Outriders blocking traffic - legal or not?

[corsechris]

Was out & about yesterday afternoon, shortly after 2pm. Driving round the local bypass/ringroad. Car in front of me, cars behind, all at safe and sensible speeds and distances.  Approach a roundabout - nothing fancy, simple 4 entry job, no weird lans disciplines or priorities. Car in front was leaving at second exit, as was I. Traffic from left, a long stream of motorbikes of assorted flavours. 4 bikes, riders wearing orange hi-viz with 'marshal' written on the back pull out in front of the car in front of me. Car in front of me was forced to brake sharply to avoid an impact, two of the bikes then blocked both lanes of the roundabout, the other two blocked the next entry. All the traffic other than the cavalcade of bikes was then held for 5 minutes while said cavalcade passed over the roundabout.

 

IMO, it was rude, arrogant and dangerous. I've been part of large groups of cars before and have always followed the rules of the road when doing so. Yes, you can get split up, but so be it. It's not a presidential motorcade for heavens sake, just some folk out for a ride.

 

So, opinions on that?? I know there are plenty of bikers on here so interested to hear your views on it. I don't know if the actions of the marshals were even legal - can a member of the public block traffic like that?? Absolutely no police presence.

 

 

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

I’ve been on car runs where we’ve done the same thing. Though taking great care not to cause anyone to brake sharply/perform any sort of sudden evasive maneuver if you see what I mean.

 

Personally, provided no one else is put at risk or forced into an emergency action of some sort, I have no problem. Oh, and also assuming that it’s not peak travel times etc. (ie common sense required as to when and where it’s appropriate).

 

The counter argument, is that I’d rather see careful traffic management from a few, than dangerous, and or reckless overtake maneuvers from stragglers and separated vehicles, trying to reform the convoys.

 

[Mighty Mart]

Cannot see any need for it tbh with motor bikes, as they can easily catch up with any convey ahead if they get separated!

what really gets my goat in the New Forest is the amount of wiggle etc events with thousands of participants that literally bring the forest roads to a standstill riding three or four abreast at time goodness me....

Mart.

[BigSkyBrad]

I have been on more than 60 charity rides with large numbers of riders, some well over 200 bikes, and many had 'marshalls' who commandeered roundabouts and intersections. Although there may not be a police escort. they are aware of the route and how the event will be handled.

 

Yes, bikes can easily catch up if they get separated, but when 50 are trying to catch up there can be silly overtaking etc - better to keep the group together, orderly and sensible.

[pistonbroke]

6 hours ago, Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Secretary said:

I’ve been on car runs where we’ve done the same thing. Though taking great care not to cause anyone to brake sharply/perform any sort of sudden evasive maneuver if you see what I mean.

 

Personally, provided no one else is put at risk or forced into an emergency action of some sort, I have no problem. Oh, and also assuming that it’s not peak travel times etc. (ie common sense required as to when and where it’s appropriate).

 

The counter argument, is that I’d rather see careful traffic management from a few, than dangerous, and or reckless overtake maneuvers from stragglers and separated vehicles, trying to reform the convoys.

 

 

 

I would  disagree , the wise thing would be to follow the rules of the road , not make your own rules because you think its better , other road users may not see it the same as you and get annoyed (e.g. the OP)  and react in some way which could esculate and become dangerous .

 

If a convoy gets split up because of traffic etc. its just so easy to re group at some suitable point further down the road .

 

The golden rule is , keep the car following behind in sight . 

[Blatman]

Legal? No.

Good idea? I can see the argument from both sides as described above and both sides have merit. 

I think the only thing we might all agree on is the legality, or rather lack thereof.

 

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

Wouldn't the local police traffic chaps have advised and helped? The Chinnor Bike Dayz event was on last Saturday (6th) and about a hundred machines of various kinds drove down my road on their 'Ride-In'. No disruption bar the missus and I standing gawping on the footpath! 

[XTR2Turbo]

Unless you are uniformed police or specific roles such as Lilly pop lady I understood you cannot direct traffic. Most members of the public are sensible if common sense direction such as an obstacle or reversing a lorry into a drive etc but I think self administered large scale events on the road are not imho acceptable and you cannot artificially hold up other road uSers. If they held cars at a roundabout for 5 minutes they are asking for trouble from police and public alike 

[Captain Colonial]

Definitely illegal, definitely inconsiderate, definitely selfish.  There’s a very good reason our AOs are told about maximum sizes for local area runs.

 

Those riders are all adults.  They’re not school children required to hold hands while walking together on school trips.  If it was well organised (rather than this one which was organised but not well), there would zero need for that.  I’d have certainly taken photos and reported them.

[1960dave]

Legal or not I have been on Easter egg runs And Toy runs when I had a bike. The Police used to help blocking junctions but nowerdays with funding cuts thy wont do it. I also drove a Limo for a funeral company and the amount of idiots in cars that used to try and get in the middle of the line of cars was unreal.  

[keirik]

Some outriders/marshalls are legally allowed to stop traffic others aren't.

 

From the original post it seems it was motorbikes not bicycles? In which case I doubt it was 5 minutes as that would be 1000s of bikes.

 

But so what? chill, let them have their fun and then you can continue having yours.

 

Live and let live

[stephenh]

Whether there were outriders or not, wouldn't you have to stop and wait, to give priority to traffic coming from your right on a roundabout? I'm guessing the outriders were there simply to prevent some idiot getting impatient and trying to cut in front of a biker, and cause an accident? Unfortunately bikers are quite vulnerable to serious injury (to them and their bike) when in a collision with a car cutting across their path. It seems to happen with monotonous regularity, and mostly the car drivers complain that either they didn't see the biker, or they allege that the biker was going at an excessive speed. 

[corsechris]

It was 5 minutes - I timed it. Motorbikes of all flavours, in the hundreds, with a mustang (I think it was) sporting flashing white lights bringing up the rear.

 

They were coming from my left - the outriders blocked all traffic from joining the roundabout and stopped the traffic that was already on it. If they had been coming from my right, I'd have waited without any comment, except perhaps a grumble about poor timing on my part, as they'd have had the right of way. 

 

Still, could be worse - at least they weren't getting up to the sort of stunts that seem popular in the US when large numbers of bikers gather to screw with other road users.

 

 

 

 

[keirik]

1 hour ago, corsechris said:

It was 5 minutes - I timed it. Motorbikes of all flavours, in the hundreds, with a mustang (I think it was) sporting flashing white lights bringing up the rear.

 

They were coming from my left - the outriders blocked all traffic from joining the roundabout and stopped the traffic that was already on it. If they had been coming from my right, I'd have waited without any comment, except perhaps a grumble about poor timing on my part, as they'd have had the right of way. 

 

Still, could be worse - at least they weren't getting up to the sort of stunts that seem popular in the US when large numbers of bikers gather to screw with other road users.

 

 

 

 

Any ride that large would undoubtedly have police approval or would be stopped pretty damned quick.

 

 

Bikers in the USA seems to mostly be a********s, in the UK they're mostly old giffers that haven't yet bought a kit car (that was me until 2 years ago)

[corsechris]

No police in evidence. Can only tell you what I saw. There probably should have been police, but there weren’t.