Hacking etiquette on roads - advice please

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darkhorse123

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Do you hack "to the kerb" ie as far left as poss on the road - to me it makes sense to hack as far left as poss so cars can pass, but ive noticed not everyone does.
(Im talking about main roads which do have a lot of traffic on them)

Also, if cars are waiting to come out of a junction to yur left that you are approaching - or when turning right do you think it is manners to go into trot to hurry out of the way asap or do you carry on at walk ?
 
Also - when you reach a busy road and need to pull out on it -
do you wait for a natural gap in the traffic or would you raise your hand to stop oncoming traffic so you can join the road?
 
I always stay as far left as possible as it makes sense but then you always get the d!ckhead driver that always thinks they can squeeze past you but generally as a rule yes, stay left. I don't trot on at junctions as this can cause more chaos as I find the drivers think you are going straight on even though you are indicating. :confused:
 
Depends on the road I suppose. Generally no, I don't want to be tramping along in the gutter where there is likely to be more litter. I'd also rather people hang back and wait for a space to pass than be tempted to squeeze past if I'm very far to the left. If I'm holding up traffic though I will pull over if possible or trot on to a passing space depending on the road. Generally I try to trot on (if safe and appropriate) if I'm in danger of being a nuisance, I don't want to pee people off.

I would wait for a gap I think, although don't hack on roads that busy!
 
On a road with 2 lanes for traffic (most roads around here are country lanes only 1 car width wide) I wouldn't ride hugging the kerb, I would ride slightly out and then if traffic is busy leg yield over close to the kerb to let cars pass me.


Yes I do trot to allow cars to pull out/pass easier etc.
When pulling onto a new road I wait for a gap as I would do if driving my car.


And I always say thank you, smile and nod at drivers :D
 
Never ride to the kirb - bit move over to it. Trot on when necessary, or to be polite. And when comin out of a junction signal and wait for passing traffic to clear.
 
I do keep to the left but not so close that drivers will squeeze past. If a car approaches I trot on to a suitable gap and as the car passes say thanks.
At junction stop and wait for a suitable gap before proceeding.
 
None of our routes have kerbs on the roads .
Very few of our daily routes have a constant stream of cars , which is often easier , I think, than a big gap and then one whizzing by.

I keep in a bit but not in the gutter , more on the "shoulder" of the camber . Too close and we would get branches in our eyes and would be very close to the dogs that race up their driveways. Out further would really pi** off other road users although do have to do it occasionally to " claim " the road but would trot on briskly, most of them understand after a while and calm down.

I never ask the traffic to stop, just wait for a gap, I suppose I might have to so on a less steady horse. Once there's a gap I would trot to the other side but not around the corner as more likely to slip and harder for other traffic to judge your position and speed in trot.

If a car were trying to pull out of a side road I would probably slow down or stop and tell them to go first, but then my horse is very used to traffic.:D

Safe Hacking ! I think its important that anyone who feels safe to do so continues to ride on the roads . I love that ad. with the children singing " hey drivers leave us kids alone"
 
ty so much everyone - i hack out with different people who all do things differently and sometimes tbh i get quite embarrassed - especially when they put a hand up to stop cars and take all the road up ie ride nearer the centre of the road, not to the left at all - as you can probably tell im quite a new hacker so ride with lots of people who all do things differently - im really loving your opinions and reasons why you do things in a certain way :)
 
When I am hacking on the roads I try to make life easy for everyone.... I will trot on if a car can not pass until they can. I stay as far left when cars are passing but on quite roads we will ride two a breast and in the middle of the road (only on the quiet lanes). I also wait for a natural gap in the traffic when pulling out of a junction. The only time I ever ask traffic to stop is if I can see something that is going to spook/upset my horse. Rarely do people in vehicles stop when I ask them, then I get shouted at/sworn at :eek:

I always say thank you and acknowledge traffic that gives way to us and slows to pass wide :D

Unfortunately I have noticed an increase in knobbers behind the wheel, but, I have also noticed an increase of ignorant riders who do not give way or say thank you :( :( :(
 
ty andi - yes i agree it just makes sense to get out of way asap - even attempting it will make drivers see you are trying to not be a pain - as the "learner" on our hacks though Im often told to stop being so worried and make them wait - this is why i asked x
 
I really do think i should spider, I am a driver so know the rules of a road in a car but riding is very different, seems to me car drivers give each other more respect sometimes which i dont understand really - i shall look it up
 
I would never stop traffic to pull out at a junction! You wouldn't do it in a car or on a bike, so what gives riders the right!? lol

I have only ever stopped traffic once when my horse was napping in the road (very unlike him) - as they could see I was having a bit of difficulty all stopped happily with plenty of room and he walked on nicely. I thanked all traffic and everyone continued on their way - would only stop traffic if myself and horse or traffic were in danger
 
I behave rather as I would if I was on a bicycle when I'm riding.

I keep to the left, but not in the gutter (well we don't have kerbs/gutters actually) and when it comes to pulling out, I would always wait for a gap in the traffic, certainly not imperiously put my hand up and order the traffic to stop to let me out.

Pull over when it is safe/possible to let them all past (and thank each and every one of them too with a smile and a wave) when I know I have a bit of a tailback built up behind me - on certain roads as we all know there isn't enough room/it's not safe to overtake.

