duckin and divin

wyadvd

look at this:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&saf ... .05,,2,6.5

pretend you are a cyclist coming towards the camera. there are parked cars before and after the junction to your left ( the right of the picture) I assume that you are a competant vehecular cyclist.

(a)do you nip in to the left after the first line of parked cars and risk getting sideswiped as you try to overtake the next line of parked cars while simultaneously being overtaken by opurtinist cars overtaking you, whilst also making cars waiting at the junction to join your road think you want to turn left.
(b) hold you line across the junction (ie car plus door opening width) and risk being mildly annoyed by a twerp hooting you from behind
(c) ride on the pavement with no lights like every other b++gga

The Rookie

I'd move back to the left and ride in an approximate line with the outside edges of the car, far enough in for cars to pass, not so far in as to make it hard to come back out, it also keeps you visible.

Simon

deptfordmarmoset

It's too hard for me to give a categorical answer - I think my behaviour changes according to traffic conditions. First, there shouldn't be anything parked before the junction because it's a bus stop.

Also, when there's a small row of parked cars as shown in the pic you can usually see whether the cars up ahead are occupied. Working on the theory that empty cars won't open their doors, the amount of room I give depends. (This theory has worked so far!).

If there's a driver or passenger visible I'd cycle more in a ''you're not going past, Mr Car-Behind-Me'' position, same too if I can hear an engine. Because according to another theory I have, a driver about to start a journey is the least likely to look in the mirror, indicate or be generally prepared for driving carefully. I reckon that you're more likely to get knocked off your bike by an inattentive driver pulling out before they've got their driving head on than to get doored by an empty car.

And if I think that the car/truck waiting to pass as I go past the bus or car parked in the bus stop can pass me before the next row of parked cars, I'll be happy to duck and dive a little because I don't really want a frustrated and impatient driver on my tail. But if there's a line of cars backed up I might hold my line to prevent getting forced off a cycling line because the backed up cars will not have had a good view of the road ahead. There's a ''the car in front has accelerated, I can't see the road clearly myself, but I'll follow it at the same speed anyway'' mentality which will not have taken the cyclist into account.

It now amazes me how complicated my ''I have a right to be here but I'm not trying to hold anyone up'' approach can be. Traffic is like a narrative - be clear, communicative but also flexible.

wyadvd

deptfordmarmoset wrote:

It's too hard for me to give a categorical answer - I think my behaviour changes according to traffic conditions. First, there shouldn't be anything parked before the junction because it's a bus stop.

Also, when there's a small row of parked cars as shown in the pic you can usually see whether the cars up ahead are occupied. Working on the theory that empty cars won't open their doors, the amount of room I give depends. (This theory has worked so far!).

If there's a driver or passenger visible I'd cycle more in a ''you're not going past, Mr Car-Behind-Me'' position, same too if I can hear an engine. Because according to another theory I have, a driver about to start a journey is the least likely to look in the mirror, indicate or be generally prepared for driving carefully. I reckon that you're more likely to get knocked off your bike by an inattentive driver pulling out before they've got their driving head on than to get doored by an empty car.

And if I think that the car/truck waiting to pass as I go past the bus or car parked in the bus stop can pass me before the next row of parked cars, I'll be happy to duck and dive a little because I don't really want a frustrated and impatient driver on my tail. But if there's a line of cars backed up I might hold my line to prevent getting forced off a cycling line because the backed up cars will not have had a good view of the road ahead. There's a ''the car in front has accelerated, I can't see the road clearly myself, but I'll follow it at the same speed anyway'' mentality which will not have taken the cyclist into account.

It now amazes me how complicated my ''I have a right to be here but I'm not trying to hold anyone up'' approach can be. Traffic is like a narrative - be clear, communicative but also flexible.

I like that answer and it very nicely sums up my quandry at this junction.

The other thing that some nutty drivers do, me being an "early mover outer "(signalling ) round cars is undertake me very dangerously before the row of cars.

that just drives me mad but ho hum

wyadvd

im a fast roadie btw (doing 20mph plus at this point)

nwallace

Your passing a junction (hazard) and parked cars (multiple hazards)
Shouldn't you therefore be in primary?

Which judging by the wear marks on the road is probably the broken white line of the box as we come towards the island.

wyadvd

nwallace wrote:

Your passing a junction (hazard) and parked cars (multiple hazards)
Shouldn't you therefore be in primary?

Which judging by the wear marks on the road is probably the broken white line of the box as we come towards the island.

yes thats exactly the line I take. I refuse to pull in between the parked cars. just that a few motorists evidently get a little annoyed.

point is they don't really care about my safety , just saving twenty seconds, or making the next set of lights.

any noobs out there remember : there is a breed of motorist who gets annoyed by their lack of "progress" due to your actions. that does not mean you aint riding the safest line for you.

nwallace

Thing is when driving I've had people go in-between car gaps to try and let me past, but invariably they start dithering and wobbling as they get close to the cars ahead and then I can't pass them anyway or it ends up stupidly tight.

Seriously I don't mind doing 15/20mph in town too much, it's not any worse than a learner driver, in fact I dithered about overtaking a car in St Andrews once while out on the bike, they were doing 15 and I wanted to do 20ish down South Street. Dissadvantage of being on the bike there, cars don't reverse out of parking spaces when they spot an old SAAB that's refusing to stop.

wyadvd

when you see cyclists dithering like that on a roundabout it makes me cringe.......

cjcp

I suspect I'd carry on riding primary and not move to the left in order to aovid the potential pinch-point when you need to move out again.

PBo

cjcp wrote:

I suspect I'd carry on riding primary and not move to the left in order to aovid the potential pinch-point when you need to move out again.

^