Drivers who overtake cyclists doing the limit
downfader
Posts: 3,686
Following on from the blocking thread (which I've had several isues with myself this week and last :x ) it got me thinking. There have been several times when I've been doing the speed limit, or keeping up with the car in front (sticking to primary in those occassions) and a car has gone whizzing past me.
This happened this morning. I'm travelling down one of southamptons steep hills. I know the road well, I also know which driveways to watch more closely too. I can also get over the speed limit if I'm not careful, and I'm talking 40 in a 30 zone here, not 2mph over.
So there I am this morning heading down and I look down at my strada very quickly to see I'm doing 31mph. The technique is to stop pedalling and I slow down here, LOL, yet a car, 2 seater silver sports car, overtake me and takes a left turn some 20 yards ahead.
I was tempted to shout through the open passenger window "what speed am I doing?!" Sadly there was a young girl eating a yogurt in the passenger seat and I didnt fancy giving her a shock and getting covered in white gunk.
Imagine explaining that one when I turn up for work!
This happened this morning. I'm travelling down one of southamptons steep hills. I know the road well, I also know which driveways to watch more closely too. I can also get over the speed limit if I'm not careful, and I'm talking 40 in a 30 zone here, not 2mph over.
So there I am this morning heading down and I look down at my strada very quickly to see I'm doing 31mph. The technique is to stop pedalling and I slow down here, LOL, yet a car, 2 seater silver sports car, overtake me and takes a left turn some 20 yards ahead.
I was tempted to shout through the open passenger window "what speed am I doing?!" Sadly there was a young girl eating a yogurt in the passenger seat and I didnt fancy giving her a shock and getting covered in white gunk.
Imagine explaining that one when I turn up for work! 0
Comments
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Let them go. At that speed its really a good idea to be completely calm.0
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I have a nice downhill section of the commute that leads to a narrow bridge, speed limit is 30mph
I get to 30 odd and the muppets are stepping on the gas to try and overtake me before the bridge
You see once on the bridge the pour souls know that that they cant have me for the next 800 yards due to traffic islands and road narrowing and me sitting in right in the middle of the road giving them the big feck off..at 30mph
the desperation is laughable....."ooh i might be 20 seconds late for work"
sometimes i do 34 or 36 if ive had my weetabix and the desperation behind me is so manic i can almost hear it 0 -
Yeah, drunk cyclists wobble all over the place.
Oh, not that kind of limit?0 -
The ones that break the speed limit to overtake you and then decide to pull in front with the windscreen washer jets spraying all over the place.
Oh how I'd love to have the guts to catch them at the next set of lights and spray a full water bottle in their face!*
*off to lie down and have happy thoughts before I get too wound up by this subject. :shock:0 -
drivers exceeding the speed limit!!! whatever next!
i know i always drive at 29.9999 mph when i'm in a 30.0 -
Have had this happen a few times to me. As would be expected it only happens in a couple of locations that allow me to exceed the limit but I just put it down to the usual "must overtake the cyclist" mentality that seems to be present in most motorists. One such incident occured when I was doing about 32/33mph and the tw4t behind overtakes just before a traffic island forcing him to swing back in very close.
On the whole though on that particular road most drivers are quite respectful, it is steepest at the top and also clearest but that is where I'm at my fastest (5-10mph over they "top" speed) so they tend to hang back. I can usually hold about 25 once it flattens out and the cars behind normally wait until the road opens up a bit to come round me, if they come round at all.0 -
Overtook a Mazeratti slowly (33 v 31) on the hill down from Notting to Shepherds bush. Had to stop at lights half way down and as I was on the outside and realised he was going to be a bit mental I went to move slightly to go in front of him at the lights and as he leapt forward a foot, keen as mustard we shall say to beat me. When the lights went green he put pedal to metal and I laughed as did two other cyclists.Le Cannon [98 Cannondale M400] [FCN: 8]
The Mad Monkey [2013 Hoy 003] [FCN: 4]0 -
If I'm anywhere near the speed limt and keeping up with the cars I tend to pull out to the middle of the road so that they can't overtake.
I remember doing this once when I was drafting behind a bus along with another cyclist. We had been having a bit of a race for a couple of miles and were both drafting behind the bus at about 30 mph. Having forgotten the effect of drafting I thought I could pull out and actually overtake the bus :? Once I got out from behind the bus it was like the airbrake had engaged and I sheepishly had to pull back in again and peddle like hell to catch up again :oops:0 -
This is annoying no doubt.
