Overtaking in the blackwall tunnel.

[Stuuk1]

If you do it, you are a complete tool and deserve to come off. FACT.

Not really related to overtaking, but I was darned lucky not to break my neck at Blackwall Tunnel's Westbound entrance in August, where an idiot in a car came to a stand still with no brakes right in front of me because his gearbox jammed as he 'shifted it into sports mode'. Reacted too late and piled into him, over handlebars - luckily cleared my neck/head and landed on back wrestling style.

Well I was riding too much in the middle of my lane in lane2 instead of riding around the filtering territory between the lanes, so lesson learnt hardway.

Anyways, I thought that it's double whites in Blackwall anyway - not that it stops some people. But you're right, a stupid place to chance an overtake.

[Red Herring]

Not sure I can support blanket statements like that. Legality aside (I take it there are double line systems in there?) is there something in particular that makes it dangerous?

Well I'd say on a bike it's probably not. But the lanes are not the widest in the world and there are several sharp bends. I'd say cars who aim to accelerate past others and overtake in a narrow bendy tunnel are putting themselves and others at risk.

I suppose that's why it is double lines in the first place?

I never overtake in the tunnel just sit in the left lane and admire the work they are doing,see so many guys taking chances

[Sid Squid]

Originally Posted by Stuuk1

If you do it, you are a complete tool and deserve to come off. FACT.

That's a disgusting thing to wish on another rider - whatever their conduct. Just because you don't/won't/can't does not mean by necessity that the manouvre is wrong. RH is quite right, just because something may be illegal does not absolutely mean it's not dangerous.

"Don't judge others by your abilities - or lack of them" (My Dad).

Originally Posted by Sid Squid

RH is quite right, just because something may be illegal does not absolutely mean it's not dangerous.

Obviously, and if something is legal doesn't necessarily mean it's safe. I didn't catch where the op mentioned they're tools because they're doing something illegal though.

If you know blackwall tunnel, you'd know overtaking in certain parts of it in a car would certainly be hazardous.

Wouldn't go the lengths of saying it would be that dangerous on a bike due to acceleration and size, and defo wouldn't wish anyone to come off - even if they are riding like a tw*t.

Last summer I was driving through town (20 mph limit) on a nice summers day, the traffic was going slowly and there was a group of 4 sportsbikes coming from behind, filtering their way forwards. A couple of them took slightly impatient chances a couple of times, but nothing major. At the end of town, before the 30 limit, the road goes slightly uphill to a bus stop then down into a dip before opening uphill to a 40 limit. Theres a few junctions and house driveways either side, so generally the traffic goes slowish there. The traffic had came to a stop, and infront of me there was 1 car and a lorry, from my view point I could see the traffic in both lanes had stopped to let a car out of a driveway. The bikes, were waiting behind the lorry near the white line and theres no way they could see through the lorry, but should have been able to see the traffic from the opposite direction had stopped too. One of the bikers was obviously far too impatient, opened it up and took off at full throttle, overtook the lorry on the wrong side of the road, just as the car coming from the drive was pulling out infront of it. How he wasnt smacked off his bike i`ll never know but he must have squeazed past the car by millimetres.
I hope to fuk when his mates caught up with him they gave him a severe bollocking for being such a stupid impatient tw£t, and although being knocked off your bike isn`t nice, maybe a small off is what some folk need to teach them a lesson and avoid a major accident.
Theres a few times around here where some have given bikers a bad name by their stupid antics.

[Sid Squid]

Originally Posted by thulfi

If you know blackwall tunnel.

Very well, yes.

Overtaking in a tunnel is just stupid because it's the worst place to have a crash: the nature of a tunnel means it's a pain for ambulances to get to you and a crash makes it even harder for them.