Last week we looked at the road positioning that cyclists often use, and why they will sometimes place themselves in the “Primary” position despite that fact that it may slow down following traffic. We saw that cyclists will do this for the benefit of their own safety, and to prevent other road users from overtaking when the cyclist can see that there isn’t space up ahead, or to avoid other hazards. We also learned that cyclists are particularly vulnerable road users, and that minor incidents in a car can become major accidents when a cyclist is involved.
So if cyclists are in such danger on the road, why use it? Local governments spend tax payers money increasing cycling provisions, so why don’t cyclists just get off the road and use those instead? Surely it is in everybody’s interest if they didn’t use the road at all.
Firstly, lets clear up an incorrect belief that I’ve heard a couple of times. Cyclists are not allowed to cycle on the pavement. It is illegal to do so, and cyclists caught may have to pay a fixed penalty fine (Section 51 and Schedule 3 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988). It also completely disregards the needs of any pedestrians, who in comparison to cyclists are the more vulnerable party. Cyclists who do this are being selfish, but sometimes justify their actions in that they feel pressurised into using pavements to avoid the dangerous behaviour of a minority of people on the road.
Cycle lanes are often touted as a catch-all solution to this problem. Theoretically, a segregated cycle lane will allow a cyclist to be safe from other traffic, and also without the cyclist affecting other road users or pedestrians.
Sadly, many cycle lanes are so badly designed they are utterly unusable. Imagine a road where the signposts are grounded in the middle of the lane, and whats more, a tree is planted there too! Ridiculous? For cyclists this is more common than you might think. Many cycle lanes are “advisory” meaning that other road users can use them to drive in, sometimes to park in or walk on, but give the impression that cyclists must remain in them at all times.
This isn’t the case. In fact, The Highway Code was recently amended to make this clear (rule 63).
Yet some cycle lanes are installed without any consideration for the impact that their placement may have. Last week’s article demonstrated that a cyclist may need to move to the centre of a lane when passing a traffic island to prevent dangerous overtaking. However, near my home the council have painted cycle lanes to encourage the cyclist to keep to the left.
Furthermore, there simply isn’t space on the road for the cyclist and the car to pass side by side at the island, as this photograph demonstrates. The lane shown here is “advisory” which means that other vehicles may use that part of the road should they wish, however this sort of marking encourages cyclists to keep to the left, and drivers to think that there is space to pass by safely when there is not.
Cycle lanes are also poorly maintained. It is not uncommon for them to have broken glass, and other debris scattered across them. They are often used for parking other vehicles (increasing the chance that a cyclist may be “doored“), or simply be a handy place to put road signage. Where cycle lanes are not a part of the road they are often treated as footpaths by pedestrians, a problem which is exacerbated by the proliferation of shared use paths and increases the problem of cyclists having to look out for potential dangers.
Similarly, cycle lanes are quite often not the most direct route. They often cover many more junctions than a road, with frequent “Cyclist Dismount” signs.
Not that I want to portray myself as Twickenham Cyclist’s shameless publicist, but he has produced a very good video demonstrating how much longer a journey can take when using a cycle path. Cycle paths can be equated to drivers having to travel long journeys through housing estates and carparks. The route would laborious, and the progress slow. Roads, on the other hand, provide more-or-less direct routes to the required destination, with rules that are followed by most users.
Don’t get me wrong, a well designed cycle lane can be of great benefit to many cyclists. Sometimes they will be a handy route for avoiding heavy traffic, provide a shortcut (or even a longcut), give new or inexperienced cyclists somewhere to gain confidence without intimidation, or for leisure cyclists to have a gentle pedal.
But a cyclist may choose to use the road, not only because it is their legal right to do so, but for the same reason any motorist will choose to use a particular route - it is the easiest, quickest, or otherwise most beneficial way for them to get to where they are going.
It occurs to me that this post and my last portray cycling almost as an inherently dangerous activity, when this quite frankly isn’t the case. As long as a cyclist takes the appropriate measures to protect themself, and other road users do likewise (not really an undue expectation) then cycling is a perfectly safe activity.
Partly inspired by Twickenham Cyclist’s post in the forums, I thought that it would be a nice idea to answer a few of the questions that motorists may have about cyclists, and why we behave the way that we do. Why do cyclists not pay road tax? Why do cyclists wear lycra? And to start… Why do cyclists ride in the middle of the road?
