Priority on Narrow Lanes - Car or Bike?
juggler
Posts: 262
Showing my ignorance of the highway code, but when cycling towards an on coming car in a narrow lane, is there anything in the highway code about who should be slowing down or stopping to let the other through?
Quite often the gap between the car and the hedge/ditch can be pretty narrow and mostly both me and the car slow down and pass without incident, but sometimes it can be a bit tight especially if the driver doesn;t slow down too much...
Quite often the gap between the car and the hedge/ditch can be pretty narrow and mostly both me and the car slow down and pass without incident, but sometimes it can be a bit tight especially if the driver doesn;t slow down too much...
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reason there - me and half a ton of metal - no contest :? try not to take risks, but try to avoid stopping and unclipping if i can.0
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I read somewhere on here a while ago another cyclist's post that they always put in a precautionary wobble when they see a car approaching along a narrow road, with the intention of helping the driver remember that we are vulnerable (and also that they don't want their lovely car scratched by us falling off!)
I also try to ride slightly further out in the middle of the road when I see a car approaching along a narrow lane; when it gets close, I'll then move over and give it more space. I've found that if I don't create enough of an obstacle in advance to help the driver think about how they will pass, then they will often approach too fast.
Oh and-
If in doubt, as the previous posters have said, I'll always get out of the way!
I'll always try and thank them afterwards....got to do my thing to help build up a positive image of cyclists!
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if i see a car approachin i tend to sit up if not stand and move into the middle to make myself visible.0
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That is what passing places are for on narrow roads. I guess it depands on who reaches the next passing place first. When a couple of mates and I road Bealach na Ba last April, I was pleasantly surprised that most cars coming down the hill stopped at a suitable passing place for us to pass, even though we we going at a snails pace.I have only two things to say to that; Bo***cks0
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I think this is an interesting question because I reckon it's the situation that I find the most threatening to me as a cyclist most often (I guess that shows how much time I spend in narrow lanes, which maybe shows I'm very lucky to be away from urban areas).
I completely agree with Topcattim about putting yourself further into the middle of the road to make them think they've got to slow down. Nevertheless there's a shocking number of drivers who seem to think it's perfectly OK to carry on at 30mph+ down a narrow lane, leaving probably less than a metre of gap for a cyclist between their oil-mobile and the broken-up road edge or muddy verge. I'm incredulous at the lack of imagination these people have about what it's like to come so close, head-on, to a car travelling at that speed. All it would take would be a nasty pot-hole in that verge...........
And considerate drivers always get a big friendly wave and thankyou from me - I think that horse riders do themselves a huge favour in this respect. It seems very obvious to me that ALL young horse riders have it drilled into them to thank considerate drivers - it just goes without saying that all horse riders acknowledge you if you pass slowly. It seems to me from my limited perspective that they do get better consideration from drivers than cyclists as a result.
Maybe for us cyclists it should be more of an unwritten rule that we ALWAYS acknowledge consideration towards us?
Ruth0 -
Yep, what Ruth and topcattim say.
I do as topcattim says and make myself wider as I approach, because I think if you lurk in the gutter you're making a nice big inviting gap for them to drive through, whereas if you're in the middle of the road then they realise that you both have to give way and find a way slowly past each other.
I might not have a spare hand to acknowledge them as Ruth suggests (if it's that narrow, I might be too busy steering !), but a big nod and smile should do the trick.
I do find though that in my country lanes the majority of drivers do slow down when coming head-on on narrow roads/lanes
- totally different behaviour/mentality to in towns where there's a parked car (on their side of the road !!!) which narrows the road in exactly the same sort of way but they'll pull-out past it and try to force you out of the way :x0 -
I ride along narrow lanes a lot, so this happens to me quite frequently, and how I deal with it depends on the situation. If I want to "claim the road", I generally sit up taller, move out almost to the middle of the road, and try to make eye contact with the driver to make it clear I'm coming through. If I'm planning to give way, I hold back, tuck in a bit, and make it pretty clear what I'm intending to do. Drivers usually understand!
