were you there?
cyclists blocking the road
- Thread starter funnymummy
- Start date
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that sounds about right.
I'm giving the cyclists the credit for knowing what was best.
As Greg says, they were not blocking the road - they were riding along it
The FNRttC takes to a dangerous B road, the B2139 for about 0.9 miles. There is no option - or, rather, all the other options are worse. I hold the traffic up (as I do at Clapham Common) and my intention is that they do not pass because it's a narrow road and cars come round blind bends at high speed. Last month a car passed some of the riders, possibly a dozen or so and then slid in to athe left when another car came around the bend in the opposing direction. As it happened it was a woman driver with elderly passengers.
My responsibility is to my fellow cyclists. I zipped forward and stationed myself on the right of the car. The driver was incensed. She decided to move toward me in an attempt to frighten me. That wasn't ever going to work.
An extraordinary thing happened. She turned left in to Amberley station car park, before we turned off the road. In other words the entire length of her trip in our company would have been 0.8 miles. If she had travelled the distance at 50mph she'd have done it in just under a minute. Doing it at 16mph she would have done it at 3 minutes. For the sake of two minutes she was prepared to put cyclists at risk, and, thwarted by not being able to do so, lost her rag (as she turned left she was giving me V-signs).
People of this ilk are filth.
Road width is hard to define as it is often defined by what is available rather than a minimum width. But a narrow road would probably around 12 feet wide. It would be impossible to get 6 cyclists across on a road of this width. 4 would be difficult and 3 would be a more reasonable number. I therefore suggest that your friend's evidence is highly questionable and was simply an anti-cyclists whinge.
A large group of cyclists singling out would actually make a more difficult hazard to overtake and would encourage a car to simply squeeze in while overtaking. It may therefore seem counter - intuitive, but bunching up into a smaller and wider group, often makes less of a problem for overtaking cars.
the problem with that, Dayvo is that the road in question is not wide enough to allow that to happen safely. Some roads are and some roads aren't. (I don't believe the 6 abreast thing, by the way)
if the police car had been sounding a siren or flashing lights they'd have stopped and flattened themselves against the hedge.
wheres_my_beard
Über Member
- Location
- Norwich
A little communication from the cyclists at the back may have helped; just an acknowledging hand gesture or eye contact would have defused the situation, surely??
I personally feel that the cyclists should have made some attempt to allow the car to pass or actively indicate that if was not safe to pass, so they can all continue their journeys without too much drama; not because of what the law says, implies or suggests but out of courtesy for other road users.
If there had been group of walkers taking up the road, would these cyclists have hung back and cycled as walking pace indefinitely without making their presence known? Probably not.
I personally feel that the cyclists should have made some attempt to allow the car to pass or actively indicate that if was not safe to pass, so they can all continue their journeys without too much drama; not because of what the law says, implies or suggests but out of courtesy for other road users.
If there had been group of walkers taking up the road, would these cyclists have hung back and cycled as walking pace indefinitely without making their presence known? Probably not.
ian turner
Guru
- Location
- Leicestershire
You're attacking us, You're attacking us. Solidarity against the enemy comrades 
It's like handing out helpful helmet advice in the park isn't it ?
It's like handing out helpful helmet advice in the park isn't it ?
Wind noise prevents most cyclists from hearing what is behind them, personally I use a very short push on the horn from some distance back to let a group know I am there, I also appreciate it if that is done for my whilst on the bike. I know the rest of my cycling and racing family members feel the same way.
I will not comment on the OP as not being there I would not like to cast an opinion. But for sure I see some atrocious cycling and the same for driving skills.
I will not comment on the OP as not being there I would not like to cast an opinion. But for sure I see some atrocious cycling and the same for driving skills.
What an incredibly patronising thing to say (not the first time this really weird claim has been made on this thread). Wind noise does not prevent most cyclists from hearing what is behind them, rather it helps along with other things to muffle whatever is yelled at them good or bad as a driver passes them. Do you love in some idyll where the horn isn't used aggressively?
As a cyclist you really should know better to say such things, as should FM's friend. A horn is fine in a tame driving culture, sadly we don't live in one and most uses of the horn will be classed as a hostile and aggressive act, whether it was meant like that or not.
None of you were there, and I suspect few of you know the road. I doubt that many of you have ever managed a group ride.
