Why I Will Not (always) Cycle Single File

Few things about cyclists seem to enrage motorists as much as those who cycle two-abreast. (At least, few things which people on bikes actually do. Obviously there’s always the whole imaginary all cyclists jump red lights thing). For me, verbal abuse, head shaking, and wagging fingers for not cycling single file is almost as common as close passes. None of that verbal abuse, head shaking and finger wagging will make me cycle single file. Not always. Not now. Not ever. So I thought I’d explain why.

 

Those Who Do and Those Who Don’t

I suspect there are two kinds of people reading this article (sweeping generalisation, I know): those who do cycle and those who don’t.

Those of you who do cycle are perhaps reading this because you also (sometimes) do not ride single file and are interested to see if my thoughts are similar to yours on the matter. Perhaps you only ever cycle single file but are aware that not all cyclists do so, and wonder why. Quite possibly, you read the headline and grimaced while thinking something along the lines of, oh dear she’s really sticking her head above the parapet this time. What can I say? It’s been a while since I posted and it’s always good to come back on a wave of contention!

If you are reading this and you do not cycle, I’m glad you’re reading as I think that cyclists riding two abreast is much misunderstood. Try to read it with an open mind. If you’re reading this just to stoke your rage about entitled cyclists then to be honest, go ahead and take aim – I’m still not going to cycle single file.

 

If Not Single File Then What?

When I say I don’t always ride single file, I mean that I frequently ride two abreast. That’s two cyclists, side-by-side. If I’m in a group, then I mean riding in a line of pairs.

By side-by-side, I mean a ‘tidy’ side-by-side. We ride pretty close together meaning that even on narrow two-lane roads, we are using much less than the full lane, and are therefore well away from the central white line.

This takes a little bit of practise and a little bit of confidence, but you might be surprised how quickly riders get the hang of this. It’s something I have coached experienced road cyclists on, and supported novice and new cyclists with. All it takes is a little time. Best practised away from traffic if you can.

I have come across at least one road cycling club who like to ride three, four, five abreast on some of their club rides. I have heard their rides referred to several times as the [club name] rolling road block. This I do not condone. It’s unsafe, it’s inconsiderate and it’s unnecessary.

 

Why?

There are two reasons for cycling two abreast:

• For safety.
• To share the roads considerately. (Yes, you really did read that right).

I ride bikes for lots of different reasons; for transport, for fitness, and for the sheer joy of it. I ride two-abreast in a number of different situations. It is the situation which dictates whether the primary reason for cycling two-abreast is safety or being considerate. That said, you could argue that consideration also boils down to safety, since calmer drivers are less likely to drive aggressively.

Incidentally, it’s also much easier to have a chat when you’re riding alongside another cyclist, and this is something I enjoy. I am fortunate enough to be a member of a fantastic cycle club, and to lead Breeze rides to support women to cycle, and I have met some wonderful people through both kinds of rides. However, being better able to chat is not a reason to cycle two abreast, it is a happy side-effect.

 

For Safety

I have been riding bikes for over thirty years. I am confident in my bike handling skills and I ride assertively (note: assertively, not aggressively – very different things) on the roads.

It takes time and practise to develop that confidence, and everyone has to start somewhere. Many, many people – especially women – are frankly terrified of riding on the roads. Since (in the UK as elsewhere) our network of traffic-free paths is appalling: if you can’t cycle on the roads, you can’t cycle for transport. Riding alongside a confident cyclist is a great way to overcome that fear.

The same thing goes for cycling with children. After many years as a cargo kid, my nine year old now rides his own bike. We always, always ride side-by-side. This enables me to see exactly what he is doing, to communicate effectively what he needs to do next, to keep him in an appropriate road position by edging him in with my own bike if he drifts, and to be a ‘buffer’ between him and motorists who frequently drive too close.

 

To Share The Roads Considerately

This one applies to cycling in a group of four or more.

To understand it, you need to understand how drivers should be overtaking cyclists.

Give cyclists plenty of space when overtaking them, leaving as much room as you would a car. If there isn’t sufficient space to pass, hold back. Remember that cyclists may need to manoeuvre suddenly if the road is poor, it’s windy or if a car door is opened. The law states that you must give up 1.5 metre clearance between you and the cyclist when passing.

(https://beta.northumbria.police.uk/advice-and-info/road-safety-and-vehicles/cycle-safety/)

Note that this quote is from a police force website, not a cycling advocacy group.

If a driver gives less than 1.5m when passing a cyclist, this is a close pass. This is something police forces around the UK are taking very seriously, and are enforcing using Operation Close Pass.

You might also have seen on the mat in the video that the recommended distance for a cyclist to allow between them and the curb is 0.75m. Riding in the gutter is dangerous – it’s where the potholes and the broken glass is, and it leaves you nowhere to go if a driver decides not to give you space.

