Before Pulling In For Car - Indicate or Not ?

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[XAP]Bob
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Re: Before Pulling In For Car - Indicate or Not ?

Post by [XAP]Bob »

PH wrote:
[XAP]Bob wrote:There is nothing they can do with the information very far in advance.

The information I want to convey is that
I am aware you're there
You're only coming past on my terms
You're not going to be awaiting for long

There's no way of telling what's best, every situation is different, but I feel this works for me.


Then I'll often look behind - or hold a hand up to say "I know you're there, thanks for waiting"
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
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Bmblbzzz
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Re: Before Pulling In For Car - Indicate or Not ?

Post by Bmblbzzz »

For a following car, which is the situation the OP was asking about, I will only very rarely if ever indicate left or give a slowing down signal but I will give a "you can pass me now" wave. I do this at most two seconds before slowing and pulling in to a suitable place. Do it too early, they might try to overtake where it's too narrow. Do it too late, they won't have time to complete the overtake before I reach the end of the lay-by or passing place; I will slow down to let them pass but I don't want to have to stop. Obviously the longer the space which I've pulled over into, the less time I can leave between signal wave and pulling in.

An oncoming car is a very different situation. For one thing, it's possible to pass in face to face, so to speak, in a narrower gap than one which allows overtaking -- as long as both of you take care. Often the first thing I'll do with an oncoming vehicle is to move slightly further out in order to "claim" some space, get them to move over a bit more and slow down. The vast majority do. I might then move back in so that we can squeeze past each other. A driver who slows down and/or stops and/or moves over significantly gets a wave of thanks. There's no need for signals in this situation unless I'm indicating that I'll pull into a gap, especially if it's on "their" side of the road.
Elizabethsdad
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Re: Before Pulling In For Car - Indicate or Not ?

Post by Elizabethsdad »

Slightly off-topic. The other day I riding along a road with parked cars on both sides. There is a car coming the other way and so I decide to pull into a convenient gap to let them by. As I do so the car behind me charges forward - practically shunts the other car out of the way and is then followed by three other cars. It is a bit galling when you do your bit to be polite and considerate on the roads for it to hijacked by such selfish cockwombles.
Cyril Haearn
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Re: Before Pulling In For Car - Indicate or Not ?

Post by Cyril Haearn »

No do not indicate, an old cyclist once told me. Because drivers take this as an invitation to squeeze past before there is enough room to pass with at least 2m distance.

Keep the terrorists gussing, do NOT make eye contact!
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Cyril Haearn
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Re: Before Pulling In For Car - Indicate or Not ?

Post by Cyril Haearn »

NATURAL ANKLING wrote:Hi,
I tend to speed up and pull in immediately waving them on and track stand if I need, or drop into the hedge / bank with one foot to prop myself and make myself narrow.
Then wave them on.
The other day came head on to a road sweeper which filled the lane, so I dropped bike into hedge and got off so I could see the truck move past with safety.
I see no point in waving / indicating before I am safe.


One should never "wave them on"! Do not try telling others what to do. Let them wait and decide for themselves. Giving such "friendly" :-( signals causes many "accidents".
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AlaninWales
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Re: Before Pulling In For Car - Indicate or Not ?

Post by AlaninWales »

Cyril Haearn wrote:
NATURAL ANKLING wrote:Hi,
I tend to speed up and pull in immediately waving them on and track stand if I need, or drop into the hedge / bank with one foot to prop myself and make myself narrow.
Then wave them on.
The other day came head on to a road sweeper which filled the lane, so I dropped bike into hedge and got off so I could see the truck move past with safety.
I see no point in waving / indicating before I am safe.


One should never "wave them on"! Do not try telling others what to do. Let them wait and decide for themselves. Giving such "friendly" :-( signals causes many "accidents".

+1
Nor will I (when driving) pass anywhere near* a "track standing" cyclist, they may accelerate in order to maintain/regain balance or fall over. Too risky for me.

*i.e. I will pass only if I can safely give them a complete lane, as if they were a moving cyclist.
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Re: Before Pulling In For Car - Indicate or Not ?

Post by Vorpal »

Often a look back at the driver (eye contact, if possible) is enough to tell them that you are about to do something. Generally, I don't bother to signal, especially on a quiet road with just the two of us (me + following car) to worry about. If there is lots going on (kids playing at the farm gate, tractor turning in from the other way, etc.), I'm a lot more likely to use a signal. However, it has to be absolutely clear what the signal is for. If there is a drive or forest track or something, they might think I'm turning off, and that could make the situation worse, rather than better, or even lead to a crash.

