Pinch points.

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kwackers
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Pinch points.

Post by kwackers »

I cycle along a section of road that has a number of pinch points. It's a fairly quiet road (although there are often queues at the ends), it's used by children walking and cycling to school, is slightly bendy, probably should be a 20 limit (but isn't yet) and a few years ago the council tried to tame the traffic by adding a small number of pinch points. (It's not a rat run, traffic is predominantly local).

If anyone is interested a link here:-
Hood lane pinch points

So the problem is I have no end of trouble with cars at these pinch points. They either race me to it, sometimes cutting in so late they've actually clipped the central reservation, they accelerate up behind and brake hard at the last second, sit behind me on the horn or they overtake on the wrong side of the road at speed.

A couple of notable near misses using the link above, you'll see there's a right turn immediately after the pinch point (which I wish to take). On one occasion a 4x4 overtook on the wrong side of the road narrowly missing a car turning out of the junction and on another as I started to turn right a car also turning right overtook on the bend into the road nearly hitting a car emerging out of the side road head on.

This morning I had yet another poor overtake at the pinch point. I heard the car coming up and realised they were going for it so as the car overtook I moved left and the rear of the car only just missed me. I caught up with the guy in the queue and he apologised profusely claiming he was going to stop to say sorry (as if!) - I suspect he's only confrontational whilst in his steel box.

So as I ride along this road and approach the pinch point I move into primary (there's no way a car and bike would fit through, these are pretty narrow), I'm generally riding around 16-20mph so not too slow.
If I hear a car racing up behind me I hold my position and speed since I'm of the opinion that they know I'm there and hopefully their judgement will be correct.
I reckon if I brake and they're intending to slam on then they might not be able to stop in time, if I accelerate then they may no longer fit through the gap they were aiming for and if I move left a car that may have hung back may see that as an invite to try and squeeze through.

It's really beginning to get on my wick now since I get a poor overtake at least once a week and a dangerous one about once a month...

Not sure if this post is just a vent or if I'm looking for any pointers. If anyone has any ideas I'd like to hear them. (Not 'get off and walk' ideas thanks. If I have to walk all the way along there I'll just start using my car instead ;) ).
beardy
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Re: Pinch points.

Post by beardy »

I have not found the answer either.

I ride along in a primary position that means they have to come around me and it is obvious we are not going through side by side. I just mutter/chant to myself "these points were not put here to slow me down".

The really bad overtakes are those who come alongside me, match my speed and then start to move over so they can get through. A good few years back I was banging on a car's window and punching their panels but they just kept coming at me.

My situation is only better than yours because I have less traffic and more relaxed rural drivers.

I remember the road before they introduced the points and it was trouble free. The road layout on the road I am thinking of also has bits of pavement coming out into the road about 150 metres before the pinch point from the centre. This means that I am already in the right position for the pinch point, normally traffic is light and they can overtake me on the other side of the road at other times they get alongside me in a gap between oncoming cars and then just push me back into the gutter often they "have no choice" because the car in front of them is stopping them from getting past me. :roll: .
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gaz
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Re: Pinch points.

Post by gaz »

Call for more comprehensive traffic calming measures, e.g.Ringlestone.

In the meantime carry on with what you are already doing.
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AndyK
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Re: Pinch points.

Post by AndyK »

Yup, the only answer seems to be to move ostentatiously into primary position as you approach the squeeze point.
The most disastrous ones round here are on the B3354 through Colden Common - see if you can spot the flaw in this: http://goo.gl/maps/OUciO
irc
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Location: glasgow

Re: Pinch points.

Post by irc »

Just what your doing. I presume you use a mirror. Knowing when the near misses are coming makes mitigating them easier. They wouldn't stop me using a road but they make it much less relaxed. I could see less confident cyclists finding them a nightmare.
beardy
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Re: Pinch points.

Post by beardy »

I see no need for a mirror at no point in all of this am I unaware what the cars are doing or where they are.
axel_knutt
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Re: Pinch points.

Post by axel_knutt »

kwackers wrote:On one occasion a 4x4 overtook on the wrong side of the road narrowly missing a car turning out of the junction


It doesn't even require a pinch point, I was once on the crest of the road approaching a right turn, and just at the instant I was about to topple my balance to the right and make the turn I realised that the car behind was overtaking on the right, not the left. It was a girl on a mobile phone who couldn't be bothered to put it down while she negotiated the slalom between me and the parked cars on the left. Another second and she would have knocked me into the middle of next week.

