Road rage

[EdinburghFixed]

To the OP - I sympathise as someone who has a really fiery temper at times on the road... I have to force myself not to scream and gesticulate quite regularly!

If the vehicle is marked in company livery, consider following up with the firm in question. Depending on how it goes, you could for instance say that you have decided to use a helmet camera and threaten to send the footage direct to the press if it happens again. I wouldn't expect too much to come from the police unless you are actually injured in a road rage attack. I was actually in a hit and run which has come to nothing so far!

Ovetaking stationery queues by going down the middle of the road is generally safer than trying to squeeze through on the left, so your positioning sounds fine to me.

Without checking, I don't remember any anything in the Highway Code or the National Standards/Bikeability documentation that advises such positioning.

Well you haven't convinced me to pass a queue on the right when I am going to turn left. You could easily end up stranded with nowhere to go!

Consequently I will continue to advise positioning on the left to turn left and right to turn right.

Nigel

When I first started riding with my girlfriend she had a bit of a predisposition for going up the left due to exactly this kind of teaching.

But being crushed by left-turning vehicles is disproportionately responsible for cyclist deaths... while I'm not aware of that many deaths caused by passing on the right hand side (the main hazard is drivers turning right or U-turning, but in contrast they won't have anything to crush you against.)

While recognizing that there are an infinite number of combinations of traffic and road layout, I would always advocate passing on the right by default, unless there's a specific reason to go left. Maybe you are going to have to stop and wait for someone to let you in, turn right instead (then do a U-turn), or wait for the lights to change back. None of these are as bad as being squashed in my opinion...

[adinigel]

....While recognizing that there are an infinite number of combinations of traffic and road layout, I would always advocate passing on the right by default, unless there's a specific reason to go left. Maybe you are going to have to stop and wait for someone to let you in, turn right instead (then do a U-turn), or wait for the lights to change back. None of these are as bad as being squashed in my opinion...

Personally, for a default action I would advise waiting in the queue. Depending on traffic situations I would have no problem advising cycling up to the left of a queue, but the cyclist really does have to watch what other vehicles are doing/planning to do and whether they, themselves, are visible to whoever they may be passing. The cyclist needs to take responsibility for their own life and being visible and not putting themselves in a position to be crushed. If you are passing to the right of a queue you could easily be knocked off into the path of oncoming vehicles.

Nigel

[minkie]

Personally, for a default action I would advise waiting in the queue. Depending on traffic situations I would have no problem advising cycling up to the left of a queue, but the cyclist really does have to watch what other vehicles are doing/planning to do and whether they, themselves, are visible to whoever they may be passing. The cyclist needs to take responsibility for their own life and being visible and not putting themselves in a position to be crushed. If you are passing to the right of a queue you could easily be knocked off into the path of oncoming vehicles.
Nigel

I was interested enough in this to find my copy of Cyclecraft by John Franklin. It says:
"It is unreasonable to expect cyclists to wait in long queues, but filtering requires great care. Normally overtaking should only take place on the right and this should be your preference. ...where there is insufficient clearance from oncoming traffic ..... it is acceptable to overtake on the left...a process sometimes referred to as 'undertaking' and not without reason."
For those who haven't seen it Cyclecraft is a great book, full of common sense advice and recommended course work for the National Cyclists Training Standard.
I can see from Nigel's qualifications that he's also an expert, so it's a bit puzzling that there seems to be no clear consensus within the training community.

[reohn2]

After my rather flippent initial comment (I was trying to make light of the situation,forgive me)as someone who has had a grip(in one instance around the throat) of the odd motorist,I can say without any reservation that the advice given by Ben Lovejoy is the best adice you can get as confrontation will stay with you far longer than the knowledge that you're better than that.
Its taken me a long time to realise that and even now I can be a bit quick if I'm not careful.
Let it go Alan for your own peace of mind.

[EdinburghFixed]

....While recognizing that there are an infinite number of combinations of traffic and road layout, I would always advocate passing on the right by default, unless there's a specific reason to go left.

Personally, for a default action I would advise waiting in the queue.

When I said 'right by default' I only meant as opposed to left!

My experience is that if you are going to pass, at least on the right you are 'expected' (by drivers going both ways) and the odds are in your favour (fortune favours the bold, perhaps!).

[adinigel]

....While recognizing that there are an infinite number of combinations of traffic and road layout, I would always advocate passing on the right by default, unless there's a specific reason to go left.

Personally, for a default action I would advise waiting in the queue.

When I said 'right by default' I only meant as opposed to left!

My experience is that if you are going to pass, at least on the right you are 'expected' (by drivers going both ways) and the odds are in your favour (fortune favours the bold, perhaps!).