There just seem to be some drivers who if they see a bike feel they must overtake whatever, they seem just compelled to do it. The speed limit ones are not the worst IMO. It's the ones who overtake round totally blind bends or over crests that never fail to amaze me. This happens frequently to me on the country B road sections of my commute. There have been some horrible near misses (this is a 60 limit road). I always wish I could catch them up and talk to them. 99% of the time if they had just waited behind me for max 10 seconds the view would have been clear and they could come past safely. It would have no impact whatsoever on their journey time. Mind boggling stupidity.0 -
This used to happen to me almost every time I cycled home from work. Fast downhill bit to the River Wandle with central refuges at the top and the bottom. 30mph limit.
Nowadays I make sure I damn' well take primary when passing the first refuge. So the illegal overtake when I'm doing 35mph happens less often, but it still happens now and then.___________________________________________
People need to be told what to do so badly they'll listen to anyone0 -
Why all this pulling into the road?
Surely if you're going near the speed limit the differences in speed between you and the car will be fairly small.
What is the problem exactly?
Is it some sort of anti-speeding vigilante mentality?Note: the above post is an opinion and not fact. It might be a lie.0 -
Aguila wrote:It's the ones who overtake round totally blind bends or over crests that never fail to amaze me. This happens frequently to me on the country B road sections of my commute.
I see this on club runs into the country, and on a narrow, twisty bit with speed cushions, a hump-back bridge, a zebra crossing and parked cars (Larkhall Rise, SW8, if you're a Sarf Lahdaner) near the end of my home commute (so I'm well warmed up and doing about 20mph on a road where that's about the fastest speed that's sensible).
One day I fear I'll see a very nasty head-on.___________________________________________
People need to be told what to do so badly they'll listen to anyone0 -
teagar wrote:Why all this pulling into the road?
Surely if you're going near the speed limit the differences in speed between you and the car will be fairly small.
What is the problem exactly?
Is it some sort of anti-speeding vigilante mentality?
If you're riding at 30mph or more, which is legal for a cyclist in a 30mph limit, on a two-lane road a car overtaking at any speed is alarming, dangerous and illegal.
The speed differential may be small but, at that sort of speed, if it all goes pear-shaped the cyclist will be toast.
And BTW, it's not "pulling into the road" - it's making sure that road users behind
a. see you
and
b. don't try to pass when the road's too narrow - like at a pedestrian refuge.
This is a tactic recommended in Cyclecraft by John Franklin, an excellent book available from HMSO, and in every other publication giving advice on how to stay alive while cycling or motorcycling.___________________________________________
People need to be told what to do so badly they'll listen to anyone0 -
Dudu wrote:teagar wrote:Why all this pulling into the road?
Surely if you're going near the speed limit the differences in speed between you and the car will be fairly small.
What is the problem exactly?
Is it some sort of anti-speeding vigilante mentality?
If you're riding at 30mph or more, which is legal for a cyclist in a 30mph limit, on a two-lane road a car overtaking at any speed is alarming, dangerous and illegal.
The speed differential may be small but, at that sort of speed, if it all goes pear-shaped the cyclist will be toast.
And BTW, it's not "pulling into the road" - it's making sure that road users behind
a. see you
and
b. don't try to pass when the road's too narrow - like at a pedestrian refuge.
This is a tactic recommended in Cyclecraft by John Franklin, an excellent book available from HMSO, and in every other publication giving advice on how to stay alive while cycling or motorcycling.
You make it sound so dramatic! "publication giving advice on how to stay alive while cycling". lol!
It's just cycling.
Cars pass me all the time on two-lane roads. As long as the speed differential isn't too bad it's nothing to worry about. Cars going past 50 odd miles an hour faster on country lands does get a bit hairy, but as long as you're visible and not stupid it's fine.
As for the speed - presumably you havn't seen pro-cycling accidents? The speed invariably has little effect on the magnitude of the injury assuming you don't cycle into anything, and some pros even vouch that falling at a faster speed is less likely to cause injury in that they feel you fall to the ground slower (conservation of energy with the rotating wheels or something like that) and skid along the road more, rather than breaking bones.
Just relax and enjoy it a bit more and don't take every little injustice as a personal attack.
Might make the roads a better place.Note: the above post is an opinion and not fact. It might be a lie.0 -
the blind bend ones are much much worse...
had a big merc try and overtake me right where the road starts to turn round a very blind bend that is exceptionally tight. Was not having any of that, not at all...
