I’ve seen a women like this talk themselves into a ticket by arguing with a traffic cop, the cop asked them to do something to resolve a traffic problem because they were in the wrong, instead of complying they argued their case, the cop then became exacerbated with their attitude so gave them a ticket. 🤦♂️🤷♂️
The guy at 6:00 is who we should all strive to be. Kept calm when he was clearly in the right. Did his best to fix the situation and even explained to her how it should work for her safety, not that she’ll pay any notice sadly.
5:53 People like her give all cyclists a bad name. I drive most of the time, but I also love getting out on my bike - and I would never dream of acting like this when out cycling. I always obey road markings, stop at red lights and give way signs, make room when I'm holding up traffic and thank drivers who give me 1.5 metres or wait for me to move, rather than riding around feeling entitled. As you say Ashley, it's all about good attitude vs poor attitude - sadly some people are just so selfish that they don't care a jot about how their actions impact on other people.
This is a bit of a double standard isn't it? One cyclist acts poorly and suddenly all cyclists have a bad name, while cars constantly close-pass, bully and often hit bikes and no one says they represent all drivers
@@edlyness4891 No single cyclist, or single road user of any other type does represent all others of the same type. The point the OP is making is that far, far too many drivers already (falsely) believe that all cyclists ignore the rules of the road and will never allow other vehicles to pass. Confirmation bias then takes over - if they see one cyclist do something wrong that reinforces their belief that all cyclists are like that. This doesn't happen in the same way with other vehicles because people notice other vehicles - they only notice cyclists when they are (temporarily) held up behind them, or when they see the cyclist do something that they thing they shouldn't be doing.
@@edlyness4891 I didn't say that this cyclist represents all cyclists - what I mean is the majority (drivers) look at the minority (cyclists in this case) and judge them all by the ones who act poorly. This is also the case with white van men, Uber drivers, BMW drivers, Audi drivers, DPD drivers, 17 year old lads etc. We tend to judge them and expect them all to drive badly because many of them do - even though the majority do actually obey the rules of the road. The bad ones end up giving the rest a bad name... I resent cyclists who ride like selfish idiots because they make drivers judge all cyclists in a negative light - I get it from drivers all the time when I'm out on my bike. Most drivers see anyone on a bike and instantly expect us to be lycra louts who blaze through red lights, don't stop at zebra crossings and don't move over even if they have been holding up traffic for half a mile. Those people are a minority, but there are an awful lot of them - so we all end up getting judged in the same way.
I've never been in a position arguing who has priority, even if I'm supposed to have priority but if I can fix the situation I will. I do however commonly get into situations where both of us are trying to give priority to each other and we end up in a stalemate because I don't want to start moving just in case they decide to take priority which then creates the other problem.
I have a saying; Top speed means f-all if you're not able to average it. Average speed is what gets you from A to B and your speed *will* get averaged out by traffic. That's why someone can run a red light, then you catch them up at the next one. Impatience literally gets you nowhere fast.
@@DigBipper188 True, also many people calcute travel time in perfect conditions, some GPS do not account for traffic, jams or lights too. At best roadworks and blocks. Add 15 to 30 minutes to the travel time, leave that much earlier, then there's no need to rush it and driving becomes a joy again, in my experience.
It's quite funny when you see cars just bully their way through and then say 'thanks' to the person being forced to give way as if they had any choice in the matter.
I think all the problems in these clips can be summed up in one word, selfishness. People need to stop thinking they are more important than others that their life is inherently worth more or their journey is more important. If we all stopped and started to think about others the world would be a much better place and most of these clips wouldn't have happened.
Another major issue is the appalling quality of the infrastructure and parking regulations. The section of road at 3:30 simply is not suitable for parking. It is too narrow, and vehicles end up parked on the (already tiny!) sidewalk.
@@kristofprovost I think that a very good argument can be made for requiring drivers who want to park their vehicles on the road to require permits to do so, and for on road parking to be more restricted in many areas - and I say that as someone who doesn't have any off road parking for my own car, so would be directly affected if these restrictions were introduced. There is no reason why anyone should have an automatic right to park for free on public roads.
5:00 Full respect for not getting into a shouting match. Absolutely baffling that people are willing to risk life and limb just to avoid pausing for a few seconds.
I’m usually all for yielding in situations to help flow, but if I’d have encountered that cyclist at 1:08 I’d have just sat there and switched the engine off
I did it once. I had a little Fiat 500 and he had some huge Fiat thing. Single track road. There was a passing place about a foot behind him (literally - he probably hadn't actually passed the end of it), I'd have to go back 100 yards. Wouldn't move. Engine off, newspaper out. He moved.
I've done that. It was pitch black, the other driver had quickly passed a passing space and then demanded I reverse into where I would likely cause damage to my car because of rocks lining the road just there, which I couldn't see because of the dark (I knew they were there because I've seen people hit them). They found a way to get past me when I told them I was going for a walk.
The van driver was brilliant. So calm when needlessly confronted by someone who clearly had her head too far up her own backside. Shame she didn't think about the fact that she came up against someone who is reasonable and sensible when someone else probably would have carried on driving at her...or even through her.
@@Denali1600 ' driver didn't see / didn't understand the road sign' Inane comments your speciality eh?! He slowed for the first cyclist and seeing it was clear to the end, proceeded for ~80% of the distance to the junction and then Mrs self entitled entered the street dangerously (crossing the white centre line) and you defend her behaviour?! JERK!!
@@markplenty2631 The van driver at 4:54 is ORDERED that they MUST giveway to oncoming traffic. They simply had to slowdown / stop and share the road to let the cyclist pass which the cyclist seemed to be intending to do - notice her first words were "it's 2-way" not "it's my right of way"
@@telmas7183 I wouldn't normally respond to someone who can only do insults, but as it may save a life and make you a better driver: observe the video at 4:54 and note the sign that is ORDERING the van driver that they MUST giveway to oncoming traffic. The van driver just needed to accept they'd been caught against oncoming traffic, and then slowdown or stop and let the cyclist pass.
It genuinly baffles me that the woman argues so strongly even though she’s completely in the wrong, why couldn’t she just admit fault, apologise, and move out of the way, it would save everyone all that hassle. It’s laughable.
It's a natural human reaction when we know we have been caught out. To attempt to apportion balme on the incocent party. It happens in the courts where overwhelming evidence against a defendent exists, but they will still plead "not gulity" to the, all too frequent examples we see on our roads today. I was hit in the rear in slow moving traffic and the offending driver actually said to me "I stopped too quickly"! A clear example of trying to shift balme when it is clear you are in the wrong.
@@radiogreenduck I know what you mean. When someone ran into the back of me they jumped out their car and shouted - why did you park in the middle of the road? I was sitting behind a car that was turning right!!!
Occasionally in London you meet some narc or psychopath who just charges up to you and basically forces you to reverse when you were already committed before they were even there. You either have to reverse or risk getting knifed in a confrontation. I have learned a third way, which is to reverse, but do it very, very, very slowly. Once I took about five minutes to reverse out of one guy's way.
The main driving factors for this behaviour are: - Some drivers think 'you're just a cyclist' and as long as they don't actually knock you off there's enough room. - Some cyclists think they are Lucas Brunelle (or they are the above driver on a bike, who is an 'I'm a cyclist too' type). - By far though, the biggest issue is some people think if the obstruction is on the other side of the road, they have priority no matter what, because 'their side of the road' is clear. However, nobody has priority in a narrow section of road. The only point where priority plays a part, is just before the driver decides to overtake the obstructions on their side of the road, where they should give way if there's an oncoming vehicle.
Most of these things happen when we get impatient. We must try to keep a patient mindset and set out early. Keep watching ourselves to see if we start to be in a rush. Being late is better than being dangerous on he roads. Also strive to not be confrontational. It achieves nothing. If we keep reminding ourselves of these things as we drive/cycle - we will implement them into a habit in time.
I wish our government would invest in national TV campaigns featuring information like this. A lot of poor driving on our roads is simply down to people not knowing the correct way to handle these situations
I'm not sure I agree - in theory everyone has been taught how to deal with these situations as part of basic driving instruction. Maybe there's a problem with the instructors, maybe here's a problem with people ignoring the instruction after they receive their licences, maybe it's people who don't have a licence at all.
@@theaikidokaIt's a bad attitude problem, and many people are poor at self-reflection. Hence why Government adverts are needed to make people reflect on their bad attitudes and change their ways.
Agreed. Germany has much more professional and considerate drivers than the UK, because the German government regularly runs national advertising campaigns reminding Germans how to drive sensibly and considerately.
@@andywilliams7323 I don't have a problem with the campaigns, but why would a bad driver pay any attention to those if they didn't pay attention to their instructor who they are paying to teach them?
@@theaikidokaSocial pressure and, at the risk of being labelled a vigilante (again...), increased awareness reduces people's willingness to capitulate in the face of bullying and bad driving behavior in general.
4:51 I naïvely thought everybody understood not to enter alleyways when a vehicle is coming the other way. That said I rarely expect on-coming drivers to respect my priority at meeting situations when cycling.
The driver around that same corner sets a great example in my opinion. They were pretty much always in the right, but accepted the mistakes of others calmly without even muttering something under their breath. People who go about their day looking for things to be angry at will always find something to justify that, and the world needs more people who are not willing to let such little things get to then
The thing that baffles me with the second clip is that there was a massive space to his left that he could have moved into, where the Mini was. Instead, he chose to be belligerent, block the road, put himself at risk, and act high-and-mighty with literally zero right to do so.
