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Do we still cycle on the left?

beverickbeverick Posts: 3,461
edited October 2009 in Commuting chat
So far this week I've come face to face with five cyclists on either shared use cycle paths or bridlepaths cycling to their right and not moving to the left as I approach. Having had a few near misses, last night's episode was the best one yet.

At one point on a shared path on my route home you have to stop to let pedestirans and other cyclists coming towards you pass through a narrow gap (1.5m or so) between road signs. From one direction there's a wall to the left which, rather than unclipping, I tend to lean against when I have to stop. The path at this point is about 2.5m wide.

So, last night, imagine my surprise when I stopped to let a guy on a mountain bike come through the 'nip' only to have him ignore the 2m of free path to my right and try to pass to my left (his right) between me and the wall.

He then asked me to "get out of the ...ing way".

I'm in the car this morning and the fun didn't stop when I noticed two guys cycling side by side the wrong way down a road-edge cycle lane close to home.

When did we go all european and start cycling on the right?

Bob

Posts

  • northstarnorthstar Posts: 407
    When did we go all european and start cycling on the right?

    We didn't, he's just being obnoxious.
    Training is like fighting with a gorilla. You don’t stop when you’re tired. You stop when the gorilla is tired.
  • Agent57Agent57 Posts: 2,300
    beverick wrote:
    ignore the 2m of free path to my left and try to pass to my left (his right) between me and the wall.

    I'm confused here. Was the space to your left? Was he coming the other way? If so, your left would have been his left as well, and vice versa.

    Anyway, I always try to stick to the left hand side of my "lane" on the shared use cycle path. Going one way, that means I'm towards the edge, with grass to my left. Going home, I'm towards the middle, with pedestrians to my left. It annoys me when cyclists coming towards me try to pass on my left. They should pass on the right, as they would on the road.
    MTB commuter / 531c commuter / CR1 Team 2009 / RockHopper Pro Disc / 10 mile PB: 25:52 (Jun 2014)
  • nielsamdnielsamd Posts: 174
    edited October 2009
    I've noticed these events as well and have my own little unscientific theory: they are pedestrians-on-bikes. : that is to say, pedestrians `naturally' walk on pavements on their right side. At least in this country. I can't fathom the reason except that perhaps since one is often told to walk against the traffic i.e. the right-side pavement, you then keep to the farthest side away from the road traffic. Yes, even when walking with the traffic on their left pavement they keep to their right... but perhaps because they can't see the road traffic zooming up behind them it is less of a worry.

    Living in a tourist town, I find I get into pedestrian `which-side-to-pass' confusions with North Americans and Europeans quite often so it may be reversed in those countries.

    The point I am getting to is that some `cyclists' are, in fact, pedestrians-on-bikes,and will keep up their to-their-right motions when on cycle paths.
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  • mattybainmattybain Posts: 115
    Agent57 wrote:
    beverick wrote:
    ignore the 2m of free path to my left and try to pass to my left (his right) between me and the wall.

    I'm confused here. Was the space to your left? Was he coming the other way? If so, your left would have been his left as well, and vice versa.
    The space was to his right, the other cyclist tried to pass to his left i.e. where there was no space.

    The "cyclist coming towards me" is the clue here.
    26km each way commute on a Decathlon Comp 1 2006 Road Bike

    2009 Communting Totals - Car 112 miles Bike 2,765 miles
  • beverickbeverick Posts: 3,461
    mattybain wrote:
    Agent57 wrote:
    beverick wrote:
    ignore the 2m of free path to my left and try to pass to my left (his right) between me and the wall.

    I'm confused here. Was the space to your left? Was he coming the other way? If so, your left would have been his left as well, and vice versa.
    The space was to his right, the other cyclist tried to pass to his left i.e. where there was no space.

    The "cyclist coming towards me" is the clue here.

    I've edited the error from the initial post.

    Bob
  • Mike HealeyMike Healey Posts: 1,023
    Agent57 wrote:
    beverick wrote:
    ignore the 2m of free path to my left and try to pass to my left (his right) between me and the wall.

    I'm confused here. Was the space to your left? Was he coming the other way? If so, your left would have been his left as well, and vice versa.

    Now I'm confused or in an alternate universe. In mine, my left, to an oncoming cyclist, pedestrian, driver, horserider, skateboarder, , etc., is their right.

