incident with police driver

[e20rod]

Today's commuting incident... Just passed a traffic island and junction on the left, the road curves to left, chevroned area in the middle, painted white lane cycle lane, aware of a car behind I move into the primary position as there is another junction, traffic island and queuing traffic ahead. Next thing a police car makes to pass me by going onto the chevrons which prompts the 'astonishing are you playing at' hand gesture and he pulls back. I stop at the queue of traffic, police driver shouts out his window 'you didn't signal to move out of the cycle lane'. A frank exchange of views ensued, well it was mostly one sided, he didn't get much of an input! But really, what hope have we when even the police pull stunts like this!

This was on the North Deeside Road in Cults, Aberdeen for anyone local.

Cheers,

Rod.

[Mike Sales]

Some time ago. I passed an island, taking the lane, and moved out round a parked car which was immediately ahead. I kept out of the door zone and the wing of the car behind (which I was aware of) appeared on my right within easy touching distance. Noting the colour and the open window I said "astonishing.". The police car stopped and the driver wound down the window.
"You shouldn't swear at us." ( a mild reaction ).
"I wasn't swearing at you, I was surprised at car being so close."
"Well, you were in the middle of the road."
"I was giving the car door clearance."
" You might annoy drivers."
" And its your job to put them right."
The policeman in the passenger seat took no part in this.
He drove off. What a nice policeman.

[Mike Sales]

I have been censored here (though I only used the initial letters) in a way which distorts the anecdote.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Approaching a police station on my bike.
A police car waiting to come out on my left at junction into police carpark (maybe not the carpark directly, but a junction to a road).
He looks see's me going fast say 20-25 mph approaching the junction on a main road.
Cars blocking road coming towards me in their lane on my right on their side of road (two way).
He wants to join traffic jam going towards me.
My Lane is clear, he looks then pulls out in front of me blocking my side of road
He cant join the lane because there is a traffic jam.
I have to stop abruptly, and shout at the top of my voice "Thanks A lot Mate!"

He just looks blankly forward ignoring me.

I wonder If I was to use more colourful language whether I would raise a response?

[peetee]

Today's commuting incident... Just passed a traffic island and junction on the left, the road curves to left, chevroned area in the middle, painted white lane cycle lane, aware of a car behind I move into the primary position as there is another junction, traffic island and queuing traffic ahead. Next thing a police car makes to pass me by going onto the chevrons which prompts the 'astonishing are you playing at' hand gesture and he pulls back. I stop at the queue of traffic, police driver shouts out his window 'you didn't signal to move out of the cycle lane'. A frank exchange of views ensued, well it was mostly one sided, he didn't get much of an input! But really, what hope have we when even the police pull stunts like this!

This was on the North Deeside Road in Cults, Aberdeen for anyone local.

Cheers,

Rod.

He is right. If the roles were reversed and it was a slower cyclist you were passing on your bike you would say the same things.

[e20rod]

>> He is right. If the roles were reversed and it was a slower cyclist you were passing on your bike you would say the same things.

I know its not panto season, but oh no he isn't! And even if he was, does my misdemeanour make it OK for him to overtake in a dangerous position? The reason there are chevrons and traffic islands is to manage the traffic in potentially dangerous area, I would expect a police officer to be aware of this and set a good example.

Cheers,
Rod.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
I always thought -

https://www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/lines-a ... -road.html
"130
Areas of white diagonal stripes or chevrons painted on the road. These are to separate traffic lanes or to protect traffic turning right.•If the area is bordered by a broken white line, you should not enter the area unless it is necessary and you can see that it is safe to do so.
•If the area is marked with chevrons and bordered by solid white lines you MUST NOT enter it except in an emergency.
Laws MT(E&W)R regs 5, 9, 10 & 16, MT(S)R regs 4, 8, 9 & 14, RTA sect 36 & TSRGD 10(1)"

[peetee]

>> He is right. If the roles were reversed and it was a slower cyclist you were passing on your bike you would say the same things.

I know its not panto season, but oh no he isn't! And even if he was, does my misdemeanour make it OK for him to overtake in a dangerous position? The reason there are chevrons and traffic islands is to manage the traffic in potentially dangerous area, I would expect a police officer to be aware of this and set a good example.

Cheers,
Rod.

If you moved out of a marked lane into another you should have indicated.

[thirdcrank]

Talking about cycle lanes in general, rather than this incident, this is one of the problems, if not the problem with cycle lanes. Unless obstructions, especially parked vehicles, are robustly prevented, changing lanes to ride round the obstruction is a big deal, not that every overtaking driver understands that if it's a normal two-lane road, a rider is not obliged to do an Augustus Windsock impersonation.

[mjr]

[...]not that every overtaking driver understands that if it's a normal two-lane road, a rider is not obliged to do an Augustus Windsock impersonation.

Just in case anyone else didn't get this: I searched and it seems Augustus Windsock was a prat in a 1970s government cycling advert with his saddle too low who indicated a right turn before skimming past a parked car in the door zone and then returned to cycling in the gutter. It seems that was what brown emissions passed for official advice in the 1970s

And we've got drivers on the roads from that era who have never been tested on changes since.

[thirdcrank]

Apologies for making the unwarranted assumption that everybody would know what I was talking about.

Here's a very recent post from NUKe with a link to AW on youtube, although he didn't spell out its significance

viewtopic.php?p=1331235#p1331235

[Mike Sales]

I always wonder what those drivers who are surprised by a cyclist moving out round a parked car think is going to happen.

[mjr]

I always wonder what those drivers who are surprised by a cyclist moving out round a parked car think is going to happen.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bM9Eh2uQ7Ek without the initial ride past.

[Bmblbzzz]

Has been done ^^ famously in New York a couple of years ago and captured on film, by someone less famous and presumably less fast than Sagan but equally skilled. NYC law prohibits moving out of the cycle lane. IIRC it was a cop car...

[Bmblbzzz]

Addressing the general issue of moving in and out of cycle lanes, from the driver's PoV, they probably would expect a signal. Imagine driving in a bus lane (as a bus driver maybe) and the lane is blocked by a parked car, bus would indicate and then pull out. The difference, and where the analogy with overtaking a slower cyclist falls down, is that cars and buses are essentially one-lane vehicles; they need one lane and they only get one vehicle per lane. Also, one lane is normally wide enough for them to be overtaken safely in the next lane. None of that applies with cycle lanes (especially the last).