We get it a lot in places around here too, 1 or 2 locals could fix the problem by not being selfish and park a few yards up the road but, no they'd rather park right outside their front door
The village at 3:00 - that really needs to be double yellows on the right hand side, cars parked completely blocking the pavement and outside a school. Forces pedestrians (vulnerable road users) - especially parents with pushchairs or wheelchair users to cross the road and children to have to crowd the quite small pavement at school starting/ending times.
@@letter1014 They would have to park somewhere away from their houses and walk back. There is no 'right' to park on public roads outside your residence, people need to get used to that and accept it.
@@ianmason. There could be other disabled people who choose not to have a space. Either way, you can say ‘park somewhere else’ but in practise it doesn’t work really work in a village where parking is already a luxury.
Not sure if you've covered it already but a video on what to do if a cyclist tells people to go past them. Happens on bends etc where they can see round but the driver cant etc. I always wait till I can see but I can see some people just looking at the signal and sending it. Cheers
Ultimately, the responsibility to ensure that it is safe to pass ALWAYS falls on the vehicle that is passing. No one should attempt a pass without being satisfied, from what they can see themselves, that it is safe - and other road users should not 'wave people on' (or similar) if there is any chance at all that it might not be safe.
Always ignore 'proceed' directions from anyone else until you can see clearly ahead and you've made your own mind up whether it's safe to proceed. Conversely, if someone makes a STOP indication to you it's always best to heed it, stop and then creep to where you can see enough to make up your own mind. Ultimately you are the one responsible for assessing whether it's safe to go, you can't abrogate that responsibility to anyone else.
There are so many things to take away from this video - but one thing is certain, too many motorists have an appalling attitude towards people on bicycles, especially exemplified by the “RE59” van driver. I don’t cycle myself, only drive, but do try to keep in mind the dangers cyclists are exposed to. The second van driver in the “Karen” clip I thought acted impeccably; no shouting or swearing, just calmly explained that he stopped to keep her safe and yet she still argued the point. It was also good to see the other cyclist just proceeded with their journey without getting involved and “taking a side.” I always find it bemusing that people will argue over a piece of road that neither of them own. Thanks for another interesting video.
The situation in your first clip happened to me on my cycle the other day. I was halfway along the line of parked vehicles on the opposite side of the road when a car approached from the other direction. Instead of giving way he carried on through resulting in, for me, an uncomfortably close pass on the narrow road. He then reversed up the road after me and proceeded to lecture me on there being enough room to get through. Yes he got through, but not safely. I sent the video to police and they are taking action against him. This is the first time in three years I have done this but the driver's arrogant attitude sealed it for me. He would not accept his error.
6.55 was me, driver jumped out making threats to kick my head in. He slowed his gallop a bit when I didn't run. He was upset because I almost hit his mirror. No hand signals from me just moved my right hand away from his mirror. Interestingly the police said I should have stopped, and that 1.5m only applies to overtakes not meeting situations, so I emailed directly an officer who dealt with another issue a few years back and he issued a nip. Never heard anymore. It's on my regularly commute. Meet cars there all the time, usually they slow and whilst maybe not 1.5m there's enough space to pass if everyone slows a bit.
How on earth does 1.5m not apply to meeting situations either? The whole point is if the cyclist has a nightmare and goes over towards, you have your safety margin! Cyclists have no chance if the police are saying that.
Yep, I put in a formal complaint and the decision was upheld even though another officer had in the meantime taken a different decision....institutionally anti cyclist that's the police.
In almost all these situations the impatient ones cause the problems and just letting them get their way is easier for everyone. It's not right but sometimes life is too short. Also I love how the ones that don't have time to give always have time to stop and argue their point
Unfortunately, the effect is that letting them get their way reinforces their belief that they are correct, as well as rewarding them frothier behaviour, which pretty much guarantees that they will continue to act in exactly the same way.
@@Dave-mv3xy Exactly, I mean do you actually think you'd be teaching anything by blocking the road by refusing to "reward their behaviour"? Of course not, you just become another a**hole driver in their eyes and you disrupt everyone else's journey into the bargain.
@@Dave-mv3xy I agree, but as said, unfortunately this only leads to them continuing with the same behaviour. And, others also see it benefitting them and also learn to drive the same way.
So many situations like this would be total non-issues if people just gave a tiny bit of thought to others. It doesn't require any particular driving skills, just being a little bit considerate.
So many situations can be prevented if people just want to work together for a moment. Or have a bit of patience instead of wanting to save 5 seconds by not waiting.
Some people will always err on the side of selfishness or, worse still, aggression, because they fear looking weak. In a confrontation, one party gives way, one party carries on being selfish, but life goes on. When two equally selfish/stubborn/ignorant people clash, then boom! Ironically, it's usually the calm gentle folk that show more bravery/strength by standing aside and letting the idiots through. It's still frustrating, but so are the alternatives. The meek shall inherit the earth (but, usually, only after they've been well and truly shat-upon).
For your point about some cyclists being wiling to share smaller spaces, we can use similar logic to drivers giving up priority. If another vehicle has priority you are required to give it until they clearly give it up and invite you to proceed. If a cyclist exists, you are required to provide space until they clearly give it up and invite you to proceed.
To be fair, most people handle these everyday situations perfectly well. Those interactions just don’t make great UA-cam content! 😂. Kudos to you for actually publishing footage of people handling situations rationally and without resorting to dramatic nonsense.
Good example of the consequences of not having a distinction between final destination streets (could also be 20mph) and through roads (that should not be blocked by parked cars). And yes I know that sometimes things don't fit for historical reasons
I do a fair bit of walking and as such have to drive down the odd single track road (with passing points). The number of drivers who simply ignore these and carry on regardless is shocking. It's the I have right of way mentality though I suspect neither of us do.
Greetings from above the Thames in the O2 cable car. Off to an event at London Excel...and another at Alexandra Palace tomorrow. Lots of opportunity to practice driving. Will watch this later with interest. Have a great Saturday everyone.
It's absolutely mad that the cyclist at 1:08 passes not 1, but 2 places to pull in a give way to the mini that has already committed, before the cyclists had even passed either spot. The absolute liberty taking of it.
Another excellent video. Keep calm and carry on... or keep calm and stop if it will avoid the problem. "It's not about motorists against cyclists... it's good attitude versus poor attitude." Spot on. 👍
Isn't it amazing how the driver doesn't have time to pull in and safely let the cyclist through but does have time to stop his car , get out of his car to argue with the cyclist, and in doing so blocks the road , i didn't realise you can block the road when you feel like it on purpose.
I had a situation quite recently where I had to let a vehicle come past a bus which was either dropping off or picking up passengers due to a vehicle emerging from a junction when they were unable to clear, resulting in blocking the road. Sadly I don't have anything to show what exactly happened but everyone was at least able to get on with their day be it going to a late shift, picking up the children from school or heading home from an early shift at work.
Pleased to hear you say if your side of the road is obstructed you should wait. Over recent years its become increasingly common for drivers to drive towards oncoming traffic forcing them to stop rather than stop and wait.
5:55 "There's room for both of us on this road." Uhm... judging from the other angles... no there is not. You can fit on the pavement, sure. But actual road surface? I'd be surprised if I could squeeze by sideways on foot if I had to stay on the road. Mind absolutely blown. 🤯
I am more comfortable sharing a small space when filering through traffic or if the vehicle is oncoming and I can coordinae with it's occupant providing speeds are low. I came across a situation on a blind bend where neither of us really had anywhere to go, I ust stopped and guided the driver past- I was fine having a car pass within an inch because I was able to prepare for it and help out, it is bullying that is the problem.
8:27 look at the plume of smoke from his tyres! What an insane speed you must be doing into a corner you can't see around if stopping makes your tyres smoke.
A bit disappointing that some of these comments are "cyclists this" and "cyclists that". Clearly not regular viewers of Ashley's channel. If they were they'd know it's not the vehicle, it's the person in charge of it that's the issue. These people doing the wrong thing would just as likely be doing the wrong thing in a car too. Attitudes are the problem, and if you watch this and your response is "cyclists are idiots", then you've got an attitude problem yourself.
It's bizarre isn't it. The video featured good and bad road use from both drivers and cyclists, but some people are adamant on finding a way to take a side.
If you're a regular you'll also know how Ashley routinely makes sweeping generalisations about certain makes of car and how they are driven, plus of course private hire vehicles, hows that any different?
@@I_Evo I think that's a bit tongue-in-cheek. I've never seen Ash say all, or even most, drivers of BMWs (for example) are bad - just that you need to be extra aware.
The 1.5m-2m always sounded like some arbitrary number to me, until a driving instructor put it this way: "How much space does a cyclist take up when they fall on their side?". And that is 1.5m-2m.
I'm one of those cyclists that's happy in situations with less space, but that's probably because I grew up cycling to school up the first few miles of the A1, mingling with buses, lorries, taxis and all manner else. That made me develop hazard perception skills and an ability to read other road users that have, so far, served me well. My partner is one that is very much not happy with less than the 1.5m space and so, with that in mind, and as Ashley rightly points out, please just give us all the 1.5m room. In return, I'll keep doing my best to have a good attitude, and not act like an entitled road user (unlike the Karen in this video!)
6:30 I think on balance she was triggered by the horn. A lot of people wrongly think of the horn as a tool for telling off rather than warning. And in this scenario I don't think the horn was necessary to alert her to the van being there. Stopping and waving a hand exasperatedly might have done the trick better.
