damnable

OK so this is what happened and suggestions can go afterwards.

Near where I live there is this short road that goes over a bit of a mountain. The well used bit of the road is about 1km with half on and incline and half going down. It’s also quite windy and narrow with a few crests so visibility is pretty poor. There are also currently road works along parts of the road, reducing the speed limit. From experience cars frequently race down the hill on the other side.

Now I don’t have the balls or the legs to ride up this hill but apparently this guy did and was doing a pretty good job too. Now I was driving my mum with a full load of luggage in the back seat driving in my little 1300cc (not the greatest of acceleration) car up this hill. I see the cyclist ahead of me, stay a good distance behind him and continue up the hill. The cyclist knew I was there as I saw him take a few good looks behind him. By the time I got the top of the hill where I had to turn off, there were at least 3 other cars behind me, the closest of which was tailgating and using his horn which made me want to go slower. Now, in my mind there were no safe places to overtake this cyclist as in my opinion I could not see enough road ahead of me to be sure I could get speed up overtake, without another car coming in the opposite direction.

As soon as we got to the top of the hill and I turned off the road, the car behind me gunned it and sped past. This was all in the space of less than 5 minutes.

Now, if the same situation came, I would do the exact same thing because admittedly I was not thinking the safety of the cyclist, but rather myself and of course my dear mother. But the question came to mind, as a cyclist, would you rather a motorist overtake you, or stay behind you. I sometimes get an odd feeling when a car is following behind me while on the bike. It feels a bit stalkerish, but if they are being safe, than I am all for it. So, would you rather have a car follow close behind you for a while or have them pass slightly unsafely?

Da Tinker

Follow close. That way, I only have one problem to deal with. If a car passes unsafely (not enough forward vision or room), then there are several variables to deal with. Where is the safe spot to be when two cars have a head-on collision on the yellow line right next to you?

AlmostTrick

You answered your own question right there. If it's not safe to overtake, the motorist should wait behind. I find a few (very few) motorists who are overly cautious, and won't pass me when they could have safely done so, but this is much less common than the opposite: Fools too eager to pass even when they can't see around a curve, or there is oncoming traffic, etc.

maddyfish

If it is safe for me for the car to pass, then pass. If it is not safe for me for the car to pass, then I prefer it does not pass.

twahl

I want to be passed when it's not going to be dangerous for anyone, including me. I don't get too hung up on the double yellow line. No passing zones are laid out with the thought of one car trying to overtake another car that is moving at a presumably similar speed, not a 20+ MPH difference that results in a relatively quick pass.

I also get involved in a way that many here will say is wrong. If I think I can see better than the vehicle behind, I will use hand signals to communicate to them that it is not safe to pass, and then let them know when it is. So far this has worked well for me, drivers seem to appreciate the fact that I'm at least considering their inconvenience.

AlmostTrick

Like you, I have also had good results communicating to drivers when it's not safe to pass. Then when they wait behind for a safe chance to overtake me, I'll often give a friendly wave. Some even wave back.