    Or is yours a mirror universe?
    Organising the Bradford Kids Saturday Bike Club at the Richard Dunn Sports Centre since 1998
    http://www.facebook.com/groups/eastbradfordcyclingclub/
    http://www.facebook.com/groups/eastbradfordcyclingclub/
  • Mike HealeyMike Healey Posts: 1,023
    Agent57 wrote:
    beverick wrote:
    ignore the 2m of free path to my left and try to pass to my left (his right) between me and the wall.

    I'm confused here. Was the space to your left? Was he coming the other way? If so, your left would have been his left as well, and vice versa.

    Now I'm confused or in an alternate universe. In mine, my left, to an oncoming cyclist, pedestrian, driver, horserider, skateboarder, , etc., is their right.

    Or is yours a mirror universe?
    Organising the Bradford Kids Saturday Bike Club at the Richard Dunn Sports Centre since 1998
    http://www.facebook.com/groups/eastbradfordcyclingclub/
    http://www.facebook.com/groups/eastbradfordcyclingclub/
  • jetsstar1jetsstar1 Posts: 53
    I was cycling through a country park a couple of years ago and came around a bit of a blind corner to be confronted by another chap on a bike. I instinctively went left and he went to his right straight towards me. We hooked handlebars and both ended up in heap on the grass, he got up and started apologising in French :roll:
    We and our bikes were both fine and needless to say we had a good laugh about it, so did the louts on the park bench watching us!
    Marin Highway One
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  • Soul BoySoul Boy Posts: 359
    Bloody foreigners :lol:

    Had this a few times when commuting over to NW along the Grand Union canal. Hold you ground, it's the British way :wink:
  • Buckled_RimsBuckled_Rims Posts: 1,648
    beverick wrote:
    So far this week I've come face to face with five cyclists on either shared use cycle paths or bridlepaths cycling to their right and not moving to the left as I approach.


    This is a nightly occurrence for me. I can't fathom why they cycle to the right on the cycle path, then on the road section they move on to left with the traffic. Most of time I daren't build up full speed in case of a collision which has happened. The worst is when they ride 2 a breast and they're moving slow - Arghh! I've had more arguments with fellow cyclists then drivers.

    I wont even mention dog walkers and they sh*tty dogs on cycle tracks.

    I became more concerned about the cycle track then the parallel road, so now I just ride on the road.
    CAAD9
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  • TommyEssTommyEss Posts: 1,855
    Isn't this just another reason to not use cycle paths, MTFU and get on the road - I've never had a car try and pass me on the left...!

    *(Yet...!)
    Cannondale Synapse 105, Giant Defy 3, Giant Omnium, Giant Trance X2, EMC R1.0, Ridgeback Platinum, On One Il Pompino...
  • roger_merrimanroger_merriman Posts: 6,165
    There is a one way road in Kingston with a reverse bike lane. Quite often one has to stop as another cyclist can't work out the massive arrows so is heading down (wrong way) the bike lane inspire of a whole one way road to use..... It cuts off most of kingstons one way system so worth pottering past.
  • Eau RougeEau Rouge Posts: 1,118
    TommyEss wrote:
    Isn't this just another reason to not use cycle paths, MTFU and get on the road - I've never had a car try and pass me on the left...!

    *(Yet...!)

    +1
  • Paulie WPaulie W Posts: 1,492
    TommyEss wrote:
    Isn't this just another reason to not use cycle paths, MTFU and get on the road - I've never had a car try and pass me on the left...!

    *(Yet...!)

    Funnily enough I had a car pass me on my left and right almost simultaneously last night. Moved towards the centre of the lane to turn right into a side road about 50-75m before the junction and first car behind me decided he would still overtake me on the right, the second dived under me when there wasnt really enough space. How I laughed...

    Nothing to do with cycle paths I know...
  • TommyEssTommyEss Posts: 1,855
    Some people...!!! :roll:
    Cannondale Synapse 105, Giant Defy 3, Giant Omnium, Giant Trance X2, EMC R1.0, Ridgeback Platinum, On One Il Pompino...
  • the_hundredth_idiotthe_hundredth_idiot Posts: 813
    Do they drive on the left in East Timor? :lol:
    Never be tempted to race against a Barclays Cycle Hire bike. If you do, there are only two outcomes. Of these, by far the better is that you now have the scalp of a Boris Bike.
  • Oddjob62Oddjob62 Posts: 1,056
    The Hundredth Idiot wrote:
    Do they drive on the left in East Timor? :lol:

    I was wondering that... is there an East Timor in the UK or are we talking about the ex Portuguese colony?
    As yet unnamed (Dolan Seta)
    Joelle (Focus Expert SRAM)
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