Etiquette for 'cutting in'

secretsam

Last night I was trundling up the Euston Road/Marylebone Road area, which is 3 lanes: a bus lane and two regular lanes.

I dropped into the bus lane but could see there was a stationary bus up ahead, so cut into the middle lane (regular traffic). On my left, I could see a guy on a white bike was coming across from a filter, and was heading the same way as me. He pulls alongside, in the bus lane. Bus is still there. I keep going (bear in mind I'm not quick!) and glance to see what he's doing. He's keeping pace. This goes on for 50 metres or so, then he basically tries to cut across me, having a go at me for not letting him in. I'm not willing to move over, 'cos there's about 2,000 cars around.

Eventually he just barges in, and has a go at me for "not giving him space" :evil: .

Now, in a car, he's supposed to wait 'til I go past, or, if he's ahead, should only cut in if there's a suitable gap. Or drop back. Surely the same is true of a bike? It was my 'line' so he should drop back behind me?!?!!?

Am not sure of the etiquette/rules here. Was I in the right, or was I just being bl00dy minded (which does happen from time to time :oops: )???

alan_sherman

You are a vehicle. Highway code rules apply.

I wish people would follow them though - especially cars pulling out of sliproads on motorways as if they have right of way over a car doing 70mph....

lost_in_thought

I think you're in the right, from what you've said... I would certainly have felt I was in the right in your position. However, I have to say I'm not entirely clear on where he was coming from... so he's on the left too and is trying to go round the bus on the same 'line' as you, meaning that to give him space you'd have had to move right?

If so then I definitely think he's in the wrong. If he's in such a hurry that he can't just pull in behind you he should have hit the afterburners and gone well past you, then cut in.

roger_merriman

I'd say from what you said that he was being a bit of a silly sausage in that the bus lane would of given him more room to chose his place, after all he could just stop, if no gap could be found, and wait for one. rare for that to happen on my bike but happens in traffic in a car from time to time.

Wallace1492

Jeeez, enough trouble with cars not letting cyclists out, now cyclists not letting cyclists out.....

But seriously, could you not have given just a little room? You can fit 2 bikes abreast in 1 traffic lane... Did he not say pretty please?

always_tyred

It seems to me that he should realise that you will be concerned with filtering into the traffic on your right, not on someone undertaking you on a bicycle. Either he should stand on it to get ahead, or ease off and drop in behind you.

You could have let him in, I suppose, but then I've tried that in the past and realised that the person I'm making room for is not going to try to overtake the bus anyway.

Basically, he was being a bit of a tool. He'll be on the fixie forum right now saying, "Hey dude there was this c*** this morning who ***** and ****** and I told him he was a c***!"

secretsam

Wallace1492 wrote:

Jeeez, enough trouble with cars not letting cyclists out, now cyclists not letting cyclists out.....

But seriously, could you not have given just a little room? You can fit 2 bikes abreast in 1 traffic lane... Did he not say pretty please?

See your point, and felt a little guilty afterwards...but not now...he didn't ask, and I couldn't move over because at that point there's cars all over the shop (there's a set of lights with a bus stop just after, there's always a bus parked there so I knew to move over - couldn't move out 'cos cars moving quick around me and I needed to keep an eye that Mr Bus didn't pull out in front of me :shock: .

And no, he didn't ask if he could drop in.

rolf_f

If I'm driving, on a motorway, I will move right, if it is safe to do so, to allow traffic joining the motorway to do so at their own pace. When I am joining a motorway I will hope (but not expect) others to do the same.

Generally, I will think it a bit ungentlemanly if folk don't make it easier for others providing it is safe to do so. In this case, it really depends on how much space was available for the OP to move right. However, the joining cyclist has no right to expect the OP to move. For all he knows, the OP is a first time nervous cyclist.

Wallace1492

SecretSam wrote:

Wallace1492 wrote:

Jeeez, enough trouble with cars not letting cyclists out, now cyclists not letting cyclists out.....

But seriously, could you not have given just a little room? You can fit 2 bikes abreast in 1 traffic lane... Did he not say pretty please?

See your point, and felt a little guilty afterwards...but not now...he didn't ask, and I couldn't move over because at that point there's cars all over the shop (there's a set of lights with a bus stop just after, there's always a bus parked there so I knew to move over - couldn't move out 'cos cars moving quick around me and I needed to keep an eye that Mr Bus didn't pull out in front of me :shock: .

And no, he didn't ask if he could drop in.

Was being a touch tongue in cheek..... as depends on the road situation at the time. Only you can judge that, as others were not there.

That is the problem with a lot of comments on here regarding "incidents", people comment on then as if they were there, but the reality is always different.

You do what you feel safe doing, other guy should not butt in, life is too short to get bothered about someone not letting you out....

Aidy

I'm not sure if it applies here, but I always figure it's polite to shift your line to accomodate others if you can do so and maintain your current speed.

Oddjob62

It's hard to say, if you were in the middle lane wouldn't there have been enough room for you to get in the middle/right side of the lane to let him in the same gap between cars?

Generally though if the other party is not fast enough to burn me and get in front then they can jolly well wait and drop in behind.

chuckcork

Well, if you saw he was going to do it then maintaining you line is bl**dy minded.

But he has no right to force you out of his way either, so yes he is being a tool. Or D!ckhead.

If you were on a club run it would be different, you'd move over to allow him to move over as well, but out on the road coming from nowhere he's just being a d!ck and trying to cause an accident, you would have been withing your rights to shove him off.