Cycling UK Forum

What's best practise for cyclists and motorists when a cyclist waves the driver past?

As a driver I ignore the wave because if I can't see it's safe for myself I won't take the passing manoeuvre. At times this leads to the cyclist getting annoyed that I've not obeyed his instructions despite me giving him plenty of space and not driving close to his rear wheel b like many motorists.

IMHO cyclists and drivers should take care of their own decisions and should not in most cases not wave each other through or past. You're responsible for your own actions afterall.

What's the collective or individual view on waving others past you? This is partly a request for opinions but if there's a more authoritative view on this such as HC or legislation then I'm interested in that. There's plenty of people on here with expert knowledge on legislation and best practice so I expect opinions and more. No pressure!!

Every driving or motorcycling course that I have attended, including police run, would give the following advice -
If a member of the public indicates you should stop then be prepared to do so.
If a member of the public indicates that you should proceed than be extra alert and more cautious.

If, as you say you cannot see the way is clear, then you are doing the right thing by holding back.

Tangled Metal wrote: IMHO cyclists and drivers should take care of their own decisions and should not in most cases not wave each other through or past. You're responsible for your own actions afterall.

Quite agree. It is a good idea if pulling over to allow overtaking to make that clear (usually by signalling left) but that is signalling one's own intentions, not giving instructions to others.

Only a policeperson in uniform may direct traffic

There are situations in which it's helpful to tell others what you think they should do. But the responsibility to do it or not remains with each of us whatever we've been told.

Jonathan

Cyril Haearn wrote:Only a policeperson in uniform may direct traffic

Not in the UK.

Highway Code: "Signals by authorised persons".
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/signals-by-authorised-persons

Those are the people whose instructions you "must" follow in the Code.

But there are many other situations where it's helpful for someone else to direct but without the power of mandation.

Jonathan

tatanab wrote:Every driving or motorcycling course that I have attended, including police run, would give the following advice -
If a member of the public indicates you should stop then be prepared to do so.
If a member of the public indicates that you should proceed than be extra alert and more cautious.

If, as you say you cannot see the way is clear, then you are doing the right thing by holding back.

+1

Did my PCV test only a few years ago, and it was absolutely clear - give any other road user a signal to proceed is a fail, follow any other road users signal to proceed without being able to see clearly yourself it is safe to do so is a fail.
In the real world, it is sometimes useful to signal others, if I am cycling along a singletrack road I will signal a following vehicle past I as start to pull in to a gateway or whatever, but the responsibility for ensuring the safety of any maneuver always rests with the driver.

Right again

Signal to stop or keep away by anyone should be obeyed, mind, but not signal to go, pass, overtake
..
Apparently some Knights of the Road use their nearside indicators to invite following vehicles to pass, madness! If a truck in front of me indicates to the nearside I should assume it wants to stop or turn off, I should drop back

There's a particular right hand bend I used to cycle round daily on my way to work. Got a few dangerous overtakes, but most waited until they could see it was safe.

For a while I was surprised how long people delayed overtaking once the road straightened out. Then I realised the obvious: not only did I have a better view because I was ahead, but also because I was on the left of the lane so could see through the bend much sooner than a driver sitting to the right of a car. So I started waving people past once I had a clear view. Most came, usually with a wave of thanks. I guess they worked out that I didn't wave immediately, and that there was logic to when I waved, so it was likely reliable. A few didn't come past, I wasn't offended by that, and I'd only wave if the road was completely clear, I didn't rely on them to come past quickly if there was a car in the distance.

Since then it's been my practice to wave cars past in similar situations - never on left hand bends where I figure their view is as good as mine, but sometimes on right hand bends where I can see through the bend significantly earlier.

As a driver I don't think I've ever been waved past. I think I'd be quite sceptical.

I should never do that

cotswolds wrote:So I started waving people past once I had a clear view.

I do that in similar situations. Followed by a thumbs up to any driver who's been waiting nicely.

Jonathan

Jdsk wrote:

cotswolds wrote:So I started waving people past once I had a clear view.

I do that in similar situations. Followed by a thumbs up to any driver who's been waiting nicely.

Jonathan

Very unadvisable I think, they might go without being sure it was safe, might make a wrong decision in an instant that could have terrible consequences. I should certainly never 'obey' such a signal when driving
A few meters ahead a cyclist cannae see much more than the driver behind, anyway

jgurney wrote:

Tangled Metal wrote: IMHO cyclists and drivers should take care of their own decisions and should not in most cases not wave each other through or past. You're responsible for your own actions afterall.

Quite agree. It is a good idea if pulling over to allow overtaking to make that clear (usually by signalling left) but that is signalling one's own intentions, not giving instructions to others.

Pulling over as in stopping or just moving into the gutter to give the driver more space? Latter I disagree with doing and former I was taught that you wave your straight, right arm up and down to indicate you're slowing to stop. It's something I was taught in cycling proficiency in primary school so time may well have changed that signal or dropped it.

It's still there.

Highway Code: Arm signals
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/signals-to-other-road-users

Jonathan