dcbwhaley wrote:
In Gear wrote:
But this was a VAN .. not a car. Johnny has to take on coming vehicles into account in his decision making.
I wasn't criticising OP. I was reffering to the situation where a vehicle drives two feet behind me instead of passing with two feet clearance. Neither action is pleasent but the first is much more disconcerting
I would have pulled to have words. Tailgating is tailgating so what you are tailgating
It may be that the person wishes to turn left and is waiting.. but not realising how close.. per a report from one of our chaps when we made "cycling safety" "campaign of the month" last.
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If you wish the person to pass.. then signal. make an eye contact if you can.
Make eye contact with some one in a car two feet behind you? :contortionist smiley
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If possible .. make eye contact... friendly eye contact. If not.. hand signal (NOT the fingered ones) .. but one to say "either back off or overtake me please!" I have found sticking out my right arm and then just waving my hand as if to say -- "can you give me a bit more room here?" seems to work out OK most of the time. Especially if I then give a :thumbup: as a gesture of thanks..
Failing that .. I ease up and wave them past me.. and smile at them when they do. (Usually more in relief that they are where I can see them more in a way
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By the way - not all vans are "clapped out"
I never said they were but to quote Dusty - "In a van (especially a loaded one) staying THAT far back (
i.e far enought back not to endanger the cyclist)would mean that you will rarely, if ever, be able to take advantage of the limited gaps that might present themselves in the oncoming traffic on a busy road to pass said cyclist" - If your vehicle is such that you have to endanger other road users to make normal progress then I consider it clapped-out, even if it is fresh from the show-room. But then British transport operators are notorious for using over-large under-powered vehicles
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Vans are heavier than cars to handle. It's why some end up "elephant racing"
If that is the case then all vehicles over 7.5 tonnes would have to be removed from th roads across the globe.
They are slow, big .. - but still fairly graceful movers on the roads all the same.
. We have been trained to escort at low speed as well as at high speeds. It does take a heck of a lot of skill to control cars and motorbikes in convoy when escorting a heavy load. But we are also aware of the skills demanded of those drivers in charge of those huger vehicles
They are perhaps much better than folk give them credit for .. but then that;s because the vehicle is slow.. holds them up and simply does not have the OOOMPHHHH! to manage the quick overtake and guarantee getting back to safety gaps (or even having sufficient gap for them to move into once past the hazard. I have a great deal of respect for the average HGV/large van driver/bus/coach driver. Training and acquiring those licences is not that easy and I would say they are perhaps better skilled than most out there.
It's why they may well stick behind for a long time .. as per the HGV driver which a CW reader praised with great appreciation a fortnight or so ago
Big trucks are very well engineered.. very powerful.. but they do not have the accelerating power that cars will have and they also have to take account of the gap ahead to move into without compromising a safety margin or showering the cyclist with grit laden spray
Caravans? I am afraid I am a kindred spirt to Jezza Clarkson on that one