Dangerous Overtaking 2

Iwannahurl

A couple of weeks ago I posted this thread after an altercation with a motorist when she tried to overtake me on a narrow road close to a junction.

A few people commented that I would have been better off had I pulled in to the left and let her and the following cars pass.

While out and about very recently, again with children on tow, I experienced another dangerous overtaking incident.

I was travelling on the narrow stretch of road pictured, and was planning on turning right a hundred metres or so further up. I had just turned left onto this road a short distance back when there was a gap in traffic, and though the distance between my entry point and the location of the incident was short, there was no place for me to pull in and let any vehicles pass.



The earliest opportunity I could see was where the shoulder widened at the point indicated by the arrow (note that I was travelling on this side of the road, towards the camera). Obviously there was a much better passing area a little further on, but I decided I would pull in to the left as soon as possible so as not to hold up the two cars behind me.

As soon as I pulled in to the left, I was immediately overtaken. The first car passed without difficulty. The second car overtook much too fast and way too close. So close that I exclaimed out loud in surprise. I am a lifetime cyclist well used to sharing the road but this was decidedly unpleasant.

I noted the make of car and reg number, and saw that the motorist was taking the same right turn I was heading for just up the road. I decided to keep an eye out for the car in what I thought were likely locations.

By sheer luck I spotted the car (a 09 D-reg Nissan Qashqai) outside a shop approximately 3 km further on. I parked the bike and trailer and waited for the driver to appear. When she came out with her bag of shopping I approached her in a courteous manner and confirmed that she was the driver that had overtaken me. She was very pleasant and apologetic, and even thanked me for drawing her attention to the fact that her overtaking manoeuvre was intimidating and even dangerous.

Now, here's the thing. She obviously had no awareness of her scary overtaking or of her intimidating proximity to me and my kids as she passed.

Had I been "bolshie" again and made the motorists wait until I reached the wider section of road to pull in (bottom right of photo), then the dangerous overtaking might not have occurred. By pulling in at the earliest apparent opportunity it seems I asked to be overtaken and in this case one of the motorists did so in a dangerous manner.

So, now I pose the exact same questions as in my previous post: To what extent was I in the wrong -- legally, technically or morally -- in the above encounter as described, which of course is only my version? What could I have done better?

Civilian_Target

Yeah - this is not that unusual. As far as I can see, on roads like this with a continuous line in the middle and not-really-enough-room to pass a bicycle, there are 3 styles of driving:

• Sit behind and wait
• Break the line and overtake with space
• Try to squeeze by

Ideally, you get a sitter and you're left in peace, but I have no problem with people who break the line to overtake either. But people who squeeze by really annoy me, because I don't want to get squished. And I find your experience pretty common, that someone who overtakes with space is often immediately followed by someone who squeezes by.

While it would be nice to imagine that driver behavior will change, this takes time... so in the mean time, look out for number one:

Always keep at least the width of your whole bike (so at least 1 foot) between where your wheels are, and the edge of the road.
And if you feel the road is going to be too narrow for anyone to get past you without squeezing you, cycle in the middle of the lane.

galwaycyclist

Part of the issue I suspecf is that we are now sharing the roads with a population of drivers wno have never cycled in traffic. So they have no reference point. Add to this a message coming from the state that cyclists must keep out of the way (because obviously motorists must be facilitated in squeezing past). The whole concept of safe overtaking is simply never addressed and is implicitely undermined.

Surveyor11

I agree, it's going to take years to educate people about co-sharing the roads with cyclists - the days of car is king and taking priorities over everything else on the road (including pedestrians) are gone. It's usually down to ignorance, as demonstrated by Qashqai lady. Irish drivers are generally impatient and when driving I'm amazed at the lengths people will go to overtake - blind corners, brows of hills, chevroned junctions.

I grew up cycling, and with the profileration of cars in the past 15 years or so (espcially amongst students, which I find hard to work out!) it' s gotten harder for everyone to share ther road. One depressing thing I noticed is that there's a reletively high number of younger people who can't even cycle a bike. So they've bypassed that whole formative stage of cycling.

Traffic has also got progressively worse - people use cars for everything and are at a loss generally to think of alternative solutions, as the recent weather demonstrated - my office was empty Tuesday evening cos all the motorists had buggered off early to 'beat the traffic'. So driving, in Dublin anyway, seems to breed and fed up and impatient motorist who will go to all lengths to get that one car ahead. It's all about me me me!

