Unexpected behaviour on Cycle Lanes

[mjr]

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.

Only if you ignore that the consequences of a lorry crashing are probably far more severe than a cycle crashing. In most cases, even if a right-hand-passing cycle does collide with an oncoming cycle, both come to an abrupt halt and often no-one hits the floor because usually at least one saw it coming and didn't just pigheadedly keep going full bore. Nevertheless, I suggested a prevention tactic, a hand signal which works well for me.

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

I've suggested one case where it seems more logical to ride on the right and there are others, such as wide cycle tracks with a sweeping junction or slip junction ahead, where it can make sense to signal and cycle along the right edge for a short distance, instead of turn across cycle traffic, ride a bit on the left and stop left-of-centre and wait for a gap in oncoming cycles that may or may not come any time soon. Even motorists sometimes do that, but then the highway is engineered with barriers and so on to look almost like a separate highway to facilitate it. Do we really have to choose between huge cycleway engineering and inefficient use in such situations? Or can we just be sensible and share nicely?

I do wonder what some of the cyclists who get quite so irate about oncoming cyclists passing on the right do when driving and another motorist passes on the right or overtakes on the left, or if they only drive in such tightly and regulated traffic systems where it's never happened to them. Their heads may explode if they try to drive in Paris!
[youtube]Oyr_wahC06M[/youtube]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oyr_wahC06M

or cycle in Groningen!
[youtube]1-L-B1aH8AE[/youtube]
https://youtu.be/1-L-B1aH8AE

[Phil Fouracre]

Love the vid of Groningen . I suppose you could say they were 'mainly' riding on the 'right' side, well, almost!
Of course, the best bit was no cars. On a purely physical note, at least they had a bit of room, at times.
I think the biggest problem with not having an accepted etiquette occurs on narrow paths, with nowhere to go to avoid conflict.

[kwackers]

I think the biggest problem with not having an accepted etiquette occurs on narrow paths, with nowhere to go to avoid conflict.

In the summer I had a guy cycling towards me on my left so I simply moved right to pass.
He then engaged his brain, observed, saw me and then veered across the path to his left so that we were now just seconds away from a collision. We both stopped and then he had the cheek to suggest "keeping left" at which point I suggested he stuff his bike where the sun doesn't shine and offered to help.

Etiquette is all very well, but sometimes just a bit of common sense is even better.

[Phil Fouracre]

Why's it called that? 'Cos it certainly isn't common!!!!!

[Shootist]

To expand, I suppose.

OK, so as long as nobody is killed or maimed, too often at least, probably, then there's no problem. Unless it's you that is killed or maimed, of course. Even bike collisions can cause life changing injuries, and not every cyclist scared into colliding with the side of the road when a lorry passes too closely is turned into a Frisbee. If that's your standards then fine, you must be the one on the right, I'm guessing then.

As far as confusing traffic is concerned, it's not always confusing if you know what's happening. In the USA I quickly became used to cars on the interstate passing on either side, although such behaviour is a no-no here. The is, in my locality, a road junction that on first sight was designed by someone who deliberately wanted to cause road traffic collisions. It is a 'weaving zone' and quite terrifying to the uninitiated. However, it works quite well for that very reason. People take care because only the congenitally stupid fail to see the dangers and drive accordingly.

Now, someone has pointed out that the convention in this country is to drive / ride on the left, so when some crosseyed 'I can ride where and how I like' jumped up never come down self important fool can impress his personal power on lesser mortals by breaching safe conventions he is, IMHO, presenting the unexpected, spoiling the rides of others unfortunate to meet him, risking their personal safety and being a complete moron.

[mjr]

Even bike collisions can cause life changing injuries, and not every cyclist scared into colliding with the side of the road when a lorry passes too closely is turned into a Frisbee. If that's your standards then fine, you must be the one on the right, I'm guessing then.

I usually pass on the left, but it doesn't turn me into a frothing fool if someone is determined to pass on the right, or the few times where it really does make sense. Full disclosure: I've also passed on the right accidentally in Cambridge (the bike bucked on a pothole) and the London Freecycle was just a flowing crowd and it didn't really bother me.

I remember reports of one bike-on-bike serious injury collision where racing wasn't involved - http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Cyclist ... story.html - so yes, it can happen, but does it happen much? I don't remember any others.

Now, someone has pointed out that the convention in this country is to drive / ride on the left, so when some crosseyed 'I can ride where and how I like' jumped up never come down self important fool can impress his personal power on lesser mortals by breaching safe conventions he is, IMHO, presenting the unexpected, spoiling the rides of others unfortunate to meet him, risking their personal safety and being a complete moron.

