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Which side to ride up a one way street in the UK?
The road in question is a back street with cars parked down the left side. I habitually ride on the right, i.e the opposite side to the parked cars to avoid the door zone, pedestrians crossing between and also because at the end of this one way street it widens slightly, splitting into 2 marked lanes and I want to go right.
I ride about 2ft out from the kerb and there is enough space for a car to overtake and even though closer than the advised 1.5m is perfectly safe as far as I am concerned as long as the car driver is willing to take the door zone risk and cope with the novelty of passing a cyclist on the left.
However this morning I was tailgated by a rather angry and unpleasant old man sounding his car horn. Having ascertained that he was not an emergency vehicle I just carried on, all of 200m or so and stopped at the traffic lights, diagonally across the right hand lane (I always do this to dominate the lane). He stopped his car less than 3 inches from my back wheel and pleasantries were exchanged.
The gist of his complaint was that I should not cycle on the right side of the one way street.
Rule 143 of the HC would appear to back me up, but as a rule of thumb which side of a one way street is best for a cyclist?
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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16 comments
In the middle/right depending on circumstances but I'd probably not have to exchange "plesantries" on account of not having stopped at the red light.
depends on how narrow the road is - I always ride down the middle of Eton High Street, it's really not that long, it's narrow and has a tricky bit at the end, so even if they did manage to get past you, they wouldn't really gain anything. I think that's common to most one-ways.
Nothing gets me more annoyed than cyclists going up the wrong way, I was on my steel Guvnor last week, and was really tempted to plough into the silly fat old men on expensive bikes doing just that - they were clinging to their left, so maybe being on the right would have brought the matter to their attention with more force than just words
but I didn't. Probably best ride in the middle, out of the way of doors on one side and pedestrians swarming off the pavement on the other ....
It doesn't matter as you are on the pavement, blocking the road, jumping red lights, not wearing a helmet, look stupid in lycra, don't pay road tax, riding dangerously fast too slow, not wearing high viz and you haven't got any lights which are too bright when on flashing mode.
House!
Idiots in Newport ride on the left against the flow of traffic.
I'd generally tend toward the left while staying out of the door zone. However, if its only really a single lane then I'd probably just go down the middle, because no motor vehicle's going to safely get past you anyway.
(Additional comment: if it splits properly into two marked lanes at the end then you're probably best not keeping left all the way along if you're going right at the end. I've found that the bit where roads widen like that is when the driver of every car that's been following you and unable to safely pass (see above) decides to put their foot down and overtake, making it almost impossible for you to get over to the right. Better just to take the lane in that circumstance. Like bikebikebike says, your very presence on the road will annoy some people, so f- 'em!)
I'd always go for the left and watch out for occupied vehicles (they're the ones that door you).
I had a driver shout at me once for going the wrong way up a one-way road - "Oi this is one-way" - to which I replied "I'm only going one way".
Down the middle if it's narrow. Any driver stupid enough to spend more time arguing than he might have lost by being "blocked" is always going to find something to complain over.
Ride where you feel safest, this driver just sounds like a jerk.
I would recommend the "right" way, ie follow the direction of the signs unless you have a marked contraflow.
I don't think that was the question; they were asking about road positioning.
On the left. A car door width from parked cars. As always, whatever road you're on.
Correct answer is A: In the middle pulling a wheelie.
Sensible answer is on the Left, unless it's particularly narrow in which case take the defensive line and ride in the middle.
Middle.
It doesn't really matter does it? They're going to get pissed off whatever you do. I'd ride in the middle personally.
Left. Just because, as mentioned, forcing a car to 'undertake' you might piss them off.
I'd ride on the left and if I felt in danger because of car doors I'd ride towards the middle. Riding on the right in my opinion would confuse a driver. personally as a driver I wouldn't want to 'under take' a cyclist because its not a normal place to be and I'd think the cyclist could be unpredictable so I'd be cautious. A driver that has no time for cyclists could be kick off.