No cycles involved, but it reminds me a couple of months ago when i was going down a narrow road in East Kilbride which had a slight incline with parked cars on my right, and a car was coming up past the cars on their left. I stopped at a convenient place where there was a space on my right for the car to nip into , but by that time, more and more oncoming cars were starting to queue, so instead of holding my ground, i decided to be part of the solution, despite having priority and reverse quite a bit up the slight incline to a side street on my right, and reverse in to let the other cars pass. It only took a couple of minutes, then I was on my way. No drama.
Some of these clips just show how bad road uses can get. I’m a great believer that someone’s character and attitude to other people is a reflection of their driving or riding behaviour. It’s often not a case of bad driving, after all we can all make mistakes, it’s just examples of bad people and their matching behaviour. They’re all examples of one of Ashley’s favourite saying….. “It’s nice to be nice”, plenty of examples of road users here not being nice.
There are a lot of these situations in my village. Narrow windy roads and a popular place for visitors, plus plenty of cyclists. You just have to be patient and understanding otherwise you'd go mad.
Note that 4:00> the Duster is partially parked on the foot-path obstructing it for normal use. Whilst the road is narrow there is no excuse for obstructing the footpath to the minor advantage of vehicle users. Any pedestrians, mums with pushchairs and disabled in wheelchairs/mobility scooters would have to venture out onto the road to pass the car If you can't park considerately, don't park at all
@@itchyscratch3829 And the majority of cars on this stretch of road. Imagine how difficult it would be for any pedestrian to attempt to walk along the street.
The problem with a lot of these situations is that both parties think they are in the right. one side trying to educate the other takes calm and both parties open to personal reflection. i was the cyclist in the second clip (following not causing) . my hope is that the causing party sees Ashley unbiased expert opinion and learns and adapts. I think we all can learn from the van driver
@@cyclecam6328 you dont have to look far down the comments here to see we are all labelled "cyclists" and the real sad thing is every time we ride we are punished by driver for the arrogant behavour of them.
@@matthewdray83 I think it's odd that we use the suffix 'ist' for people who are riding a bike. It typically denotes adherence to an ideology or developing a specialised skill in relation to an object. I'm naked to go in the shower but I'm not a 'naturist' and I can play three blind mice but I'm not a 'pianist'. I think gatekeeping the term could be a key way to improve standards.
@@cyclecam6328 It's because there's not really such a word as "cycler" (maybe recycler...), "rider" has the horse implication, and "biker" has come to mean someone on a motorbike. Do you have a better word?
At 7.18, I find this at times where street parking is frequent. A car drives towards me, quite fast seemingly with no intention to brake, even though I have right of way and have already stopped. What does this oncoming driver expect me to do - suddenly reverse at full speed?
3:24 This is the “I got to the narrow part first” mindset. They think side of the road it’s on doesn’t matter. Or priority signs on traffic calming measures.
Actually a street I've being working on with road works had the priority signs up . Except priority was given to the traffic that had to go around the road works. I actually thought thought it was a good idea as it actually slowed the traffic down that would normally have priority. It was a 20 zone. Plus it's easier for them to get a better view and does keep traffic slow and not rushing.
4:51 While the oncoming cyclists have priority on paper, that lady is a classic example of the "me first" mentality regardless of the circumstances. Like people who bomb through green lights without checking if the road ahead is clear or people on dual carriageways not yielding to cars joining from a slip road, you may have priority, but you should always sacrifice it for safety and the traffic flow for everyone else. If you have priority over a larger vehicle like a bus in a meeting situation and there's no gap big enough for the bus to move over, you're not going to get much further either if you take priority, because if the bus can't pass, nor can the traffic behind it, so you've blocked the traffic in both directions, all because of that entitled attitude.
I believe so, as practically there is no real difference, and the risk of serious injury to a cyclist should they come off and hit a driver coming toward them are likely higher than one travelling in the same direction.
Ash, if you ever find yourself in Cornwall, whenever I'm there on holiday, most roads are small with parked cars either side as you expect but there's the High Street in Delabole which is a right mission to get through, especially if you add in the mix of Holiday traffic it's vital to try look as far as you can along the road to preempt any meeting situations, perfect!
From 3:04, we have a corner very similar to this in Litcham, Norfolk, with two school's traffic converging along with lorries and tractors. Everyone takes it slow and steady and it seems to work OK most of the time.
The first clip of the White Van Man driving on the wrong side of the road is from Torquay, Devon. A very hilly town overwhelmed by on street parking, and the constant need to stop and pull in and give way. So you know he is a t*** at least five times a day every day, driving like that.
Ashley, I think your videos should be used on T.V. As public information films, as unfortunately there aren’t enough people seeing these videos. I have always find, do you that it’s the at fault person who tries to blame everyone and everyone else. I’ve even heard drivers say, “Why should I fix someone else’s mistakes,” that unfortunately is the attitude of not only road users, but people in general.
Round my way (South Norfolk) it seems to be working quite well, cyclists and motorists are cooperating to make things work. Important here as many of our roads aren't physically wide enough to actually allow 1.5m passing, but most cyclists either pull over or wave you through and most motorists don't barge their way past. (There's one exception, isn't there always, a bloke on a bike in the local town who goes round with a Camera trying to trap motorists ...). But overall far more friendly waves than fists.
I must live in a very lucky place because I always feel like where I live, in these situations, drivers are very quick to acquiesce to the driver that's oncoming. I mean there's the odd vehicle that makes things difficult but 99% of the time, I actually think this is one of those situations that drivers I have felt are pretty good at handling.
Your impartial, common sense presentation of these clips, always looking to the positive, is a welcome antidote to the plethora of both sensationalist dashcam channels and the über entitlement of the Jeremy Vines of this world. Thankyou.
I have just moved from a housing estate with a sh*t load of parked cars on one side or the other (see my recent dashcam uploads) which meant a lot of meeting situations. Very difficult to see past the myriad of SUVs and vans. It was quite stressful at times. Not helped that sites of car parks and en bloc garages have been replaced with houses, forcing more residents to park on the roadside.
I'd be interested in hearing what the appropriate solution to a meeting situation is when the obstruction still allows the two cars to clearly pass, but it's made the space narrow enough for some drivers to struggle (I'm not sure if I've explained this well!). I have to deal with this regularly on my commute, I tend to give way to drivers who appear to need the extra space, but squeeze through when the other driver seems confident with the width of their car. I suspect this isn't the right way to deal with it, so happy to be educated!
Be mindful that there's a difference between a space two (or even one) car can physically fit within, and one that can be *safely* fit in. Especially if we're talking about passing parked cars or concealed entrances. If you're within a door's width of parked cars you probably shouldn't be going more than around 5 or 10 mph. It may also not be the best idea to encourage other drivers to make room for you be reducing their distance to whatever obstructions they are passing. But these are just general principals to consider; judgement will always need to be applied to specific situations.
The general attitude of motorists to cyclists in this country is absolutely appalling. I got back from 2 days in Copenhagen yesterday and their attitude was absolutely incredible. Every driver was happy to give way and make space for cyclists (even though they had dedicated and/or segregated cycle lanes on every major road) and had their heads on a swivel. Hell, even cyclists would give way to pedestrians and there was no huffing and puffing, no shouting or swearing. Just calm, easy movement and respect for each other.
I don't find that when I cycle, I find motorists are incredible kind and thoughtful. Sometimes embarrassingly so. I always feel guilty for slowing people down and pull over to let people past whenever I can.
first rule of meeting situations: them that would have to reverse have priority over them that only have to stop barging forward. Ironically, on a US dashcam channel we had a few people arguing in a scenario with a car in the narrow bit and an artic starting from well outside it (shown clearly in the artic's camera), that the artic was in the narrow bit and the car wasn't.
I am a cyclist and I agree 100%. I would just like to make an observation: when cycling in a group it can be quite a challenge to manage your cycling in such a way that you can slow or stop to give priority to other road users, without running the risk of just being passed by those cyclists behind, or worse still being run into. With any group of individuals, be they cyclists or motorists not all will have the same ideas about what should be done in any given situation. I think ideally the lead rider should make the right call and those behind should comply, but often the safest option is for the whole group to clear the narrowing. The same can also happen with a group of motorists, although they are less likely to run into each other, there will always be some that are less patient & just don't want to give way, sometimes even overtaking the car in front or sounding the horn or shouting abuse if they have to stop.
If there's no obstructions on your side of the road and oncoming traffic has blocked you because of obstructions on their side then you should force them to reverse back to where they came from. Make sure to make good use of the horn, gestures and put your full beam headlights and warning lights on. If that fails to shift them pull the handbreak, turn off the engine, get out and walk away making sure the road is totally blocked.
Been going down a narrow London street before with parked cars packed each side taking it very steady on the speed and someone just pulls out on me swiftly. No indicator, not much hint of them moving whatsoever. They then proceed to take the middle of the road position and rather than acknowledge it wasn't for them to go and reversing back to clear the road (which with nothing behind me would have then meant the oncoming car could easily go), stopped in the middle of the road. After a minute I ended up taking a good look back and yielding otherwise I'd have ended up becoming grey in the meantime, but you have to wonder how stupid and self absorbed some people are. Its frightening there are drivers like this on the road and I can understand why people aren't fans of vehicles sometimes.
A really nice bit of driving happens as the video opens. The driver in the junction is telling the driver who wants to reverse out to wait as i cant be seen by them and that reason he is waiting isnt to let him proceed.
Just the other week I was cycling to work, half the street was blocked with parked cars so I had to take the opposite half. No traffic coming the other way though, so no problem there. I took a central position a doors length from the parked cars so as not to invite drivers from behind to overtake at an absolute impossible moment. A driver with Estonian plates wasn't having it, abusing his horn and driving his front bumper into my rear mudguard, trying to push me into the parked cars. Was lucky enough to find a gap between the parked cars. And of course the disappointment would drive off without a word. My positive disposition towards Baltic drivers went out the window that day. Sorely disappointed in their disregard for other people’s safety, sincerely hope it isn't culture.