(The parked cars are a menace too, drivers can't tell whether you're signalling to overtake the cars or to turn right.)
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Elizabethsdad
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Re: Pinch points.

Post by Elizabethsdad »

If you get this frequently, is it due to a few repeat offenders? In which case logging the incidents and reporting the problem maybe.
irc
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Re: Pinch points.

Post by irc »

beardy wrote:I see no need for a mirror at no point in all of this am I unaware what the cars are doing or where they are.


Really? Whether it's a 1ft or a 3ft pass about to happen. Whether there is one or two cars behind you. Whether the car is closing or holding it's position. Even in a headwind.
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661-Pete
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Re: Pinch points.

Post by 661-Pete »

I think there's no one-size-fits-all solution to this. Sometimes primary is best - certainly in most of my situations the following motorist will fall in behind me with no complaints (I always make a visible manoeuvre to the left once the pinch point is passed, as a way of saying to the motorist "I acknowledge your patience, now you may overtake").

But if you do take primary, you must be very aware of any threats coming up behind you, and be able to duck out of the way if the worst happens. It's no consolation being 'in the right' and dead at the same time...

Do we need these pinch points? As I see it they're mostly placed there to help pedestrians. But on a not-too-busy road, the pedestrian ought to have a spell with no vehicles approaching in either direction, so that they can safely cross. Certainly, in my childhood (the 'kerb drill' in those days, it was before the era of 'green cross'), that's precisely what we kids were taught: look both ways and only cross when it's clear both ways.

On a very busy road, on the other hand, pedestrian crossings ought to be light-controlled. Then the central island is unnecessary, unless it's a help to motorists by separating the 'red' periods for each side, so that they can be shortened...

In France, where I frequently visit, these isolated pairs of bollards are much less common, instead you're more likely to encounter elongated 'islands' between the lanes, like here. Normally when cycling, it would make no difference whether you stayed in primary or secondary - the following motorist would just have to hold back!

But of course, in France, most cyclists are held in greater respect than their British counterparts. I wonder why? :? :)
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kwackers
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Re: Pinch points.

Post by kwackers »

irc wrote:Really? Whether it's a 1ft or a 3ft pass about to happen. Whether there is one or two cars behind you. Whether the car is closing or holding it's position. Even in a headwind.

IMO there's little you can do. The worst thing is usually to change your speed/direction since you have to assume they've already factored in what they think you're going to do. (You couldn't even move left earlier since that simply invites the overtake anyway.)
beardy
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Re: Pinch points.

Post by beardy »

It is never a threat from cars behind you, they have already come alongside and then it is just a battle of wills. Your ears tell you whether they are planning coming through or holding back even with earphones on. :wink:
MikeF
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Re: Pinch points.

Post by MikeF »

gaz wrote:Call for more comprehensive traffic calming measures, e.g.Ringlestone.

In the meantime carry on with what you are already doing.
I've never seen traffic calming like that. It no doubt works, but it looks like it's on a gradient to me. If so and you are a slow cyclist, I'm sure there might be a tailback of slow moving motor vehicles and no doubt cursing drivers or even bus passengers. Interested to know what happens in practice.
In Forest Row some of the pedestrian crossings are on humps http://goo.gl/maps/EDjkf. These do not seem a problem to cycle over, but give quite a jolt to cars travelling more than 25mph.
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beardy
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Re: Pinch points.

Post by beardy »

I suppose it would be a complete waste of time to point out Highway code rule 153 which states they should not be overtaking in a traffic calming area. I am sure that even the Police will say well "it was only a cycle".

http://www.highwaycode.info/rule/153
kwackers
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Location: Warrington

Re: Pinch points.

Post by kwackers »

beardy wrote:I suppose it would be a complete waste of time to point out Highway code rule 153 which states they should not be overtaking in a traffic calming area. I am sure that even the Police will say well "it was only a cycle".

http://www.highwaycode.info/rule/153

Does the pinch point count as traffic calming? It doesn't restrict the flow to a single lane so doesn't 'look' like the rule might apply... I'm just guessing here.
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