One for bike ability instructors please

[The Family Cyclist]

Out for a cycle with The Monkey and the Beastie earlier with the Monkey on the back of the tandem. Using more roads then usually would as its blissfully quiet on the roads.


I ask the monkey to check behind and indicate as we are about to turn (don't worry I'd looked behind when asking her and plenty of clear road) she did a good job but then said her cousin who has done the cycle training at school a few years back says they tell you not to put your hand out to indicate

Is this correct or has she got the wrong end of the stick?

[Pedal Castro]

Indicating with an arm is part of level 2. I think she was confused because when riding in a group to get to the junctions where we do the drills we ride in a "snake" with instructor front and rear who do the signaling. One of the "rules" of the snake is no signaling.

[The Family Cyclist]

Many thanks. I wonder if they don't get to level 2. My girls are both too young to have done formal training and when we ride on the road they're normally between the good lady wife and myself

[Speshact]

Pupils are taught to look and if there is no-one to signal to then not to signal because there's no one to see it and react to it. Better to have two hands on the handlebars and fingers covering brake levers.

[Pedal Castro]

Level 1 is a 2 hour session on the playground either done on it's own with Y3/4s or as the first of four 2h sessions with Y5/6s. We do riding one handed drills in level 1 but we don't introduce actual signalling until L2.

[Pedal Castro]

Pupils are taught to look and if there is no-one to signal to then not to signal because there's no one to see it and react to it. Better to have two hands on the handlebars and fingers covering brake levers.

Also correct, I should have mentioned this too. 

[Kim]

Pupils are taught to look and if there is no-one to signal to then not to signal because there's no one to see it and react to it. Better to have two hands on the handlebars and fingers covering brake levers.

This was also what I was taught when learning to drive.  I thought it was silly, as you remain in full control of a car while the indicator does its thing, and the indication may be helpful to some road user you've failed to observe (eg. someone who comes into view after you've decided you don't need to indicate, or a pedestrian thinking about crossing the road).

[orienteer]

Same here when in the car, it doesn't cost anything. And by the way, many driving instructors don't regard pedestrians as other road users.

As a Bikeability instructor I didn't agree with telling kids not to always signal. As new road users my opinion is that they first need to learn to signal every time without fail, so they get into the habit of automatically doing so. Only later, say at Level 3, should the idea of not necessarily signalling be suggested.

[matthew]

Back in the day my father really annoyed a cycling proficiency examiner. The examiner asked us to ride up to a T junction, turn right, pass a parked car and then turn right into a side turning.

Dad had instructed us well, we all came to the T junction, assessed the distance to the parked car and turned right to a road position appropriate for passing the parked car, then stayed out for the right turn. No need for the extra looks and manoeuvres to pull out as the road was obviously clear to turn into it. 


And as for the signalling, I failed my first cycling proficiency test because I didn't signal when setting off after the emergency stop. I looked, the road was empty so I didn't signal but the examiner didn't see me look.