Parked cars - what do they *expect* I'm going to do.

[karlt]

Got beeped at by a moped today. From his viewpoint, I suppose, he was behind me, thinking about overtaking, and then I suddenly moved right.

From my viewpoint, I saw parked cars ahead and moved out to pass them. I could hear he was behind me, but not particularly close.

Thing is, wasn't my manoeuvre 100% predictable? Does he really need a signal from me to show I'm not planning to jump over the parked vehicles or drive into the back of them? I mean, I was doing about 25mph - exactly what else was I going to do?

[Si]

It's the suddenly bit that can surprise them.
Better to observe what is happening well ahead and then move out more gradually after having had a good look behind....you might have heard the moped but you won't hear the cyclist who is overlapping your back wheel. The look behind also tells the following vehicle that you are liable to do something and so they may give you more room.

[beardy]

Thing is, wasn't my manoeuvre 100% predictable? Does he really need a signal from me to show I'm not planning to jump over the parked vehicles or drive into the back of them? I mean, I was doing about 25mph - exactly what else was I going to do?

It is a little relevant as you were beeped by a (small) motorcycle but I remember at some point in my motorcycle training that the issue of motorcyclists indicating to pass parked cars was discussed. There was general advice in the HC to do so but that is really for vehicles that obscure the view of what is in front of them.

Anyway the comments from the instructors was exactly what you said "Do they expect you to jump over them?", though the instructors main aim was to teach you how to stay alive on the motorcycle rather than obedience to a HC that was written for car drivers with a few token lines for motorcyclists.
You have to admit his choice of expression was effective as I still remember it 30 years later.

Possibly a choice of two things were going through the moped rider's mind.

1) You were actually a bit late in moving out and that he had to abort an overtake that was already in progress as mopeds can not do much better than 30mph it would take some time and planning.

2) He was annoyed because he was going to be stuck behind you for a bit longer without a chance to overtake.

I agree with Si about not moving out sharply but also understand that needs balancing with the pragmatic aproach of letting as many cars (or mopeds) past as is reasonable before overtaking the parked cars. If you let a few through you will probably annoy the first one that you dont let through and get beeped for not letting them through as well.

[Vorpal]

Maybe just a shoulder check (with eye contact, if possible) to indicate that you were going to maneuver would have been enough?

People don't always think enough about what's ahead to realise that cyclist approaching parked cars = cyclist will maneuver. They just drive most of the time; even anticipating what's ahead is semi-automatic.

The alternative view is that you were beeped at because you were in the bloody road and cyclists don't belong there. In which case, there was nothing you could do except keep yourself safe

[beardy]

For what it is worth I have three different ways of preparing to pass parked cars, which are not rigid routines but different tactics to fit the conditions. They do not always work as sometimes the weight of passing cars defeats them.

With no cars near to me I am already in line with where I want to be passing the cars, so any cars coming up behind will find me already in place.

In steady traffic, I will be seeking to move out long before and sticking my right arm out, in order to put myself in the traffic flow far enough ahead that it is a separate manoeuvre from overtaking the cars.
The first few cars may overtake despite the arm signal but I keep inching over to the right.
I often do NOT look over my shoulder until they make a gap it gives the impression that I am not about to change my plans because there is a car there, I dont need to look because I know for sure there is a car there

In broken traffic, I will stay inside letting cars past and then leap into a gap to pass the cars.
This is the most considerate method allowing as many cars past as possible but also the one that gets the most angry reaction from the motorists who have to follow me. It is the easiest one to misjudge and end up getting stuck behind the parked cars with no way out.

[Vantage]

I've had to condition myself to think like a motorist when passing parked vehicles. The sooner the better.
I used to think that I might be impeding the flow of traffic if I moved out too soon but that always left me with little room and time to join the traffic flow safely.
As long as I signal clearly and gradually move over early, most (not all though ) drivers will hold back and let me out. When moving back to my original position I give a thumbs up to those courteous enough to have let me make the manoeuvre. I often wish I had an anti tank gun strapped to the bars for those that don't.

