Electric cars.

No need to get stuck behind a cyclist.

Rule 129
Double white lines where the line nearest you is solid. This means you MUST NOT cross or straddle it unless it is safe and you need to enter adjoining premises or a side road. You may cross the line if necessary, provided the road is clear, to pass a stationary vehicle, or overtake a pedal cycle, horse or road maintenance vehicle, if they are travelling at 10 mph (16 km/h) or less.

Laws RTA 1988 sect 36 & TSRGD schedule 9 part 8

 

You normally get stuck behind a cyclist because of on coming traffic, or twisty country roads.
Not really about white lines.

Edit, only just seen retired post regarding cyclists

 

Hi,

Thanks for the information Jocko; the long length of road I mention with the double white lines is narrow and winding making oncoming traffic doing 50mph suddenly appear making passing highly dangerous unless feeling suicidal; aren't motorists supposed to give cyclists the width of an airfield whilst passing them?

Thanks pete; yes indeed; double white lines are there for safety but as you rightly say it's not just the white lines it's about passing any obstruction safely. I would never consider riding a cycle locally it's much too dangerous although a bit better with a 1,000cc engine installed.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

I've never in all my years of driving got stuck behind a cyclist, at least not for long enough to affect my journey time in any significant way.

It's about patience and respect for other human beings that have equal rights on the roads.

There have been times, mostly on country roads, where I've had to hang back a bit and wait patiently for an opportunity to overtake safely. Such opportunity invariably presents itself after no more than a short delay.

I'm not a religious person but I agree with the adage, do unto others as you would have done unto thyself. That human being on a bike, someone's dad, mum, brother or sister or whatever has the right to use the road without feeling like their life is endanger. I'd like to feel the same when I use the road, either driving or on my bike.

The way I see it, if your journey takes say half an hour in perfect conditions, then allow 45 minutes. That way if you have to wait a whole one minute for an opportunity to safely pass another human being in or on a slower vehicle, you still won't be late.

 

So never been in a long queue of vehicles with an artic up front or a bus that can't get passed a bike.

It happens all the time around here.

 

Maybe the drivers there are less skilled? I don't know. I've been overtaken loads of times by lorries and buses when I've been out on my bike.

I will stick up for lorry drivers. One time when on my bike, I had traffic behind me in the worst place. A short bridge with a blind brough. It takes about one minute to ride over it but it's a scary one minute because often impatient drivers try to overtake on the uphill part, then come face to face with someone coming the other way, swerve in, and nearly knock you off. One time, a lorry was behind me and my son. He not only didn't overtake until it was safe, he held back, gave us room, and seemed to position his vehicle to prevent anyone overtaking him. It was funny because my son told me afterwards that he felt scared with the lorry behind him. I told him I think the lorry driver was protecting us. So how much time would my son and I have added to the journey of the cars stuck behind the lorry? Well, it takes about one minute to ride over the bridge, or about 30 seconds to drive over, so I reckon we delayed people by a whopping 30 seconds. Significantly less time than if they'd had to wait at the pedestrian crossing at the bottom of the bridge.

 

It depends on the type of road obviously.
Some years ago they thought it would be a good idea to to widen all those little islands they put along main roads, the ones with the keep left signs on, on some roads there is no enough room between them for more than a couple of cars to get past a bike before the next one.
That means a bus or lorry has no chance and that sets up the procession that can go on for miles.
When they do finally get passed there is usually a set of lights, where the cyclists then mounts the pavement and overtakes and the traffic on the inside before dropping back into the road in front of every vehicle that has taken ages to get past him.
I'm pretty sure it's done out of spite, usually the ones that are all fitted up with cameras.

 

Hi,

I'm always courteous to all road users; the volume of traffic locally would deter me mounting a cycle and I don't fancy trying to bring home four heavy bags of shopping plus 8 x 1L Soya on a cycle; I can walk each way along our street on the level for about 100 yards each way before either going up or down the steep valley; it's time those making laws started to do as they preach not riding around in big cars as many MP's and Mayors do; why don't they dump their big cars and buy an house/bungalow on our street?


Here's an old picture of our rear garden; when I say our valley side is steep I'm not kidding; look at the garden angle compared to the wall then tell me how to adopt cycling; I'm now 75 and detested cycling four miles to the pit in all weather conditions at the age of 15. Our local bus service is some distance away so even if I do the shopping on public transport polluting the atmosphere with diesel fumes how would I ever carry the shopping I brought home in the car this morning; public transport is being pushed but is it pleasant following a bus on a cycle.

Exclude cars from Huddersfield and watch the stores keep being boarded up; not only are Huddersfield Town Center roads being closed to traffic in favour of cycles and there are also "Bus Gates" we've not visited Huddersfield Town Center for over 20 years because we travel by car a car we paid for in cash; insure; pay road tax; main dealer service to keep the car in excellent condition and also rip off fuel prices so why am I a bad person.

Huddersfield's controversial bus gates and how much they've made

No offense meant to cyclists at all but surely motorists too have equal right to use our roads in full? As usual there are those in favour and those against anything; I'm totally against being limited to where I want to travel because I dare travel by car; I bet our local Councillors aren't using cycles to get to council meetings.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

If perfectly legal road users are coming into conflict or causing issues for each other, while not breaking any rules, then this would be a reason to campaign for more suitable infrastructure. It's not a reason to blame cyclists.

If people are regularly breaking the rules and causing problems in doing so, then this would be a reason to campaign for better law enforcement, again rather than blaming 'the cyclists'. Remember that cyclists are just people, and like all people, some play fair, some don't. Those that don't should be held accountable, but one or a minority of cyclists mounting the curb to run a red light is not a reason to tar all cyclists with the same brush, any more than it would be fair to brand all 'motorists' negatively just because a minority are terrible.

There is this thing in Britain, it seems to be almost uniquely British and American. A feud between 'the cyclists' and 'the motorists'. It's just silly and needs to stop. They're all just people. This feud makes life super easy for those responsible for infrastructure and policing, because as long as each side is blaming the other, nobody is looking at the underlying issues, which are inadequate infrastructure and complete absence of any enforcement of the rules.

 

I agree inadequate infrastructure, putting someone on a bike up against modern traffic is stupid, and then putting the emphasis on the traffic to always give way to the bike.

I've said it before, bikes need their own space atm they are using everyone else's space, they have no place on the roads or the pavement.

Heard a discussion today about the dreaded e scooter and how that is going to end up, pedestrians hate them and so does traffic.
I joked earlier about the Sinclair c5, but that would be well at home with what is going on these days.

You have 40 ton lorries and a bloke on a bike using the same space and it looks like e scooters are going to be the next big road hazard if they are not already.

 

I think that is the problem, we have old roads, many that are just not suitable for the amount of heavy traffic they are taking.

 

I drove a Bus for many years, if I was stuck behind a Cycle I just waited until it was safe to overtake, if I was late according to the timetable, well hard luck.