These distances mean that, on the majority of roads, drivers should be crossing the central white line when overtaking a cyclist. So, drivers should not be overtaking if the oncoming lane is not clear.

When cyclists ride in pairs as I’ve already described – close together and away from the white line – overtaking the pair is no different to overtaking a single cyclist. Drivers have to cross the central white line so should not be overtaking if the oncoming lane is not clear.

Imagine a group of eight cyclists riding single-file, in a line. As a driver has to cross the central line to overtake and this is a long group, that driver is going to need a long stretch of clear oncoming lane to get past the group. The equivalent of overtaking a lorry if you like.

Now imagine the same group of eight cyclists riding two-abreast. The driver has to cross the central line just like before, only now they need half the clear oncoming lane to get past the group. The equivalent of overtaking a van.

 

I Did Say Not Always

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t always cycle two abreast when I’m riding with others. There are circumstances when we will single out. Single track or very narrow roads are the obvious ones, as are wide vehicles needing to pass, such as lorries of tractors. I don’t want any driver stuck behind me for any length of time, any more than they want to be there.

BUT, when a group of cyclists move from two-abreast to single file, they are effectively saying to drivers, it’s OK to pass now. I am only going to do that when it really is safe to pass – ie. when there is enough room for drivers to pass me with 1.5m to spare. This is why I will not single out to allow oncoming drivers to pass parked cars in their lane. There isn’t space; it isn’t safe. If you cycle on supposed quiet routes this is a situation you will come across frequently. Certainly around Edinburgh, quiet routes tend to be rat runs and areas used for parking.

 

Is It Legal to Cycle Two Abreast?

Yes.

Otherwise @SurreyRoadCops wouldn’t be tweeting graphics like the one above, would they. Ask them if you’re not convinced; they have a great way with words.

 

Two Abreast On The School Run

As I mentioned, my son now rides his own bike to school every day. We ride two-abreast. Always. I will not single out when I am riding with him or any other child….EVER.

Strangely (or perhaps not) this is when I get the most abuse for cycling two-abreast. Yep, when I am cycling with a child. That seems to be when the head shakers, fist wavers and charming comment shouters are out in force.

Perhaps you have a vision of us casually riding two-abreast for miles on end, holding up a stream of drivers?

Nope.

We cycle to school largely on the supposed quiet route (which is anything but quiet at school run times of day). It takes us fifteen minutes to cycle the whole route. This includes a traffic-free section through the park, and multiple twists and turns around back streets (as cycle routes tend to do, rather than taking the most direct route…but that’s another post altogether). The longest we are on any given road is about two minutes. That means, unless a driver is stalking us (hasn’t happened yet), the longest we can possibly hold them up is two minutes (about as long as it takes for us to cross the crossing over the main road…but that’s another blog post too).

In reality, we never hold anyone up for as long as two minutes. We never hold anyone up for even one minute; we hold them up for seconds. Technically, I could argue that we never hold any other road users up at all, because there is plenty of room for cars to overtake us, as long as there aren’t cars coming the other way or parked cars blocking a lane. If there is a huge stream of cars coming the other way on these ‘quiet routes’ then they are being used as rat runs because the main roads are so congested by too many drivers.

It’s not just the running rats which prevent drivers from crossing to the other lane in order to overtake us safely, it’s the parked cars which litter the quiet routes. With us cycling side-by-side on a road filled with parked cars, it is impossible to overtake us. But if we were to single out it would still be impossible to overtake us whilst allowing us 1.5m, so our riding two abreast makes no difference. If we do single out, all I am doing is communicating that drivers should give it a go and squeeze past a child on a bike. I’m not going to do that.

Perhaps my logic is flawed, but does this not sound a little bit like it is the drivers, and not the cyclists (two abreast or otherwise) who are holding other drivers up? Simply preventing parking on quiet routes would go a long way to solving this.

Regardless of who is holding up these other road users, let’s go back to how long they are being held up for. I have a habit of counting seconds when a driver is behind us and unable to overtake. It may sound a strange habit, but it gives me the confidence that I am not being unreasonable. I have never yet counted more than 25 seconds.

Does a delay of 25 seconds really make any difference to any journey? Unless you have blue flashing lights on your vehicle, I would argue not.

 

A Considerate Cyclist?

Here’s the thing which will really astonish those head shakers, fist wavers and charming comment shouters: I genuinely consider myself a considerate cyclist.

(I’m going to assume that anyone who is reading this just to make themselves more angry about cyclists has just spat their mouthful of tea all down their front).

Honestly, I really do feel that I share spaces (roads and traffic-free paths) in a considerate manner.

But…I’m not going to be bullied. So, shake your heads, wave your fists, and make your charming comments. I’m still not going to (always) ride single file.