McTigs

i have cycled that piece of road literally thousands of times ( i grew up in barna and went to school in the jes by bike) but the same goes for any similar piece of road. You have to be a bit selfish for your own personal safety.

Stay a good metre out from the edge and this takes away the option of squeezing by, the motorist will simply have to sit and wait until a suitable time to overtake. This will usually come within 1 minute which may seem like a lifetime to them but really it isn't. And doesn't make you a dick either.

It's not nice to have anyone sitting on your tail but it's your road too so better to be assertive and safe than the nice thoughtful guy who risks getting skimmed. And when they do overtake you have that metre to manouvre if they do come a little close.

Head The Wall

If you were in a car this wouldn't have happened Just kidding

The problem with these situations is that there are too many variables and they are usually the drivers. There is probably no correct answer as you try to be courteous as you were here and you see what happens or alternatively you could have picked the other option and some other issue may have arisen also.

It's often a case of damned if you do and damned if you don't and it's usually dependent of the drivers of the vehicles around you in every situation.

Peoples shocking spatial awareness is another thing and the fact that most people I ask are unaware they have to give 1.5m clearance to cyclists. When I tell them that it's nearly a car width you should see their jaws drop

mbiking123

Hello

I cycle this road most days, its not far from Rusheen Bay

If memory serves me right a woman got killed on this stretch, as the driver of the car overtook a cyclist and it was the passenger that got killed (her Mother).

I have come across a number of motorists who clearily 'dont have a clue'.

clonmahon

McTigs wrote: »

Stay a good metre out from the edge and this takes away the option of squeezing by, the motorist will simply have to sit and wait until a suitable time to overtake. This will usually come within 1 minute which may seem like a lifetime to them but really it isn't. And doesn't make you a dick either.

It's not nice to have anyone sitting on your tail but it's your road too so better to be assertive and safe than the nice thoughtful guy who risks getting skimmed. And when they do overtake you have that metre to manouvre if they do come a little close.

This is spot on, I cycle on rural roads every day, and dangerous overtaking is the main blackspot in what is otherwise a very pleasant activity. Hold the middle of the road, its the only way to stay safe

phonejacker

I'm very familiar with that road as well (driving on it not cycling on it). The thing about that stop is there is the cars that are heading west that most often would be doing 60-70km in a 50 km zone, then there are more cars coming up the road from Salthill. So there is very little safe gasps for you to ever take the cyclists. Then there is like a hundred cars behind you which might get pissed of any second. But still that's not excuse for cars to be doing squeezes or dangerous overtaking. I to was doing that sort of dangerous overtaking and squeezes before myself. Then I started cycling myself on the roads with my racer bike, then I saw the other side of it and I now have a lot more respect for cyclist before as well cyclist were an inconvenience on the road for me. Iv only cycled in Salthill once I usually cycle on the coast road around inverin/spiddle/furbo/barna which is also quite busy. But would a driver be less likely to do a squeezes if you cycled a little further out from the kerb? Squeezes really piss me off as well:mad:

I was cycling today out in Spiddal and when I was cycling west between derryloughaun and lippa in Spiddal and this asshole of a person over taked another car and the overtaking car was heading right towards me (the stretch of road had a continuous line and a bit of a corner) then the overtaking car pulled in quickly in front of the car which he had over taked (then the over taken car beeped at the car because he pulled in to soon trying to avoid me)What should have I done? all I remember was that it was a small orange (I think it was orange but orange is a very unusual colour for a car) oldish car. it wasn't a make that I ever saw(and i know many makes and models). The man was balding and unshaven.

flatface

I always think it's a good idea to make eye contact or signal to road users what you would like them to do. Move to the centre of the lane and look over your shoulder to show the driver you are not blissfully unaware of their presence. I will often put out my hand showing my palm in a not safe to pass gesture in dangerous cases if I think the driver hasn't made up their mind to wait. Many drivers don't know whether to go or wait when faced with this situation and taking the decision out of their hands and indicating your awareness of them is the best you can do. Similarly clearly indicate when you think it is safe to overtake by moving in or gesturing when the road is clear. I get a fair few thank you beeps when i do this, and similarly I reward good patient drivers with a wave.