It still baffles me that, on a cycling forum of all places, we get people in threads like this defending bad and dangerous behaviour on the roads.

It’s impatience mainly. Storming down an outside lane to cut in at the last moment, not wanting to get “stuck” behind a cyclist, pulling out on someone.
There’s no excuse for it. The driver got away with it really. The next cyclist he tries to **** over may not be so timid, maybe the cyclist wasn’t the most intimidating looking bloke (the driver certainly wasn’t). the cyclist was a lot more passive than many of us on here would have been, and I respect him for that.

It still baffles me that, on a cycling forum of all places, we get people in threads like this defending bad and dangerous behaviour on the roads.

And in the same vein, not all cyclists are without fault.

“Doesn’t make it right though does it? And the difference with a cyclist is that ‘bullying’ is a LOT more likely to cause injury

“

I didn’t say it was right, but it’s not that it’s simply because it’s a cyclist that he tries to bully him.

IMO the difference is that, as a cyclist on the road, you’ve got a hell of a lot more to lose and are a lot more likely to get injured. So anticpate what other road users are going to do and adjust your riding accordingly.

And in the same vein, not all cyclists are without fault.

agreed, but I specifically siad ‘defending bad and dangerous behaviour on the roads‘

I did NOT say bad driving, I said ‘dangerous behaviour’.

I see dangerous behaviour from other cyclists when I’m commuting in as well but in this particular case there is some obviously dangerous and bad behaviour from the driver.

but it’s not that it’s simply because it’s a cyclist that he tries to bully him

I see what you mean, a driver like that would bully anyone, but I bet the fact that he was not a big steel box had more than a minor influence on his decision to start that manoeuvre and then continue it, purely because he knew he could push the cyclist further over, if it was a bus in that bus lane he would not have been able to push it anywhere and I bet he wouldn’t have tried.

In fact, the reaction from the cyclist in that clip is to both speed up AND move further out from the kerb…

In fact, the reaction from the cyclist in that clip is to both speed up AND move further out from the kerb…

indeed, an element of cyclist deciding to push the point about not allowing himself to be bullied there…

Moving in and allowing him to push past like that would validate his behaviour. By staying out he was probably hoping to make the driver rethink his manoeuvre.

indeed, an element of cyclist deciding to push the point about not allowing himself to be bullied there…

Or the cyclist (being a bit of an idiot) knowing he had a camera stuck on his head and that was his ultimate safety blanket.

It does seem from youtube uploads that a lot of cyclists who film every commute like the attention and seek out trouble.

+1 As I said up there ^ sometimes it’s not just about being “right”.

the reaction from the cyclist in that clip is to both speed up AND move further out from the kerb

perhaps to get out of his blindspot or make himself more visible, car hadn’t finished overtaking him and that part of the road was still buslane.

It does seem from youtube uploads that a lot of cyclist who film every comute like the attention and seek out trouble.

cobblers! some will make a big thing out of trivial stuff but going out looking for trouble with cars? don’t be silly.

Driver was in the wrong and tried to intimidate the cyclist at least twice, he should simply be reported and made to resit his test.

No matter how you look at it that’s dangerous driving and to suggest someone should give up their rights, so that they can become a slave to the will of others is not to me a valid argument. To suggest it is to suggest we abandon the rules of the road.

As for the cyclists position, it makes sense to give yourself more room to maneuver. Especially when drivers will try and make gaps they know cannot be made without running you off the road!

Or the cyclist (being a bit of an idiot) knowing he had a camera stuck on his head and that was his ultimate safety blanket.

I think you’re on dodgy ground calling other people idiots when you make a ridiculous comment like that.

knowing he had a camera stuck on his head and that was his ultimate safety blanket.

What exactly do you think his camera will protect him from?
They are good for recording what happens, so if you are involved in an incident you have an accurate record of events, they certainly don’t protect you from anything!

It does seem from youtube uploads that a lot of cyclist who film every comute like the attention and seek out trouble.

Or they only upload the ones where something happens, or do you also see the other couple of hundred odd commutes they do on there as well?

