Passing in narrow lanes

[toestrap]

This is the scenario:

Narrow single lane road, limited passing places and difficult to pull off between them (say high banks or where you get a dangerous drop off from the tarmac into mush)

Cycle meets oncoming vehicle.

What's the proper protocol? Who has right of way? What are the respective responsibilities?

[LMT]

As you are the more vulnerable road user I expect you to have priority, and on that basis I expect the car to slow right down or stop and the cyclist to edge pass giving a nod to the driver.

Happy days.

[mattc]

Nobody has right of way- check your Highway Code.

Next!

[Sea of vapours]

I'd agree with LMT, with the addition that:
- I'd oblige the oncoming vehicle to stop, just in case they had any other ideas, by cycling in the centre of the road;
- I'd get off and walk around the stationary vehicle if there was insufficient space on the tarmac.
I did once cycle a couple of hundred metres back down one lane as there was a pair of tractors completely filling the space between dry stone walls and it seemed an awful lot easier for me to reverse to the first gate opening than for them to do so.

[rr]

Wot he said ∆

[matthew]

Normally I work on the basis that if I can see them and I reach a passing place then I will pull in, but expect them to pull in if they reach the passing place. Failure to pull in will result in a very assertive cyclist claiming the lane until they are stationary for me to ride / walk between them and the verge.

I'd agree with LMT, with the addition that:
- I'd oblige the oncoming vehicle to stop, just in case they had any other ideas, by cycling in the centre of the road;

I did this whilst descending on Skye a few years back, made more arsey by the fact I had watched them drive past a passing place rather than wait. There was a satisfying sound of deforming plastic when they did pull off the road onto the grass and the front bumper grounded out. 

[madcow]

I find that self preservation is always better than trying to take on a car.
If the driver is respectful and courteous then so much the better,but I am quite happy to put my foot on the tarmac and keep out of the way whatever the driver's attitude.
The alternative is adding to their repertoire of "Effing stupid cyclists " stories even when it's no-ones right of way technically.

[Jasmine]

A lot of the roads where I live are similar to that described in the OP.  I find the pragmatic approach is usually best. 

If you are being approached by someone driving way too fast, or looks live they have every intention of blasting blast you without actually taking any evasion action, I'd ride assertively in the centre, to make it clear that I am expecting them to slow down.  But I'd also be prepared for the possibility of taking massive evasive action myself in case they don't take the hint.

Different vehicles/situations require different responses.  Most rural roads here have passing places that aren't desperately far apart, so pulling in and waiting for either party is usually a bit quicker than doing a shuffle-dance in the narrow section.

In the absence of passing places I'd still be pretty pragmatic. Sometimes the verge on one side is more solid than the other, do whatever is necessary to prevent either side getting stuck/wet feet/risking peril. I'm pretty tolerant of tractors towing trailers - it's often easier to get off and walk round a stationary one rather than risk being knocked in a tight space.

I always wave, unless they've been a total dick.

[Cudzoziemiec]

I tend to move out as soon as I see the oncoming vehicle. This almost always makes them slow down and the vast majority of drivers on these lanes are happy to slow right down and even stop if necessary; sometimes even when it isn't. There might be regional variations of course and yes you have to be prepared for the occasional idiot, illegal rallyist, poacher or getaway car etc etc but they are very rare. I'd make an exception for vehicles which are obviously at work – farm vehicles, construction vehicles and so on – and I'd also pull into a gap if it was nearer me than the oncoming car, particularly if I'm going downhill. If I'm climbing then I keep going.

[Cudzoziemiec]

And as Jasmine mentions, sometimes it's easier to pull over to the 'wrong' side of the road. And always a wave. Especially if they've been deliberate idiots, just on the slim chance they'll feel a twinge of guilt.

[mattc]

On a decent descent, I stop for no-one.

...
 always a wave. Especially if they've been deliberate idiots, just on the slim chance they'll feel a twinge of guilt.

 

[Basil]

Yes.  Same as Jasmine round here.  It usually gets sorted out in an amicable manner.

The one thing I find difficult in the lanes is people who don't dip their headlights.

[Redlight]

Of course, if the oncoming vehicle is an Audi, none of the above applies as they have absolute right of way at all times.

[Kim]

It's give and take, and standard BRITISH politeness is normally deployed to good effect (for values of politeness which include bullying the plebs out of the way, of course).  I'll stop if it's convenient/sensible to do so.

Main issue I find is that some drivers can be unaware of how hazardous the mud / edge of the tarmac can be to a cyclist.  They just see a passing place and assume you can use it.  I've had some success using sign language (<stop> <me> <there>) to explain to oncoming drivers that I want to pull in in a specific place, particularly if it's on the wrong side of the road.

