another cyclist rant :/

[Participant]

Cyclists either riding abreast or sitting in the middle of the road sort of annoy me, but from their point of view it forces the motorists to overtake properly rather than allowing a foot between car and rider due to oncoming traffic as some motorists do.

Personally I ride in the drain lane when I'm cycling on the roads. I see no point in holding up people faster than me.

 

[snowdog]

The highway code says a car should give the same space to a cyclist as it would a car when over taking, so even if they are three abreast you should be able to overtake as if there was only a single cyclist as you should be right out in the other lane.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_070314

Is the highway code enforced as a law or is it a guideline, this Welsh guy I met at the pub told me the highway code is just a guideline...

Either way, I've said it before, and I'll repeat, that is an absolutely retarded rule. Why should you give cyclists so much space, they recommend 1 meter ( bout 3 feet) of space when overtaking cyclists here, but don't disallow to do it with less space but advise to do it slowly... Cylists are also required by law to keep to the right. I'd be fuming if they were in the middle of a lane blocking faster traffic. I never did that in all the years I cycled to school and work and never seen anyone do something that anti social and stupid.

In my book, 2 abreast is not a problem, 3 is illegal ( or should be if it isn't in the UK) and should be fined heavily.

Cyclists& red lights. meh whatever, as long as they do it when they can ( as in, don't do it when cars are coming) I don't really care, doesn't make it alright but a lot do it here too and unless they're in the way of other traffic I couldn't care less.

 

[Jonny69]

So the o/p spent nearly an hour behind the same cyclists?

Why don't I believe that?

 

[[DOD]Asprilla]

Come to London, all road users are red light jumping, poor lane disciplined, non-indicating morons; we're an inclusive bunch. As a cyclist I'm one of the quickest road users in London in terms of overall journey time. Average car journey speed is 12mph and my summer average on the quick bike is about 17mph, but that's only when I leave early to avoid getting held up by cars, who can add up to 20 minutes to my journey.

Snowdog; if the HC says 'must' or 'must not' then it's law and will be accompanied by reference to the relevant acts. Everything else is guidance. However, I'm sure it wouldn't surprise you how many road users (of all kinds) are ignorant of the the difference or even the law in general; there are loads of threads on this motor forum asking questions about what is and what isn't legal that gobsmack me.

 

[Captain_Slick]

Roads/motorways are maintained through general taxation, not VED.