Courtesy to drivers

brindlescoops

As a born again mountain biker, I am spending quite a bit of time at the moment on the roads trying to build up some stamina during the dark nights. As an ex biker (as in motorbiker) i'm used to acnowledging courteous drivers, such as those who give you loads of room or dont desperatly try and get by at the earliest moment. I even get the odd thanks back from the passenger as they go past. Am I on my own trying to nurture the driver / cyclist relationship or do others also do the same, I cant remember ever being acnowledged by a cyclist when I gave them planty of space and dont try and squeeze past instead of waiting for a safe place to pass.

delcol

i always gesture to drivers if they give way ect, and thank them just as i gesture and swear if they nearly kill me....

Too old for this

As an ex biker myself I also acknowledge curteous driving, tend not to waste energy on the plebs, they wouldn't understand words of more than 1 syllable

gezebo

No not on your own, although you may be in a minority. I waived at a few people today and they wave/toot back. I even gave a friendly wave to a chap who very nearly pulled out on me but stopped in time and he waived back nicely.

I just ignore the people who cut me up (rarely) and other forms of bad driving. I don't bother reacting on my m/bike or car so why antagonize others when your even more vunerable? Some of those YouTube videos of those guys screaming at car drivers and getting into slanging matches make me chuckle.

surreymtb

Another your not on your own! All good driving/riding should be encouraged on all sides. In the old days (I'm not quite old enough to have experienced it! :-p) the police would pull you over and congratulate you on good driving! Too many people think it's all about them not just on the road but in facets of life in general sadly :roll:

bails87

I do about 100 miles each week commuting by bike. Because I'm always travelling at roughly the same time I've learnt to recognise a few regulars. There's a guy in a very nice Brabus Merc who always hangs back and passes nice and wide, and then there's a pleb in a BMW 1 series with a number plate that is suitably close to "DRIPPY" who always overtakes straight away, whether there's room or not. Oddly enough, she very nearly crashed into me when I was driving too!

I always give a wave of thanks or a thumbs up (if it's safe) when someone's driven well, hopefully the car behind will see it and do the same.

I will admit to shouting at drivers when they act like d1cks, more out of a reflex than anything else, so I just tend to scream 'whooaaaaa' like a girl! That's because I ride on fast roads, so a van flying past a foot away from your head at 60mph is bloody terrifying, if I'm on slower road and someone tries to squeeze me out of the way it's a lot easier to stay calm, make eye contact and give a 'get back' signal with my hand.

I will admit to calling one woman a c*nt, because she completely straightlined a roundabout, very nearly hitting me, whilst shouting at me because I was apparently changing lanes. I wonder which one of us had a better view of the road directly below us......

When I'm driving I give cyclists at least as much space as I'd want, and I've never had a wave of thanks back either. But then I don't expect drivers to say thanks when I do what's legally required of me and don't crash into them, so I don't know why I'd expect it from cyclists

The Rookie

+1 But then I ride and drive in roughly the same area of the country as Bails!

Simon

brindlescoops

Glad to see I'm not alone!! I was discussing this with my Missus last night when I got back and she commented that she didn't like me going out in the dark, but I have been thinking about this on recent rides, I reckon you may well be safer at night (so long as you have a full compliment of lights / reflectives) as you can see the cars light easier and for miles away and they can see you flashing and reflecting etc as opposed to just blending into the hedgerows and urban clutter.

El Zomba

There are enough plonkers behind the wheel that the good ones should be recognised with a wave, thumbs-up or whatever. I don't waste my breath shouting insults at the idiots though; what's the point? Half the time they're going so fast they aren't going to hear you anyway. That said, I've no qualms about shopping someone to the Police for dangerous driving if they put my well-being into question, like the div in the white Transit who swerved into me on a botched overtake one time. It also swings both ways for me. If I'm driving, I can't help but wind down the window and have a word with someone riding the road in the dark with no lights, even if is just to call them a 'silly sausage' for doing so.

hiswitsend

Currently doing the exact same, though still have the motorbikes.

Always acknowledge courteous drivers and even got a thank you beep from a lorry, when I rode through a bus lay-by (was uphill so he had time to get passed :oops: ), as he was not able to get passed due to traffic islands in the middle of the road, which was nice and unexpected.

bails87

Hiswitsend wrote:

got a thank you beep from a lorry, when I rode through a bus lay-by (was uphill so he had time to get passed :oops: ), as he was not able to get passed due to traffic islands in the middle of the road, which was nice and unexpected.