People who consider even a cyclist right-side-passing on a cycle track to spoil their ride must have a lot of spoiled rides! Do walkers spoil rides if they don't walk on the right, as is conventional in this country?

I feel some riders need to calm down a bit and remember that the Highway Code says you should not become agitated about the actions of others BEFORE it says that you should keep left...

[Tigerbiten]

My trouble is that I do most of my cycle path riding on the continent, +4,000 miles this year, where I cycle on the right.
I do very little riding on the left in the UK, ~100 miles this year, as there are so little good cycle tracks that I'm happy taking my recumbent trike on.
So it now feels wrong to be on the left on a cycle track .....

[ChrisButch]

I remember reports of one bike-on-bike serious injury collision where racing wasn't involved - http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Cyclist ... story.html - so yes, it can happen, but does it happen much? I don't remember any others.

There's been a fatality on a bike path in Exeter in the last month - the first such case, as far as I know. An elderly lady went over her bars and suffered a fatal head injury, apparently hitting another rider as he turned across her to get to a road crossing. (The full facts aren't yet clear, no inquest yet).

[Flinders]

I find a lot of cyclists do try to pass on the 'wrong' side on off-road tracks, I've posted about it before.

Walkers are supposed to walk on the right of unpavemented roads, so maybe some cyclists follow the same pattern so as not to weave between walkers and other cyclists.

I have found myself doing it at times, drifting to the right when there is nobody about, I have no idea why. I do keep to the left when I see/hear people.

Oddly enough, when there are horses in arenas, riders are trained to pass on the right, not the left, but this is more to do with riding school methods being continental in origin.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,

Oddly enough, when there are horses in arenas, riders are trained to pass on the right, not the left, but this is more to do with riding school methods being continental in origin.

Ugh............that's why some local horse riders are ignoring the highway code and are all over the road and insist that I stop even though I am on the left

Then they say "thankyou"...........and I am happy to do that

THEN if I say nothing they get sarcy and in a very snotty voice say "Happy Days"...................................I give up.

I might just start behaving like a complete [rude word removed].......................I wont but am getting very frustrated at snotty horse riders who are playing a dangerous game in acting like they own the road and claim that the road is dangerous.
One rule for us and one rule for them.

[Bicycler]

I might just start behaving like a complete <i>[rude word removed]</i>.......................I wont but am getting very frustrated at snotty horse riders who are playing a dangerous game in acting like they own the road and claim that the road is dangerous.
One rule for us and one rule for them.

This sounds familiar. Ah yes, I know where I've heard it before. Replace "snotty horse riders" with "arrogant Lycra louts"

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
I was very careful to use the word snotty and not "Lord £#$$£&" so not to offend some gentry

I am serious tho, us cyclist are getting it all ways

[ian s]

A few years ago I was on the left side of a path and approaching another cyclist coming towards me on the same side. I stopped, he also stopped just in front of me. He said somat like "what is wrong with over there?" gesticulating at his left side of the path, my right side. I replied with "what indeed, why are you not using it as the law requires?". He muttered some comment and passed me to my right. I saw him subsequently, proceeding along the right (starboard) side of the path (so far as he was concerned) but he crossed the path in front of me so that we passed right side to right side.

[Fogey]

What I don't understand is how this free-for-all can happen every day without incidents.

Personally, I am very risk averse. I'm 6'5" and ride the biggest Pashley there is, so if I fall off its going to take a long time and hurt like hell - so it's in my interest to avoid accidents. Thankfully, Pashleys don't co-operate if you try to go quickly. And I spend my journeys trying to 'read' each oncoming cyclist: "how fast? are they watching me? which side are they trying to pass on? can they change direction?" And now, having read this thread, I'm going to be examining the path surface for bumps as well!

I do wonder if there is something I'm missing.

I started cycle commuting just a couple of months ago, and observing other cyclists it does look like I am more cautious and wary than the majority of them. Do they all "get" an unspoken cycleway code that I haven't cottoned on to yet?

[Ellieb]

The point is, if you are ridng on a cycle path you are going to have choose to ride on one side or the other. So why not choose to ride on the same side as everyone else who is going in the same direction. It really isn't a hardship. I can't quite understand why people appear to be resistant to this rather simple idea. It is also safer, more predictable and enables you to make consistent progress along the path without having to stop or work out which way the person coming towards you is going to go. No brainer as far as I am concerned.