Unexpected behaviour on Cycle Lanes

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Postboxer
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Re: Unexpected behaviour on Cycle Lanes

Post by Postboxer »

The problem is not knowing what the oncoming cyclist is doing, if everyone passes on the left, you both know who has to move, if you both assume the other will move, or both move, then a head on collision may occur, which is a problem.
Ellieb
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Re: Unexpected behaviour on Cycle Lanes

Post by Ellieb »

Is it really such a problem having people pass you on either side?


Yes. I'm afraid it is.
Do you really think it is safe to weave across the path when you have half a dozen bikes coming in the opposite direction over the space of a hundred yards? I'm not entirely sure why it should be particularly onerous to ride on one side. It is just easier and safer for everyone.
drossall
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Re: Unexpected behaviour on Cycle Lanes

Post by drossall »

GrumpyCyclist wrote:...on a road, if no segregated footpath is provided then pedestrians would / should walk on the right facing oncoming traffic. This method of course could easily carry forward onto cycle paths and maybe has. Is it correct to do so?

Well yes, it makes sense for pedestrians to do that, because the reasoning still applies - walking facing the traffic, you can see the traffic (bikes) that will pass near you, and the traffic coming from behind is on the other side, and unlikely to hit you.

However, the whole thing is predicated on the vehicles (bikes) being on the left. If the bikes are going to be on the right, the pedestrians would need to walk on the left.
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: Unexpected behaviour on Cycle Lanes

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
Peds I expect to be where ever they want as long as they don't dart too much from left to right or right to left which does happen quite often especially when they are in tow of four legs, but why dog walkers always stand at the edge with dog on lead with dogs rear in the middle is beyond me, I always loved my pets enough to put myself between the hazard and the pet.

I just slow down when peds and pets are around.

I stopped once when a on coming cyclist went straight at me on a very narrow path through fear of collision........they cruised past at 15 mph on my left...........not funny at all and what if I was not so accommodating............I always have been.
OH.............I never let a cyclist get on my inside and force them over, If I did not then what would happen if I let them go inside and move over only to collide as they corrected late, lets hope my exception fore mentioned is my last.

Had it happen on a road on a motorcycle with another motorcycle once :shock:

Just recently I saw a foreign plate car drive on the right then swerved sharply when an oncoming car came along :roll:
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irc
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Re: Unexpected behaviour on Cycle Lanes

Post by irc »

Not too bad around here. Most riders go left. I have had to come to a total stop once when slowing and going further left, and going on to the grass verge didn't send the message. Just after we stopped the other cyclist's pal crashed (slowly) into the back of him. I thought "karma" as I left them to untangle themselves. One not knowing the rules of the road and one not looking where he was going.
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mjr
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Re: Unexpected behaviour on Cycle Lanes

Post by mjr »

As long as no one collides, it doesn't matter IMO.

There's an argument for riding on the right on two way cycle tracks next to roads, as then those travelling with flow get towed by passing vehicles and those riding contraflow are less buffeted.

A 98% solution is to put the hand on the side you wish to pass on top of the handlebars, palm forwards and fingers pointing to the passing side (so left if you want to pass on the left). I'm not sure why it works but it usually does.
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TonyR
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Re: Unexpected behaviour on Cycle Lanes

Post by TonyR »

The answer is in our history. We drive on the left because in ancient days it allowed horsemen to pass right hand to right hand should they need to engage in sword combat. Nowadays on bicycles we pass left hand to left hand so we can keep our right hand on our (main) front brake while gesticulating to the other cyclist with our left hand. :wink:
pwa
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Re: Unexpected behaviour on Cycle Lanes

Post by pwa »

A lot of cyclists are not used to riding on the road and see cycling as more like being a pedestrian. If you view them as pedestrians on wheels you understand their random positioning better.
LollyKat
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Re: Unexpected behaviour on Cycle Lanes

Post by LollyKat »

pwa wrote:A lot of cyclists are not used to riding on the road and see cycling as more like being a pedestrian. If you view them as pedestrians on wheels you understand their random positioning better.

This. I regularly use a canal towpath. At commuting times cyclists keep to the left nearly all the time - I assume they are regulars. At other time, however, it is a bit more random and many are enjoying a leisurely ride drifting all over the path.
mercalia
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Re: Probably a stupid question, but...

Post by mercalia »

Rich_Clements wrote:
661-Pete wrote:Perhaps the problem here is, there's no universal 'rule of the road' for cycle paths. So unless there are directional markings, it's anyone's guess.



That's pretty much it, I had a young lady come towards me on Monday wasn't going to shift over to her left so I just went around it wasn't until coming back a bit later I realised what she was up to, she was taking the smoothest line on the unsurfaced path.



yes cycle paths are often not very smooth with cracked surfaces and tree roots breaking thru. The building standard is the same as for paths not roads & I dont like riding on the paths my self. I was on the cycle path from Dartford to Gravesend, a section was being newly redone and even after it was still bumpty bump, and they used mini rollers to flatten it!

On canal paths I keep to the side away from the canal! which ever way I am going, let the other person drive into the canal if there is an accident....
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mjr
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Re: Probably a stupid question, but...

Post by mjr »

mercalia wrote:The building standard is the same as for paths not roads & I dont like riding on the paths my self.

There is no national standard and so it varies from place to place - even project to project sometimes :( At one extreme, I'm fairly sure that Milton Keynes used road rollers as default during the CNT (1992-1999) era (and probably the MKDC 1967-1992 one) except where things like bridge maximum weight or height didn't permit it, but at the other, I've seen many buiders use those motorised stamping plates. We should be allowed to bill the builders for any bits that fall off!
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Shootist
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Re: Unexpected behaviour on Cycle Lanes

Post by Shootist »

mjr wrote:As long as no one collides, it doesn't matter IMO.


I suspect your opinion might vary if we were discussing an HGV driver sharing a dual carriageway with a club time trial while eating a bowl of cereal and reading the paper.

And, of course, the biggest problem of all is that the situation described in the OP means that one of the two cyclists must be in the wrong and as we all know that could never be. :roll:
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mjr
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Re: Unexpected behaviour on Cycle Lanes

Post by mjr »

Shootist wrote:
mjr wrote:As long as no one collides, it doesn't matter IMO.


I suspect your opinion might vary if we were discussing an HGV driver sharing a dual carriageway with a club time trial while eating a bowl of cereal and reading the paper.

OK. For the hard of thinking, "it" was "which side of the cycle track you ride".
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Shootist
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Re: Unexpected behaviour on Cycle Lanes

Post by Shootist »

mjr wrote:
Shootist wrote:
mjr wrote:As long as no one collides, it doesn't matter IMO.


I suspect your opinion might vary if we were discussing an HGV driver sharing a dual carriageway with a club time trial while eating a bowl of cereal and reading the paper.

OK. For the hard of thinking, "it" was "which side of the cycle track you ride".


You should have added, for the hard of thinking, that what you espoused was that consequences matter more than the cause. It was that clearly stated principle I objected to. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. What would it matter if a lorry driver was reading the paper while eating a bowl of cereal as long as no one was collided with, it might be reasonable to ask, using your philosophy.
Pacifists cannot accept the statement "Those who 'abjure' violence can do so only because others are committing violence on their behalf.", despite it being "grossly obvious."
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Phil Fouracre
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Re: Unexpected behaviour on Cycle Lanes

Post by Phil Fouracre »

As I keep reading, a large majority of cyclists are also drivers, so this is where the assumption arises, that cyclists will ride in the same way that cars travel. Having driven for decades it just seems illogical, and plain daft/dangerous to do anything else
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