch even 1 in 1,000,000 cars passing bikes)
I will move out a metre or so when approaching narrow things like a pedestrian crossing in the middle to stop them trying to pass then but I also move left if there is parking or similar to let cars pass
Hugging the curb only a foot away is about the worst thing you can do if you don't like close aggressive overtaking. Unless the road is very wide it's best to be far enough out so that people wait for a gap in oncoming traffic rather than squeeze through.0 -
The cyclists is in the secondary position so allowing overtakes. While the police are explaining safe passing distances to drivers it would be good if they took the opportunity to explain the primary position to them.What does trouble me is the 0.75 metres shown as distance from the kerb. in many circumstances this is not a bad shout, as it clears gully covers and the like, but there are circumstances when a more assertive position is safer.
This police action has generated a lot of discussion about safe passing distances (I'm pleased it has, and suspect that was the real intention), but there are people that will take that as 'cyclists must not cycle further than 0.75m from the kerb.0 -
Hugging the curb only a foot away is about the worst thing you can do if you don't like close aggressive overtaking. Unless the road is very wide it's best to be far enough out so that people wait for a gap in oncoming traffic rather than squeeze through.
Unlike some militant cyclists, I believe in sharing the road and not holding people up while I roll up a hill at 10mph. Sitting 1m out and holding traffic up on a road that is wide enough for them to pass me safely if I am 50cm to the left is just not in my nature. I'd rather have the cars ahead of me than right on my back wheel looking for a gap and rather have traffic flowing so people can get to work than have them wound up about cyclists holding them up.Sam Vimes' Boots Theory of Socioeconomic Unfairness:
People are rich because they spend less money. A poor man buys $10 boots that last a season or two before he's walking in wet shoes and has to buy another pair. A rich man buys $50 boots that are made better and give him 10 years of dry feet. The poor man has spent $100 over those 10 years and still has wet feet.
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The so-called secondary position is where they should normally be, so it's more of a primary position.
Me, when overtaking a cyclist, I always think if they have a wobble would they scratch my car?0 -
Thats a good way of thinking about it. Add to that the possibility of blood splashes on your car and the hours you would waste dealing the ambulance and police. Then you may need to convince the police that everyone else is wrong about primary and secondary positions and the keep left rule actually means cyclists should keep left so motorists can overtake them. If you were found to be at fault you might have to go to court and after all that your insurance would cost more so its probably very wise of you to give them plenty of room for whatever reason you choose.Me, when overtaking a cyclist, I always think if they have a wobble would they scratch my car?0 -
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Unlike some militant cyclists, I believe in sharing the road and not holding people up while I roll up a hill at 10mph. Sitting 1m out and holding traffic up on a road that is wide enough for them to pass me safely if I am 50cm to the left is just not in my nature. I'd rather have the cars ahead of me than right on my back wheel looking for a gap and rather have traffic flowing so people can get to work than have them wound up about cyclists holding them up.
Road position depends on the road surface condition, your confidence, your speed, the road type, the speed differential, the weather, visibility and many other factors. It's often hard to be prescriptive about what you do and what you should do on a forum, but as long as you're thinking about 1) Your safety and 2) Road user courtesy in that order, then you should be right.Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.0 -
No. At every moment the assertive cyclist should be asking "Is there any reason why I should not be in the primary position?" If there is no good reason, then primary is the default.The so-called secondary position is where they should normally be, so it's more of a primary position.
...which should tell even a small child that cyclists need sufficient safety space.Me, when overtaking a cyclist, I always think if they have a wobble would they scratch my car?
Listen to Chris Boardman on the subject. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9pmw2ckQSUMake everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.0
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