Why cyclists ride in the middle of the goddam lane

It's a common complaint from motorists. "The bloody cyclist was riding in the middle of the goddam lane. Arrogant twat. Why doesn't he stick to the left?"

(International folk - keep in mind we drive on the left in Australia. Just replace left with right).

Indeed Jeremy Clarkson just made song and dance about such things on Twitter.

The practice is actually encouraged in cycling circles. It is known as taking the lane

Taking the lane is misunderstood by drivers. In that sense Clarskon is just like others. He is stuck in the thinking the best place for bikes is on the left. That may well be true for the drivers looking to pass, but often not for cyclists. We're not riding in the middle of the lane because we are arrogant. We know and understand it's not the most convenient spot for the following cars. The centre of the lane is often the safest place to ride.

Why exactly?

A few reasons:

1) It makes us clearly visible. Failure of a driver to see a cyclist lies at the heart of many car-bicycle accidents, so being in the middle of the lane is the best way to address that.

2) The side of the road is the collection point for all manner of litter, debris, gravel, glass and other crap on the roads (as well as catseye reflectors, which often mark the edge of a lane). All rather dangerous when you're on a bike. If parking is also permitted on the left of the road, it becomes a prime zone for dooring (which occurs hen a car passenger/driver opens the car door directly in your path).

3) Drivers often feel they can squeeze past if the cyclist is on the far left of the lane, regardless of variables like total lane width, oncoming traffic, corners, crests, etc. And the cyclist often (literally) wears the outcome of poor judgements. By sitting in the middle the cyclist makes a clear statement that the driver needs to overtake properly (i.e by moving into the opposite lane) and can't try "squeezing" past.

And, yes it does mean we will hold up the odd car. By a few seconds, which they'll probably regain at the next traffic lights. In our opinion an entirely reasonable trade off for someone's safety. Particularly our own.

And yes, we would be safer riding away from cars. Shame cycling infrastructure sucks and riders are forced onto the roads.

For mine, this is the ideal topic for an education campaign. It's a practice that's badly misunderstood by drivers, is entirely legal on roads without a bike lane, and could simply be addressed with a good ad. It's also a practice that drives a big wedge between cyclists and drivers.