am I allowed a completely self-congratulatory thread?

Kieran_Burns

No?

Nuts to ya - I'm gonna anyway :P

Cycling home last night (utterly knackered btw... man flu is approaching!)

Going down the A60 South of Nottingham I can hear a siren approaching from behind and can see I'm coming to a slight rise with a bend. Realising this will definitely cause a problem, I flicked off the road (into a bus bay) came to a stop and saw a Police car hurtle past - the driver looked at me and nodded as he passed

A mile further down, another siren is coming from behind and I'm approaching a pinch point (pedestrian island), so I stop by the kerb, look over my shoulder and another police car comes flying 'round the bend. Driver looks right at me, smiles and raises a hand in thanks

Off and away into the countryside and a cars / lorries go past then there's a single decker bus - the driver hangs right back, waits for a big gap and overtakes MILES over the line and checks carefully to see he's passed - I wave to let him know - BIG wave from the driver.

Through the next village and away into the countryside again - car comes up behind me and I hear the revs change for an overtake, but I can see a car coming the other way (higher vantage point) so put my arm out, palm facing car and the driver waits - oncoming car goes past - driver waits for clear stretch overtakes and waves / smiles as she goes past.

and again - further down the road, same situation: car comes up behind, slows, I hear the revs change and can see a car coming towards (driver behind is unsighted), so out goes my arm, palm facing and he waits. Huge wave and smile when he overtakes.

I've concluded that while there are arseholes in the world (as evidenced by spermstain WVM a little later who overtook right before a bend) there are lots of people who recognise considerate road use and are very willing to reciprocate.

I was utterly shattered last night when I got home but I had a big smile on my face as I have to conclude that there is simply a minority that cause issues and if we make an effort it IS recognised.

MadammeMarie

+1

Clever Pun

nice one.. last night I had two sort of similar instances

coming to a pinch point and a older lady in a car slows to my speed before it pulls level and goes through the pinch point at the same time as me pushing me towards an overhanging bush. very odd, she was trying to be very careful I think just not very good at it.

on the brompton later on a lorry is behind me it's a pretty thin road for him to overtake me and I'm clearly holding him up after pushing a little bit to get there, so as we get to a jct I pull to the left and wave him on I get a little beep beep as thanks and he's of on his way. It's nice being nice.

oh and as I'm walking the bromy to EC station theres a lady on a mobility scooter trying to get out and everyones rushing around her, I turn the bike sideways to block other behind me and wave her through she seems really grateful and will probably tell her friends at some coffee morning about this cycling tattooed giant who was really nice.

gbsahne001

last night on the way home spot someone by the side of the road undertaking a repair, I slow down and ask him if he's OK and wants any help.

He Say's thanks but he's OK; must be karma coming my way?

davis

I find most drivers on country lanes respond to hand signals (polite ones). I've often done the "no, wait, you can't go through" palm signal whether overtaking horses, peds, or when there are oncoming vehicles. Usually gets some sort of thanks.

I also wave them through for the overtake when I've got better sight of the road then they have (the theory being if I've waved them through they know it's safe, so they're more likely to give more room rather than simply squeezing past).

The road's a cooperative environment, and most people get along better when they realize others have actually thought about them.

Kieran_Burns

davis: I do consider waving people through, but avoid this as it's MY opinion that's it's safe, they may not KNOW it is.

Given this, I leave the decision of when to actually overtake to them.

davis

Kieran_Burns wrote:

davis: I do consider waving people through, but avoid this as it's MY opinion that's it's safe, they may not KNOW it is.

Given this, I leave the decision of when to actually overtake to them.

Fair enough. I've thought about this before -- should you go if you don't know? When driving, I simply don't trust e.g. a passenger saying "yep, it's clear". In the case of waving drivers through, I usually have a very good idea of how much empty road a vehicle's likely to require (shoulder check to see what's following and its distance and road position, engine noise, driver, the clanking of a trailer all being clues), and will act based on the circumstances. My safety's more important to me than their journey, so that gets priority.

If a driver still doesn't want to overtake, then they're likely to still appreciate the fact you've considered them.

Having said that, I do it rarely, usually when I've take primary round bends, and only on roads I know: I'll see empty road, cede my position somewhat, and wave them through. I believe they give me more room and behave more predictably.

Edit: Forgot to say: nice one.

Kieran_Burns

We're of the same opinion then davis

I totally ignore a passenger who tells me it's clear to pull out when I'm driving. The simple fact is: if there is an acident I'm in control of vehicle and it would be my fault not his. I extend this logic to me waving cars through.

antikythera

davis wrote:

I also wave them through for the overtake when I've got better sight of the road then they have (the theory being if I've waved them through they know it's safe, so they're more likely to give more room rather than simply squeezing past).

I use to think that that was a courteous thing to do and would build good Karma. Until a police person in the same CC advised me that under no circumstance should someone do that. If there is any form of incident following signalling another road user to over-take, you could be held legally liable (to some degree) for it.

davis

antikythera wrote:

davis wrote:

I also wave them through for the overtake when I've got better sight of the road then they have (the theory being if I've waved them through they know it's safe, so they're more likely to give more room rather than simply squeezing past).

I use to think that that was a courteous thing to do and would build good Karma. Until a police person in the same CC advised me that under no circumstance should someone do that. If there is any form of incident following signalling another road user, they could be held legally liable (to some degree) for it.

Blimey. That's scary.

Welcome to Britain: manners and consideration for others are outlawed. Blindly following the rules is the way forward.

I'm not having a go at you; thanks for pointing that out. But road users follow cues from others every single day. Those that do it blindly without exercising their own judgement are the planks.

Robstar24

on country lanes, especially if going uphill, if there is a car behind i will often look for a small widening of the lane to pull in on the left without unclipping so that car can go through, and it's always appreciated, as is waving them through when i can see better. i also once stopped an oncoming car driver to warn him of a very nervous horse up the road that had nearly bolted when it saw me, he was grateful. also been a few times that a driver coming from a road on the left has forced me out a bit, they usually give an apologising hand signal which is returned with a 'no bother' thumbs up, if i've come to no harm and tested my reactions it's ok in my view.

in london too many cyclists are ultra defensive and lash out at just about anything drivers do, the other day going along camberwell new road a car coming the other way was trying to turn right across the oncoming traffic (there's no other way to do it), which made sense as no cars coming, a couple of us on bikes had to slow down a bit but some dickhead decided to scream 'F*** OFF' at this woman while giving her the bird. so pointless, she had to turn sometime!

BTW, anyone else find horses quite scary, esp on country lanes?

it's always nice when cyclists and drivers help each other out.

Jay dubbleU

I find horses get quite freaked out by bikes - maybe its the silent approach - I tend to slow and stay well out of kicking range

On the same note - thanks to the driver from the Matching Brick Company this morning who waited until we were clear of the pinch point and gave me plenty of room on the overtake

Kieran_Burns

I reguarly met horse riders on the bridleway on the old commute and found the bike bell to be invaluable. If you ring it far enough back - the rider hears it, but it doesn't spook the horse.

They then control the horse and you cycle past slowly - I usually coast past.

Once clear, accelerate away and give a little way.