When I'm cycling and come up to parked cars on my side of the road, I always pull in, check for cars approaching from behind, and let any cars behind go past before I pull out, not holding anyone up. That's just me though!
@@paulsengupta971 Might have to start and do that too. Though in 30 years of cycling, I have never encountered anyone so impatient they'd risk injuring somebody.
That second intro clip was ridiculous. There was a space beyond the orange car! What on earth was that cyclist doing? He could have easily moved into that space. What an idiot. Some people!
some really bad attitudes from cyclists there, to be honest is not a 1.5m rule when it suits us, as most roads don't practically allow that in passing situations, (especially rural narrow lanes), but you can of course pass much closer when the speed is appropriate and consideration to cyclists is given, however, if you do it at speed then expect a notice of intention to prosecute letter through the post once we submit the footage to the police who will happily fine you approx £250 + costs and give you 3 points. an interesting comparison is when you watch motorists overtaking horses, vs overtaking cyclists, the same driver, completely different attitude to other road user.
I was driving up a wide road with parked cars on my side, a moped was coming down the road towards me so I slowed down and stopped as I had nowhere to pull in and I wanted to make sure they felt comfortable. The moped driver then drove at my car, honked, called me an 'f-ing idiot' and screamed that I should have pulled in (where?). It absolutely ruined my day and I was angry about it for ages. I assumed stopping to make sure he felt comfortable getting past - the road is three cars wide anyway - would have been enough!
Hi new to the channel! I just wanted to say love your videos! I've been binging them since I saw one of your shorts. Currently learning to drive and studying to be a Paramedic so these videos will help a lot in my driving test and advanced driver course :)
At 4:45 to answer your question there is a village in my area that has a section of road that narrows due to parked cars. Essentially turning that road into a single track. I don't live there any more, haven't done so for decades now. But I do go through there when heading to town for shopping. It's a place called Bonar Bridge. Said section of road is right at a junction and it's known by the locals and regulars with how bad it is. And no here is no parking space or driveways at those houses along that road hence why everyone is parked alongside instead. It gets entertaining at times but usually it's fine at a low speed and gear, just be ready to pull over as much as possible.
Such a common situation now with so many cars parked on the roadside. Especially the quaint little villages. My tip is to drive slowly and it buys time and space.
1:08 It wasn't very visible from our end but there was a space further ahead where the motorist could have paused to allow the cyclist to pass even if the motorist had priority, and that is where the motorist reversed to. On a long stretch of road with so many parked it sometimes better to yield even if one has priority.
If I'm on my bike, and there's no pedestrians around, I hop on the pavement on a drop kerb then go back on the road as soon as we've passed each other. Makes it a non event. Also, i live on a hill and im more likely to give way to cars going up even if ive got right of way. Its easy for me to get going rather than someone going uphill. Its common courtesy.
Had i been in the mini one cyclist would probably be sitting there as id take my keys out get out of the car and sit on my bonnet light up a smoke and smile. Camera rolling and not say a thing. Now the cyclist has got away with it this time he will continue to do it to others 😊
If positions were reversed and a car did that to him expecting right of way and made him reverse after they'd just passed that huge space on the left to pull in 🤣
I don't think the white van at the start was that bad approached slowly. Confronting him got nowhere. I usually let that kind of thing go. I cycle a lot (5K miles a year) and would be telling people off all the time. Always risk running into someone who snaps and puts it into reverse to teach you a lesson.
The Highway Code doesn't give anyone 'right of way', instead it indicates which circumstances mean road users should yield priority to others. In all circumstances, right of way / priority should NEVER be assumed, road users should ensure that they have been given priority, but if neither road user stops, and an accident occurs, the rules regarding who should have been the one to yield priority will be taken into account when it is decided whether a prosecution should follow and who is financially responsible for the cost of damage or compensation for injuries.
@@obscureinception8302 however, there is also the duty to drive with due care, as I believe they call it in the UK. in parts of the US, at least, it is called the last chance rule; and is probably best explained by a police officer friend, who said, "just because you have right of way (priority) doesn't give you the right to ram them off the road."
@@kenbrown2808 The circumstances where 'Driving without due care and attention' laws would potentially come into play in the UK would typically be if drivers had assumed priority when they should have yielded. Although insurance companies (and/or judges if a case went to court for compensation) might attribute some portion of the blame to a driver who should have been given priority, they would have to be doing something reckless for them to potentially be charged with any offence (e.g. speeding, using a mobile phone, etc.). It will be the driver who should have yielded who is far, far more likely to face a 'DWDC' charge.
@@obscureinception8302 I think you will find that "because I had priority" will not be considered a good reason when you are asked why you knowingly drove into a crash.
That van drivers was brilliant and stayed so calm, good to see, that woman on the bike just wow, love how that 2nd cyclist came along and immediately did the correct thing while she still tried arguing
I think drivers should be thinking obstructions on the left are physically in my way and I cannot drive past them unless it is clear to proceed at the moment. Once committed to a long stream of parked cars your side which you moved out and round because it was clear at that time needs to be understood by the oncoming traffic. You cannot foretell what tell future might bring with oncoming traffic coming from unsighted positions. It is simple really.
Yes, we have a few roads in Rochester like that. We have the Delce Road which is very bad with buses coming down it and then St George’s way which is a long straight road but has lots of cars parked of other side. If you want to check it out it in me one postcode area
had a recent incident with a driving instructor, his side of the road had parked cars and he sped through making me having to slam my brakes on and then told me to feck off, unfortunatly my dash cam was full so have no proof, ive also witnessed other bad driving by this school so if this is the way instructors behave then its no wonder theres so many bad drivers these days
Don't be so sure about your bet in the first clip. One of those "highway patrol" reality shows had an incident where a pedestrian told a police cyclist to get f***ed, and was shocked to find himself being arrested.
When meeting a motorcycle in this situation please be aware that almost all motorcycles don't have a reverse gear, so for them going back is difficult, if not impossible unless they are riding a light bike or are going up hill. So if you meet a motorcyclist coming the other way in your car/van..., if they stop and don't attempt to go back its much harder for them than it is for you and might be impossible. If you do try and stick it out and make them go back you will have to watch them get off and push and this could take some time so its quicker for you to reverse instead.
That cyclist lady - I have no idea what point she was trying to make? Props to the driver for staying relatively calm.
No point beyond trying to be right at whatever cost.
Some people are brain dead
I’ve seen a women like this talk themselves into a ticket by arguing with a traffic cop, the cop asked them to do something to resolve a traffic problem because they were in the wrong, instead of complying they argued their case, the cop then became exacerbated with their attitude so gave them a ticket. 🤦♂️🤷♂️
'i'm the main character, i can't be in the wrong. we'll continue until you give up, which i will interpret as agreeing that i was right.'
“Those who shout loudest tend to be most in the wrong” - anon
The guy at 6:00 is who we should all strive to be. Kept calm when he was clearly in the right. Did his best to fix the situation and even explained to her how it should work for her safety, not that she’ll pay any notice sadly.
Some people just can’t admit when they’re wrong
Oi droive a car!
@@JordanLR my ex was like that. Very unappealing personality trait and the source of so many other problems.
Totally agree wonder if the cyclist's name was Karen? 😂 Totally despicable.
Thanks, that was me. 😅
You hit the nail on the head here - it's not bikes vs cars vs pedestrians, it's people dealing with bad attitudes!
5:53 People like her give all cyclists a bad name. I drive most of the time, but I also love getting out on my bike - and I would never dream of acting like this when out cycling. I always obey road markings, stop at red lights and give way signs, make room when I'm holding up traffic and thank drivers who give me 1.5 metres or wait for me to move, rather than riding around feeling entitled.
As you say Ashley, it's all about good attitude vs poor attitude - sadly some people are just so selfish that they don't care a jot about how their actions impact on other people.
Yep - her, and the moron in the earlier clip who refused to do anything other than make the mini reverse.
This is a bit of a double standard isn't it?
One cyclist acts poorly and suddenly all cyclists have a bad name, while cars constantly close-pass, bully and often hit bikes and no one says they represent all drivers
@@edlyness4891
No single cyclist, or single road user of any other type does represent all others of the same type.
The point the OP is making is that far, far too many drivers already (falsely) believe that all cyclists ignore the rules of the road and will never allow other vehicles to pass.
Confirmation bias then takes over - if they see one cyclist do something wrong that reinforces their belief that all cyclists are like that.
This doesn't happen in the same way with other vehicles because people notice other vehicles - they only notice cyclists when they are (temporarily) held up behind them, or when they see the cyclist do something that they thing they shouldn't be doing.
@@edlyness4891 I didn't say that this cyclist represents all cyclists - what I mean is the majority (drivers) look at the minority (cyclists in this case) and judge them all by the ones who act poorly. This is also the case with white van men, Uber drivers, BMW drivers, Audi drivers, DPD drivers, 17 year old lads etc. We tend to judge them and expect them all to drive badly because many of them do - even though the majority do actually obey the rules of the road. The bad ones end up giving the rest a bad name...
I resent cyclists who ride like selfish idiots because they make drivers judge all cyclists in a negative light - I get it from drivers all the time when I'm out on my bike. Most drivers see anyone on a bike and instantly expect us to be lycra louts who blaze through red lights, don't stop at zebra crossings and don't move over even if they have been holding up traffic for half a mile. Those people are a minority, but there are an awful lot of them - so we all end up getting judged in the same way.
