Advanced Driving Hub

Through a 90 degree right hander into a half mile straight with excellent sight lines, NSL, no pavements just soft verges and hedges, we quickly build back the speed to 60 mph, following traffic is sitting back nicely.

There are two lycra clad cyclists nearing the end of the straight before it turns to the right. The road at the far end is travelling gently uphill and a double white line system begins some way before the unsighted right hand bend. The cyclists are into the double whites section of road but have slowed to perhaps 25mph and are likely to slow down more, there is no oncoming traffic.

Options – make the overtake now although it means crossing the solid white line or brake and follow the cyclists until the solid white line ceases or wait until their speed has dropped to 10 mph and then assess the overtake?

It's quite simple of course...to overtake would be illegal, to hold back needs considerable self-control.

What would I do? It depends...and who's looking

brake and wait...
I have seen so many near accidents around here with motorists ignoring solid white lines and overtaking cyclists on blind bends - just not worth it, and I am happy to drop down to their speed and give them space...
one definition of an advanced driver is that they are capable of going faster, and prepared to go slower...

Alasdair

Go go go...

Oh, hang on, slow, slow slow...

Then again....

Imagine yourself on one of the bikes and think about each option. I know what I would prefer if it were me.

Edit after my initial answer.

Is this a hypothetical , or did this happen? Can we assume you 'went' and got the finger or something similar and you are looking for justification, or do I have too much time on my hands and am reading too much into something trivial?

Probably reading too much into it.

Personally, if you can't complete the manoeuvre in half the time that is available (imagine me exiting the bend towards you, or for truly scary value, imagine playtent) then it's dangerous. Otherwise it is just plain illegal and the decision to disobey the law is entirely up to you.

oooh... and something else to consider: if you do go for it and you suddenly get an oncomer, you need to have completed the overtake by the distance at which the oncoming driver is observing. I've seen quite a few pretty fatals where the impact occurs on the 'wrong' side of the road for the victim, who voted with the steering wheel when they perceived the overtaker, even though the overtaker was returning to the correct side of the road and would have 'missed' the victim.

The double whites start some way before the blind right, so Playtent's go, go, go may be the choice. Peter Rogers who was Chief Examiner of the IAM wrote a piece a short while ago entitled "The Thinking Driver" where he chose to break the law by entering a partially obscured "30" with closely following traffic, on a wet day, travelling at "40" then slowing gradually so as to give the tailgater time to react - might this fall into the same category, passing the cyclists so as not to annoy the following traffic and leaving them space to do the same?

Something to add to the scenario - I know that the solid whites go on for quite a way, maybe quarter of a mile or so, so if the decision is to go then it ought to be now whilst there is clear road space. Those following get pretty het up if the decision is to slow and wait for the cycles to drop to 10 mph or less and then make the overtake or drive at the speed of the cycles for the quarter mile.

It's an unsighted right-hand bend: Despite being able to see what is on the rising hill, what I don't know is that a car was parked just around that bend (for the driver to answer a call of nature - or of mobile). Having finished, the driver is just starting to accelerate back to NSL as I have nearly completed the overtake. My choice now is to take out the cyclists or take the oncoming head on or mount the verge... or maybe slam all on and swerve left, taking out the fool who decided following me was a Good Idea.

Hang on - you said they were wearing lycra - that's a capital crime surely (maybe check the labels in the oncoming driver's clothes , lycra is 'everywhere' nowadays)?

Is there a google maps street view of this road, if you could spare a moment to find it? I'm just interested to see where the white lines start and end in relation to the corner.

It is not unknown for road markings to be inappropriate for the landscape - put in place due to political demands rather than common sense, so it is not impossible that there are times when you could make a choice which on paper is illegal, but is not reducing safety...
As with Adam - would be good to see a google maps view

Alasdair