Problems with motorists on hill - Pill, Somerset
brooksby
Posts: 34
I just had to get this off my chest.
On my commute, coming home I have to go down Ham Green Hill in Pill, Somerset. It's a steep hill - 1 in 7 or thereabouts - and is a standard two-lane road, except that the 'up' lane is always full of parked cars from the Victorian houses on that side with no off-street parking. At the bottom the hill becomes less steep and is a blind bend to the left. All the way down the hill the drains are sunk into the road maybe two or three inches - really deep, and you don't want to ride into one. Cars going up the hill have to pause at the bottom to check if the way is clear before proceeding, but there is room for a cyclist to go up (admittedly, in the doorzone) and still be safely (-ish) passed by a car going up or down.
I always go down the hill in primary position because there isn't room for a car to overtake me.
Twice this week I've found myself staring into the headlights of cars coming up the hill.
Last night was the worst. I'm halfway down the hill, in primary, with the aforesaid parked cars on my right. A car appeared at the bend at the bottom, paused a moment as if to check for anything coming (which there was - me!) - and then pulled out and came up the hill. I kept going - I think it was my right of way anyway, and I can't move over otherwise I will go down a drain and come off. I had to swerve at the very last moment, wobbled and nearly came off against the pavement. I stopped and went up onto the footpath to catch my breath. The car carried on up the hill, slowed at the top (I hope as it saw me shaking a fist at them!) and then zoomed off.
In all fairness, I was in a bullish mood as a few minutes earlier a bloke in a big BMW had overtaken me very badly (pedestrian island in middle of road: I moved to take primary as there really isn't room for a car to overtake me in the pinch point, and as I did so the aforesaid car ROARED and moved in front of me).
My wife said she thought I'd done something wrong, and should have moved over to let them up.
Aaaargghh! <scream of frustration>
B.
On my commute, coming home I have to go down Ham Green Hill in Pill, Somerset. It's a steep hill - 1 in 7 or thereabouts - and is a standard two-lane road, except that the 'up' lane is always full of parked cars from the Victorian houses on that side with no off-street parking. At the bottom the hill becomes less steep and is a blind bend to the left. All the way down the hill the drains are sunk into the road maybe two or three inches - really deep, and you don't want to ride into one. Cars going up the hill have to pause at the bottom to check if the way is clear before proceeding, but there is room for a cyclist to go up (admittedly, in the doorzone) and still be safely (-ish) passed by a car going up or down.
I always go down the hill in primary position because there isn't room for a car to overtake me.
Twice this week I've found myself staring into the headlights of cars coming up the hill.
Last night was the worst. I'm halfway down the hill, in primary, with the aforesaid parked cars on my right. A car appeared at the bend at the bottom, paused a moment as if to check for anything coming (which there was - me!) - and then pulled out and came up the hill. I kept going - I think it was my right of way anyway, and I can't move over otherwise I will go down a drain and come off. I had to swerve at the very last moment, wobbled and nearly came off against the pavement. I stopped and went up onto the footpath to catch my breath. The car carried on up the hill, slowed at the top (I hope as it saw me shaking a fist at them!) and then zoomed off.
In all fairness, I was in a bullish mood as a few minutes earlier a bloke in a big BMW had overtaken me very badly (pedestrian island in middle of road: I moved to take primary as there really isn't room for a car to overtake me in the pinch point, and as I did so the aforesaid car ROARED and moved in front of me).
My wife said she thought I'd done something wrong, and should have moved over to let them up.
Aaaargghh! <scream of frustration>
B.
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Comments
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If the obstruction is on their side of the road then they should wait.
There's also something about vehicles going downhill stopping to let ones coming up get through, because it's easier to do a downhill start than an uphill one. But if there isn't a gap in the parked cars for you to pull into then you can't do that, and in any case, their side of the road is blocked, so it's their job to wait.0 -
I know the hill and the cars on the hill are a PITA. Can you drop into Pill via the cyclepath by the cricket pitch?I've added a signature to prove it is still possible.0
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Best preserve your body though some times. I've faced off a big Landrover like that - me on my side of road, landy coming up on wrong side. I didn't move ! He had to stop, then I jinked and slipped down the side of his car. Very naughty, but I had just enough room - not to be done on a regular basis.0
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bails87 wrote:But if there isn't a gap in the parked cars for you to pull into then you can't do that, and in any case, their side of the road is blocked, so it's their job to wait.
I think they just figure I'm only a couple of feet wide so I'll be happy to move over into the gutter whilst they carry on their important business!
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Funny, but it's inferred if not stated in the Highway Code that vehicles going uphill have right of way. It's a throw back from Roman days of horse-drawn (even hand-drawn) carts that those with engines often forget.FCN16 - 1970 BSA Wayfarer
FCN4 - Fixie Inc0 -
Blue Meanie wrote:Funny, but it's inferred if not stated in the Highway Code that vehicles going uphill have right of way. It's a throw back from Roman days of horse-drawn (even hand-drawn) carts that those with engines often forget.
Sure, I get that.
My point was, that if I am halfway down a hill, with nowhere to pull over, and with the 'up' lane completely filled with cars, I do take exception to someone coming up the hill at speed on my side of the road just cos I'm a bike and only >this< wide; they wouldn't do it if I was a car or even a motorbike.
B.0 -
Very true, but it's your body that ends up in hospital if it all goes wrong. They know this and face you down because of it.....brooksby wrote:Blue Meanie wrote:Funny, but it's inferred if not stated in the Highway Code that vehicles going uphill have right of way. It's a throw back from Roman days of horse-drawn (even hand-drawn) carts that those with engines often forget.
Sure, I get that.
My point was, that if I am halfway down a hill, with nowhere to pull over, and with the 'up' lane completely filled with cars, I do take exception to someone coming up the hill at speed on my side of the road just cos I'm a bike and only >this< wide; they wouldn't do it if I was a car or even a motorbike.
B.
IIRC it's a rule of the sea that sail always has priority over powered vessels....however not many oil tankers give way to a yacht if said yacht happens to cross it's path. The scales are slightly different but the politics of size are everywhere.You've no won the Big Cup since 1902!0 -
I'd also generally agree that downhill should give way to up, but if up hasn't even started and down will only be a few seconds then just wait. in this case it sounds like he shouldn't have started up in the first place. Probably trying to just effectively bully you out of the way, as we've probably all experienced plenty of times.
As said above though, there's being right and there's being in one piece, so that should always be your guide.0