If I'm going uphill, or I'm on the flat and I'm obviously going to reach the narrow stretch first, I always try to claim the road. Going downhill, or if the other vehicle is going to get there first, I'll give way. Generally, I never put a foot on the ground if I can avoid it, but if it's a big vehicle, I try to help them out as much as possible. (I drive buses, and I know how frightening it is trying to manoeuvre a 10 ton bus round a tiny, vulnerable cyclist who isn't making life easy for you.)0 -
the rule is if its a 4 x 4 then they are always the most important vehicle on the road. this is especially true of a dark blue BMW 5 that prowles near us who i am given to understand has priority over ever road user this side of maidstone.0
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I work on the following principle: You have right of way on your side of the road so divide the road in half down the middle. If you are on your side of the road and the oncoming vehicle needs to use your side of the road then they should give way. Where necessary therefore I move out near to the centre of the road forcing oncoming traffic to give way or at least slow down.
This is a very similar situation to right of way around a parked car, the car which has to move out into the other side of the road has to give way. I would guess that this is in the highway code.
Unfortunately many drivers seem to think that the biggest fastest moving vehicle has right of way and that cyclists should scuttle out of their way like frightened rabbits.
Even if you have right of way, be reasonable and always smile an wave at considerate drivers.`0 -
I have a particular bugbear about this. There is a long toll bridge just outside Bath. It is just wide enough for one car, a car and bike can't pass safely. There is a raised footpath which I won't use, and the kerb of which is too high to escape to it. The toll guy clears me to go, and once on the bridge invariably a car will leave the give way point at the other end of the bridge having seen me in the middle of the road. They arrogantly expect me to get off the road. Often it ends in an unpleasant slanging match with the car not budging and me having to get off the bike and push it on the pavement - Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!0
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Yes I've had that alpha, a long narrow bridge across a river, only wide enough for one.
No lights or anything to control traffic, just down to you.
If there was another car on it coming the other way, cars were waiting for it to cross and then going; if one on it going the same way, dart across behind it. This could of course mean that if there were several coming the other way, you'd get stuck and have to wait for all of them to come by.
There was no-one on it when I started across on the bike, but part-way across some twunt in a car appears and starts driving across towards me - he wouldn't have done that if I were in the car, obviously wouldn't get past so he'd have waited, but I'm on a bike and hence must 'dematerialise' out of his way ?!?!
I stopped and put one foot down, made him stop, gave him a long stare, shook my head and then went onto the footpath so we could pass each other. He just looked at me like he didn't understand.0 -
Bloody annoying!0
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I know the toll bridge outside Bath. I'd use the pavement from the outset if there was no pedestrian on it. Why hold things up unnecessarily?__________________
......heading for the box, but not too soon I hope!0 -
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I'm not keen on using pavements (well, I never do it unless cycling is explicitly permitted), and really I don't see why I should, and I don't like the inference that I might be holding things up, its not all about the car.grayo59 wrote:I know the toll bridge outside Bath. I'd use the pavement from the outset if there was no pedestrian on it. Why hold things up unnecessarily?
I think the car drivers are holding things up unnecessarily by ignoring the give way and proceeding across the bridge when it isn't clear.0 -
A car would give way to a car, lorry, motorbike, etc coming the other way, so why should it not give way to a cyclist ?
How is the cyclist 'holding things up' ?
- by being in the road ??? Are you serious ???
NB a pavement is for pedestrian use only.0 -
Normally I would agree with the majority view here, but knowing the bridge and how very congested it gets at peak times I would happily use the pavement if there were no peds about.
In the same way as when I cross the road I don't always press the pedestrian crossing button if I can cross anyway without endangering myself or holding up traffic.__________________
......heading for the box, but not too soon I hope!0 -
The cyclist definately takes priority over the car no matter how much the driver thinks it's the reverse.
The highway code is on the side of the pedestrian/cyclist in nearly all cases.
Does anyone really think if a case went to court a judge would say 'you're right to kill that pesky cyclist driver as you have paid your road tax?
A driver MUST give way! End of story.0
