Researchers hope to run ‘drivers passed by themselves’ study after high-speed close pass test; Cyclists discuss “optical illusion” cycle lane that drew Rees-Mogg ire; Bizarre Express story blames TikTok for ‘half-wheeling trend’ + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Aesthetically pleasing bar tape content
Arte de por uma fita de guidão pic.twitter.com/uEHoi49Igo
— O País do Ciclismo (@opaisdociclismo) April 28, 2023
Now all you need is to decide which bar tape to wrap…
Cyclists discuss "optical illusion" cycle lane that drew Rees-Mogg criticism
Seems a lot were riders – even a low upstand kerb is maybe too steep an angle?
But yet again! Why does a High Street and not the approaches need a cycle track?https://t.co/FWxnwX7Fewhttps://t.co/IcKTMHMj9Yhttps://t.co/fNyQbyayw7 https://t.co/bl2xXmG57F— Jitensha Oni @jitensha_oni@mastodon.online (@jitensha_oni) April 27, 2023
Some reaction to this one from yesterday…
road.cc reader Matt got in touch as a regular user of the infrastructure and told us…
I regularly use Keynsham high street as a pedestrian and cyclist. I’m thankful that the council is putting money into the town.
I don’t have any major issues with the design. I’d probably have swapped around the red lane and the middle section maybe. It could obviously be better. But also I’m a bit stunned by how many people trip.. has anyone thought the more you look the more you see? The stats need comparing to something else to put it into context.
The changes have made traffic considerably slowly and safer for pedestrians and cyclists and the high street has a real buzz compared to the narrow pedestrian lanes before.
There are still issues with congestion but until people chose not to drive how will that change.. Changes are made by people, and places are nicer with less cars.
In the comments, the little onion said: “So there is a pedestrian risk with a trip hazard on a kerb, due to colouring, profiling etc. This could be resolved easily enough with appropriate painting. But the solution is to scrap the cycling provision entirely, and increase vehicular traffic? Am I understanding this correctly?”
Global Nomad said it “sounds like inconsistent design details — one of the first lessons when dealing with public surfaces is to provide consistent relationships — why steps should all be the same size/height and why boundaries likewise — sounds like the relationship in levels between the pavement, cycle path and road keep changing.
“What you know from one section doesn’t apply a few metres down the road. Small steps or level changes can often be more dangerous than larger ones due to being harder to spot. As usual JRM avoids analysis and twists a solution to fit a different problem.”
hawkinspeter: “Calling for the lane to be removed is kinda stupid, when the issue is obviously the particular implementation. Wouldn’t it just be easier to repaint the kerb?”
Anyway, happy Friday!
Bizarre Express story blames TikTok for 'half-wheeling trend'
Ah the half-wheeling trend, the latest cycling fad (apparently, according to the Express)…
“The new trend of ‘half-wheeling’ is causing a stir in the cycling community with it becoming more popular this year after going viral on social media. This is when a cyclist chooses to ride half a wheel’s length in front of another cyclist, forcing them to work harder and cycle faster to keep up.”
Right.
Lena Farnell of Cycle SOS told the newspaper: “If a fellow cyclist does attempt half-wheeling, calmly yet firmly ask them to stop.” There’s normally a less polite version for group rides…
“Don’t rise to the challenge and attempt to outdo them or cut in front of them as this can lead to further danger and even result in an accident.
“If another member of your cycling group is being directly impacted by this behaviour, slow down your pace and fall back to allow room for them to create some distance.”
Despite the trend talk earlier, the Express does later admit it “is not a new concept” and apparently “social media apps like TikTok have helped make half-wheeling more popular, with many now questioning whether it is acceptable etiquette”.
I really don’t know what to say. Get off TikTok, you lot, your half-wheeling’s dangerous!
Driver flips car onto side... minutes after seriously injuring cyclist in hit and run
> Driver flips car onto side… minutes after seriously injuring cyclist in hit and run
Friday positivity
Did Nancy learn to ride a bike in one hour?
Well, first lesson done! It wasn’t easy, but Nancy is feeling happy and proud of herself for making progress. Shoutout to Kate, her instructor for being patient and encouraging. #ridebeeline pic.twitter.com/Aw8rgX2o6G
— Beeline (@ridebeeline) April 28, 2023
Should experiencing a close pass be part of learning to drive?