From giving driver coaching to full licence holders I would suggest that on the majority of occasions you will not be expected on either side!

Nigel

[adinigel]

....For those who haven't seen it Cyclecraft is a great book, full of common sense advice and recommended course work for the National Cyclists Training Standard.
I can see from Nigel's qualifications that he's also an expert, so it's a bit puzzling that there seems to be no clear consensus within the training community.

Agree that Cyclecraft is well worth having as a reference book, but remember any book (including the Highway Code) should be treated as guidlines only.

You comment that there seems to be no clear concensus amongst the cycle training community. I think you wil find on a general level there is very much a concensus, but on these sort of forums differences of opinion become evident when applied to specific circumstances.

There is so much to take into consideration when deciding what method to use. there is certainly a valid point made about being crushed if cycling up the left. But that can be avoided is consideration is given to what type of vehicle you are passing, where is the driver looking? Are you visible if he does look in your direction?

Nigel

[EdinburghFixed]

There is so much to take into consideration when deciding what method to use. there is certainly a valid point made about being crushed if cycling up the left. But that can be avoided is consideration is given to what type of vehicle you are passing, where is the driver looking? Are you visible if he does look in your direction?

I try to ride in the assumption that nobody is looking, that way I hope not to rely on anyone else for my safety!

I take your point though. There are times every day when we pass on the left as well as right, it all depends on the circumstances. But at a guess, I pass nine cars on the right for each one I pass on the left.

Re: not being expected on either side, surely most drivers are getting used to cyclists filtering by now? Recently on Lothian Road in Edinburgh (which is *very* busy), they measured up to 20% of rush hour traffic being cyclists.

It must sink in eventually!

[Ben Lovejoy]

I'd agree that passing on the right should be the default, and it surprises me that cycle instructors would encourage filtering on the left.

Ben

[kwackers]

I'd agree that passing on the right should be the default, and it surprises me that cycle instructors would encourage filtering on the left.

Ben

I have incidents going both sides, I think you need your wits about you whichever you pick.

On the right when there is no oncoming traffic - especially coming up to traffic lights with filter lanes the number of times a car will suddenly pull out to gun it up to the lights in the oncoming lane...

I saw a girl knocked off her bike in London some years ago (she was ok) by such a manouvre.

[Ben Lovejoy]

On the right when there is no oncoming traffic - especially coming up to traffic lights with filter lanes the number of times a car will suddenly pull out to gun it up to the lights in the oncoming lane...

Yes, I'd be very wary of filtering in those circumstances. In London, of course, there is usually oncoming traffic.

Ben

[Euskadi]

One problem with filtering on the left is that drivers don't usually think to use their left hand mirrors, so possibly you are more visible passing on their right. I was brought up to stay on the left and it is stil my instinctive choice, but I think as long as you think ahead you should be fine passing stationary traffic on the right and possibly more safe. But you need to think ahead so you don't get caught out at traffic lights, junctions etc.

Ignoring really stressed out drivers I think is always the best advice.

[adinigel]

I'd agree that passing on the right should be the default, and it surprises me that cycle instructors would encourage filtering on the left.

Ben

The only time I would agree with cycling up the right hand side of a queue is if you KNOW there is an advanced stop line for cyclists at the front.

Would still push for 'staying in the queue' as being the safest to default to. Passing up either side of the queue needs a good analysis of the circumstances at the time.

Nigel

[EdinburghFixed]

On the right when there is no oncoming traffic - especially coming up to traffic lights with filter lanes the number of times a car will suddenly pull out to gun it up to the lights in the oncoming lane...

I saw a girl knocked off her bike in London some years ago (she was ok) by such a manouvre.

This is always a risk - or that a car will pull a sudden U-turn. But at least you will "just" be flung off, as in your example.

Recently on one of my routes a rider was crushed by a left-turning lorry (although I must point out, it isn't said that he undertook - there is an ASL on the junction which he could have been in when the lorry pulled up). Being on the left scares me!

The only time I would agree with cycling up the right hand side of a queue is if you KNOW there is an advanced stop line for cyclists at the front.

Quite often the lights change before we arrive at the front - typically we merge into the gaps that open up when traffic begins moving. Drivers seem much, much happier about overtaking "legitimately" than they do when you need to pry your way in from the left - I can't remember the last time someone hooted at us.

This comparative friendliness is one of the biggest reasons we pass right.

[Ben Lovejoy]

Would still push for 'staying in the queue' as being the safest to default to. Passing up either side of the queue needs a good analysis of the circumstances at the time.

No argument there, but when we've made that analysis, nine times out of ten it will be safer to filter on the right rsther than the left, so it surprises me that you see the order as:
1. Don't filter (fine)
2. Filter on the left
3. Filter on the right

Ben