I thank EVERYTHING, whether they were nice to me or not, I think in the long run it pays off. Certainly I get a bit annoyed when I've passed wide and slow etc and the rider acts like I'm invisible, almost makes me want to run them off the road the next time I see them...
 
PennyJ said:
I behave rather as I would if I was on a bicycle when I'm riding.

I keep to the left, but not in the gutter (well we don't have kerbs/gutters actually) and when it comes to pulling out, I would always wait for a gap in the traffic, certainly not imperiously put my hand up and order the traffic to stop to let me out.

Pull over when it is safe/possible to let them all past (and thank each and every one of them too with a smile and a wave) when I know I have a bit of a tailback built up behind me - on certain roads as we all know there isn't enough room/it's not safe to overtake.

I thank EVERYTHING, whether they were nice to me or not, I think in the long run it pays off. Certainly I get a bit annoyed when I've passed wide and slow etc and the rider acts like I'm invisible, almost makes me want to run them off the road the next time I see them...
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see i agree with this - i thnk for manners yu shoudl wait, get as far left as yu can and thank everyone - im still a bit of a nervous nelly but do smile or nod at drivers - if they are behind me and have waited i give a very quick thumbs up and wave - i suppose im a bit surprised not everyone does -
and to me its sop rude to ride in the middle of the road and put yur hand up at junctions to stop traffic - thought it was just me but thank you all - obviously its not x
 
The BHS and PC Ride and Road Safety now teach that you are to ride 1/3 of the way into the road on your lane. This is to ensure that drivers only overtake when their is adequate space and also so there are no sudden swerves out when you go around drain hole covers etc.
 
galaxy23 said:
The BHS and PC Ride and Road Safety now teach that you are to ride 1/3 of the way into the road on your lane. This is to ensure that drivers only overtake when their is adequate space and also so there are no sudden swerves out when you go around drain hole covers etc.
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ty galaxy x
 
if I'm holding people up then I try to trot to a passing place if it's safe to do so.
I try to stick close to the kerb but obviously I don't want to be in the gutter.
we always wait for a gap in traffic before crossing or joining. if people stop, then that's great :D but we don't force them to.
happy hacking :)
 
I ride as close to curb as I can, but have to nip out sometimes to go round grates.
I never trot on road, drivers can normally pass me without having to travel behind me and if not, they'll have to wait
have never heard of people signalling cars to stop if wanting to move out of a junction? id never do that, we just wait :)
 
We 'tuck in' to the side to let cars past when it is safe for them to do so, and usually ride near to the edge on the left, but not in the gutter. I try to never trot across junctions as the surface is often slicker there and more likely to make hooves slide. The only times I ask traffic to stop is if there is a serious problem with the horses (very very rare thank god) or to stop them overtaking us when I can hear a vehicle coming the other way that they will not be able to see. The idea of holding up traffic on a road you are joining is a bit worrying, the only time we have ever done that to cross has been on club rides when there have been a lot of us and no chance of a gap in the traffic being long enough. We have now over come this by agreeing that groups of 8 will be the max, if there are more than 8 people on the ride, then the ride splits into smaller groups, causing less of a traffic hazard.
 
The highway code is the first place to go for information on how to ride on the road. I always try not to be an irritation to other drivers and as many people have said before I always try hard to thank people for being considerate. There are however times when I think it is imortant, for everyones safety, to ride "defensively" - for example if I am riding a horse that I know might shy at something ahead and i was in a steady stream of traffic I might move into a more central position in the road to prevent cars from overtaking at that point and risking the horse spooking into their path - very important that a move like this is followed up with a thank you to all concerned though. There are times when as riders we can anticipate problems that non riders may not be aware of - a horse that is very wound up and eager to get home might for some reason not stand still safely at a junction, far better to raise a hand and stop the traffic, than have the horse rear and fly jump into it's path, or a larger group of riders might need a longer gap in the traffic to cross, I don't think it is safe for a few horses to cross the road leaving their companions behind - the highway code does say that other road users should heed horse riders when asked to stop, but I think we should use this priviledge only when safety dictates, not just for our own convenience. The OP may be riding with different riders who are each approaching different situations in the way that they know is safest for themselves, their horse, and other road users.
 
maresmaid said:
The highway code is the first place to go for information on how to ride on the road. I always try not to be an irritation to other drivers and as many people have said before I always try hard to thank people for being considerate. There are however times when I think it is imortant, for everyones safety, to ride "defensively" - for example if I am riding a horse that I know might shy at something ahead and i was in a steady stream of traffic I might move into a more central position in the road to prevent cars from overtaking at that point and risking the horse spooking into their path - very important that a move like this is followed up with a thank you to all concerned though. There are times when as riders we can anticipate problems that non riders may not be aware of - a horse that is very wound up and eager to get home might for some reason not stand still safely at a junction, far better to raise a hand and stop the traffic, than have the horse rear and fly jump into it's path, or a larger group of riders might need a longer gap in the traffic to cross, I don't think it is safe for a few horses to cross the road leaving their companions behind - the highway code does say that other road users should heed horse riders when asked to stop, but I think we should use this priviledge only when safety dictates, not just for our own convenience. The OP may be riding with different riders who are each approaching different situations in the way that they know is safest for themselves, their horse, and other road users.
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ty very much - you have explained different hacking styles and reasons perfectly x
 
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