Why you need to keep an eye on the mirrors...

[The Spin Doctor]

...and avoid dithering in the middle of the road.

I was on the way up to Oxford y'day morning to run a Performance: BENDS training course for Louise on some lovely roads out over the Cotswolds, and as I had a bit of time in hand, I turned off the M40 at the Stokenchurch exit and took the old A40 instead. This takes you past what used to be Hughenden M40's showroom.

Just as I got to it, I spotted a bike slowing down, and guessed the rider was about to turn right.

Except he didn't. I suspect that he was looking at the car sales place that's taken it over, and wondering if he was in the right place for the bike showroom.

And while he was doing that, he was dawdling in the middle of the road with a couple of cars behind him.

And that was encouragement enough for the driver directly behind him to pull out and pass.

Car overtaking bike 2.jpg (11.64 KiB) Viewed 169 times

I don't think the rider ever checked the mirrors. I pretty sure the car passing was a total surprise.

Fortunately, I wasn't going too fast myself (30 limit) and as I also rolled off and braked gently when I saw what was happening, the car had space to cut back in ahead of the other bike - as usual, the wide angle camera makes it all look further off than it really was.

Takeways? There are impatient drivers around... but so often when they 'put us at risk', it's a risk a little action on our part could have avoided. The rider could have pulled up on the left whilst he checked his location. He could have made a decisive turn into the car front and done it there. But sitting dithering in the middle of the road at walking pace not indicating - as far as I can see from the video, the indicator only came on AFTER the first car passed him - is asking for trouble...

...and he nearly found it.

[Scootabout]

Mild derail, but that stretch of A40 between Stokenchurch and Oxford always amazes me. It's almost always empty. So few seem to know about it. Maybe that's partly because 90% of traffic would just stay on the M40 anyway, &/or because accessing it SE bound from Oxford is poorly signed (deliberately?).

[The Spin Doctor]

Mild derail, but that stretch of A40 between Stokenchurch and Oxford always amazes me. It's almost always empty. So few seem to know about it. Maybe that's partly because 90% of traffic would just stay on the M40 anyway, &/or because accessing it SE bound from Oxford is poorly signed (deliberately?).

I have used that stretch of A40 for training for years!

The A4260 between Banbury and Kidlington is another relatively traffic-free stretch of A road, and it's deliberately NOT sign-posted for either Oxford or Banbury. The signs send you to the M40 / A34 (which is a nasty road - busy and full of junctions with minimal slip roads). You have to know the intermediate destinations of Adderbury and Deddington if you're following signs.

[Dickyboy]

Mild derail, but that stretch of A40 between Stokenchurch and Oxford always amazes me. It's almost always empty. So few seem to know about it. Maybe that's partly because 90% of traffic would just stay on the M40 anyway, &/or because accessing it SE bound from Oxford is poorly signed (deliberately?).

Aston Hill is lovely but despite riding it 1000's of times I never get it "right". The bit near the Spin Doctors incident is like riding a pogo stick.