[AlaninWales]

Maybe just a shoulder check (with eye contact, if possible) to indicate that you were going to maneuver would have been enough?

People don't always think enough about what's ahead to realise that cyclist approaching parked cars = cyclist will maneuver. They just drive most of the time; even anticipating what's ahead is semi-automatic.

The alternative view is that you were beeped at because you were in the bloody road and cyclists don't belong there. In which case, there was nothing you could do except keep yourself safe

It is how most people are taught. Back when I took my car test, I was accompanied to the test by a different instructor to my usual (I'd gone to six (I think it was) different instructors to find one who knew the HC ). On a free-flowing road, ahead was a parked car and between me and this vehicle, a cyclist who had just started to move out; I mirror-checked and eased off the accelerator (no cars immediately behind to inform of my change of speed) allowing the cyclist to pass the parked car. I then overtook both as the cyclist was moving away from me towards secondary.
The instructor of course complemented me on a safe manoevre ... Well, no he didn't, he said "If you do that on the test, you will fail for not making progress". This was 30-odd years ago and the people who learned that attitude taught the instructors of today!

[blackbike]

Whenever I'm beeped by a motorist behind me I always stop pedalling immediately and so slow down, and move into the centre of the lane.

If it happens near some lights and the motorist is stopped, I often pull in front of him (it's always a him) and start asking what the problem is. It's fun to watch a motorist ranting and raving noiselessly from inside his car while I adopt the look and gestures of innocent quizzical concern.

I think it is important to try to teach the tiny minority of bad mannered and impatient motorists that beeping their horn is not going to make all cyclists scurry out of their way as if they owned the road.

[Vantage]

I've often thought of doing that, but, self preservation and so on.....

[yakdiver]

Mirror, indicate, manoeuvre.

[honesty]

It's interesting that when I was taught to drive we were taught to indicate out around parked cars (well all stationary objects in the road) especially if the maneuver took you into the oncoming lane. When my wife took her test later in life (2010 ish) she was taught not to indicate around parked cars as the obvious flow of traffic will be going around the cars and to indicate would cause confusion if there was a right turn for example. This means I automatically signal around cars when I cycle and there is traffic behind me, and she does not. I think my way is safer.

[mjr]

I often do NOT look over my shoulder until they make a gap it gives the impression that I am not about to change my plans because there is a car there, I dont need to look because I know for sure there is a car there

I used to not, but I do now. I think showing one's face may trigger some sort of "there's actually a person there" subconscious response in most drivers and they do treat people differently to vehicles.

It's interesting that when I was taught to drive we were taught to indicate out around parked cars (well all stationary objects in the road) especially if the maneuver took you into the oncoming lane.

I was taught to indicate if oncoming traffic means you wait behind the stationary object in the road rather than flow smoothly around it. The "make sure your signals will not confuse others" part of Highway Code Rule 103 probably means you should follow the prevailing fashion (within reason - I still indicate in Essex ) rather than blindly stick to dogma. The picture in Rule 153 (car waiting to pull around an artificial chicane) only shows stop/tail lights and no indicators.

[Postboxer]

Maybe they drew it between flashes.

[honesty]

It's interesting that when I was taught to drive we were taught to indicate out around parked cars (well all stationary objects in the road) especially if the maneuver took you into the oncoming lane.

I was taught to indicate if oncoming traffic means you wait behind the stationary object in the road rather than flow smoothly around it. The "make sure your signals will not confuse others" part of Highway Code Rule 103 probably means you should follow the prevailing fashion (within reason - I still indicate in Essex ) rather than blindly stick to dogma. The picture in Rule 153 (car waiting to pull around an artificial chicane) only shows stop/tail lights and no indicators.

When driving I now indicate if I have to stop, or indicate if I have to go into the oncoming lane and there's traffic coming towards me. I don't indicate if I can pass the object with my lane, but it is interesting that prevailing fashion can alter even how this is done. Probably another reason we should have re-tests every 10 years...

[beardy]

It makes sense to indicate if you are waiting to pass parked cars because otherwise the car behind may try and overtake you as well, thinking that you are one of the parked cars (or at least staying there a while).