Sometimes people have to get somewhere in a rush. Let’s face it, we’ve all done it; We’ve left slightly late for work, or we have an important meeting to get to, or we promised we would be somewhere and we’ve run out of time. Just to make things worse, people aren’t going as fast as we’d like on the roads. What’s the holdup?
It turns out some cyclist is riding up ahead. Cars can’t overtake, and the blood pressure is rising. Why won’t the cyclist just get out of the way? Just move left, there’s plenty of space at the side, and the cars could squeeze past.
The first thing which needs to be understood is that a cyclist is more vulnerable than many other road users. Cyclists are not protected in the same way that a car driver is. There is no tin box surrounding them, and when squeezing past may clip a wingmirror on a passing car, the same maneouvre may clip handlebars or an elbow.
More to the point, what may be considered to be a small accident in a car, could be a serious or fatal one for a cyclist. A car passing too close isn’t just a near miss. A car creates a lot of force through the slipstream it creates, not to mention the surprise factor of suddenly seeing a relatively big vehicle overtaking at speed just inches away. Sometimes these factors, and others like them, can be countered somewhat through the experience of a cyclist. But there are still others which may cause a cyclist to move, apparently unexpectedly.
A cyclist may spot a hazard in the road, such as a protuding drain cover - not an issue for a driver, but potentially one for a cyclist. Such situations can potentially cause a cyclist to move out of the way of the hazard. If a car is overtaking too close, that slight swerve, which may only be an inch or two, could be enough to take them into the vehicle, and possibly under the wheels.
Indeed, the Highway Code recommends that drivers should “give vulnerable road users at least as much space as you would a car.”
If space is so important, surely it makes sense that a cyclist should be as far over to the left as possible, giving cars as much space as possible to overtake. However, there are several reasons why this position is not the best one for cyclists to take. Take a short break to have a look at the edge of a variety of roads in your area.
Done that? No? Seriously go and do it. I’ll wait.
You’ll see on many if not most roads that there are a number of potential hazards along the edges of roads, as outlined above. Drain covers, bumps, potholes, loose gravel, broken glass and other rubbish. The edge of the road is not a safe place to be for a cyclist. You will also have probably seen a white line at the side of the road. Beyond that, although probably made of tarmac, this is the gutter, and not intended for vehicles to use, including cyclists.
Therefore, we can see that it is in the cyclist’s interest to position himself away from the gutter. It’s dangerous, and not really part of the road. The cyclist needs to ride to the right hand side of that line.
But that’s not all. as there are other hazards to the middle of the road as well. Traffic islands can be invaluable for pedestrians crossing busy roads, but thay can also be a potential accident for cyclists if a car driver decides to fit his car between both the island, and the cyclist. As we saw previously, a car passing too close, although a “miss” can affect the cyclist in other ways, either pushing the cyclist off-course or potentially causing them to wobble or generally unnecessarily alarm them. A cyclist may position himself to prevent a car from overtaking where there simply isn’t room to do so safely.
Furthermore, the “Primary Road Position” makes the cyclist as visible as possible. If it is easier to imagine the idea of road positioning another way, think of it as ”front and centre.” By positioning themselves directly in front of vehicles cyclists ensure that they will be seen, and a driver will not need to make any last-moment maneouvres to avoid them. Indeed, there is a school of thought which indicates that cycling in the primary position encourages other road users to overtake safely, and courteously. Twickenham Cyclist’s video below goes a certain way to demonstrate this.
When the road conditions allow for a cyclist to be overtaken safely, most will move over and let drivers pass. Many will indicate that they have seen up ahead and that it’s OK to overtake, and possibly give you a cheery wave for holding back, or at the very least an appreciative nod.
And so we get the the crux of the matter, the one sentence answer… Why do cyclists ride in the middle of the road? It’s safer.
Let me apologise for any car drivers out there held up for a few seconds caught behind a cyclist. We understand its frustrating. Trust me, we really do. But patience is a virtue, and it may just one day reward you by preventing your car from being damaged when that annoying cyclist and his bike gets caught up underneath it, and more of your time being wasted explaining to Mr. Plod why there is a dead body there too.
