Must. Calm. Down.

[exbfb]

Post work spin on the new road bike.
It's been a busy week and I haven't been on a bike very much this week at all.
This was my first ride to get my head back on the bike.

On my way home, just as I was on the final approach to a roundabout, doing quite a decent speed ( 19.9mph according to Sports Tracker) I was overtaken by a car when I was within 20-30 metres of the roundabout.
I hadn't really planned on slowing down very much at all, because I didn't really need to. but the car which was now all of a sudden in front of me sort of braked to a standstill.

In the left hand lane.

Leaving the right hand lane empty...

I shouldn't have done it. He's in 1200kg of car and I'm on about 10kg of bike.

I couldn't help it. The blood pressure sort of spiked at that point.

"What a useless *****", is sort of what I was thinking at that point.

Yes, I overtook him again.

Through the roundabout...
Cast a glance over my shoulder that was not particularly cordial and sped off down the hill.
Of course, he re overtook me. Doing, I would imagine 40mph, I was a whisker under 30mph at that point.
Not a particularly safe pass though, but then again why should he ?
I had just passed him through a roundabout, probably antagonising him. I reckon he felt as good about cyclists as I did about motorists at that point.

I'm just admitting in public, much as it felt good to put the move right back on him, it was neither big nor clever.
Another car with another driver might have made the second pass even less comfortable and I could be en route to A&E right now.

What I have now learnt, is that a late overtake followed by heavy braking - right as you come up to that roundabout is very very likely to happen. Maybe just best to let it happen and live to cycle another day.

 

[Number14]

It's quite frightening how many motorists are unable to approach a roundabout and look to see the traffic already on the roundabout at the same time.

Multitasking and thinking ahead is not an option for a lot of people, even when there is a clear view of the whole roundabout. They have to approach at speed, brake heavily to compensate and then stop to make sure nothing is coming.

A competent driver would approach at an appropiate speed for the layout/visibility of the road and move through without having to stop for an empty road.

 

[Andy_R]

A competent driver would approach at an appropiate speed for the layout/visibility of the road and move through without having to stop for an empty road.

Therein lies the problem...we are led to believe there are loads of them, but where are they?

 

[Glover Fan]

I don't know but since I have come back to cycling from 2 years out, I think standards have actually improved. Maybe it's because I now live near Bristol and cycling is a lot more popular?!

 

[jackm]

Have had this tale on my mind for a few days, feel now is the time to tell it..........

I am a driving instructor, and was out with a pupil last Saturday in Cheltenham.
We overtook 2 cyclists about 100metres before a double roundabout, where we were turning left at the first one. Indicated left on the approach.

Had to wait for a car already on the roundabout, Were just about to move off safely, with a final glance in left door mirror, and would you believe it, lycra clad superhero on his white Spech comes through on our nearside, taking the road ahead.............

Luckily, we were more aware than he was, so the weekend warrior went on to fight another day.

 

[exbfb]

Have had this tale on my mind for a few days, feel now is the time to tell it..........

I am a driving instructor, and was out with a pupil last Saturday in Cheltenham.
We overtook 2 cyclists about 100metres before a double roundabout, where we were turning left at the first one. Indicated left on the approach.

Had to wait for a car already on the roundabout, Were just about to move off safely, with a final glance in left door mirror, and would you believe it, lycra clad superhero on his white Spech comes through on our nearside, taking the road ahead.............

Luckily, we were more aware than he was, so the weekend warrior went on to fight another day.

I'm being devil's advocate here.

Would you have advised the pupil that overtaking a car 100m before the roundabout would have been acceptable ?

As I said, just being devil's advocate.

The issue I had yesterday was that because of the quite reasonable speed I was doing (deliberately so, in order to blend in with the likely traffic speed at that point), my open road became a heavy braking zone. I wasn't going slow, I was keeping my speed in the car zone.


I do not have years of experience as an on road cyclist to call upon with regard to these situations, but in my relatively short time on the road (around 3 months or so) I have certainly noticed that being overtaken too close to a junction is second only to a too close overtake in terms of apparent danger.
Being a car driver myself, I wouldn't identify the people carrying out these manouvres as being in any way what you might call archetypal nutters. No Imprezas or EVOs, more likely to be what Top Gear calls a Reasonably Priced Car.

Just my observations so far.
I don't expect the world to change, just situations that I have to be aware of. I'm on a bike, so I shoud expect to be involved in a change of position wayyyy closer to a junction than would be the case were I to be driving the car.

 

[roundisland]

Post work spin on the new road bike.
It's been a busy week and I haven't been on a bike very much this week at all.
This was my first ride to get my head back on the bike.