What is scary is that this is every minute of every day - impatient drivers never get there quicker, they just put everyone else at more risk.
I've never been in a position arguing who has priority, even if I'm supposed to have priority but if I can fix the situation I will. I do however commonly get into situations where both of us are trying to give priority to each other and we end up in a stalemate because I don't want to start moving just in case they decide to take priority which then creates the other problem.
I love when they drive like that and you catch them at the next ser of lights. I always wave when they have to wait and I go the other direction😂😂😂
I have a saying;
Top speed means f-all if you're not able to average it.
Average speed is what gets you from A to B
and your speed *will* get averaged out by traffic. That's why someone can run a red light, then you catch them up at the next one.
Impatience literally gets you nowhere fast.
@@jollybodger That's where you communicate. A simple gesture of “After you” often gets the point across.
@@DigBipper188 True, also many people calcute travel time in perfect conditions, some GPS do not account for traffic, jams or lights too. At best roadworks and blocks.
Add 15 to 30 minutes to the travel time, leave that much earlier, then there's no need to rush it and driving becomes a joy again, in my experience.
It's quite funny when you see cars just bully their way through and then say 'thanks' to the person being forced to give way as if they had any choice in the matter.
I think all the problems in these clips can be summed up in one word, selfishness. People need to stop thinking they are more important than others that their life is inherently worth more or their journey is more important. If we all stopped and started to think about others the world would be a much better place and most of these clips wouldn't have happened.
Another major issue is the appalling quality of the infrastructure and parking regulations.
The section of road at 3:30 simply is not suitable for parking. It is too narrow, and vehicles end up parked on the (already tiny!) sidewalk.
@@kristofprovost
I think that a very good argument can be made for requiring drivers who want to park their vehicles on the road to require permits to do so, and for on road parking to be more restricted in many areas - and I say that as someone who doesn't have any off road parking for my own car, so would be directly affected if these restrictions were introduced.
There is no reason why anyone should have an automatic right to park for free on public roads.
Agree. And also the 'I'm always right and it's everyone else who is the problem' attitude of some people.
Perhaps it means the same thing but I like the words 'self entitled' to describe these despicable individuals.
also theres the mentality of Im in my car just to relax and put my feet up , watch something on my table and no give 100% attention to what's goin .
5:00 Full respect for not getting into a shouting match. Absolutely baffling that people are willing to risk life and limb just to avoid pausing for a few seconds.
I’m usually all for yielding in situations to help flow, but if I’d have encountered that cyclist at 1:08 I’d have just sat there and switched the engine off
I did it once. I had a little Fiat 500 and he had some huge Fiat thing. Single track road. There was a passing place about a foot behind him (literally - he probably hadn't actually passed the end of it), I'd have to go back 100 yards. Wouldn't move. Engine off, newspaper out. He moved.
Probably because you don’t have a job
My thoughts exactly.
And then the situation will potentially just escalate? Especially if there's other behind waiting. Best to just yield.
I've done that. It was pitch black, the other driver had quickly passed a passing space and then demanded I reverse into where I would likely cause damage to my car because of rocks lining the road just there, which I couldn't see because of the dark (I knew they were there because I've seen people hit them). They found a way to get past me when I told them I was going for a walk.
The van driver was brilliant. So calm when needlessly confronted by someone who clearly had her head too far up her own backside. Shame she didn't think about the fact that she came up against someone who is reasonable and sensible when someone else probably would have carried on driving at her...or even through her.
Shame also that the van driver didn't see / didn't understand the road sign ordering him that he MUST giveway to oncoming traffic.
@@markplenty2631I know! But they're not the only one, the number of comments who've totally missed the road sign the van disobeyed is astonishing.
@@Denali1600 ' driver didn't see / didn't understand the road sign' Inane comments your speciality eh?! He slowed for the first cyclist and seeing it was clear to the end, proceeded for ~80% of the distance to the junction and then Mrs self entitled entered the street dangerously (crossing the white centre line) and you defend her behaviour?! JERK!!
@@markplenty2631 The van driver at 4:54 is ORDERED that they MUST giveway to oncoming traffic. They simply had to slowdown / stop and share the road to let the cyclist pass which the cyclist seemed to be intending to do - notice her first words were "it's 2-way" not "it's my right of way"
@@telmas7183 I wouldn't normally respond to someone who can only do insults, but as it may save a life and make you a better driver: observe the video at 4:54 and note the sign that is ORDERING the van driver that they MUST giveway to oncoming traffic. The van driver just needed to accept they'd been caught against oncoming traffic, and then slowdown or stop and let the cyclist pass.
It genuinly baffles me that the woman argues so strongly even though she’s completely in the wrong, why couldn’t she just admit fault, apologise, and move out of the way, it would save everyone all that hassle. It’s laughable.
Hopefully she sees this and learns!
... but she has a car! Imagine how she drives that. 😞
It's a natural human reaction when we know we have been caught out. To attempt to apportion balme on the incocent party. It happens in the courts where overwhelming evidence against a defendent exists, but they will still plead "not gulity" to the, all too frequent examples we see on our roads today. I was hit in the rear in slow moving traffic and the offending driver actually said to me "I stopped too quickly"! A clear example of trying to shift balme when it is clear you are in the wrong.
Its called a tiny ago that would be damaged.
@@radiogreenduck I know what you mean. When someone ran into the back of me they jumped out their car and shouted - why did you park in the middle of the road? I was sitting behind a car that was turning right!!!
Occasionally in London you meet some narc or psychopath who just charges up to you and basically forces you to reverse when you were already committed before they were even there. You either have to reverse or risk getting knifed in a confrontation. I have learned a third way, which is to reverse, but do it very, very, very slowly. Once I took about five minutes to reverse out of one guy's way.
About 1-2% of the general population are psychopathic. It is quite a high probability that you will meet at least one in a no win situation one day.
The main driving factors for this behaviour are:
- Some drivers think 'you're just a cyclist' and as long as they don't actually knock you off there's enough room.
- Some cyclists think they are Lucas Brunelle (or they are the above driver on a bike, who is an 'I'm a cyclist too' type).
- By far though, the biggest issue is some people think if the obstruction is on the other side of the road, they have priority no matter what, because 'their side of the road' is clear. However, nobody has priority in a narrow section of road. The only point where priority plays a part, is just before the driver decides to overtake the obstructions on their side of the road, where they should give way if there's an oncoming vehicle.
Most of these things happen when we get impatient. We must try to keep a patient mindset and set out early. Keep watching ourselves to see if we start to be in a rush. Being late is better than being dangerous on he roads. Also strive to not be confrontational. It achieves nothing. If we keep reminding ourselves of these things as we drive/cycle - we will implement them into a habit in time.
I wish our government would invest in national TV campaigns featuring information like this. A lot of poor driving on our roads is simply down to people not knowing the correct way to handle these situations
I'm not sure I agree - in theory everyone has been taught how to deal with these situations as part of basic driving instruction. Maybe there's a problem with the instructors, maybe here's a problem with people ignoring the instruction after they receive their licences, maybe it's people who don't have a licence at all.
@@theaikidokaIt's a bad attitude problem, and many people are poor at self-reflection. Hence why Government adverts are needed to make people reflect on their bad attitudes and change their ways.
Agreed. Germany has much more professional and considerate drivers than the UK, because the German government regularly runs national advertising campaigns reminding Germans how to drive sensibly and considerately.
@@andywilliams7323 I don't have a problem with the campaigns, but why would a bad driver pay any attention to those if they didn't pay attention to their instructor who they are paying to teach them?
@@theaikidokaSocial pressure and, at the risk of being labelled a vigilante (again...), increased awareness reduces people's willingness to capitulate in the face of bullying and bad driving behavior in general.
4:51 I naïvely thought everybody understood not to enter alleyways when a vehicle is coming the other way.
That said I rarely expect on-coming drivers to respect my priority at meeting situations when cycling.
The driver around that same corner sets a great example in my opinion. They were pretty much always in the right, but accepted the mistakes of others calmly without even muttering something under their breath. People who go about their day looking for things to be angry at will always find something to justify that, and the world needs more people who are not willing to let such little things get to then
The thing that baffles me with the second clip is that there was a massive space to his left that he could have moved into, where the Mini was. Instead, he chose to be belligerent, block the road, put himself at risk, and act high-and-mighty with literally zero right to do so.
Those clips with the corner from around 3:04 onwards looks to me like most of the issues are caused by a vehicle parking too close to the bend
We get it a lot in places around here too, 1 or 2 locals could fix the problem by not being selfish and park a few yards up the road but, no they'd rather park right outside their front door
The village at 3:00 - that really needs to be double yellows on the right hand side, cars parked completely blocking the pavement and outside a school. Forces pedestrians (vulnerable road users) - especially parents with pushchairs or wheelchair users to cross the road and children to have to crowd the quite small pavement at school starting/ending times.
Were are the residents going to park? It’s easier said than done.
@@letter1014
They would have to park somewhere away from their houses and walk back.
There is no 'right' to park on public roads outside your residence, people need to get used to that and accept it.
@@obscureinception8302 It’s a small village with limited parking. What about if you were disabled and and needed close access to your home?
@@letter1014 You get the council to give you your 'own' marked disabled only parking space. Oh look, there's already one painted on the road there.
@@ianmason. There could be other disabled people who choose not to have a space. Either way, you can say ‘park somewhere else’ but in practise it doesn’t work really work in a village where parking is already a luxury.