Some thoughts on the study from Sweden, with a bit of discussion in the comments about the role cycling could take in learning to drive…
kil0ran: “Unless there’s a strong medical exemption I think cycling should be part of the test. If they haven’t learnt to cycle then they can always ride a trike. Can be an e-bike too for the unfit. If not all drivers then definitely professional drivers on something other than a car licence.”
tigersnapper: “I think it would be a great idea for all drivers to at least go through the close pass scenario even if no cycling is included in the test, as suggested by Kil0ran. Although for some I suspect it would be ‘now I know how scary it can be I’ll do it all the more’!”
the little onion: “I think this would be a great alternative to those demonstration mats that the police are using to show appropriate distances during close pass enforcement!”
And more generally on the theme of close passes (and the effect on your bibs)…
HoldingOn: “For me, the best analysis after that kind of close pass isn’t my heart rate, but the colour of my shorts.” The instant AG2R edition, as suggested by the little onion…
SimoninSpalding: “1m/ 80kph+ HGV = f***ing scary. Even worse if it is windy. Part of my old commute home had a couple of miles of national speed limit A road with no cycling provision so this was an everyday experience.”
How does road.cc make money?
Is it April 1st already? Endura teams up with... *checks notes* honey badgers to... *checks notes again*... encourage riders to enjoy the great outdoors to the maximum by clearing their minds from the worries of work
Right, let’s try to work this one out together. We get hundreds of press releases from brands, companies, manufacturers, PR companies and more, all fighting for publicity for their products and campaigns… one of today’s is this from Endura…
This is Endura’s ‘Don’t Badger Me’ campaign, aiming to put the leave back in annual leave… get it? Apparently the Scottish cyclewear manufacturer — who raised eyebrows last month by designing the “world’s most graphic cycle helmets” featuring CAT scans of cyclists’ brain injuries to encourage helmet wearing — has now “acquired the help of the world’s most fearless animals to stand up to badgering bosses, colleagues and clients”.
The initiative urges Brits to rid their minds of work worries and enjoy their free time by putting the laptop away and getting behind the handlebars, we’re told. Interesting stats provided: four out of five (81 per cent) of Brits spend some of their free time thinking about work… AND since 2002 the honey badger has held the title of ‘most fearless animal in the world’ by the Guinness Book of World Records. Well, there you go…
In short, go for a bike ride this bank holiday weekend. Unless you’re a pro cyclist… then go for a bike ride but don’t think about the fact you’re going for a bike ride…
STOP PRESS
LATE EDIT… they’ve offered quotes from a honey badger…no, really…
Horace the honey badger said: “As a honey badger, the two things that define me are giving zero fks and loving the great outdoors. Now I get to merge the two, by playing my part in allowing the brilliant Endura customers to enjoy the UK’s wonderful outdoor environment, all while standing up to irritating bosses and clients by telling them to do one!”
Brilliant.
A world champion, four-time Monument winner and Alpecin Deceuninck teammates walk into a bar... (anyone got the punchline?)
Remco Evenepoel and Mathieu van der Poel are back training together in sunny Spain. The Belgian is putting the finishing touches on his Giro d’Italia preparation, Van der Poel rebuilding after an incredibly successful classics campaign, the pair finidng a minute to shade from the sweltering heat at Velosol Cycling Bar in Xalo along with two of the Dutchman’s teammates.
Trek-Segafredo part ways with rider who shot and killed cat belonging to San Marino's former head of state
"Ah, a lovely space to ride my bike..."
Ah, a lovely space to ride my bike…. pic.twitter.com/bACV664h6r
— Bryan Mackie (@BryanMackie6) April 27, 2023
Juan Ayuso wins Tour de Romandie time trial, takes control of GC
Not to be for Matteo Jorgenson, beaten by Juan Ayuso by five seconds…
😬🫣 @MatteoJorg | #TDR2023 @TourDeRomandie
🎥 @Eurosport_ES pic.twitter.com/uVEv9EGwOA
— Movistar Team (@Movistar_Team) April 28, 2023
The UAE Team Emirates rider takes control of the race and now leads by 18 seconds ahead of the Movistar American going into a big weekend of climbing. Tomorrow, the race climbs to 2,090m and the summit finish at Thyon 2000 before a couple of big climbs on Sunday finish the week of climbing.
“It’s problematic to have a value like that”: Researcher calls for better guidelines than “just 1.5 metres” for passing cyclists
To follow up on the high-speed close pass test which made y’all flock here today morning (and made our entire team question their confidence on rollers), we’ve got something for you to wrap up this week’s final blog.
road.cc reached out to the researcher from Sweden’s National Road and Transport Research Institute VTI and Dr Katja Kircher had some really interesting things to say on if there even is one safe passing distance to rule them all, how drivers misinterpret the 1.5 metre rule as the “target space” and not as the “mininum distance”, and how it feels to ride a bicycle surrounded by people operating “vehicles to kill”.