I'd rather leave a driver uncertain what I am doing, than mistakenly lead them to believe that I will do something that I am not.
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ossie
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Re: Before Pulling In For Car - Indicate or Not ?

Post by ossie »

I pull in / over and give the thumbs up with an outstretched right arm when Im happy for them to pass..(ie safe for both us ). It seems to work, plenty of drivers acknowledge it with a thanks of sorts - happy days :D
rfryer
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Re: Before Pulling In For Car - Indicate or Not ?

Post by rfryer »

I'm with Vorpal regarding simply looking back. I find that cars are generally uncomfortable trying to overtake unless they know you've seen them. So I block the road and ignore them until getting to a passing place, then move to the side while glancing over my shoulder. Almost all drivers take this as an invitation to come past - many wave in thanks despite me not having explicitly invited the overtake. It also has the advantage (especially on step climbs) that you can keep both hands on the bars.

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david7591
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Re: Before Pulling In For Car - Indicate or Not ?

Post by david7591 »

Mainly I indicate before a left hand turn when being followed by a fellow cyclist. I will do the same with a car on a narrow road, mainly as a warning that I could be slowing. On single track roads, I will tend to pull in and stop without signalling to allow a following vehicle to pass. Sometimes I will wave a hesitant motorist to overtake when I can see the road ahead is clear, and I feel there is sufficient room for them to do so safely.
Bmblbzzz
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Re: Before Pulling In For Car - Indicate or Not ?

Post by Bmblbzzz »

I realized out in the lanes yesterday that the time between my signal (which is usually a waving forward with the right hand rather than a left turn signal) and my pulling in/slowing down is more like half a second than two seconds. Really it functions as confirmation that what I am doing is deliberate rather than an indication of intention.
Psamathe
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Re: Before Pulling for Car - Indicate or Not ?

Post by Psamathe »

PH wrote:I think you just had a bad driver behind you, you're right to complain.....

Bit off the original topic as I had decided to complain, made initial contact (it was Anglian Water) without providing identifying details (yet) and they thought about a bad driver given a official warning on his record caused by a cyclist when "he thought he was such a good driver what he was doing was quite safe", so you create a bad driver who is not angry with these terrible cyclists ...

So, all credit to Anglian Water, they were on the phone to me today explaining about their corporate culture, how they never put pressure on anybody to do anything atall unsafe and how they seek to identify training needs more than give HR more work with "black marks". The gut said how they record and analyse their drivers driving standard (e.g. speed vs speed limits, speed round roundabouts, etc.) and where they find somebody who exhibits habitual poor driving they will provide further training.

But apparently he explained how one challenge they do face is that they also use a lot of contractors who have their Anglian Water logo on their vans and so public cannot tell the difference. From the 1st two characters of the reg we identified it was one of their own vans.

But it also gets worse (for the employee) as it was on a Sat mid-morning and Anglian Water strictly ban personal use and whilst it was possible he was driving to a job (they do work 24/365), the day does make it more likely it was personal use which would also be another major black mark "caused by one of those @£$% cyclists".

So it's all on hold whilst I reflect and I'm probably going to let it pass, the risks being worse than the gain.

But I thought I'd comment that I was impressed that Anglian Water took the complaint seriously enough to call me, to explain their approach and to encourage me to provide full details (and it was a manager from his mobile phone and he was on a site at the time (not some call centre operative there to pacify Mr Angry)).

Ian
Vorpal
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Re: Before Pulling In For Car - Indicate or Not ?

Post by Vorpal »

Surely if someone was using the vehicle for personal use, they can find out by other means?

I would complain. Next time he might put a new cyclist off cycling, or hit a cyclist who hits a pothole at the wrong moment.
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Psamathe
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Re: Before Pulling In For Car - Indicate or Not ?

Post by Psamathe »

Vorpal wrote:Surely if someone was using the vehicle for personal use, they can find out by other means?

I would complain. Next time he might put a new cyclist off cycling, or hit a cyclist who hits a pothole at the wrong moment.

I know. And I said the same to others.

Ian
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NUKe
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Re: Before Pulling In For Car - Indicate or Not ?

Post by NUKe »

I indicate when pulling in for cars on narrow/single track roads. It tells them you are in charge, and says that are giving way to them very shortly. It stops impatient behaviour.

I also think cyclist should indicate more for example when pulling out to pass parked vehicles. Yes the following motorist should anticipate that you will but you are reinforcing the idea and it put you in command of the situation.

As for looking back yes of course, but if you can spend long enough looking back to get eye contact then that is probably too long that you are not looking forward. Or perhaps that's just me

Even when motorcycling on modern machinery I tend to reinforce turn signals with hand signals where possible.
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