Not sure if you've covered it already but a video on what to do if a cyclist tells people to go past them. Happens on bends etc where they can see round but the driver cant etc. I always wait till I can see but I can see some people just looking at the signal and sending it. Cheers
Ultimately, the responsibility to ensure that it is safe to pass ALWAYS falls on the vehicle that is passing.
No one should attempt a pass without being satisfied, from what they can see themselves, that it is safe - and other road users should not 'wave people on' (or similar) if there is any chance at all that it might not be safe.
Indeed. Im just giving Ashley an idea for a learning points video etc.. @@obscureinception8302
Always ignore 'proceed' directions from anyone else until you can see clearly ahead and you've made your own mind up whether it's safe to proceed. Conversely, if someone makes a STOP indication to you it's always best to heed it, stop and then creep to where you can see enough to make up your own mind. Ultimately you are the one responsible for assessing whether it's safe to go, you can't abrogate that responsibility to anyone else.
Indeed. Again, Im just giving an idea to Ashley to hopefully help someone else.@@ianmason.
That actually has been covered in at least one of Ashley's videos.
There are so many things to take away from this video - but one thing is certain, too many motorists have an appalling attitude towards people on bicycles, especially exemplified by the “RE59” van driver. I don’t cycle myself, only drive, but do try to keep in mind the dangers cyclists are exposed to.
The second van driver in the “Karen” clip I thought acted impeccably; no shouting or swearing, just calmly explained that he stopped to keep her safe and yet she still argued the point. It was also good to see the other cyclist just proceeded with their journey without getting involved and “taking a side.”
I always find it bemusing that people will argue over a piece of road that neither of them own. Thanks for another interesting video.
The situation in your first clip happened to me on my cycle the other day. I was halfway along the line of parked vehicles on the opposite side of the road when a car approached from the other direction. Instead of giving way he carried on through resulting in, for me, an uncomfortably close pass on the narrow road. He then reversed up the road after me and proceeded to lecture me on there being enough room to get through. Yes he got through, but not safely. I sent the video to police and they are taking action against him. This is the first time in three years I have done this but the driver's arrogant attitude sealed it for me. He would not accept his error.
Think that's the right thing to do. He's not going to keep wallowing in his ignorance when he starts getting points on his licence!
6.55 was me, driver jumped out making threats to kick my head in. He slowed his gallop a bit when I didn't run. He was upset because I almost hit his mirror. No hand signals from me just moved my right hand away from his mirror. Interestingly the police said I should have stopped, and that 1.5m only applies to overtakes not meeting situations, so I emailed directly an officer who dealt with another issue a few years back and he issued a nip. Never heard anymore. It's on my regularly commute. Meet cars there all the time, usually they slow and whilst maybe not 1.5m there's enough space to pass if everyone slows a bit.
How on earth does 1.5m not apply to meeting situations either? The whole point is if the cyclist has a nightmare and goes over towards, you have your safety margin! Cyclists have no chance if the police are saying that.
Yep, I put in a formal complaint and the decision was upheld even though another officer had in the meantime taken a different decision....institutionally anti cyclist that's the police.
In almost all these situations the impatient ones cause the problems and just letting them get their way is easier for everyone. It's not right but sometimes life is too short.
Also I love how the ones that don't have time to give always have time to stop and argue their point
Unfortunately, the effect is that letting them get their way reinforces their belief that they are correct, as well as rewarding them frothier behaviour, which pretty much guarantees that they will continue to act in exactly the same way.
@@obscureinception8302 I normally find it quicker to be the better person and let them go. Most are beyond educating 😀
@@Dave-mv3xy Exactly, I mean do you actually think you'd be teaching anything by blocking the road by refusing to "reward their behaviour"? Of course not, you just become another a**hole driver in their eyes and you disrupt everyone else's journey into the bargain.
@@Dave-mv3xy
I agree, but as said, unfortunately this only leads to them continuing with the same behaviour.
And, others also see it benefitting them and also learn to drive the same way.
So many situations like this would be total non-issues if people just gave a tiny bit of thought to others. It doesn't require any particular driving skills, just being a little bit considerate.
So many situations can be prevented if people just want to work together for a moment. Or have a bit of patience instead of wanting to save 5 seconds by not waiting.
One of the best things I have learnt from you Ashley, is priority is given not taken but I should be aware for those who will seize priority anyway
Some people will always err on the side of selfishness or, worse still, aggression, because they fear looking weak. In a confrontation, one party gives way, one party carries on being selfish, but life goes on. When two equally selfish/stubborn/ignorant people clash, then boom! Ironically, it's usually the calm gentle folk that show more bravery/strength by standing aside and letting the idiots through. It's still frustrating, but so are the alternatives. The meek shall inherit the earth (but, usually, only after they've been well and truly shat-upon).
For your point about some cyclists being wiling to share smaller spaces, we can use similar logic to drivers giving up priority. If another vehicle has priority you are required to give it until they clearly give it up and invite you to proceed. If a cyclist exists, you are required to provide space until they clearly give it up and invite you to proceed.
To be fair, most people handle these everyday situations perfectly well. Those interactions just don’t make great UA-cam content! 😂. Kudos to you for actually publishing footage of people handling situations rationally and without resorting to dramatic nonsense.
Good example of the consequences of not having a distinction between final destination streets (could also be 20mph) and through roads (that should not be blocked by parked cars). And yes I know that sometimes things don't fit for historical reasons
I do a fair bit of walking and as such have to drive down the odd single track road (with passing points). The number of drivers who simply ignore these and carry on regardless is shocking. It's the I have right of way mentality though I suspect neither of us do.
Greetings from above the Thames in the O2 cable car. Off to an event at London Excel...and another at Alexandra Palace tomorrow. Lots of opportunity to practice driving. Will watch this later with interest. Have a great Saturday everyone.
Remember to make it a non-event if you meet any of those cable cars coming the other direction and one of you needs to yield priority
Watch out for the roundabouts and access roads either side of the Excel complex, both much misused by the locals.
@@ianmason. just the locals that misuse them? The last time I was there it was a free for all by anyone and everyone
It's absolutely mad that the cyclist at 1:08 passes not 1, but 2 places to pull in a give way to the mini that has already committed, before the cyclists had even passed either spot. The absolute liberty taking of it.
06:15 My god! I bet she's the utimate nightmare boss from hell to work for. Legend has it she's still stood there arguing the toss with the wall.
That's me in the first clip, cheers for featuring. I was responding to him gesturing at me and looks loke his attitude left me rather speechless
You could easily have made it a non event by pulling onto the dropped kerb to the left though.
@@paulsengupta971 I'd be happy to if necessary, once he'd stopped. This was to reduce risk to me.
Another excellent video.
Keep calm and carry on... or keep calm and stop if it will avoid the problem.
"It's not about motorists against cyclists... it's good attitude versus poor attitude." Spot on. 👍
Isn't it amazing how the driver doesn't have time to pull in and safely let the cyclist through but does have time to stop his car , get out of his car to argue with the cyclist, and in doing so blocks the road , i didn't realise you can block the road when you feel like it on purpose.
I had a situation quite recently where I had to let a vehicle come past a bus which was either dropping off or picking up passengers due to a vehicle emerging from a junction when they were unable to clear, resulting in blocking the road. Sadly I don't have anything to show what exactly happened but everyone was at least able to get on with their day be it going to a late shift, picking up the children from school or heading home from an early shift at work.
Pleased to hear you say if your side of the road is obstructed you should wait. Over recent years its become increasingly common for drivers to drive towards oncoming traffic forcing them to stop rather than stop and wait.
5:55 "There's room for both of us on this road." Uhm... judging from the other angles... no there is not. You can fit on the pavement, sure. But actual road surface? I'd be surprised if I could squeeze by sideways on foot if I had to stay on the road. Mind absolutely blown. 🤯
I am more comfortable sharing a small space when filering through traffic or if the vehicle is oncoming and I can coordinae with it's occupant providing speeds are low. I came across a situation on a blind bend where neither of us really had anywhere to go, I ust stopped and guided the driver past- I was fine having a car pass within an inch because I was able to prepare for it and help out, it is bullying that is the problem.
8:27 look at the plume of smoke from his tyres! What an insane speed you must be doing into a corner you can't see around if stopping makes your tyres smoke.
Disgraceful driving. No indicator on either (not surprised).
Actually indicator may have been on looking again, or it's the hazards kicking in under heavy braking!
A bit disappointing that some of these comments are "cyclists this" and "cyclists that". Clearly not regular viewers of Ashley's channel. If they were they'd know it's not the vehicle, it's the person in charge of it that's the issue. These people doing the wrong thing would just as likely be doing the wrong thing in a car too. Attitudes are the problem, and if you watch this and your response is "cyclists are idiots", then you've got an attitude problem yourself.
It's bizarre isn't it. The video featured good and bad road use from both drivers and cyclists, but some people are adamant on finding a way to take a side.
If you're a regular you'll also know how Ashley routinely makes sweeping generalisations about certain makes of car and how they are driven, plus of course private hire vehicles, hows that any different?
@@I_Evo I think that's a bit tongue-in-cheek. I've never seen Ash say all, or even most, drivers of BMWs (for example) are bad - just that you need to be extra aware.
@@I_Evo You forgot to add "While driving one of those makes himself"
some cyclists say themselves that if you're not an idiot, you're not a REAL cyclist. - it is those that are the idiots to watch out for.
The 1.5m-2m always sounded like some arbitrary number to me, until a driving instructor put it this way:
"How much space does a cyclist take up when they fall on their side?". And that is 1.5m-2m.
It is an arbitrary figure, it's not written in any road traffic law.
I'm one of those cyclists that's happy in situations with less space, but that's probably because I grew up cycling to school up the first few miles of the A1, mingling with buses, lorries, taxis and all manner else. That made me develop hazard perception skills and an ability to read other road users that have, so far, served me well.
My partner is one that is very much not happy with less than the 1.5m space and so, with that in mind, and as Ashley rightly points out, please just give us all the 1.5m room. In return, I'll keep doing my best to have a good attitude, and not act like an entitled road user (unlike the Karen in this video!)
6:30 I think on balance she was triggered by the horn. A lot of people wrongly think of the horn as a tool for telling off rather than warning. And in this scenario I don't think the horn was necessary to alert her to the van being there. Stopping and waving a hand exasperatedly might have done the trick better.
No cycles involved, but it reminds me a couple of months ago when i was going down a narrow road in East Kilbride which had a slight incline with parked cars on my right, and a car was coming up past the cars on their left. I stopped at a convenient place where there was a space on my right for the car to nip into , but by that time, more and more oncoming cars were starting to queue, so instead of holding my ground, i decided to be part of the solution, despite having priority and reverse quite a bit up the slight incline to a side street on my right, and reverse in to let the other cars pass. It only took a couple of minutes, then I was on my way. No drama.
Thanks for the heart ♥ , unfortunately, I was doing my editing as I do , and it went down a black hole 🙄
Some of these clips just show how bad road uses can get. I’m a great believer that someone’s character and attitude to other people is a reflection of their driving or riding behaviour. It’s often not a case of bad driving, after all we can all make mistakes, it’s just examples of bad people and their matching behaviour.
They’re all examples of one of Ashley’s favourite saying….. “It’s nice to be nice”, plenty of examples of road users here not being nice.
There are a lot of these situations in my village. Narrow windy roads and a popular place for visitors, plus plenty of cyclists. You just have to be patient and understanding otherwise you'd go mad.
Note that 4:00> the Duster is partially parked on the foot-path obstructing it for normal use. Whilst the road is narrow there is no excuse for obstructing the footpath to the minor advantage of vehicle users. Any pedestrians, mums with pushchairs and disabled in wheelchairs/mobility scooters would have to venture out onto the road to pass the car If you can't park considerately, don't park at all
And the Alpha...
@@itchyscratch3829 And the majority of cars on this stretch of road. Imagine how difficult it would be for any pedestrian to attempt to walk along the street.
The problem with a lot of these situations is that both parties think they are in the right. one side trying to educate the other takes calm and both parties open to personal reflection. i was the cyclist in the second clip (following not causing) . my hope is that the causing party sees Ashley unbiased expert opinion and learns and adapts. I think we all can learn from the van driver
Top job for submitting the clip. Sometimes someone is embarrassing to ride with and needs an awkward coffee stop about their bad decisions.
@@cyclecam6328 you dont have to look far down the comments here to see we are all labelled "cyclists" and the real sad thing is every time we ride we are punished by driver for the arrogant behavour of them.
@@matthewdray83 I think it's odd that we use the suffix 'ist' for people who are riding a bike.
It typically denotes adherence to an ideology or developing a specialised skill in relation to an object.
I'm naked to go in the shower but I'm not a 'naturist' and I can play three blind mice but I'm not a 'pianist'.
I think gatekeeping the term could be a key way to improve standards.
@@cyclecam6328 It's because there's not really such a word as "cycler" (maybe recycler...), "rider" has the horse implication, and "biker" has come to mean someone on a motorbike. Do you have a better word?
@@paulsengupta971 bicycler
At 7.18, I find this at times where street parking is frequent. A car drives towards me, quite fast seemingly with no intention to brake, even though I have right of way and have already stopped. What does this oncoming driver expect me to do - suddenly reverse at full speed?
No, they expect you to evaporate.
"It's not motorists versus cyclists, it is good attitude versus poor attitude.". These words also extend beyond driving into many other areas of life.
3:24 This is the “I got to the narrow part first” mindset. They think side of the road it’s on doesn’t matter. Or priority signs on traffic calming measures.
Actually a street I've being working on with road works had the priority signs up . Except priority was given to the traffic that had to go around the road works. I actually thought thought it was a good idea as it actually slowed the traffic down that would normally have priority. It was a 20 zone. Plus it's easier for them to get a better view and does keep traffic slow and not rushing.
4:51 While the oncoming cyclists have priority on paper, that lady is a classic example of the "me first" mentality regardless of the circumstances.
Like people who bomb through green lights without checking if the road ahead is clear or people on dual carriageways not yielding to cars joining from a slip road, you may have priority, but you should always sacrifice it for safety and the traffic flow for everyone else. If you have priority over a larger vehicle like a bus in a meeting situation and there's no gap big enough for the bus to move over, you're not going to get much further either if you take priority, because if the bus can't pass, nor can the traffic behind it, so you've blocked the traffic in both directions, all because of that entitled attitude.
Can someone clarify something for me? Does the 1.5 metres rule also apply when passing a cyclist coming the other way, as well as when overtaking?
I believe so, as practically there is no real difference, and the risk of serious injury to a cyclist should they come off and hit a driver coming toward them are likely higher than one travelling in the same direction.
Ash, if you ever find yourself in Cornwall, whenever I'm there on holiday, most roads are small with parked cars either side as you expect but there's the High Street in Delabole which is a right mission to get through, especially if you add in the mix of Holiday traffic it's vital to try look as far as you can along the road to preempt any meeting situations, perfect!
From 3:04, we have a corner very similar to this in Litcham, Norfolk, with two school's traffic converging along with lorries and tractors. Everyone takes it slow and steady and it seems to work OK most of the time.
Why do I have to stop every time to explain to you I'm in a hurry. 😂 😂 😂
The first clip of the White Van Man driving on the wrong side of the road is from Torquay, Devon. A very hilly town overwhelmed by on street parking, and the constant need to stop and pull in and give way.
So you know he is a t*** at least five times a day every day, driving like that.
Ashley, I think your videos should be used on T.V. As public information films, as unfortunately there aren’t enough people seeing these videos.
I have always find, do you that it’s the at fault person who tries to blame everyone and everyone else. I’ve even heard drivers say, “Why should I fix someone else’s mistakes,” that unfortunately is the attitude of not only road users, but people in general.
Public information films……… I remember those! It’s not really something that is done anymore. Public are on their own to find thing out these days.
Charlie says, 😺obey the Highway Code, give don’t take priority, and don’t do it just because it’s legal.
Round my way (South Norfolk) it seems to be working quite well, cyclists and motorists are cooperating to make things work. Important here as many of our roads aren't physically wide enough to actually allow 1.5m passing, but most cyclists either pull over or wave you through and most motorists don't barge their way past. (There's one exception, isn't there always, a bloke on a bike in the local town who goes round with a Camera trying to trap motorists ...). But overall far more friendly waves than fists.
I must live in a very lucky place because I always feel like where I live, in these situations, drivers are very quick to acquiesce to the driver that's oncoming. I mean there's the odd vehicle that makes things difficult but 99% of the time, I actually think this is one of those situations that drivers I have felt are pretty good at handling.
Yes, same with me.
Your impartial, common sense presentation of these clips, always looking to the positive, is a welcome antidote to the plethora of both sensationalist dashcam channels and the über entitlement of the Jeremy Vines of this world. Thankyou.
I have just moved from a housing estate with a sh*t load of parked cars on one side or the other (see my recent dashcam uploads) which meant a lot of meeting situations. Very difficult to see past the myriad of SUVs and vans. It was quite stressful at times. Not helped that sites of car parks and en bloc garages have been replaced with houses, forcing more residents to park on the roadside.
When you have to be on the other side of the road before committing yourself, then you don't have priority. Whoever you are.
I'd be interested in hearing what the appropriate solution to a meeting situation is when the obstruction still allows the two cars to clearly pass, but it's made the space narrow enough for some drivers to struggle (I'm not sure if I've explained this well!). I have to deal with this regularly on my commute, I tend to give way to drivers who appear to need the extra space, but squeeze through when the other driver seems confident with the width of their car. I suspect this isn't the right way to deal with it, so happy to be educated!
Be mindful that there's a difference between a space two (or even one) car can physically fit within, and one that can be *safely* fit in. Especially if we're talking about passing parked cars or concealed entrances.
If you're within a door's width of parked cars you probably shouldn't be going more than around 5 or 10 mph. It may also not be the best idea to encourage other drivers to make room for you be reducing their distance to whatever obstructions they are passing.
But these are just general principals to consider; judgement will always need to be applied to specific situations.
Exactly - good attitude vs poor attitude - independent of current mode of transport
The general attitude of motorists to cyclists in this country is absolutely appalling. I got back from 2 days in Copenhagen yesterday and their attitude was absolutely incredible. Every driver was happy to give way and make space for cyclists (even though they had dedicated and/or segregated cycle lanes on every major road) and had their heads on a swivel. Hell, even cyclists would give way to pedestrians and there was no huffing and puffing, no shouting or swearing. Just calm, easy movement and respect for each other.
The U.K. is a very angry country, too many rats in a sack I’m afraid….
Its a miserable country with miserable weather and miserable leadership/councils.
I don't find that when I cycle, I find motorists are incredible kind and thoughtful. Sometimes embarrassingly so. I always feel guilty for slowing people down and pull over to let people past whenever I can.
first rule of meeting situations: them that would have to reverse have priority over them that only have to stop barging forward. Ironically, on a US dashcam channel we had a few people arguing in a scenario with a car in the narrow bit and an artic starting from well outside it (shown clearly in the artic's camera), that the artic was in the narrow bit and the car wasn't.
I am a cyclist and I agree 100%.
I would just like to make an observation: when cycling in a group it can be quite a challenge to manage your cycling in such a way that you can slow or stop to give priority to other road users, without running the risk of just being passed by those cyclists behind, or worse still being run into. With any group of individuals, be they cyclists or motorists not all will have the same ideas about what should be done in any given situation.
I think ideally the lead rider should make the right call and those behind should comply, but often the safest option is for the whole group to clear the narrowing.
The same can also happen with a group of motorists, although they are less likely to run into each other, there will always be some that are less patient & just don't want to give way, sometimes even overtaking the car in front or sounding the horn or shouting abuse if they have to stop.
If there's no obstructions on your side of the road and oncoming traffic has blocked you because of obstructions on their side then you should force them to reverse back to where they came from. Make sure to make good use of the horn, gestures and put your full beam headlights and warning lights on. If that fails to shift them pull the handbreak, turn off the engine, get out and walk away making sure the road is totally blocked.
Not if they committed before you got anywhere near.
Been going down a narrow London street before with parked cars packed each side taking it very steady on the speed and someone just pulls out on me swiftly. No indicator, not much hint of them moving whatsoever. They then proceed to take the middle of the road position and rather than acknowledge it wasn't for them to go and reversing back to clear the road (which with nothing behind me would have then meant the oncoming car could easily go), stopped in the middle of the road. After a minute I ended up taking a good look back and yielding otherwise I'd have ended up becoming grey in the meantime, but you have to wonder how stupid and self absorbed some people are. Its frightening there are drivers like this on the road and I can understand why people aren't fans of vehicles sometimes.
A really nice bit of driving happens as the video opens. The driver in the junction is telling the driver who wants to reverse out to wait as i cant be seen by them and that reason he is waiting isnt to let him proceed.
Just the other week I was cycling to work, half the street was blocked with parked cars so I had to take the opposite half. No traffic coming the other way though, so no problem there. I took a central position a doors length from the parked cars so as not to invite drivers from behind to overtake at an absolute impossible moment.
A driver with Estonian plates wasn't having it, abusing his horn and driving his front bumper into my rear mudguard, trying to push me into the parked cars.
Was lucky enough to find a gap between the parked cars. And of course the disappointment would drive off without a word. My positive disposition towards Baltic drivers went out the window that day. Sorely disappointed in their disregard for other people’s safety, sincerely hope it isn't culture.
When I'm cycling and come up to parked cars on my side of the road, I always pull in, check for cars approaching from behind, and let any cars behind go past before I pull out, not holding anyone up. That's just me though!
@@paulsengupta971 Might have to start and do that too. Though in 30 years of cycling, I have never encountered anyone so impatient they'd risk injuring somebody.
@@StefanVeenstraI see it as both lowering risk and also as a courtesy to others, but then I don't cycle particularly fast!
That second intro clip was ridiculous. There was a space beyond the orange car! What on earth was that cyclist doing? He could have easily moved into that space. What an idiot. Some people!
some really bad attitudes from cyclists there, to be honest is not a 1.5m rule when it suits us, as most roads don't practically allow that in passing situations, (especially rural narrow lanes), but you can of course pass much closer when the speed is appropriate and consideration to cyclists is given, however, if you do it at speed then expect a notice of intention to prosecute letter through the post once we submit the footage to the police who will happily fine you approx £250 + costs and give you 3 points.
an interesting comparison is when you watch motorists overtaking horses, vs overtaking cyclists, the same driver, completely different attitude to other road user.
This guy needs his own UA-cam channel. Good content.
Second cyclist is definitely the type who’d go straight through red lights as elderly pedestrians were crossing
to be fair though, they may not be the type who would run down an elderly pedestrian and then upload the video of themselves doing it.
He probably drives a Range Rover from his home in the stockbroker belt to his job in 'The City' every day in just the same manner.
I was driving up a wide road with parked cars on my side, a moped was coming down the road towards me so I slowed down and stopped as I had nowhere to pull in and I wanted to make sure they felt comfortable. The moped driver then drove at my car, honked, called me an 'f-ing idiot' and screamed that I should have pulled in (where?). It absolutely ruined my day and I was angry about it for ages. I assumed stopping to make sure he felt comfortable getting past - the road is three cars wide anyway - would have been enough!
Hi new to the channel! I just wanted to say love your videos! I've been binging them since I saw one of your shorts. Currently learning to drive and studying to be a Paramedic so these videos will help a lot in my driving test and advanced driver course :)
At 4:45 to answer your question there is a village in my area that has a section of road that narrows due to parked cars. Essentially turning that road into a single track. I don't live there any more, haven't done so for decades now. But I do go through there when heading to town for shopping. It's a place called Bonar Bridge.
Said section of road is right at a junction and it's known by the locals and regulars with how bad it is. And no here is no parking space or driveways at those houses along that road hence why everyone is parked alongside instead. It gets entertaining at times but usually it's fine at a low speed and gear, just be ready to pull over as much as possible.
Such a common situation now with so many cars parked on the roadside. Especially the quaint little villages. My tip is to drive slowly and it buys time and space.
Just another normal day on our roads
Certain meeting places like the one shown here in Leicestershire can be very tricky, you really do have to give and take as and when.
1:08 It wasn't very visible from our end but there was a space further ahead where the motorist could have paused to allow the cyclist to pass even if the motorist had priority, and that is where the motorist reversed to. On a long stretch of road with so many parked it sometimes better to yield even if one has priority.
If I'm on my bike, and there's no pedestrians around, I hop on the pavement on a drop kerb then go back on the road as soon as we've passed each other. Makes it a non event. Also, i live on a hill and im more likely to give way to cars going up even if ive got right of way. Its easy for me to get going rather than someone going uphill. Its common courtesy.
Had i been in the mini one cyclist would probably be sitting there as id take my keys out get out of the car and sit on my bonnet light up a smoke and smile. Camera rolling and not say a thing. Now the cyclist has got away with it this time he will continue to do it to others 😊
😂 I wouldn't, but that would be my gut feeling 😂
If positions were reversed and a car did that to him expecting right of way and made him reverse after they'd just passed that huge space on the left to pull in 🤣
I don't think the white van at the start was that bad approached slowly. Confronting him got nowhere. I usually let that kind of thing go. I cycle a lot (5K miles a year) and would be telling people off all the time. Always risk running into someone who snaps and puts it into reverse to teach you a lesson.
Love the content Ashley. Can you please clarify the term that is used a lot “Right of way” and how it doesn’t actually exist?
right of way does exist in the US. it's our equivalent of priority.
The Highway Code doesn't give anyone 'right of way', instead it indicates which circumstances mean road users should yield priority to others.
In all circumstances, right of way / priority should NEVER be assumed, road users should ensure that they have been given priority, but if neither road user stops, and an accident occurs, the rules regarding who should have been the one to yield priority will be taken into account when it is decided whether a prosecution should follow and who is financially responsible for the cost of damage or compensation for injuries.
@@obscureinception8302 however, there is also the duty to drive with due care, as I believe they call it in the UK. in parts of the US, at least, it is called the last chance rule; and is probably best explained by a police officer friend, who said, "just because you have right of way (priority) doesn't give you the right to ram them off the road."
@@kenbrown2808
The circumstances where 'Driving without due care and attention' laws would potentially come into play in the UK would typically be if drivers had assumed priority when they should have yielded.
Although insurance companies (and/or judges if a case went to court for compensation) might attribute some portion of the blame to a driver who should have been given priority, they would have to be doing something reckless for them to potentially be charged with any offence (e.g. speeding, using a mobile phone, etc.).
It will be the driver who should have yielded who is far, far more likely to face a 'DWDC' charge.
@@obscureinception8302 I think you will find that "because I had priority" will not be considered a good reason when you are asked why you knowingly drove into a crash.
That van drivers was brilliant and stayed so calm, good to see, that woman on the bike just wow, love how that 2nd cyclist came along and immediately did the correct thing while she still tried arguing
I think drivers should be thinking obstructions on the left are physically in my way and I cannot drive past them unless it is clear to proceed at the moment. Once committed to a long stream of parked cars your side which you moved out and round because it was clear at that time needs to be understood by the oncoming traffic. You cannot foretell what tell future might bring with oncoming traffic coming from unsighted positions. It is simple really.
Yes, we have a few roads in Rochester like that. We have the Delce Road which is very bad with buses coming down it and then St George’s way which is a long straight road but has lots of cars parked of other side. If you want to check it out it in me one postcode area
had a recent incident with a driving instructor, his side of the road had parked cars and he sped through making me having to slam my brakes on and then told me to feck off, unfortunatly my dash cam was full so have no proof, ive also witnessed other bad driving by this school so if this is the way instructors behave then its no wonder theres so many bad drivers these days
Don't be so sure about your bet in the first clip. One of those "highway patrol" reality shows had an incident where a pedestrian told a police cyclist to get f***ed, and was shocked to find himself being arrested.
1:12 yeah I would really like to know the conversation and for what possible reason the bike thinks he is right? Actually mad me a bit mad tbh.
When meeting a motorcycle in this situation please be aware that almost all motorcycles don't have a reverse gear, so for them going back is difficult, if not impossible unless they are riding a light bike or are going up hill. So if you meet a motorcyclist coming the other way in your car/van..., if they stop and don't attempt to go back its much harder for them than it is for you and might be impossible. If you do try and stick it out and make them go back you will have to watch them get off and push and this could take some time so its quicker for you to reverse instead.