Researchers hope to run 'drivers passed by themselves' study after high-speed close pass test
This video comes from Katja Kircher of the Swedish transport research institute VTI who last weekend collected data on how experienced cyclists felt when close passed by the driver of an HGV at distances of one to two metres, at speeds of 50 and 80km/h (31 and 50mph)…
Last weekend we collected data on how 23 experienced road cyclists feel when being passed by a truck. We tested 50 and 80 km/h and 1 m, 1.5 m and 2 m clearance with a standard and an extra long truck. Many thanks to all volunteers and the team! pic.twitter.com/bufzhvKvm4
— Katja Kircher 🚴♀️ – @katjakircher@mastodon.nu (@KatjaKircher) April 27, 2023
Results to follow, but I’m sure you can all take a decent guess at the way that would make you feel. Katja explained it will take a while to analyse the data but made a policy suggestion that in these real-world scenarios drivers should be “switching lanes, and on narrow roads going over to the other edge and slowing down should be the rule. Clear and easy to understand and to enforce”.
Interestingly, she also said she would like to repeat the study but have drivers “passed by themselves” to evaluate the same manoeuvre from both perspectives. “But as demonstration it should maybe be part of taking a driver’s licence — that would reach many more people,” Katja added.
We’re going to get in touch with Katja to find out more…
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Latest Comments
This has nothing to do with the type of bike - it's the type of behaviour that's the problem. Banning the sale of such bikes will not curtail the behaviour. They'll just find another type of vehicle and continue to drive dangerously as there's such a lack of enforcement. I'd sooner see them ban the bally. But really, all that's required is an improvement to roads policing.
The EAPC Bill is welcome, but full of holes. What's to stop an overpowered but temporarily limited e-bike being sold and subsequently delimited? This is often a trivial process.
@KiwiMike Yeah, in my over four decades of riding all over Europe I've never 'been for a ride in the countryside'. That must be it. Or, and I know this is a wild concept, you just accept that I just voiced my personal experiences and never missed a kickstand, like I wrote. Anyway, what's the big horror of laying your bike on its side for the very few occasions where there is nothing to lean your bike against?
They may have looked, but did they see?
Ds2025: where they are going wrong is that they are crushing the motorbike rather than the person sat on top of it. If they did the latter this issue would be solved in less than 24 hours.
I came this way today with the car boot sale in operation. There was a marshal at the entrance, who stopped a car turning right across the cycleway as I was approaching. So that certainly works. I think it necessary for the marshal to be there, I couldn't say if the driver would have turned if he hadn't been there but you always have to suspect the worst. Unfortunately there is no marshal at the exit, and there was certainly a car stopped across the cycleway as I was approaching it. But he pulled onto the road before I reached it, and the following car stayed off the cycleway as I went through. Ideally there should have been a marshal there too. On the whole, though, it's a really high standard piece of infrastructure. Just a pity it doesn't extend a bit further.
“absolute carnage” So right! Just look at the bodies piled up, blood running in the gutters and injured people limping away. It's a bit of a problem with a road, delaying some people for minutes at a time: it isn't carnage, let alone 'absolute carnage'. Anyone who exaggerates so ridiculously really shouldn't be allowed to comment in public, unless they want to demonstrate their idiocy to all and sundry.
I'm criticising them for not riding in secondary position, not primary. At least 60cms (2 feet) from the edge of the road as the HC explicitly recommends. Leaving aside the small minority of riders who find mounting and dismounting a bike difficult - which sounds suspiciously similar to the motorists "but, but what about disabled drivers?" when talking about LTNs - what's wrong with able bodied riders walking the few metres over that narrow, Victorian bridge? Sure, if there's clearly no-one on it I wouldn't condemn anyone for riding it slowly, but if it's not clear forcing pedestrians to stop and squeeze to the side is, frankly, a rather entitled opinion. Plus it's easy to hold a road bike a little ahead of you and hold the saddle - normally no need to hold the bars if it's straight - so you're really not taking up much more room at all. There's a railway underpass near me that links to a shared then segregated path. It's narrow, and the path approaches at an angle so you can't see if it's clear, but many riders still choose to pedal through despite the clear 'no cycling' signage. Why?? Personally I don't go that way, except on foot, preferring the surrounding roads.
I think you're giving drivers too much credit. Many would not think twice about blocking the road if it makes their life easier, such as when turning right onto a busy road.
