Priority over oncoming vehicles

[mr_cellophane]

It's a rectangle, so it's information. Not an absolute right. If you encounter another vehicle you should still asess if it is safe to continue.

But traffic coming towards you will see a circular sign giving orders

 

[Debian]

It's a rectangle, so it's information. Not an absolute right. If you encounter another vehicle you should still asess if it is safe to continue.

But traffic coming towards you will see a circular sign giving orders

Also there is invariably a Give Way sign and dotted give way lines on the non-priority side.

 

[Debian]

But to answer the OP I tend to ride very assertively anyway - strong secondary at all times and primary at the least reason. I tend to ride everywhere assuming that if it's my legal right of way then I'll take it, that includes, as fossyant said, taking my lane on my side of the road if there are parked cars on the other and staring out traffic coming the other way on the wrong side of the road. It's worked every time so far but there have been one or two instances where the oncoming driver has only given way at the last second.

At these chicanes I take primary early, as early as possible, make eye contact with any oncoming driver and make it as clear as possible that I'm coming through regardless. Again it's always worked - so far!

I'm not saying to do what I do, I realise that I'm taking a risk every time but it hasn't failed me yet.

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

I'm thinking maybe I should move into the middle of the road to 'enforce' the sign leaving no room for a car coming the other way, hence making them stop and wait as they should.

What do you think?

There's no sure way of dealing with some of the morons out there who will plough on, regardless.

 

[GrasB]

But you are not subject to that sign, you can't see it! The reason you have information is because there may be someone already in the particular stretch of road subject to the signs. You would not plough on regardless I assume, with your dying breath gasping "He should have given way the bastaauugghhh" would you?

Thing is the fact your sign is informational isn't relevant to the driver coming in the opposite direction looking at a sign which is an order. The problem is most drivers will simply ignore the fact that that they're supposed to give way to oncoming traffic because you're a cyclist. It's amazing that when there's a car behind how most motorist don't even show any hint of going through against the priority flow but a most motorists will try to ignore the presence of a cyclist in strong primary unless they're forced to stop.

 

[Debian]

But you are not subject to that sign, you can't see it! The reason you have information is because there may be someone already in the particular stretch of road subject to the signs. You would not plough on regardless I assume, with your dying breath gasping "He should have given way the bastaauugghhh" would you?

It's the driver coming the other way who is subject to it and can see it.

And no, I wouldn't plough on totally regardless, it's usually apparent fairly early on in such an encounter what the drivers intention is and I would have time to evade if necessary. Never had to evade yet though.

 

[marinyork]

You're subject to the white lines (or lack of) whatever side of the road you're on. This business about the signs is a silly irrelevance.

 

[02GF74]

what should happen and what actually happens are not the same in this case.

generally I wll try to push my way past, as I am entitled but am aware of the driver coming towards me aand you can usually spot the ones that will not stop.

if in doubt, stop and wait, the few seconds won't kill you, whereas a driver could and what use is that to you when they have been convicted when you are dead?

 

[slowmotion]

Even when I'm out in the van, I exercise extreme caution when approaching those signs. Plenty of people coming towards you completely ignore the priority. Be very careful, whatever you are in/on.

 

[ade234uk]

You get these days on a bike, where it's just mistake after mistake by drivers. In the end I decided to come off the road because it was annoying me.

Incident 1)
I had priority as I was cycling along this road, but this silly driver misjudged my speed and tried to nip around the island, just as I was arriving at the island, forcing me to brake.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=peacehaven&hl=en&ll=50.790718,0.014462&spn=0.010567,0.027058&sll=52.8382,-2.327815&sspn=10.294056,27.70752&hnear=Peacehaven, East Sussex, United Kingdom&t=m&z=16&layer=c&cbll=50.79074,0.014338&panoid=dHZdzALwhtPfo-Sacu9akw&cbp=12,106.56,,0,15.92

Incident 2)
I was heading along this road. Please correct me, but the signs on the road point to traffic to give way?

Not one, but two drivers decided to cross as I was in the zone between the two roads.
I braked, because I thought the car was going to hit me from the left. Whilst I was stopped in the road for a few seconds, the car coming from the right decided to go around me at the back, absolute madness.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Peacehaven&hl=en&ll=50.797513,-0.003991&spn=0.010511,0.027058&sll=52.8382,-2.327815&sspn=10.294056,27.70752&oq=peaceh&hnear=Peacehaven, East Sussex, United Kingdom&t=m&z=16&layer=c&cbll=50.797615,-0.003933&panoid=U2DsS_xCoX4flG_sz9ZjCg&cbp=12,12.2,,0,2.71

 

[Davidc]

Most drivers give way IME. Possibly because I ride assertively and they get the idea that I'm definitely going to carry on. What I won't do though is put myself in any danger. I don't get into a position where I can't opt out / dive for the side until I'm sure any motor vehicle is going to stop. They're all bigger, heavier and harder than me.

Once someone has stopped I always wave to thank them. Having priority is irrelevant by then and it's going to help the next cyclist the driver meets - might be me again.

 

[on the road]

I tend to ride towards the middle of the road, makes them realise there's no room. Having said that, I done that recently and it didn't stop someone continuing through, I realised he had no intention of stopping, I still held my ground and it ended up with us both swerving with him screatching his tyres. That was rather risky but I came away unscaved, I wouldn't recomend anyone try that

 

[ayceejay]

In a confrontation between a motor vehicle and a bike the bike will always come off second best, there is no comparison between a broken leg and a broken head lamp. In situations like this, and someone overtaking another vehicle and heading straight at you on your side of the road is the same although you may be in the right nobody listens to a dead cyclist. Whenever I approach these type of situations I EXPECT the driver to do the wrong thing and react accordingly given the time.

 

[Saddle bum]

There's a notorious spot in Downe, N Kent, which after all the parking for the pub and cake shop leaves a one side free and it is MY side of the road.
As you do, I was minding my own business riding in the one free side, when Tommy Tintop in his Disco comes straight at me.
There is the odd spot for him to pull over a bit, but he just keeps coming. In the end I just unclip, stop and lean with elbows on the hoods and wait for him to stop.
"Are you going to get out of the way/"
"Er, no" I says, "It's my bit of road".
"Your a cyclist, you don't own any of the road". (This tends to harden one's attitude a mite.)
The one sided exchange went on for a minute or two, with him looking like a beetroot.
With a couple of cars backed up behind both him and me, I just calmly dismounted, walked to the pavement, waved to the assembled convoy, got on againand carefully joined the road up ahead.
The argument was still proceeding......................

 

[buddha]

There's a notorious spot in Downe, N Kent, which after all the parking for the pub and cake shop leaves a one side free and it is MY side of the road......

I go through there almost every day. It's a cycling hotspot - what, with the cake shop
You must have encountered a one-off kn0bhead, as all the locals usually wait for bikes.