I recently heard a cycle campaigner who suggested that one of the best tips for cycling position on the road is to always cycle 1 metre from the edge. Interestingly, the advice for cycling 1 metre from edge of road by Dept of Transport is also 1 metre.
When you’re cycling on busy roads you need to show drivers what you plan to do. Motorists usually travel faster than cyclists and may have less time react to hazards. Try to anticipate what a driver will do and:
- ride positively and decisively
- look and signal before you start, stop or turn
- ride well clear of the kerb - 1 metre away or in the centre of the left lane
- make eye contact with drivers to let them know you have seen them
- acknowledge any courtesy from drivers
- ride a car-door width away from parked cars (Direct Gov link)
1 metre from edge is just over 3 feet and much further out in the road than the average cyclist will generally be. In fact I remember when I was very young and starting to cycling, someone told my I should cycle in line with the outside of drains (basically 1 feet). As a young cyclist you do whatever you’re told and for many years I thought that is where I should be. Anyway hearing the theoretical and practical benefits I thought I would give it a try and see what it is actually like.
It’s good to cycle 1 meter from edge (it’s also advisable to cycle in the right direction)
Benefits of Cycling 1 Metre from Edge
If you are 1m from edge, you are more visible to cars turning right
- You are more visible to cars turning right. They will see you sooner.
- You are more visible to cars coming from behind
- It is harder for cars to turn left just in front of where you are cycling. This is a big problem where cars overtake cyclists and then soon turn left, leaving you squeezed on the inside.
- It gives you more flexibility to avoid potholes. If you are in the gutter and swerve out a foot to miss a pothole cars will sometimes beep because they are overtaking you too closely. But, with a metre you have room to move in
- It is a better position to avoid parked cars and other obstacles in the road.
- It is where motorbikes tend to position themselves.
- It could make cars more careful in overtaking because they can’t squeeze through when traffic is passing in opposite direction. They have to wait for a genuine gap.
- You avoid opening car doors
What’s It Like to Always Cycle 1 Metre from the Edge of Road?
- It’s hard work! Instinctively, you want to ride closer to the edge of the road.
- I was often thinking of the cars waiting behind me.
- It takes a certain confidence to cycle that far out.
- It means ignoring ‘cycle paths’ which are often 1-2 feet wide.
- You subconsciously feel you ought to be cycling quicker to justify taking up whole road.
- It does give a greater flexibility for taking the best line over potholed roads.
- Often cars and buses overtake into your lane. If you stick to 1m from the edge, you are heading for a straight on collision. Many cars expect you to move into the gutter so they can overtake, I can’t say I’ve ever wanted to stick to my position and see if they are going to stop overtaking!
Benefits of 1 Metre from edge of Road
- On the country lanes for long training rides, it really wasn’t too bad. With relatively low traffic, I didn’t get beeped as much as I expected.
- When going round sharp left hand bends, you instinctively take a wider angle anyway to get a better view around the corner and give more chance for cycling back.
- Although it seems almost counter-intuitive to cycle so far out, once you get used to it, I actually quite like it. You feel you are taking up a more visible presence on the road and cars are more aware of you. After a while, you also think ‘so what if cars have to wait a few more seconds’
Pragmatic Approach to 1 Metre Rule
I can’t take a rigid approach to the 1 metre rule. If I’m on a narrow road and a car is waiting behind me for a long time, I will move inward to help the car overtake. Car drivers appreciate that and a bit of good will never did any harm. But, if you are already in gutter to offer good will, I guess you would have to stop by side of road to let car past.
On busy town roads, there are also times when you just can’t cycle 1 metre from edge, especially when you see buses overtaking on wrong side of road.
However, having said that, there are great benefits to often taking this position and remembering we don’t have to be in the gutter. I definitely feel it is better to cycle further out, especially when you are approaching potentially dangerous junctions. Having that little more space to move inwards is also very nice.
Related
I think this is good advice. I always taught my children when they were learning to drive that you must overtake a cyclist in the same way you overtake a car or anything else – leaving plenty of room and only when the road ahead is clear. Cars have to do this if you are 1m out but some will attempt a risky squeeze past if you are right in at the edge. This can also happen if there is a traffic island coming up – there may not be room for a cyclist and a car to pass through the gap. I actually feel a lot safer a bit further out and you are indeed less likely to need to move out for drains (incredibly their gratings sometimes aligned along the road up here), emerging vehicles from the left or potholes.
Good advice here as usual.
Too many people ride so close to the kerb they have no room to manoeuvre, they don’t have room to avoid drains, debris, potholes… it’s a nightmare. Riding that far to the left also shows you are easily intimidated and it allows following drivers to try to squeeze past when there isn’t sufficient room.
While 1 metre may make you feel vulnerable, and you may well annoy a few impatient drivers, it is really worth persevering with. I aim to ride in the left hand wheeltracks of cars and vans on most normal width two-lane roads. It is often the smoothest, cleanest part of the road. Approaching parked cars, roundabouts, junctions and pinch points this will change, though not before a quick glance behind.
I don’t have any desire to hold anyone up, but do have an equal right to use the roads safely. I sometimes pull over into a layby or turning if I’m travelling slowly on a narrower road and sense there is a queue building behind me.
Good point, and you do have to persevere with it, even if at first it feels a little uncomfortable. But, it does get better.
Blimey! I fit in to the ‘cycle in line with the outer edge of the drain’ brigade and have done so since I was a child – 40 years? I shall try cycling a metre out but it sounds scary! I live in a rural area and don’t often cycle in to towns of any great size. I must find a quiet time to ‘practice’ it!
Yes, I wonder who came up with the ride in line with the drain advice?
I suspect that this follow-the-drain advice was originally invented by an impatient motorist.
Yes, a quick glance / smile goes a long way and makes a big difference. I think motorists are pleasantly surprised when you do acknowledge them, but it will only encourage good driving in future.
Some good advice from Lee. I pretty much hate holding other motorists up but some times it’s safer to take up the road briefly. A thank you to the motorists must reduce any chance of conflict.
I also tend to move out a bit when approaching junctions just so cars have a greater chance to see you.
I like the 1 mtr rule, if or should I say when a motorist passes to close I have somewhere to go, if I’m in the gutter there is no where to go. Also when ever I approach a pedestrian island I look, indicate, and adopt a position in the middle of the road, this I call taking control of the situation and nothing can pass me, as soon as the island is behind me I go back to the 1 mtr position. If I have held a motorist up I always acknowledge them by saying thank you. In fact when ever I hold a motorist up I gesture a thank you. My final tip is eye contact with motorists, this seems to stop any confusion. I hope this helps….
I’ve just started that whenever I cycle on busy roads I make a note to cycle further out and have a bit more confidence about been on ye olde bike.
But it is hard somtimes to stick out I always feel like I’m taking up the whole road and all the cars are waiting behind me
They normally aren’t but on yorkshire roads even the so called
“big roads” there can be places where there’s not that much room and you can’t really cycle 1 metre from the pavement.
Emily
“ride a car-door width away from parked cars”
I’m not sure this is really sufficient.
Even if the left-hand end of your handlebars is a car door width away from the parked cars, if someone suddenly opens the door you are going to swerve away instinctively.
When cycling past parked cars you should ride far enough out that you can continue straight even if someone swings the door open.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TQ7aID1jHs&playnext=1&list=PLA44978691D6B43AA
When riding in cycle paths I ride pretty much on the white line, I also never take the pavement cycle paths, I always move out into the road when they come up, I’ve just as much right to be on the roads as the car drivers have so they can wait for 30 seconds for the normal cycle path to return again, which I’ll move into straight away.