SELF-PRESERVATION or road-hogging? Taking the lane or taking liberties? If, when behind the wheel of a car, you have wondered why cyclists take up the so-called primary position towards the centre of the road, preventing you from overtaking, you need to watch this film made by the Bicycle Association.
Jeremy Clarkson might not like it – earlier this year, he had a go at cyclists feeling “entitled” to hog the road – but as Blaine Walsh, a driving instructor, and Michael Frearson, director of the Association of Bikeability Schemes, calmly explain, the strategy is recommended as the safest way for cyclists to negotiate traffic and to ensure that they don’t end up knocked to the kerb or squashed into the side of a bus.
Indeed, by assuming the primary position, a cyclist may actually be protecting drivers, passengers and other road users, ensuring that vehicles overtake only when it is safe to do so.
The film is aimed at driving instructors in particular and is now part of a portfolio of educational videos on driving-instructor.tv. Its urges instructors to educate the next generation of drivers about respect for other road users, why cyclists ride the way they do and how to anticipate their next move.
And if you’re into semantics, look out for distinction drawn between the phrases “right of way”, “taking priority” and “having priority”.