UKH

Am I the only one that gets really annoyed with these people that don't seem to know the width of their own vehicles .

It's particularly annoying and off putting when your even in a wide cycle lane and yet they seem to want to stalk you down the roads , and wont pass until they can practically drive past you in the opposite lane to overtake.

I scrapped 2 cars this year (uneconomical to fix) and now have no access to driving and so am relegated to the MTB . 

Biking to work and home each day a well as doing my usual sessions at the wall.  Good exercise for sure but almost as annoying as driving . I hate driving even more. 

Suppose I'm doing my bit for the planet right now .

AP

You are complaining that they give you plenty of room to pass? this is a good thing.

 Maybe it's car/van/lorry drivers trying to give you the recommended 2m clearance when overtaking?

Probably. 

Yea it's much better when they try to squeeze through a foot away from your elbow, still at 50 mph, making the opposite lane squeeze in to miss them. 

Drivers of motor vehicles should get into the opposite line to overtake you. If they leave the requisite amount of space (2 m) then they need to cross the centreline anyway, so why not cross the whole way?

By "bike lane" I presume you mean a bit of white paint in the gutter. When driving I just ignore these, as they may as well not be there, and overtake cyclists accordingly. 

They should be giving 1.5m minimum space between themselves and you. This usually involves waiting until the oncoming lane is clear, and then moving over the central white markings in order to overtake you.

These are the good drivers.

Bad drivers will not move out of "their" lane and will simply cruise past you at less than 1.5m. The existence of these bad drivers is a big argument against the installation of cycle lanes that are simply a line of white paint 80cm from the kerb. I will often cycle outside this kind of cycle lane, in order to force any overtaking drivers to use the oncoming traffic lane. 

4/10

Looks like you didn't get the responses you were after here.

What is it about this that annoys you? Are you feeling pressured to speed up? I would think that the drivers doing this don’t mind waiting at all, otherwise they would be squeezing past. Even if they are getting wound up, that’s not your problem. 

I’m probably one of the drivers you are talking about. If the thought “can I get past here?” even enters my mind then I wait. It’s not just about knowing my car width and acceleration either - why should I trust that a stranger on a bike wont do something stupid and unpredictable, or that an animal won’t  run out into the road, or that a thousand other unexpected things won’t happen that could end with me accidentally killing someone?

Another argument against them is that 80cm is nigh on half the minimum width for a cycle lane as laid down by the DfT, and much less than half the recommended width: https://www.camcycle.org.uk/resources/cyclelanewidths/

Another argument against them is that white paint doesn't provide any useful protection against  motor vehicles, or deter careless/ignorant/aggressive (take your pick) drivers.  Cycle lanes need to be segregated in some way to be of any practical benefit.  The pop-up "Spaces for People" lanes that appeared near me during lockdown were quite a step forward in that respect: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.9056027,-3.2079933,3a,75y,314.63h,72.33t/... (the lane defender bases are made out of recycled tyres!)

There is a mandatory cycle lane (i.e. marked with solid white lines. but nothing else) in Edinburgh which serpentines in and out around a number of marked parking areas (a stupid idea in itself, but that's another matter): https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.9293978,-3.2498901,3a,75y,132.61h,68.33t/...  The overwhelming majority of drivers seem to find it quite impossible not to encroach on the cycle lane at these points.  Too much effort for their poor, tired arms I suppose.  (Actually, I don't suppose that at all, I'm damn sure that they're just lazy @@@@holes who can't be bothered to control their vehicle properly.  I know, I know, it is so tricky when you're trying not to drop your mobile phone...)

I'm glad you're cycling, but motorists waiting until they can pass safely is to be applauded.

If they are a foot behind you, revving the engine or beeping the horn, fair enough to be hacked off. But waiting back a safe distance until they can overtake is what all motorists should do. 

 They did!

As echoed above, 4/10.

I will be delighted to continue to annoy you in my van.

In fact, I would give you the same space if I was cycling faster than you and overtook on my bike. 

I don't care if there is a white line painted on the road, I will continue to leave a safe and legal overtaking distance. 

I'm with you on this. Some drivers simply won't overtake, for no good reason. It's VERY annoying.

As a driver I pass when I'm certain that it is safeto do so, the occasional "annoyed" cyclists  that I encounter usually look like a wobbly liabilities that need extra space.

I'm with you on this one.  Based on my experience and my perception of risk/safety :

A car doing 30mph which is 1m out from me feels ok (so 10-15mph relative speed).

If the car is doing 50mph, then i want it 2m out.

If a car is stuck behind you at 15mph, it's not going to be overtaking you at 50 mph, is it?

TBH, what bugs me the most is someone dithering in their car for 30 seconds or more, distracting me. Only to pass me and leave a cloud if diesel which i then have to breathe.  Why can't drivers overtake with GENTLE acceleration and 1m clearance?