As her wing came alongside me put on a burst and went held primary, then coasted in the center of the lane in front of her all the way to the next set of lights.
Hopefully the dozy cow got the message.0 -
teagar wrote:Dudu wrote:teagar wrote:Why all this pulling into the road?
Surely if you're going near the speed limit the differences in speed between you and the car will be fairly small.
What is the problem exactly?
Is it some sort of anti-speeding vigilante mentality?
If you're riding at 30mph or more, which is legal for a cyclist in a 30mph limit, on a two-lane road a car overtaking at any speed is alarming, dangerous and illegal.
The speed differential may be small but, at that sort of speed, if it all goes pear-shaped the cyclist will be toast.
And BTW, it's not "pulling into the road" - it's making sure that road users behind
a. see you
and
b. don't try to pass when the road's too narrow - like at a pedestrian refuge.
This is a tactic recommended in Cyclecraft by John Franklin, an excellent book available from HMSO, and in every other publication giving advice on how to stay alive while cycling or motorcycling.
You make it sound so dramatic! "publication giving advice on how to stay alive while cycling". lol!
Au contraire. I hold with trying to stop things becoming dramatic.
And you can only say "It's just cycling" if you're already riding defensively, whether you learned to do it or you do it automatically.
Almost all cycling injuries I hear of are due to people not taking their lane and creeping along deferentially in the gutter.___________________________________________
People need to be told what to do so badly they'll listen to anyone0 -
teagar wrote:
Just relax and enjoy it a bit more and don't take every little injustice as a personal attack.
Might make the roads a better place.
It's not about taking every "injustice" as a personal attack we are talking here about drivers breaking the speed limit to unnecessarily overtake a cyclist who shouldn't be holding them up if they drove within the law.
On the road that I used in my example I always take primary, fully aware that I'm going to be coming down at a fair rate of knots to try and discourage drivers from overtaking me and also to allow for drivers coming out of side roads. Despite this there have been several times when I've had to brake to avoid a collision and in the example I gave I had to swerve in to avoid being left hooked as the driver pulled in to avoid the traffic island.0 -
Bassjunkieuk wrote:teagar wrote:
Just relax and enjoy it a bit more and don't take every little injustice as a personal attack.
Might make the roads a better place.
It's not about taking every "injustice" as a personal attack we are talking here about drivers breaking the speed limit to unnecessarily overtake a cyclist who shouldn't be holding them up if they drove within the law.
On the road that I used in my example I always take primary, fully aware that I'm going to be coming down at a fair rate of knots to try and discourage drivers from overtaking me and also to allow for drivers coming out of side roads. Despite this there have been several times when I've had to brake to avoid a collision and in the example I gave I had to swerve in to avoid being left hooked as the driver pulled in to avoid the traffic island.
Sounds like you're still sore about that incident! Why bring it up all the time? Just forget about it. Everyone came out unharmed - an inch miss is as good as a mile.
Who's to say they're speeding to overtake you? They probably drive at that speed anyway. Most people do.
Sounds to me like you like to use the status of cyclist to hold speeding cars up. Vigilante!
What's with all the drama though. "They're BREAKING THE LAW!". Relax! Why not, "they're driving a bit fast"?
I think if people learnt just to roll with life on the road a bit more and just took the path of least resistance and stress rather than literally by the book, letting it just brush off you, it'd all be a better experience.[/quote]Note: the above post is an opinion and not fact. It might be a lie.0 -
[/quote]teagar wrote:Bassjunkieuk wrote:teagar wrote:
Just relax and enjoy it a bit more and don't take every little injustice as a personal attack.
Might make the roads a better place.
It's not about taking every "injustice" as a personal attack we are talking here about drivers breaking the speed limit to unnecessarily overtake a cyclist who shouldn't be holding them up if they drove within the law.
On the road that I used in my example I always take primary, fully aware that I'm going to be coming down at a fair rate of knots to try and discourage drivers from overtaking me and also to allow for drivers coming out of side roads. Despite this there have been several times when I've had to brake to avoid a collision and in the example I gave I had to swerve in to avoid being left hooked as the driver pulled in to avoid the traffic island.
Sounds like you're still sore about that incident! Why bring it up all the time? Just forget about it. Everyone came out unharmed - an inch miss is as good as a mile.
Who's to say they're speeding to overtake you? They probably drive at that speed anyway. Most people do.
