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Cyclists switch to single file but still get a punishment pass

Near Miss of the Day 246: Cyclists move into single file to let drivers past ... and are rewarded with a punishment pass

Our regular series featuring close passes from around the country
by Simon_MacMichael
Thu, Jan 31, 2019 00:39
8

One of the more common misconceptions that many drivers hold about cyclists is that it is illegal to ride two abreast. It isn’t.

Rule 66 of the Highway Code says that cyclists should (not must) “never ride more than two abreast, and ride in single file on narrow or busy roads and when riding round bends.”

All of which ties in with today’s video in our Near Miss of the Day Series, submitted by road.cc reader Rodney, who told us: “Move over to single file to help motorists pass but does this punishment pass on us.”

Do you ever get the feeling that if you’re riding a bike on the road you just can’t win?

> Near Miss of the Day turns 100 - Why do we do the feature and what have we learnt from it?

Over the years road.cc has reported on literally hundreds of close passes and near misses involving badly driven vehicles from every corner of the country – so many, in fact, that we’ve decided to turn the phenomenon into a regular feature on the site. One day hopefully we will run out of close passes and near misses to report on, but until that happy day arrives, Near Miss of the Day will keep rolling on.

If you’ve caught on camera a close encounter of the uncomfortable kind with another road user that you’d like to share with the wider cycling community please send it to us at info [at] road.cc or send us a message via the road.cc Facebook page.

If the video is on YouTube, please send us a link, if not we can add any footage you supply to our YouTube channel as an unlisted video (so it won't show up on searches).

Please also let us know whether you contacted the police and if so what their reaction was, as well as the reaction of the vehicle operator if it was a bus, lorry or van with company markings etc.

> What to do if you capture a near miss or close pass (or worse) on camera while cycling

Near Miss of the Day
Simon MacMichael

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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8 comments

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EK Spinner | 5 years ago
2 likes

Why move into single file to let drivers past !

There is a line down the middle to seperate the two lanes, the safe place to overtake is in the other lane.

Singling out only makes it easier for a lazy/dangerous overtake. It also double s the length of the riders convoy that he is overtaking (if gaps open between the riders due to accelerations it may even triple the length)
Please just hold your line and encourage a safe overtake

Avatar
PRSboy replied to EK Spinner | 5 years ago
2 likes

EK Spinner wrote:

Why move into single file to let drivers past !

There is a line down the middle to seperate the two lanes, the safe place to overtake is in the other lane.

Singling out only makes it easier for a lazy/dangerous overtake. It also double s the length of the riders convoy that he is overtaking (if gaps open between the riders due to accelerations it may even triple the length)
Please just hold your line and encourage a safe overtake

If only life were like that.

It is more likely to give rise to a punishment pass and a blaring horn as drivers think cyclists shouldn't ride two abreast.  This won't change until there is a proper education campaign.

 

Avatar
kil0ran replied to PRSboy | 5 years ago
1 like

PRSboy wrote:

EK Spinner wrote:

Why move into single file to let drivers past !

There is a line down the middle to seperate the two lanes, the safe place to overtake is in the other lane.

Singling out only makes it easier for a lazy/dangerous overtake. It also double s the length of the riders convoy that he is overtaking (if gaps open between the riders due to accelerations it may even triple the length)
Please just hold your line and encourage a safe overtake

If only life were like that.

It is more likely to give rise to a punishment pass and a blaring horn as drivers think cyclists shouldn't ride two abreast.  This won't change until there is a proper education campaign.

 

 

The HC is badly written - I think you'll find many drivers surprised when they read it because it's easy to miss the "no more than" bit of the two abreast advice. Certainly until I started cycling again (early 40s) I'd assumed it was illegale to ride two abreast. It's a popular misconception that could be resolved by an education campaign.

Avatar
burtthebike | 5 years ago
1 like

Not sure that it was that much of a punishment pass.  At the very end a car is visible coming the other way, so the driver could have been avoiding that.

It's still crap driving, overtaking on a bend without proper observation.  Might have been better to stay out, preventing overtaking until it was safe, rather than singling out and inviting the overtake.

Avatar
KINGHORN replied to burtthebike | 5 years ago
2 likes

burtthebike wrote:

Not sure that it was that much of a punishment pass.  At the very end a car is visible coming the other way, so the driver could have been avoiding that.

It's still crap driving, overtaking on a bend without proper observation.  Might have been better to stay out, preventing overtaking until it was safe, rather than singling out and inviting the overtake.

 

ah but...

"and ride in single file on narrow or busy roads and when riding round bends.”

 

the Highway code really needs to be re written and written properly!

Avatar
aegisdesign replied to KINGHORN | 5 years ago
1 like
KINGHORN wrote:

ah but...

"and ride in single file on narrow or busy roads and when riding round bends.”

the Highway code really needs to be re written and written properly!

Indeed. The advice to ride in single file may be taken to mean cyclists should ride in the gutter by motorists and not riding single file in primary position. 3

Avatar
brooksby replied to aegisdesign | 5 years ago
1 like

aegisdesign wrote:
KINGHORN wrote:

ah but...

"and ride in single file on narrow or busy roads and when riding round bends.”

the Highway code really needs to be re written and written properly!

Indeed. The advice to ride in single file may be taken to mean cyclists should ride in the gutter by motorists and not riding single file in primary position. 3

Exactly. I think many motorists assume that the single file thing is just to keep cyclists out of their way.

 

Avatar
HarrogateSpa | 5 years ago
1 like

That's totally unacceptable and I hope it has been reported to the police.

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