They might have to, but they won't. What they will do is pull out over the cycle path while they wait for a gap in motor traffic.
44 thoughts on “Researchers hope to run ‘drivers passed by themselves’ study after high-speed close pass test; Cyclists discuss “optical illusion” cycle lane that drew Rees-Mogg ire; Bizarre Express story blames TikTok for ‘half-wheeling trend’ + more on the live blog”
Unless there’s a strong
Unless there’s a strong medical exemption I think cycling should be part of the test. If they haven’t learnt to cycle then they can always ride a trike. Can be an ebike too for the unfit. If not all drivers then definitely professional drivers on something other than a car license.
1m/ 80kph+ HGV = f***ing
1m/ 80kph+ HGV = f***ing scary. Even worse if it is windy. Part of my old commute home had a couple of miles of national speed limit A road with no cycling provision so this was an everyday experience.
For me, the best analysis
For me, the best analysis after that kind of close pass isn’t my heart rate, but the colour of my shorts.
Instant Ag2R team edition?
Instant Ag2R team edition?
I think it would be a great
I think it would be a great idea for all drivers to at least go through the close pass scenario even if no cycling is included in the test, as suggested by Kil0ran. Although for some I suspect it would be ‘now I know how scary it can be I’ll do it all the more’!
I think this would be a great
I think this would be a great alternative to those demonstration mats that the police are using to show appropriate distances during close pass enforcement!
Are those the same
Are those the same demonstration mats that measure the 1.5m passing distance from the cyclist’s tyre to the car’s tyre, missing potentially 40cm of handlebar and 30cm or wing/door/side mirror, therefore training drivers to give around half of the minimum safe passing distance?
and the same mats that say
and the same mats that say riders should be 750mm from the edge of the road !
100%. Make it mandatory for
100%. Make it mandatory for drivers to do it for their test and also every few years just to remind them how much of a cunt their fellow drivers are to cyclists and how much fun it is. People who do it are selfish pricks so perhaps if they can feel how horrible and scary it is themselves they might stop doing it.
I was driven off the road
I was driven off the road yesterday by an oncoming BMW. Had to stop in the gutter and lean left to avoid his door mirror. Once the police have finished, it’ll be on NMOTD.
I’d like the police to enable close pass victims to re-enact their passes with roles reversed so that drivers understand how our lives can be endangerd.
Start ’em young and give ’em
RE Educating drivers. Start ’em young and give ’em experience of using *every* mode, I say.
Cycling notes: resist the
Cycling notes: resist the temptation to take liquids – Grauniad archive, 1895
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/apr/28/cycling-resist-the-temptation-to-take-liquids-1895
Would this be the same period
Would this be the same period when the equipment needed to resuscitate an unconscious person was a cigarette and a set of bellows.
https://blog.sciencemuseum.org.uk/saving-lives-with-a-puff-of-smoke/
And people think CPR is traumatic…
SimoninSpalding wrote:
That reminds me of a bloke that got arrested for buying several smoke machines from a shop.
Turned out he was a member of an extreme mist group
hawkinspeter wrote:
Affiliated to DRISIS.
“Why does a High Street and
“Why does a High Street and not the approaches need a cycle track?”
Well, same question could be asked as to why it needs a road. So people can get to the shops, doh!
Does the Express article
Does the Express article record the “proper” response to half-wheeling?
(which is to subtly, and without any outward signs of effort, put the hammer down and drop the anti-social b****r)
the little onion wrote:
When my mates pull this on me I usually wait till the next big climb and drop them on it.
I had a mate who constantly
I had a mate who constantly half wheeled me, I would speed up and the bastard would keep doing it until I was chewing the handlebars, then he’d ride away from me until he was out of sight. He’d stop, wait for me then it would all start again. I fixed the fucker, I just turned off every time he did it and left him to do the ride on his own.!
Who likes cycling through
Who likes cycling through tunnels?
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/europes-longest-bicycling-tunnel-opens-in-norway/
For a smiliar experience you
For a smiliar experience you can cycle the 1.7 mile Netherton Canal Tunnel, though it’s not lit, the path is narrow and bumpy, and you’ll get wet.
It’s not cycle-specific but I
It’s not cycle-specific but I imagine there’s not much traffic most of the time – it’s longer and you get some art too:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eysturoyartunnilin
They’ve got a bunch of them up there.
Me! me!!
Me! me!!
