ROAD POSITIONING – Safety Measure or Guilty Pleasure?

Primary position or guarding the lane.
(Pic courtesy of Sean Rowe and Ryan Mullen)

In terms of cyclist safety, the low hanging fruits of Hi-Viz & helmets are often our safety bodies’ go to zone. However when we reach a little further up the safety tree, we come across the lesser spotted fruit of cyclist positioning. 

Described by the cycle right programme as ‘critical’ in the context of safety for bicycle riders, but rarely if ever shared with drivers. 

(CYCLE RIGHT is the National Standard for Cycle Training and is produced & supported by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, the Road Safety Authority and Cycling Ireland). 

It is already an agreed document.

People often ask us why cyclists sometimes take the lane or ride in primary position. 

Usually it’s just so that they don’t get hurt or create crash risks for other road users.

In short, taking the lane can put bicycle riders in plain sight of other vehicles and help prevent unsafe overtaking.

Many drivers seem to believe that cyclists don’t have the right to claim a lane, or indeed understand why they may need to.

For the bicycle rider though, being relevant and riding in the primary focus area of others road users, helps riders stay safe.  

To complete this discourse, driver education is key.

As a cycling safety advocate and Cycle Right trained cycling instructor, I am amazed at the disconnect between the Rules of the Road and the Cycle Right programme. 

Defensive cycling road positioning is a very important, indeed critical, aspect of cyclist safety. 

According to Cycle Right, 

“Positioning refers to where a road user is on the road, relative to other users. In the context of safety for cyclists, it is critical, and correct positioning will allow a cyclist to move competently and confidently on the road network.”

For many drivers though, the correct cyclist position would be in the gutter out of their way which often invites further danger and same lane close passes.

Here we see a disconnect.

We see social media awash with comments such as ‘the rider was in the middle of the road/lane’ as if there was zero entitlement to ever be there.

These comments appear regularly on Road Safety Authority posts too, and it’s important that they do not seem ineffective in the face of this.

There is little doubt that this great disconnect lies primarily in the dearth of information on the issue of cyclist road positioning contained in the Rules of the Road. 

The primary source of road user education, is the RSA’s, Rules of the Road and that’s where I believe this information needs to be added. 

There are many references to cyclists in our Rules of the Road, but from combing through the latest edition (April 2018), I don’t see any reference that could help a driver understand cyclist road positioning. I completed my Cycle Right instructor course in March 2017 so there has been ample time in getting these important documents to talk to each other. 

Let’s examine some areas where primary position (guarding the lane) can be appropriate. 

See attached image from the Cycle Right programme. 

Link:

Cycle Right – primary position

PRIMARY POSITION can be appropriate:

– when turning to the left where a cyclist needs greater sight of traffic in the road to be entered, or

wishes to be more visible to traffic in that road.

– when turning to the right in order to promote maximum personal safety and visibility for the cyclist..

– when passing side roads or entrances to enhance line of sight and visibility.

– on narrow roads approaching bends, in order to give maximum visibility of the cyclist to traffic

behind and approaching.

– where lanes are marked out (junctions, roundabouts, major roads) and if the rider keeps riding in

secondary position other vehicles may try to overtake unsafely.

– when going straight across uncontrolled crossroads, minor to minor road.

• Other areas where positioning can be vital include roundabouts and approaching traffic islands as covered in the link above. 
• It also feeds into the area of 2 abreast cycling, but that’s for another day…

Then there is this advise given by Cycling Ireland in their guide to cycling on the road:

‘When riding on urban streets or when riding at the speed of the traffic, solo riders should ride in the primary riding position which is defined as being the centre of the active traffic lane. When traffic is moving more quickly riders should ride to the left of this position but never less than 50cm from the edge of the road.

When passing side roads on their left riders should attempt to occupy the primary riding position to allow themselves the opportunity to achieve an earlier view into the junction. Drivers approaching the junction from the side road will have a clearer view of the rider. Try to make eye contact with drivers approaching the junction.

When making left turns at a junction, riders should try to occupy the primary position as they approach the junction. This will protect the lane and discourage drivers from overtaking during the turning manoeuvre’

What must be added at this point is what cycle right teaches a rider should do in order to transition from secondary position to primary position.

This is best summed up using this image below.

Transitioning from secondary to primary position..
LOOK 👀, SIGNAL, LOOK 👀

Please also be aware that signalling in itself does not give you the right of way.

UPDATE: It is worth noting that the U.K.’s bikeability teaching does not include signalling to perform this type of same lane transition from secondary to primary position.

Many riders practice critical safety strategies of road positioning but get continually harassed when doing so. 

For something recognised as ‘critical’ for cyclist safety, we need to move this out of the realm of perceived, guilty pleasure in to being a recognised safety measure!

Bear in mind once again that Cycle Right has been supported by the RSA and DoTTS.

This is where we need to see our Authority charged with road safety step up. 

I will hopefully get the opportunity to discuss this and other matters with them when we meet again. 

But make no mistake, this is crucial in terms of rider safety and mutual understanding.