On my way home, just as I was on the final approach to a roundabout, doing quite a decent speed ( 19.9mph according to Sports Tracker) I was overtaken by a car when I was within 20-30 metres of the roundabout.
I hadn't really planned on slowing down very much at all, because I didn't really need to. but the car which was now all of a sudden in front of me sort of braked to a standstill.

In the left hand lane.

Leaving the right hand lane empty...

I shouldn't have done it. He's in 1200kg of car and I'm on about 10kg of bike.

I couldn't help it. The blood pressure sort of spiked at that point.

"What a useless *****", is sort of what I was thinking at that point.

Yes, I overtook him again.

Through the roundabout...
Cast a glance over my shoulder that was not particularly cordial and sped off down the hill.
Of course, he re overtook me. Doing, I would imagine 40mph, I was a whisker under 30mph at that point.
Not a particularly safe pass though, but then again why should he ?
I had just passed him through a roundabout, probably antagonising him. I reckon he felt as good about cyclists as I did about motorists at that point.

I'm just admitting in public, much as it felt good to put the move right back on him, it was neither big nor clever.
Another car with another driver might have made the second pass even less comfortable and I could be en route to A&E right now.

What I have now learnt, is that a late overtake followed by heavy braking - right as you come up to that roundabout is very very likely to happen. Maybe just best to let it happen and live to cycle another day.

I agree fully with what you say cycling is supposed to be a pleasure for us. Reacting to bad driving, and there is so much of it will take the edge of that pleasure for me I tend to let it go. I don't want the road to become a battle ground every time I cycle most problems i encounter are mainly through towns, I have hardly any problems on rural routes.

The other day I was cycling through Gloucester city and a elderly man overtook me just before a roundabout I was turning left so was he I had to break hard so I was not pushed up onto the kerb he was gone before I had the opportunity to do anything. I was angry. I carried on cycling down the road I could see the car in front he'd pulled over as I was approaching he got out of his car and waved me over, he was so apologetic, he said it was such poor judgment on his part but he never meant to cut me up. I ride my bike now expecting bad driving so its not such a great surprise when somebody does something stupid.

 

[Fast_Mark]

Riding in Milton Keynes I would say I'm quite well qualified to comment on handling traffic at roundabouts. If you feel you're close enough to a roundabout that you don't want to be overtaken then I'd suggest a quick look over you shoulder to grab the attention of any driver behind you, and then if it's safe to do so move into primary to make it clear that you are not to be overtaken. And if someone does overtake you, let it go. No point in putting yourself at risk to prove a point because at the end of the day you will lose.

 

[TVC]

I always take the primary position at roundabouts, make my signals very clear, and make eye contact with a driver behind me if possible. Also, I never cut though a line of cars queueing at a roundabout or junction, I get in primary position and wait my turn like everyone else.

Being positive, assertive, and courteous always seems to work for me.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

+1 (well I try to be courteous anyway )

I always take the primary position at roundabouts, make my signals very clear, and make eye contact with a driver behind me if possible. Also, I never cut though a line of cars queueing at a roundabout or junction, I get in primary position and wait my turn like everyone else.

Being positive, assertive, and courteous always seems to work for me.

 

[400bhp]

Have had this tale on my mind for a few days, feel now is the time to tell it..........

I am a driving instructor

Not a very good one.

 

[jackm]

I'm being devil's advocate here.

Would you have advised the pupil that overtaking a car 100m before the roundabout would have been acceptable ?

As I said, just being devil's advocate.

My advice to the pupil and to anyone else, would be to take into account, amongst other things, speed, position of cyclist, width of road, other traffic, weather conditions. Sometimes an overtake 100 metres before a roundabout would be perfectly acceptable, other times deffo not.

Not a black or white answer, but then the answer very rarely is clear cut.

Jack

 

[jackm]

Not a very good one.

Don't know who you are, or what your qualifications are, so until I see something that quantifies your answer, I shall treat it as ignored.

 

[Globalti]

What are these roundabouts everybody writes about? Never see them on my rides.

 

[the_mikey]

What frustrates me even more is car drivers who take it upon themselves to perform dangerous manoevers to pass a car which has slowed or stopped to give way to a vulnerable road user, either a pedestrian or a cyclist. Something I experienced only last week, blind bend and me (on my bike) on a road not wide enough for two vehicles and a cyclist to pass safely, a car had slowed because he could not pass safely, yet another following driver puts the foot to the floor and speeds past a car and me, and narrowly avoids a collision with an oncoming car. The more patient driver waitied until he could see the road ahead and then indicated, passed safely and indicated to return to the left of the road.