[toestrap]

Thanks, I just wanted to check I hadn't missed something. Reading your posts, I think that whilst I don't cycle in the gutter, I'm probably not assertive enough in taking the centre, so vehicles have a tendancy to keep coming.

I'm happy being pragmatic and will pull in or whatever makes everyones life easier; I just don't want to be driven at at speed.

Perpetrators seem to be in two groups:

a) Stereotypical (not all!) White van/Audi drivers who probaly don't give way to anything (unless it is bigger/more powerful/more Aplha etc etc)
b) Those that seem not to comprehend that there are other road users and seem perplexed that there is a bicycle in the road. (These are probaly the same drivers who give you a close pass even on a clear wide straight road with no ongoming traffic)

[red marley]

Daily I encounter an urban version of this problem.

Riding down the street with a centre line and parked cars on both sides making the usable road space equal to a large car width plus a small gap. That gap being about the width you can comfortably ride though with care if an oncoming vehicle is stationary.

So in theory while I stick to 'my' side of the centre line but oncoming vehicles are straddling it to proceed, I should have priority and the vehicle driver should stop to let me proceed. But in practice might is right, so I invariably have to stop, and pull in between parked cars to let an oncoming driver proceed without having to slow down.

[Kim]

Daily I encounter an urban version of this problem.

Riding down the street with a centre line and parked cars on both sides making the usable road space equal to a large car width plus a small gap. That gap being about the width you can comfortably ride though with care if an oncoming vehicle is stationary.

So in theory while I stick to 'my' side of the centre line but oncoming vehicles are straddling it to proceed, I should have priority and the vehicle driver should stop to let me proceed. But in practice might is right, so I invariably have to stop, and pull in between parked cars to let an oncoming driver proceed without having to slow down.

As with most forms of urban cyclist/motorist conflict, I find this one is mostly down to my speed.  Drivers are a lot less respectful of your priority when you're slogging uphill (ie. being slow).

The other nasty variation on the theme is speed cushions.  They turn the whole thing into a race to the gap.

[lahoski]

As with most forms of urban cyclist/motorist conflict, I find this one is mostly down to my speed.  Drivers are a lot less respectful of your priority when you're slogging uphill (ie. being slow).

The other nasty variation on the theme is speed cushions.  They turn the whole thing into a race to the gap.

The key is to make them understand through the judicious use of wanton violence. An approach that is most effective, if not entirely morally justified.

I must admit I have become rather over assertive as a cyclist. I do have some belief that it is a relatively effective way to encourage a change in attitudes. It's very easy to say it's counterproductive but aggression from a minority of motorists is exactly the reason cycling is not a particularly popular mode of transport. In all seriousness, I can see assertive (not aggressive) cycling being part of the solution. It's important to let people know that their attitudes are not necessarily universally held or tolerated by others.

[cycleman]

i find the trice commands respect from vehicles although meeting large lorry's , farm machinery on single track roads  i will backtrack to the nearest passing place as necessary 

[Cudzoziemiec]

IME vehicles going downhill tend to be more patient of cyclist struggling up hill than one following you, presumably because they know they only have to wait a few seconds and you'll be past, whereas those following are grinding their clutches and fuming their ears looking for an opportunity to overtake.

[David Martin]

Nobody has right of way- check your Highway Code.

Next!

<pedant> If it is a highway you both have right of way[1]. Neither of you has priority though. </pedant>

[1] specifically in the meaning of highways that you may use them for passing and repassing without undue let or hindrance.

[Manotea]

On a decent descentclimb, I stop for no-one.

It's a roadcraft thing, innit. If it's clear I cannot be passed safely without the other party slowing/manouvering, I move to the centre of the lane, assuming I'm not already there, which obliges the other party to at least slow if not stop (and most do...) and thank them as you pass.

Having said that, I do defer to Combine Harvesters and other oversized Tonka Toys.

The other question is what to do about following motorists. I look for somewhere to pull over without stopping at the earliest opportunity to let them pass. There's nothing to be gained by making motorists crawl along behind you, and your consideration is generally appreciated..

[Kim]

^ This.

[Sea of vapours]

IME vehicles going downhill tend to be more patient of cyclist struggling up hill than one following you...

From the motorist's perspective, I once met a cyclist coming up an 18-20% bit of a categorically-cannot-fit-bike-plus-car climb. I reversed about 80 metres or so into a gateway. I couldn't really tell whether he thanked me or not as he clearly wasn't well-positioned to release the bars and was gurning so much that any head gesture of thanks would have been lost. I've since wondered whether he would have welcomed the excuse to stop though!

Following cyclists up such things, when driving, I tend to just stop and wait 'til they get to somewhere I know they can pull over, rather than crawl along behind them.

[rr]

I often point at the next passing space if I have some one behind me, it seems to help as does a clear taking of the lane.