I did this and got the same response a few weeks ago. I know I've got a right to be on the road, but where someone's been very good and held back for a long time, I don't mind letting them through.

As for being safer when it's dark....I'd agree. With decent lights of course. I cycle along in my bubble of light, probably visible from the moon. When it's bright outside it's harder to make yourself stand out. That said, I am looking forward to the summer, will be so much nicer to not have to worry about lights and waterproofs and gloves.....

brindlescoops

bails87 wrote:

That said, I am looking forward to the summer, will be so much nicer to not have to worry about lights and waterproofs and gloves.....

And Numb toes. . . . . :shock:

hiswitsend

Anyone else get brain freeze/ice-cream head?

Bishbosh10

When eating ice-cream, yes.

When riding? Err, no.

hiswitsend

Ah, just me then :oops:

Out the other night there, for about an hour and a half; stopped to stop the tracking and set off again and felt like a touch of brain freeze, must have been about 1 degree or so and quite misty

cooldad

Nope I get it quite bad on cold rides. Can last hours sometimes.

cooldad

But I have spent most of my life in slightly warmer climes.

IShaggy

I always give a big thumbs up to the drivers who are impatient and cut too close. It's non-antagonistic and always makes the point as the driver will either understand the irony, or not understand and be confused - thereby will spend time thinking about it. I occasionally get the finger back or some other rude gesture, but this is good as it tells me that I've made my point well and they've understood they did something wrong - why else would they be so defensive.

Also, if the road is narrow and a bus or lorry is stuck behind me I pull off the road for a second or 2 to let them past. It's a win-win as the driver can get going again and I'll get a toot of the horn or a flash of indicators to say thanks and I don't get the lorry or bus scaring me to death by trying to pass on a narrow road.

stubs

Round my local lanes we get lots of massive tractors pulling even bigger ploughing equipment, I always pull over and stand well back and let them pass for obvious reasons I dont want to get sliced like ham. Always get a wave or nod from the driver and always wave back and everyones happy.

Last week I was in the car I pulled into a field gate to let a tractor pass and flashed him through then watched as a group of roadies passed me and tried to keep on riding and then started the hand waving when the tractor wouldnt pull over even though the tractor couldnt pull over without going through a hedge and ditch.

Pretty narked at those dicks yes theoretically vehicles should give way to cycles but if you expect a dirty great big green tractor almost as wide as the road to give way you shouldnt be on the road. I hope next time I am out for a ride that tractor driver doesnt hold a grudge against cyclists.

sfichele

I always try to be courteous and will always acknowledge drivers when they have let me out, or have given me room. There are a lot of good drivers out there and as a cyclist its beneficial to us to keep the relationship between us good.

bails87 wrote:

Hiswitsend wrote:

got a thank you beep from a lorry, when I rode through a bus lay-by (was uphill so he had time to get passed :oops: ), as he was not able to get passed due to traffic islands in the middle of the road, which was nice and unexpected.

I did this and got the same response a few weeks ago. I know I've got a right to be on the road, but where someone's been very good and held back for a long time, I don't mind letting them through.

+1

IShaggy wrote:

Also, if the road is narrow and a bus or lorry is stuck behind me I pull off the road for a second or 2 to let them past. It's a win-win as the driver can get going again and I'll get a toot of the horn or a flash of indicators to say thanks and I don't get the lorry or bus scaring me to death by trying to pass on a narrow road.

+1

I am always aware of my surroundings and what vehicles are doing behind me. Whenever I feel that I will hold up a driver or a large vehicle for "too long" I will pull in and slow down for them. Courtesy has to cut both ways!

The question of riding two-a-abreast always comes up, and I think the above applies. It's very simple, if the road is quiet and you are not holding up drivers for long, then there is no problem. On the other hand, once a car has been "stuck" behind you for a while its time to yield and be courteous. Keeps everyone happy.

Andrew_J_Heard

another thumbs up for saying thanks.

it seems to go down well saying or signalling a thankyou if someone waits for you or gives you space. if it makes even one driver think more about cyclists then its a good thing

but i do of course give stupid drivers the completely oposite, i have had a couple of drivers squeeze me so much in traffic that i was able to leave a nice SPD cleat mark on the side of their car as a thankyou