The increase in engine noise as they approach is a pretty good giveaway.___________________________________________
People need to be told what to do so badly they'll listen to anyone0 -
Dudu wrote:teagar wrote:Bassjunkieuk wrote:teagar wrote:
Just relax and enjoy it a bit more and don't take every little injustice as a personal attack.
Might make the roads a better place.
It's not about taking every "injustice" as a personal attack we are talking here about drivers breaking the speed limit to unnecessarily overtake a cyclist who shouldn't be holding them up if they drove within the law.
On the road that I used in my example I always take primary, fully aware that I'm going to be coming down at a fair rate of knots to try and discourage drivers from overtaking me and also to allow for drivers coming out of side roads. Despite this there have been several times when I've had to brake to avoid a collision and in the example I gave I had to swerve in to avoid being left hooked as the driver pulled in to avoid the traffic island.
Sounds like you're still sore about that incident! Why bring it up all the time? Just forget about it. Everyone came out unharmed - an inch miss is as good as a mile.
Who's to say they're speeding to overtake you? They probably drive at that speed anyway. Most people do.
The increase in engine noise as they approach is a pretty good giveaway.
Probably gearing down to overtake - just like in the textbook.
Note: the above post is an opinion and not fact. It might be a lie.0 -
Dudu wrote:teagar wrote:Dudu wrote:teagar wrote:Why all this pulling into the road?
Surely if you're going near the speed limit the differences in speed between you and the car will be fairly small.
What is the problem exactly?
Is it some sort of anti-speeding vigilante mentality?
If you're riding at 30mph or more, which is legal for a cyclist in a 30mph limit, on a two-lane road a car overtaking at any speed is alarming, dangerous and illegal.
The speed differential may be small but, at that sort of speed, if it all goes pear-shaped the cyclist will be toast.
And BTW, it's not "pulling into the road" - it's making sure that road users behind
a. see you
and
b. don't try to pass when the road's too narrow - like at a pedestrian refuge.
This is a tactic recommended in Cyclecraft by John Franklin, an excellent book available from HMSO, and in every other publication giving advice on how to stay alive while cycling or motorcycling.
You make it sound so dramatic! "publication giving advice on how to stay alive while cycling". lol!
Au contraire. I hold with trying to stop things becoming dramatic.
And you can only say "It's just cycling" if you're already riding defensively, whether you learned to do it or you do it automatically.
Almost all cycling injuries I hear of are due to people not taking their lane and creeping along deferentially in the gutter.
I'm pretty sure I don't ride defensively. I don't take pride in being in charge of the road. I just use it to get around, train, and race on. I get less hassle if cars can get by so i make sure they can. I seriously don't see why you feel it necessary to deliberately hold them up if they're going a bit fast?
Holding cars up makes drivers plenty more angry than any RLJ...Note: the above post is an opinion and not fact. It might be a lie.0 -
I think cyclists that ride like 'teagar' above are the ones that, when I drive and see them around, I think 'this guy hasn't got a clue.
That's my opinion. Roll with it.0 -
fnegroni wrote:I think cyclists that ride like 'teagar' above are the ones that, when I drive and see them around, I think 'this guy hasn't got a clue.
That's my opinion. Roll with it.
Given that you havn't seen me cycle, I'd like to know how you came up with that conclusion?
Where abouts do you drive? Maybe i'll pay your commute road a visit?Note: the above post is an opinion and not fact. It might be a lie.0 -
Generaly speaking, like Teagar, I'm all for not getting too wound up by the behaviour of motorists - i dont get apoplectic every time a driver passes a few inches from my handlebars - but surely this situation is different. If the cyclist was instead driving a car the vast majority of motorists wouldnt even think about overtaking someone going at 30mph in a 30 zone. So this is purely about getting ahead of the bike come what may and damn the risk to the cyclist. Taking primary is partly about discouraging the overtake but must also be about giving yourself more room if things do go pear shaped. So I dont think Teagar's 'relax' response is valid in this instance.0
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I guess it's the same as people who feel a need to overtake learner drivers who are doing the speed limit... or in fact ANY vehicle doing the speed limit!
Numpties!~I like to bike~0 -
fnegroni wrote:I think cyclists that ride like 'teagar' above are the ones that, when I drive and see them around, I think 'this guy hasn't got a clue.
That's my opinion. Roll with it.
+1___________________________________________
People need to be told what to do so badly they'll listen to anyone0