The Pannier DryBag features a fully seam sealed 300 denier and 600 denier polyester construction with a roll top closure for maximum protection from the elements. The Topeak quick release Hook and Lock system attaches the pannier securely and makes installation and removal a snap.
The bags look sturdy, and can easily carry a great deal of kit. But looks aren’t everything, and I found them to be surprisingly fragile.
Firstly, the front strap runs underneath a small lip of plastic with the Topeak logo on it. Almost the first time the bag was tightened, this lip tore off. It’s difficult to suggest that this was purely down to manhandling, as panniers need to be fairly robust to survive on the road. That said, this is just an aesthetic issue, and didn’t really affect performance in any way.
Similarly, the bags are mounted on a plastic board, seemingly by a simple bolt and washer setup. At one point during the ride, a particular gap on the route was quite tight (this was a restrictive entry barrier onto a bridleway to prevent motorcyclists - cyclists were explicitly allowed according to the signage), and boths panniers were caught on obstructions. This was enough to partially tear one bag away from the rear boarding. The force placed against the bag is probably excessive when compared to everyday use, for let’s say commuting, but did highlight that the bags are a little weaker than they appear to be, and not robust enough for serious touring.
On more positive notes, the bags kept everything nice and dry throughout the trip, though we didn’t attempt a “bucket test.” They fitted quickly and easily to the rack. The bags are also a reasonable value for the size, ease of attachment and versatility. The reflective strips are large and were a great boon for making one’s self visible at night.
I would first like to draw your attention to two important numbers. The first features in The Primordial Tourer Pt. 3 - here, I note that my upper distance limit was probably somewhere around the 45 miles mark.
Next, I would like you to note the distance undertaken today at the top of the post. Frankly, I was somewhat surprised I made it back without collapsing from exaustion. I very nearly did a few times, but I survived. Just.
Crossing through Moors Valley Country Park, I again regretted the Bontranger semi slicks. One very steep, very sandy hill and a lot of cursing on my part. Looking back it was good fun though.
We also investigated Sustrans Route 25, the Castleman Trail, from Poole to Wimborne Minster, and then moving on to a disused railway line. This was, for me, probably the highlight of the route back. Relatively flat, hard-packed tracks, and mostly free of traffic. A win-win.
By the time we reached the New Forest, I was dead on the saddle. As David took great pleasure in reminding me several times, I was overtaken by a fat lass. Well, it’s true. I bet she hadn’t just cycled from Swanage though.
We reached home about half six, having left sometime after nine in the morning. I think that’s quite reasonable, and already I find myself looking forward to the next (hopefully shorter) trip…
And so that brings me to what I now believe are the ten commandments of touring. Feel free to disagree with me, add, amend or generally abuse them in the comments should you wish, but these are mine from my primordial experiences:-
1. Your bike is your lord. Have no other forms of transport before it. Make plans for “get outs” certainly, but too many escape routes can take the enjoyment from a ride.
2. Be charitable and help your fellow cyclist in need. Carry a decent multitool and spares. They may come in handy, even if you’re not the person who ends up using them.
3. Remember the Sabbath day. A day of rest (not necessarily Sunday) is a great idea - using it for some other physical activity the day before the longest ride of the trip is perhaps not the best plan.
4. Honor your bike. You are expecting to travel great distances on your steed, so take care of it. Give it plenty of TLC before setting off, and if necessary on trip route as well.
5. Thou shalt not murder. Not even the motorist who cuts you up then stops suddenly. They know not what they do.
6. Thou shalt be seen. Carry a good set of lights and reflectors. Use them.
7. Thou shalt protect the more vulnerable party. Watch out for those drifting pedestrians. Honor the footpath and those that walk upon it.
8. Leave no trace. Dispose of waste properly and be considerate of your surroundings and others.
9. Do not bear false witness against your bike. Throughout the trip, and even in this blog, I made a point of how because my bike was X it couldn’t do Y. Actually, the bike wasn’t the problem, I was. I wasn’t quite fit enough, and I wasn’t prepared enough. All of the issues I attributed to the steed could have been corrected ahead of the trip. Don’t blame the bike.
10. Do not covet your neighbour’s bike. Again, throughout the trip, I saw my cycling buddy shoot off into the distance. It was the equipment, I told myself through gritted teeth. Actually, it was probably his legs.
