Why do you … ride in the middle of the f*****g road through Farnworth?

I sometimes get problems with aggressive drivers when riding through Farnworth so, in response to an ignorant driver who tried to “educate” me about cycling road positions, despite his having no training or experience, here is an example giving chapter and verse:

Road positions:

0:09 – Right of centre in the inside lane of a 2 lane roundabout (see Cyclecraft 4/e, pp.136-137). Also: http://wp.me/p2xK0U-3v

0:17 – Clear indication to move into the outside lane, which is the correct lane for going on down Market Street

0:41 – Centre of the lane. Don’t put yourself between two lanes of fast moving traffic. The green strip there is an ASL feeder lane (not wide enough for a cycle lane, see http://bit.ly/1lS8a9M Section 7.4); it is only good for filtering to the front when there is a queue. Even when the lights are red, I usually just join the queue because if the lights change to green when you’re filtering in the ASL feeder lane, you’re left in a bad road position for the junction. Note also the car in the inside lane encroaching on the ASL feeder lane.

1:05 – Centre of the lane through the pinch point; it’s not wide enough for a safe overtake. (See, for example: http://bit.ly/1sWvJmx 7th bullet point.) Then stay out to prepare for passing the bus.

1:08 – Bus starts indicating, so let it out (Highway Code Rule 223).

1:16 – Passing parked cars. (Google “door zone”, or look here for example: http://bit.ly/1rWsCXE)

1:23 – Side road, so stay in primary position (Cyclecraft 4/e p101). You shouldn’t be overtaking there anyway (Highway Code Rule 167, 1st bullet point.). Also, cyclists should not weave in and out of gaps between parked cars (Bikeability level 2, Module 8.)

1:26 – Passing parked cars again (see 1:16 above).

1:29 – Side road, with car emerging (google: “SMIDSY”). Don’t weave in and out. (see 1:23 above).

1:35 – Bus starts indicating to pull in, so shoulder check, indicate and take up the road position to pass it.

1:43 – Pass wide of the bus in case pedestrians walk out. (Ref: common sense.)

1:47 – Centre of lane approaching the pinch point; too narrow for a safe overtake. (See, for example: http://bit.ly/1sWvJmx 7th bullet point.)

1:50 – Stay in primary position. Side road with car emerging (see 1:29 & 1:23), and approaching parked cars (see 1:16).

1:56 – Centre of the inside lane approaching the junction. (Cyclecraft 4/e p.105, fig 8.5.)

2:05 – Wait at the junction in the centre of the lane, whilst listening to an ignorant motorist with a misplaced sense of entitlement deliver a lecture on a topic he knows nothing about.

“Cyclecraft 4/e” refers to the 4th edition of Cyclecraft by John Franklin, which is the recommended text for the Bikeability national cycle training scheme: http://bit.ly/1qkg4tK. (Yes, I know we need decent infrastructure, but the fact is we don’t have that right now.)

Regarding my speed along here.

From the Black Horse pub, just after I let the bus out, to Church Street, just before we stopped at the red light, is 400 metres (Google Maps). I covered that distance in just 40 seconds (from the original video), so my average speed over that distance was 10 metres per second, which is 22.4 miles per hour.

This entry was posted in Article, Bolton, Safe Cycling, Why do you...?. Bookmark the permalink.

2 Responses to Why do you … ride in the middle of the f*****g road through Farnworth?

  1. Phil Fouracre says:

    Oh! Come on! He did have a sign proclaiming that he was a professional idiot, what more did you expect?? Only living down to expectations.

  2. Jackie says:

    He carries all the signs, on his car, of being a young driving expert but his exhaust does need to be louder.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *