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Video: Chris Boardman explains why cyclists can - and do - ride two abreast

Titled side by side, the second of two cycle safety clip explains why cyclists ride two abreast, and why this can be safer for everyone

The second of two public safety videos starring Chris Boardman, this time about why cyclists can, and sometimes do, ride two abreast, was released last night.

Titled Side by Side, the 140 second clip, which also stars master driving instructor, Blaine Walsh, explains why it can be safer for everyone when a group of cyclists rides two abreast, and that, according to the Highway Code, this is permitted.

Filmed to help tackle the common misconception about riding two abreast, the clip points out a group of cyclists easier to overtake than one strung out in single file. There are hopes both clips will become an official government public safety video.

Side by Side from carltonreid on Vimeo.

In the video master driving instructor, Blaine Walsh, says: “A typical complaint from motorists, and even from some of my fellow driving instructors, is that cyclists ride two abreast. Well, in the Highway Code they are allowed to.”

Chris Boardman adds: "According to rule 66 in the Highway Code cyclists are advised to “never ride more than two abreast. So, three’s out but riding side by side is fine.”

“Think of it like this. In your car you have the driver’s seat and the passenger seat, that makes a car suitable for two people to travel next to each other. Cyclists riding next to each other are doing the same thing, maybe chatting just like you would do in a car.

The clip then shows a group of eight riders cycling two abreast which, it is estimated, is ten metres long, or the equivalent of two cars.

The same group then rides single file, which takes up approximately 20 metres of road, or the equivalent of four cars which, as Boardman points out, "means spending more time on the other side of the road, a situation that's less safe for all concerned" when overtaking.

The video also points out cyclists have the responsibility to thin out where appropriate, though the Highway Code is less clear on this aspect.

Says Boardman: “Rule 66 adds that cyclists should 'ride in single file on narrow or busy roads and when riding round bends' but it doesn’t define how narrow or how busy or how curved the bend is supposed to be."

Funded by the bicycle alliance and involving eight months of behind-the-scenes work, the two companion videos have been praised for taking a positive and pragmatic approach to cyclist-motorist relations.

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17 comments

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WolfieSmith | 8 years ago
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It's unlikely that the big boys - Odeon and Vue will show these films for free but it is possible your local community cinema might. I'm asking mine and I suggest you all do the same.

If these films were mandatory for all learner drivers and they were included as part of the test it would make a big difference.

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Yorkshie Whippet | 8 years ago
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I think everyone's missing a major point. As any cyclist will know it is possible to fit 6 foot wide vehicle into a 5 foot gap by scaring the shit out of the other road users. This means that the "good" driver can pass without damaging their vehicle and without having to slow to meet the speed limit.

I mean how dare us cyclist expect drivers to slow down and match our speed until it is safe to pass.

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wycombewheeler | 8 years ago
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I would have liked to see a demonstration that you can't overtake a single cyclist safely other unless there is no oncoming traffic, in which case you can pass two anyway.

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wycombewheeler | 8 years ago
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I would have liked to see a demonstration that you can't overtake a single cyclist safely other unless there is no oncoming traffic, in which case you can pass two anyway.

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CarlosFerreiro | 8 years ago
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Singling outwards to primary on those roads?

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stem | 8 years ago
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ride in single file on narrow or busy roads and when riding round bends

So pretty much every road then! The Highway Code is stupidly vague sometimes.

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wycombewheeler replied to stem | 8 years ago
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stem wrote:

ride in single file on narrow or busy roads and when riding round bends

So pretty much every road then! The Highway Code is stupidly vague sometimes.

I take narrow in this context as country lanes where two cars have trouble passing each other. so single file lets a car pass, but two is two wide for overtaking at all.

As for busy, this is a mystery are they saying that if there is steady oncoming traffic we should let cars overtake when it isn't safe? I would home they mean wider than standard lanes, where a car can safely pass a bike in the secondary position without crossing the centre line.

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marche | 8 years ago
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A one hour bicycle ride in traffic should be mandatory to get the driving license – a matter of changing the point of view.

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Carlton Reid | 8 years ago
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The video was co-funded by the Bicycle Association and British Cycling. Both of these organisations have good contacts with the Department for Transport.

The first video in the series ("why do cyclists ride in the middle of the lane" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJHXzt7TC2k) was sent to driving instructor organisations by the DfT's Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency. It's almost certain that the current two videos will get similar distribution. It would also be good for endorsement of the videos from the DfT, enabling them to become official public information films.

The Cabinet Office has a number of PIFs which it stores for use as fillers by broadcasters – we want to get on that list.

We also want all bike companies to send out the videos to their customers and for cycling organisations to do the same – via social media this has the potential to reach outside of cycling.

Clearly, we also want to get the message heard and seen by motorists. A start was made this morning with the great interview on Radio 5 Live with Chris Boardman and Chris Green of motoring.co.uk. (Radio 5 Live also told its 521,000 Twitter followers to watch the video, https://twitter.com/bbc5live/status/632142692085039104 ).

Motoring.co.uk is very supportive of cycling. It has run my story on the video, http://www.motoring.co.uk/car-news/cyclists-are-flesh-and-blood-give-the..., and has previously run a story on "why do cyclists ride in the middle of roads", http://www.motoring.co.uk/car-news/cyclists-why-do-they-ride-in-the-midd... (this has had 195,000 shares on Facebook).

If any road.cc readers are members of motoring forums please post the videos there.

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Kim | 8 years ago
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There is plenty of advice for drivers on how to overtake cyclists safely, sadly some refuse to take any notice of it.

What can you do, make them take a test, hold a licence, and carry identifying marks?

All driver should be taught how to overtake safely when learning to driver, yet so many seem to have forgotten on not understood that all that stuff you learn before taking your driving test is supposed to be used in every day driving, not just for the 30 minutes of the test its self. Stricter enforcement would undoubtedly help, as the French have proved, ask any one (apart from Johnny Hoogerland) who has ridden in France in the last 10 years.

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wycombewheeler replied to Kim | 8 years ago
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Kim wrote:

All driver should be taught how to overtake safely when learning to driver,

You'd have to teach all driving instructed first.  2

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jollygoodvelo | 8 years ago
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On Twitter. I asked the Met Police's cycle unit to endorse and promote the first video. Yep, you guessed it: silence.

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bigshape | 8 years ago
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chris boardman discussing 'overtaking cyclists' on BBC Radio 5 at 10:35 this morning, if you are interested in facts not anecdotes, tune in.

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kamoshika | 8 years ago
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I don't think we can rely on government / DfT doing anything useful with these. How much would it cost to get these, say, into cinemas when the adverts are on before a film, or on TV? Does British Cycling have any funding for that kind of thing? Is crowdsourcing the funding an option? Anyone know if there are any keen cyclists high up in any of the big cinema chains who may be able to get them some airtime? Would a letter from CB / BC direct to the cinemas get anywhere?

The films themselves are great, but so far all I've seen is them being widely shared by cyclists among cyclists, who hopefully already know all about safely passing people on bikes. What we need is the message to get to people who don't venture on to the roads outside their metal boxes.

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NickK123 | 8 years ago
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This and the previous were great and get the point across. However, it is not at all clear what happens next. Is the DoT being engaged to look at a campaign? Will BC undertake the marketing arrangement? There is every scope for some good work to go awry here. Meanwhile, we will still get impatient motorists honking and shouting at us on club runs or, worse, overtaking inappropriately.

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mrmo | 8 years ago
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How is this being distributed? Just wondering how it is intended to get those who need to be made aware, made aware.

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tatsky replied to mrmo | 8 years ago
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My thoughts exactly. At the very least we can share it with all of our social contacts, but you could argue that they are already cyclist aware if not cyclists themselves.

These need to be broadcast as a public service announcement in order to reach the people who are unaware of the highway code and its application to cyclists.

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