Basic question about road lanes...

maxp779

Hey guys. So I stay in a town called Barrhead near Glasgow and im thinking about commuting the 12 miles to work by bike... I tried a shorter 10 mile route last weekend which has quite a few A class roads (I think they are A class? 2 lanes per side?). Anyways I hated it so Im taking the longer much quieter route

But on the shorter router on my way back I had just turned a corner and was cycling along the inside lane of one of these big A class roads (Barrhead road its called) and theres no other cars around. I stay on the inside because I know ill be turning right at the end (junction is maybe 4-5 minutes away). This Honda zooms past me on the left and beeps his horn at me. I get a shock and nearly fall off my bike.

Should I always be on the left lane or something when cycling? Is the inside lane the "fast lane"?? Im not a driver and the last time I drove was in a rural area. :oops:


tl;dr Should I always cycle in the left lane and take the inside lane only when approaching a junction?

Here is an illustration of what I was doing:
https://i.imgur.com/eQFsZ1N.png
Yeah I know my paint skills suck

cougie

Bit confused. You were taking a right at a roundabout so you took the RH lane (presumably after checking and indicating) and then the nob in the car passed on your left beeping ?

I think you did that I would have done. Motorists can be nobs though. I remember a BMW coming round a country bend partly on my side of the road and he beeped me. Imbecile.

pblakeney

maxp779 wrote:

tl;dr Should I always cycle in the left lane and take the inside lane only when approaching a junction?

????
The left lane is the inside lane, and where you should be normally.
Unless about to turn right and it is safe to do so.

Edit after picture added:- You took the turn correctly to begin with but should have ended up in the left lane going vertical.

maxp779

cougie wrote:

Bit confused. You were taking a right at a roundabout so you took the RH lane (presumably after checking and indicating) and then the doorknob in the car passed on your left beeping ?

I think you did that I would have done. Motorists can be nobs though. I remember a BMW coming round a country bend partly on my side of the road and he beeped me. Imbecile.

Oh no there was no roundabout. I added an illustration of what I was doing to the OP. I basically made that turn and then just stayed in that inside lane. Until a few minutes later the Honda zoomed past and beeped at me.

inbike

I think 4-5 minutes is too long to sit in the overtaking lane of an A road unless you are moving at the speed of other traffic.

I would have taken the traveling lane and then pulled out into the overtaking lane closer to the roundabout.

cycleclinic

Riding like that op you are a organ donar. I ride on all roads and will handle any junction but crossing a dual carriageway is difficult but not impossible. You must turn right and end up on the left and do it very quickly. I would avoid that road if this your daily route. Find another route. I am also worried that you are unsure of what an A road is. You drive right? This surely are the basics of driving knowing the road types and the differences.

I think given what I gave read you should go in a road craft course. There are a few for cyclists. If you are making this error what other organ donar errors are you making.

maxp779

inbike wrote:

I think 4-5 minutes is too long to sit in the overtaking lane of an A road unless you are moving at the speed of other traffic.

I would have taken the traveling lane and then pulled out into the overtaking lane closer to the roundabout.

Awesome so thats the overtaking lane then! Cool. I did not realise this

thecycleclinic wrote:

Riding like that op you are a organ donar. I ride on all roads and will handle any junction but crossing a dual carriageway is difficult but not impossible. You must turn right and end up on the left and do it very quickly. I would avoid that road if this your daily route. Find another route. I am also worried that you are unsure of what an A road is. You drive right? This surely are the basics of driving knowing the road types and the differences.

I think given what I gave read you should go in a road craft course. There are a few for cyclists. If you are making this error what other organ donar errors are you making.

Okay so stick to the left, got it Yeah I am probably making other errors, box junctions confused me a bit. I thought it was 100% safe when the lights are green but then theres a bus also turning left into the exact same lane as me but from the other side of the road so idk, I will stay the hell away from dual carriageways in future. To be honest even if I 100% knew the rules I don't think ill ever feel safe with 1 ton of steel zooming past me at random intervals. It's not for me im afraid.

No I don't drive. I took many lessons years ago but never got around to sitting the practical test. I never enjoyed driving tbh. Get my pink license is still on my to do list.

Regardless yeah I found a much quieter safer route with zero dual carriageways. This is my new route that I tried on Saturday, it was much more pleasant. Big roundabouts or busy roads I need to cross etc I just get off and be a pedestrian for those:
quieter longer route

This was my previous route:
shorter route but I hated it

cougie

Oh Christ I missed the bit about the turn being 5 mins away.
Why would you think you'd ride there for so long.

You need to read up on roadcraft. I read Richards Bicycle Book from cover to cover as a kid. That had good tips but I'm sure there are more updated resources out there if you Google.

wongataa

maxp779 wrote:

No I don't drive. I took many lessons years ago but never got around to sitting the practical test. I never enjoyed driving tbh. Get my pink license is still on my to do list.

At the very least please read the Highway Code. It will tell you how to use the roads. I also think you should look up the definition of A, B, roads and single, dual carriageways.

wolfsbane2k

Yep, that's definitely the wrong thing to do. Should stay in the left hand lane as per highway code 160.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway ... 159-to-203
I'd have only moved over into the right hand lane about 30-40 meters before the junction, even if there is no traffic.

As for routes, it's worth having a look at cyclestreets.net, which can offer some interesting alternatives, and you can choose between quiet, fast, and balanced types of routes.