Traffic island nearly taken out....

[Wendy]

This is one of the more difficult sections of my commute.  How would you handle this section?  I think I'm guilty of not taking the lane quite as assertively as I could though these two traffic islands.  It's hard, there's a lot of mental pressure from fairly quick and impatient traffic, and I'm slow up Bromley Hill.

This is what happened last week:
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/yaIYaZUibTQ&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/yaIYaZUibTQ&rel=1</a>

[Biggsy]

I sympathise with the feeling of not wanting to hold people up, but you do HAVE to take the lane if you don't want to be overtaken at a particular point.

[hulver]

That van was just blindly following the vehicle in front. Very poor driving.

I agree, it is hard to take the lane. I find it difficult through one pinch point on my commute, which is on a hill through a crossing. Even when I take the lane I'll often get some idiot overtake me on the crossing itself. People get too close to your back end, rev their engine and parp their horn because you've slowed them down for all of 10 seconds.

[Tigerrr]

You take your life in your hands on that bit don't you.
In the bits where they can pass I would give them room - but start to wobble and weave into the mid lane approaching islands otherwise at some point someone is going to go for a n unfeasible overtake and instead of screeching to a halt they will continue to accelerate while pulling in on you and kerb you.
Nice legs.

[Biggsy]

Personally, up steep hills (therefore at low speed), I often feel safe enough to ride closer to the edge of the road than I normally would to allow more overtaking room.  But where there's still not safe overtaking room at a pinch point even doing that, I will take the lane...

Except occasionally up a long hill in an area with no pedestrians about, I'll get up on the pavement purely to do the motorists a favour - but that's not something I'm advocating or am proud of.

[David Martin]

The simple principle is 'do you have a realistic alternative course of action?' When moving slowly eg up a hill, this may be a rapid stop. When moving quickly  you cannot stop rapidly so need alternative space to move into.

Slow in the gutter is OK on an uphill if it doesn't encourage dangerous actions.

..d

[disrail]

That van was just blindly following the vehicle in front. Very poor driving.

Yep, i'm rarely concerned about the first car that overtakes, it's always the 2nd (and 3rd?) car are so close behind that they can't see what is up the road, they haven't made any decision in overtaking, the traffic flow just seems to be going around an "obstacle" and they'll follow.

[Wendy]

One thing that I'm very happy about is the effectiveness of sticking my right arm out and yelling.  It's not the first time it's gained me loads of space.

I've no problem with letting vehicles past, I've quite often pulled over here to allow a lorry, coach or bus past.  Particularly a bit further on where there are fewer opportunities to overtake with a big vehicle.

[Domestique]

That van was just blindly following the vehicle in front. Very poor driving.

Yep, i'm rarely concerned about the first car that overtakes, it's always the 2nd (and 3rd?) car are so close behind that they can't see what is up the road, they haven't made any decision in overtaking, the traffic flow just seems to be going around an "obstacle" and they'll follow.

+1
I have been thinking all morning how to reply to hulver.
As you say its the second car/van etc coming past thats the danger, esp when people seem to follow so close behind.