Undertaking cars, illegal

graham_g

Lots of good points on hear but one other risk of filtering on the left has been omitted - when you next hear a siren, watch every car in the queue just dive to the curb. You don't want to be there when that happens!

Even if there's a compulsory cycle lane, don't ever use it to go up the inside of large vehicles unless they are not moving at all and you are not anywhere near a junction, and even still take great care. More often than not, if it's not safe to overtake, then I'll just wait rather than go up the inside.

cjcp

victor ludorum wrote:

George or Dick wrote:

Passing on the left is legal. However, if the traffic is stationary then watch out for pedestrians crossing the road and give way to them. Also watch out for traffic coming from the other way and turning right. If the traffic is moving at all be expecting someone to turn left across your path. Assume that no one can see you and no one expects you to be there.

+1

Of course, bike lanes on roads tend to take one up the left hand side anyway, so there is a precedent for passing on this side, but its generally a good idea to ride as if no-one expects you to be there no matter where you are riding...

Amen to that.

beegee

When Im stuck in a traffic jam in my car I stay as close to the left as possible to make it safer for motorcyclists to get past. So undertaking cyclists would think me a real pain - you can't please everyone though.

redvee

I've had cars move right when I've been riding up the left of them in stationary traffic, when that's happened I've given the 'hands up' thank you.

chuckcork

karl j wrote:

i didn't think it was illegal (though, again, i'm no solicitor) but it's not particularly clever. So why do 'cycle lanes' run along the inside you might ask, and that would be a damn good question to which i, and i guess many others, have no good answer. But if you feel you must or want to then a few things to look out for would be...

car doors opening
getting left hooked (with no prior indication)
pedestrians crossing from between cars
parked cars
taxi's stopping to pick up / set down passengers
buses stopping to pick up / set down passengers
lorries & buses in general (for fairly obvious reasons)
glass, tree debris, sunken drain covers, broken exhaust pipes, tesco trolleys etc

Thats a pretty good list of reasons to abolish cycle lanes completely. I'll leave it to another forum to argue the pro's and cons though, I'm sure the arguments each way are long and furious.

No cycle lanes on the route I ride to work (14 miles) and while I use the left on the highway what with 100kph traffic flow, if I can keep up in Cork I ride in the road lane, and if going faster generally will overtake on the right if I can. I find there is more space there, and it adds to the satisfaction if I'm overtaking drivers like a motorbike (with double points for overtaking a motorbike/scooter)

Unfortunately I came to cycling from m'biking so am probably not the best example of overtaking, which is to say I'm slightly nuts in method, technique, risks taken etc. Just glad no-one from the club is trying to follow me, I'd hate to be responsible for the consequences of them following me.

biondino

redvee wrote:

I've had cars move right when I've been riding up the left of them in stationary traffic, when that's happened I've given the 'hands up' thank you.

Totally. Thanking cars, showing them courtesy etc. is SO important - they see cyclists beings nobs so often that they might even remember one act of good grace over all the crap they witness.