How would you ride this bit?

[Wendy]

Take a look at this stretch of road, and discuss where you'd ride, and how you'd deal with the traffic:
Google Maps

Here's a video of a bus overtake from Sunday, which was astounding to the oncoming car driver!!
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/w_2wU2FBbPw&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/w_2wU2FBbPw&rel=1</a>

Going northbound, it's easy, I'm rarely below 35mph, and usually over 40, so I'll take the whole lane. Southbound, it's steep, and I tend to only just about manage 5-10mph after a hard day's work. My mate takes the pavement, and he's a copper. I can't say I blame him, as it's a pretty intimidating piece of road with a 40 limit and very narrow.

[mike]

the link takes me to the middle of the Irish sea.  You may want to rethink your commute home and/or get some waterwings.

[Greenbank]

the link takes me to the middle of the Irish sea.  You may want to rethink your commute home and/or get some waterwings.

We need the full URL, you've given us a truncated one:-

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&hl...00111&t=k&z=20

[Wendy]

Yup, sorry, my copy+paste plus forum software borked that.

[Greenbank]

Probably the same way you did, but I wouldn't expect someone to be stupid enough to do such a dodgy overtake like that.

[Biggsy]

On a narrow road like that, I think you would be entitled to take the lane on the way up as well - though personally I rarely have the guts to when I'm going slow.

[bobajobrob]

The back of the bus looks about 2/3 of the way across the lane when it passes you. That's normal for me when I'm commuting, I have no problem with it. I have a problem when a vehicle comes within a couple of feet of me.

[Biggsy]

I suppose I get the same, and it just looks worse on video than it seems in real life.

[Wendy]

Funnily enough, I felt the overtake was much worse in person than on the film, and have noticed the same effect on previous overtakes.  That could be that the camera tames it in the same sort of way cameras tame the real slope of a hill, or it could be that it felt more personal when it happened.

[mattc]

It's very very difficult to judge scale and distance in these films (more so as most of us aren't used to the 'bent-eyed view)!

So I think 2 things are important:
- was the bus actually scarily close TO YOU? (I don't care how close he was to the car!)
- your road position: it looks like you forced the bus into moving way over the white line to get past.

Taking an "assertive" road position, for me, is mainly about stopping vehicles squeezing past. If they decide to overtake putting OTHER vehicles (or their own) at risk, that's their problem - you've done all you can.