This is an established event, attracting experienced cyclists and they made a judgement, based on their circumstances. If you're in a similar situation, by all means do things your way.............
If a car comes up behind us on (say) High Street Chipstead then we're not going to make it easy for the driver to pass - in fact it would probably be impossible for a car to pass unless we all stopped, which we wouldn't because there's not a stopping place big enough to accommodate the entire ride. If a car comes up behind us on (say) the B2110, which happens to be in the vicinity of Fulking, then the riders will automatically single out and the car can proceed without hindrance. That's called knowing what you're about.
This is an established event, attracting experienced cyclists and they made a judgement, based on their circumstances. If you're in a similar situation, by all means do things your way.............
If a car comes up behind us on (say) High Street Chipstead then we're not going to make it easy for the driver to pass - in fact it would probably be impossible for a car to pass unless we all stopped, which we wouldn't because there's not a stopping place big enough to accommodate the entire ride. If a car comes up behind us on (say) the B2110, which happens to be in the vicinity of Fulking, then the riders will automatically single out and the car can proceed without hindrance. That's called knowing what you're about.
[QUOTE 1397013"]
Come on now Dell, you're not doing yourself any favours here. Criticising others for making assumptions while carrying on with your own.
We all know that some drivers get impatient around cyclists.
We all know that some cyclists ride defensively when appropriate and will block traffic when they feel at risk.
We all know that some cyclists take this too far, and 'claim their rights' when there's no need to. Pack mentality doesn't help. I'm sure you've seen it on Critical Mass.
By all means form an opinion based on your knowledge of the road, but don't dismiss anything which doesn't follow the view that you decided on at the beginning of this thread.
None of us where there, so I really don't understand why we're all taking positions on behalf of people that we don't even know. Pack mentality?
[/quote]I don't believe the six abreast thing because travelling down that road six abreast would be pretty darn difficult. Not to say inefficient.
And, frankly, Mr. P, you're being disingenuous. CM is about stopping the traffic. This lot were moving along.
Come on now Dell, you're not doing yourself any favours here. Criticising others for making assumptions while carrying on with your own.
We all know that some drivers get impatient around cyclists.
We all know that some cyclists ride defensively when appropriate and will block traffic when they feel at risk.
We all know that some cyclists take this too far, and 'claim their rights' when there's no need to. Pack mentality doesn't help. I'm sure you've seen it on Critical Mass.
By all means form an opinion based on your knowledge of the road, but don't dismiss anything which doesn't follow the view that you decided on at the beginning of this thread.
None of us where there, so I really don't understand why we're all taking positions on behalf of people that we don't even know. Pack mentality?
[/quote]I don't believe the six abreast thing because travelling down that road six abreast would be pretty darn difficult. Not to say inefficient.
And, frankly, Mr. P, you're being disingenuous. CM is about stopping the traffic. This lot were moving along.
JonnyBlade
Live to Ride
- Location
- Gosport-Hampshire
4 and 6 abreast !!!!!!! And then the abuse .............. horns piss me off big time and they are quite startling but not exactly 2 abreast are they. If I was a cop I would have spoken to the cyclists because the OP suggests they had a total disregard for anyone else on the road and in fact encouraged, by their actions, other road users to have a go.
ITYM 1.8mph. Pretty impressive cycling in a peleton at that speed. I think I'd fall over below 2mph.
Why is it these stories always start to unravel when you pick at a little loose thread?
[QUOTE 1397018"]
It doesn't matter why you don't believe it. The fact is that you're taking a side where you're not qualified to, and when you're well aware that there's a possibility that the riders were just being arses.
I'd rather keep an open mind.
[/quote]
no - I'm making a judgement based on the width of the road, and a decent amount of experience of group rides. And, once again - the cyclists used their judgement. They're entitled to do that. If people reading this thread want to do things differently that's fine by me.
It doesn't matter why you don't believe it. The fact is that you're taking a side where you're not qualified to, and when you're well aware that there's a possibility that the riders were just being arses.
I'd rather keep an open mind.
[/quote]
no - I'm making a judgement based on the width of the road, and a decent amount of experience of group rides. And, once again - the cyclists used their judgement. They're entitled to do that. If people reading this thread want to do things differently that's fine by me.
