Pop quiz time! Two scenarios, each with some questions.



Firstly, please excuse my shoddy collage, using a screen grab from a video included below and the shameless theft of a photo from Kansas Cyclist.

Scenario 1

You’re driving and a cyclist is in the middle of the lane ahead of you.

Question 1: Is the lane to your right clear?

Yes: Move safely out into it and pass; there’s enough room for you to have that lane to yourself.

No: Wait.

Scenario 2

You’re driving and cyclist is in the left hand side of the lane ahead of you.

Question 1: Is the lane to your right clear?

Yes: Move safely out into it and pass; there’s enough room for you to have that lane to yourself.

No: Proceed to question 2.

Question 2: Reckon you’re ok to squeeze through that gap between the cyclist and the traffic in the lane to your right?

Yes: Go for it!

No: Wait. Then return to question 1.

This is why

All you need to know is this:

If you answer “yes” to Question 2, you are making a dangerous choice, no matter how many lanes the carriageway has.

There are any number of very real events that can turn that choice into a collision that has real potential for serious injury or death to the cyclist, no matter who they are. For the sake of conciseness I won’t list them here, but if you can’t think of at least half a dozen then I would strongly suggest that you re-evaluate your ability to anticipate risk. In the meantime, please take my word for it: it is important that you do not answer “yes” to Question 2.

When a cyclist chooses to ride in the middle of the lane, they are choosing to create Scenario 1 and not Scenario 2. In other words, they are eliminating Question 2. And, if you care to notice, Scenario 1 is exactly the same as not answering “yes” to Question 2.

In other words, in anything other than exceptional circumstances such as when the lane is extremely wide, a cyclist in the middle of the lane presents an issue only to a driver who makes dangerous decisions.

So simple, yet so rarely understood

If you don’t understand the above then, although you’re probably making dangerous decisions, you’re far from alone.

I include this video (which isn’t mine) with no comment other than that if you can’t see a whole heap of extremely serious problems with this police officer’s attitude to vulnerable road users and his understanding of cycling, including the above, then you really ought to have a bit more of a think about things. And maybe go ride a bike for a bit.