Club runs and waiting traffic.
ridelikeapro
Posts: 139
On the club run you arrive at a line of traffic waiting at a junction or traffic lights.
Does your club wait behind the cars, and move forward with them? Go down the inside? Go down the outside? Or go down both sides of the cars?
Does your club wait behind the cars, and move forward with them? Go down the inside? Go down the outside? Or go down both sides of the cars?
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This kind of situation can get seriously messy, so many factors can affect the outcome - the size of the group, experience and speed of the riders, the width of the road, one lane or two, urban/rural, or whether there are riders 'up the road', etc.
If I was applying my logic then I would say stay behind. What benefit is there for a group of riders to get ahead of cars that will then try and pass? However if there is a LOT of cars and the group wont get through on the next 'green' then filter past carefully, typically where there is most space and regroup beyond the lights.
I was on a ride the other week and the group came up to join a main road and ended up swamping a car waiting at the give way line; riders to the left, riders to the right, driver can't see, cyclist move off, car gets stuck behind group...great advert for considerate cycling!!0 -
i always wait in line at lights and junctions. dont like pissing drivers off.0
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Stops behind. Always.0
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Hold your place in the queue, no point in pissing off drivers who've already passed you once!
If you know the road ahead, think whether you can let them through before it narrows and they get stuck behind.0 -
I've been out with many clubs who will filter through no matter what, which kind of puts me off riding with them to be honest. It just looks amateur. Especially when "car swamping" happens. We're not commuters trying to get from A to B as fast as possible.
The other thing is, when you filter through, you effectively give up your primary position in the road and it's very difficult to get it back with traffic flying past you. It takes ages for the group to get back into formation again, which ultimately slows the ride down more than just waiting at the lights in formation.
Some clubs are very logical about the situation though. It usually depends on who's leading the ride.
Obviously, if you're out on your own and you're stuck in a long jam, filter through. But 20+ riders doing it is just silly. :shock:0 -
I kind of agree with Bhima on this. There's no point in pissing drivers off for no good reason. There's never anything gained, it does mess the group up completely, and it crowbars in an additional element of danger... and it looks naff.
Impatience seems to rule in traffic. One guy dashes down the outside and everyone follows. There again, waiting behind a long tine at lights, you could be waiting for two or three changes of lights.
Does anyone know if there's there any solid advice on this from any of the cycling organisations?0
