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1. muddydwarf - Member

   Perhaps the STW fount of knowledge can help me 'cos i'm stumped!

   Riding to work this morning along a busy dual-carriageway A-road into town, riding on the inside lane as normal but needing to turn right a couple of hundred yards ahead. The road goes over the brow of a hill & people usually blat down there at full speed (40mph limit). Therefore i did what i normally do, looked over right shoulder, see a space, indicate and pull into right-hand lane. Keep indicating 'cos the right-turn feeder lane is coming up, and pull into the feeder lane and stop at the red light.

   The white transit van that was behind me in the right-hand lane now pulls along side me and the driver starts yelling obscenities - something about "you should read the f***in' highway code you f***in' moron!".

   Didn't respond and just rode off through the lights.

   I'm at a complete loss as to what (if anything) i did wrong so someone please enlighten me!

   Posted 1 year ago #
2. bassspine - Member

   the bit about 'always give way to builder's vans'?

   sounds like you were right and they were in the wrong

   Posted 1 year ago #
3. TandemJeremy - Member

   you held up a car / van driver for o,2 of a second on his way to the next traffic hold up.

   You might have been over in the right lane a bit early?

   Posted 1 year ago #
4. muddydwarf - Member

   I always move over into the right lane early at that point because i don't want to be a nasty suprise to anyone coming over the hill at speed. The lights are hidden from the other side and people blat down there, so i always move over at the summit so drivers can see me ahead.

   Posted 1 year ago #
5. TandemJeremy - Member

   I see your point and only you can judge what is safest for you but a couple of hundred yards before the junction seems a bit early. NO ASL at the junction? No opportunity to make the move over after the hill?

   Posted 1 year ago #
6. b r - Member

   Look out for him tomorrow, and do the same again - this time when he shouts have a suitable gesture ready.

   Posted 1 year ago #
7. Dair - Member

   From the Highway Code:

   74
   On the right. If you are turning right, check the traffic to ensure it is safe, then signal and move to the centre of the road. Wait until there is a safe gap in the oncoming traffic and give a final look before completing the turn. It may be safer to wait on the left until there is a safe gap or to dismount and push your cycle across the road.

   75
   Dual carriageways. Remember that traffic on most dual carriageways moves quickly. When crossing wait for a safe gap and cross each carriageway in turn. Take extra care when crossing slip roads.

   If it happens again, open his back door, just before the lights turn, and peg it!

   Only kidding. That will just get you in trouble. But, man it's funny!

   Posted 1 year ago #
8. radoggair - Member

   NO ASL at the junction?

   TJ, asking the van drivers 'age, sex, location' at a junction aint gonna help, although you may pull or at least get his facebook address

   Posted 1 year ago #
9. muddydwarf - Member

   No Advanced Stop Line, phased lights at the junction so the right turn is red but the two lanes straight on are green which is why i switch about 100yrds back on the brow of the hill.

   Posted 1 year ago #
10. RichPenny - Member

    The white transit van.... "you should read the f***in' highway code you f***in' moron!".

    Correct response is "why, what would you like me to explain, since you're clearly too stupid to be able to read"

    You did nothing wrong apart from be in front of an impatient idiot. I've been guilty of leaving junctions too late recently and being polite gets you nowhere. I might as well not bother indicating because most cars just assume they can continue on their course anyway, even if that ploughs through me and my bike. My personal favourites are those who when I move to filter, will cross to the other side of the road to overtake still. Even though they can continue IN THEIR LANE AT THE SAME SPEED. It's like they see a bike and HAVE to overtake, despite not needing to do anything. Stunningly stupid.

    Posted 1 year ago #
11. TandemJeremy - Member

    Seems reasonable then muddydwarf - just a plonker in a bad mood. Ignore

    Posted 1 year ago #
12. west kipper - Member

    Muddydwarf, there's no strategy you can adopt in these situations that will keep that sort of incompetent d**ks happy. These kind of fudds will quote the highway code as saying 'black is white, and the Earth is flat', if it suits them.
    All you can do is be legal, clear and consistant for the better drivers that ARE paying attention- sounds like thats what you're doing.
    3 top tips,1) become thicker-skinned (I can do the first half of that easy)
    2)become more Zen
    3)carry a minimum recoil, lightweight 9mm handgun

    Posted 1 year ago #
13. nickegg - Member

    The one and only time i responed to abuse from a white van man, i was threatened with a crowbar 8O...in broad daylight with several potential witnesses to the beating that was being implied!

    Posted 1 year ago #
14. DrP - Member

    I would generally retort with the 2 fingered reply that it warrants.

    In fact, pretty much every toot of the horn gets that answer - one day it'll be my boss wanting to give me a merry morning wave from their car, only to be flung the Vs......

    DrP

    Posted 1 year ago #
15. freegan bikefascist - Member

    Highway code clearly states that bikes are in the wrong and vans (esp white ones) are in the right AT ALL TIMES

    moron

    what a dick, nvm, won't be the last time I guess.

    Posted 1 year ago #
16. Zoolander - Member

    White van man gave me zero room between him and the metal fence to my left a few weeks ago. He ended up with a nice scratch down his van from my handlebar grips and looked somwhat suprised when I caugh him up about half a mile down the road at some lights and vented my anger! If my handlebars had caught the fence and not his van it could have been curtains on such a busy road.
    He must have thought he would get to the bit with he fence before me if he put his foot down without considering that not all bikes travel slowly. Mind you commuting to work by bike Is a dangerous thing as many drivers just don't seem able to look and think at the same time.

    Sounds like you didn't do anythink wrong so carry on and when you signal and move do it with confidence so dozy drivers can have no doubt about your intentions.

    Posted 1 year ago #
17. rootes1 - Member

    whether it is right or wrong on busy roads as a bike it is best to do what is safest not what is correct as any collision you are going to come off worse.. stick to your guns often better people see you and get annoyed (in their opinion) rather than do correct and not get seen

    Posted 1 year ago #
18. 2tyred - Member

    I'd have done exactly the same, muddydwarf.

    I get that from time to time - drivers unable to realise the difficulty a cyclist can face in crossing two lanes of traffic to reach a right hand filter lane.

    Some vehicles are just driven by boorish, impatient, ignorant fannies and they'll hate you just for being there.

    Posted 1 year ago #
19. scruff - Member

    I got hooted and abused by a young TRACTOR driver the other day, I was approaching a pinch point and then turning right so moved over to stop tractor (with trailer) trying to overtake otherwise I would have had to stop on the left immiediatly after a pinch point, not a good idea with a John Deere bouncing around IMO. I couldnt have done anything else apart from mount the pavement to wait till he went, then cross the road, so fvck him and his muddy boots.

    Posted 1 year ago #

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