It’s difficult to imagine that many cyclists would always be content to wait behind a queue of stationary traffic, so I can only assume that most cyclists face the same quandary that I do when approaching a queue of static/slow moving vehicles: to pass on the left or the right? On the left where a cyclist would normally be, or on the right where drivers most expect to be passed?

Good arguments can be made for both I’m sure, but (where there is no cycle lane) I’ve almost always favored passing on the right. My reasoning is pretty simple: I’ve watched many a passenger ‘jump’ when a cyclist passes their vehicle on the inside. Therefore I suspect that, with undertaking a rarity in motor vehicles, motorists and their passengers aren’t fully aware of the possibility that anything may pass on their left – “Think bike” signs don’t seem to really resonate. And if motorists and their passengers don’t expect anything to be on their left, they’re less likely to check properly and more likely to act as if the cyclist isn’t there.

Of course, passing on the right means moving back to the left once traffic is moving, which occasionally poses it’s own difficulties, especially if motorists (having been stationary for a long time) are keen to make forward progress. But, still, 9 times out of 10, I pass on the right.