Closer to home rumor has it
Closer to home rumor has it that you can travel for almost 5km underground in the Peak District at Standedge. I believe it’s now permitted in a boat (with supervision) but there are some “dry” tunnels also – as in they’re pretty damp but not half-full of water. Of course you might need some smarts to get a bike in and this may not be at all legal. Or terribly safe. And of course you want to make be sure you don’t get into the canal or the live train tunnel!
I “may” have ridden through
I “may” have ridden through there but it was in the 70’s
I’m trying to forget riding
I’m trying to forget riding in the Pyrenees where some tunnels are unlit and curved. Without a torch, one:
Follows a car in until it’s out of sight,
stops in the pitch black to avoid a head injury on protruding rocks,
listens to water dripping and the distant sound of a car approaching,
desperately tries to stop it before being run down,
and convinces the driver to light ones way.
Fun!
stops in the pitch black to
stops in the pitch black to avoid a head injury on protruding rocks,
listens to water dripping and the distant sound of a car approaching
This is an accurate description of what it was like in Norwegian tunnels in 1978 on the way up to the North Cape, except that one of them was unlit and 8km long. I didn’t expect it and didn’t have any lights (heading up to the Midnight Sun). Some of them were on the E6 and took big lorries- it was pretty terrifying
I’ve walked through similar
I’ve walked through similar tunnels in Switzerland. Interesting!
That bar tape wrap My skills
That bar tape wrap
My skills definitely need improving.
What I don’t understand is
What I don’t understand is how his end plug slipped in so easily taking all of the excess tape with it. I normally struggle to get the plug in and end up with bits hanging out. I must admit the double sided tape at both ends is something I have never seen before, and might give a try this weekend when my gravel/ commuter project should finally be completed
Please remove JRM’s offensive
Please remove JRM’s offensive face from the beautiful road.cc live blog
Cocovelo wrote:
I’ve almost punched my laptop screen several times already before realising it’s not really him.
For the last eight years my
For the last eight years my esthetically pleasing bar tape action has been touching up the shellac with a few brush strokes every 4 monthes or so. Not sure I even remember how to wrap it…
Is this going to be the start
Is this going to be the start of British jaywalking laws…?
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/28/police-powers-ban-slow-walking-traffic-just-stop-oil-protests
Yes – and it’s great because
Yes – and it’s great because all the police have to do is stop you – at which point you’re going too slowly so they can nick you. “You’re being arrested on suspicion of dilly-dallying on the way…”
Does that mean when I’m running down pedestrians I can now claim that they were breaking the law by tarrying so bear some responsibility?
brooksby wrote:
No, you have to be more evil to think like the Tories.
I reckon she’s aiming for “The Long Walk” to become reality and then charge people to watch it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Long_Walk
So many questions about the
So many questions about the half-wheeling story. What exactly is the trend? Are there any actual examples of this “viral trend”? Why is it a “popular tactic” for cyclists on the morning commute – a tactic to achieve what? Are they actually just talking about drafting? Are they actually talking about overlapping wheels? Does it matter if it makes any sense, as long as the Express gets the ad revenue? I JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND!
Halfwheeling in racing is
Halfwheeling in racing is refusing to ride side by side with the person next to you but asserting your primacy by being about half a wheel ahead, i.e. with your fork level with the front of their wheel. Frowned upon as the natural urge is to draw level, then the other person pulls ahead again and everyone ends up wasting energy. So I’m guessing that this “trend” involves pulling alongside someone and inching just ahead to goad them into speeding up, just for shits and giggles I suppose.
This much I understand
This much I understand (though in the first club I joined, halfwheeling was used to refer to overlapping wheels with the riders in front). And shits and giggles is probably all the explanation required if it’s a viral trend.
But the article still doesn’t stack up for me – half wheeling of the sort you describe may be irritating, but what the Express seems to be worried about doesn’t seem to relate directly to half wheeling: “being in this proximity on the roads has been described as extremely reckless as it could easily cause a pile-up if the person at the front of the pack is involved in an accident”
Rendel Harris wrote:
it’s all shit and giggles until someones giggles and shits
Rendel Harris wrote:
Even worse on theclub run, when everyone is supposed to be working together.
quiff wrote:
It’s a non-story. The Express is scraping every bit from the bottom of the TikTok barrel for clicks.
I cannot see the point of half-wheeling anybody. If you’re riding in company then it’s just rude. If someone want to ride harder then they should join a chain gang or faster group. But describing it as “dangerous” is laughable.
I thought half-wheeling was
I thought half-wheeling was going to be this story again:
Bitter sweet
Bitter sweet
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-65424579
Grandmother cycling 1,000 miles in memory of her three children