When I was a child we didn’t have bike lanes, and biking to school was always an interesting endeavor. Thus I will always take off a bit of speed and give cyclists a good bit of space. But if there’s two or more bikes side by side, then they can take up enough road that you can’t pass them without crossing entirely into the other lane. And then they’re just a big pain as slow moving tractors and other farm equipment, except they’re even more annoying because they could just go single file.
Cyclists going side by side are inconsiderate assholes and this comes from a guy who bikes to work daily.
That’s often the point of riding two abreast. If you are riding one at a time and on the edge of the lane then cars will often try and overtake you without leaving the lane, or at least a minimal amount. That leads to very dangerous close passes.
If you ride side by side or in the middle of the lane if alone, then generally the times you get passed by cars are much safer as if going fully into the other lane already they tend to give you enough space.
This would depend on the drivers in your area, but with the shitty Sydney drivers I learnt quickly to hold the lane unless it was a safe place for them to pass.
Also, because traffic is a thing it’s very rare that I don’t end up right behind whatever car passed me at the next traffic light, safer passes don’t really cost much time for the driver once traffic is accounted for
If there’s enough lateral space to do it in.
When I was a child we didn’t have bike lanes, and biking to school was always an interesting endeavor. Thus I will always take off a bit of speed and give cyclists a good bit of space. But if there’s two or more bikes side by side, then they can take up enough road that you can’t pass them without crossing entirely into the other lane. And then they’re just a big pain as slow moving tractors and other farm equipment, except they’re even more annoying because they could just go single file.
Cyclists going side by side are inconsiderate assholes and this comes from a guy who bikes to work daily.
But you should just go into the other lane. Treat them as you would a car or a tractor as you say
That’s often the point of riding two abreast. If you are riding one at a time and on the edge of the lane then cars will often try and overtake you without leaving the lane, or at least a minimal amount. That leads to very dangerous close passes.
If you ride side by side or in the middle of the lane if alone, then generally the times you get passed by cars are much safer as if going fully into the other lane already they tend to give you enough space.
This would depend on the drivers in your area, but with the shitty Sydney drivers I learnt quickly to hold the lane unless it was a safe place for them to pass.
Also, because traffic is a thing it’s very rare that I don’t end up right behind whatever car passed me at the next traffic light, safer passes don’t really cost much time for the driver once traffic is accounted for