The (relatively) recent trend of using cameras to highlight what actually happens on a regular basis has produced a few militant cyclists that don’t help themselves, and although I wouldn’t go as far as to say they go ‘looking’ for trouble, they certainly don’t seem to be very good at avoiding it.

But there’s also a lot who use cameras every day *just in case* and only ever upload the odd video when something bad happens.

You’ll also find a lot of them posting up examples of other cyclists bad riding online as well, it’s not just about pointing the finger at drivers all the time, it’s about trying to make everyone who uses the roads aware of the dangers and hopefully helping to avoid some of them.

bouncing your earlier question back

“Do you ever commute by bike on the road yourself, like regularly?”

If you do surely you must be pretty aware of how cyclists are treated a lot of the time on our roads?

Amedias… yes I do. A 20 mile each way trip combining B roads, A roads and some built up areas. I’m in the SE so the roads aren’t quiet.

I’m critically aware of how vulnerable my flesh and bones are compared to the ‘steel boxes’ of the motorists. I ride defensively, get ****** off with motorists, shout, swear, jump red lights, but back off if I think a car is about to take me out.

In much the same way I’m aware of how vulnerable my little steel box is compared to a lorry, or how arrogant the drivers of Range Rovers can be.

Each to their own though.

In fact, the reaction from the cyclist in that clip is to both speed up AND move further out from the kerb…

Are you watching the same video??

Cyclist is near the right edge of the lane from the start.
The Audi edges ahead of him at 0:09
The cyclists glances at Audi at 0:10
By 0:12 the Audi is well over the white line into the cyclists lane, the cyclist has already moved left by half a lane, now running out of space he bangs the car.

Cyclist THEN speeds up to get the hell out of the way of the Audi.
(he could have slowed down at that point instead, but I can fully understand why he’d want to speed up and get away from nutty driving)

Its happened before… Cyclist knocked drivers wing-mirror, driver mounts kerb and kills him, then washes his car down and books it in for repairs to cover up the evidence.

Some googling shows that the driver was jailed for life for murder. Good job too.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/driver-gets-life-term-for-cyclist-murder-1967407.html

Just seems surprising that you seemed to be negative towards the cyclist in this video and defending the driver.

Apologies if I mis-interpreted your comments but you came across that way to me.

I think anything people do to highlight the dangers of our roads is a good thing, and that includes posting videos of incidents like this to generate discussion.

Just seems that all too often the motorist is defended and cyclists give up and concede that they should just have to put up with stuff like this and that they can’t change it.

Sometimes you DO have to stand up for your rights (just don’t get yourself killed doing it!)

Not that I’d condone such things, but some people (couriers especially) have pointy bar end plugs. They’re quite happy to let car drivers squeeze in like this, and leave a nice surprise for them when they arrive at their destination.

Re the original clip. I don’t have sound but why does the driver have to cut in that close at the end? Then walk so close up to the riders face?

Although he is trying to stay relaxed you can see stance/positioning is ‘ready’/’handy’.

Here is a link the original video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDMD7PTkZr8
The uploader is kmcyc describes it as:

Approaching the pinch point I’m riding in the Primary. That was handy as the audi driver suddenly swerved into my lane while still alongside. I gave a flat-handed slap to warn him that he was about to knock me off my bike and he responds by leaning on the horn and running me into the kerb. He gets out and tells me that I’ve committed an offence by hitting his car. At least when I was able to get a word in I seemed to get the point across about making sure you can complete the overtakes before the road becomes too narrow. In his view it’s a difficult road to drive. Perhaps he should try riding it and see how that feels?

I suppose? he was calm and reasonable after he got out of the car. That’s after he tried to deafen me with his horn blast and knock me off the bike by running me off the road with his car. Two counts of road rage right there. I’m never out “looking for trouble” on my bike, just trying to get from A-B in safety. This driver cut across into the bus lane to undertake another and very nearly caused an accident in the process.

I’m never out “looking for trouble” on my bike

LOL… methinks he doth protest too much.

Amedias – it makes for a discussion.

It’s a brave motorist who pursues a cyclist along the pavement.

Its happened before… Cyclist knocked drivers wing-mirror, driver mounts kerb and kills him

scary stuff. I had a very similar incident to that above and the OP’s film, a maroon Mercedes mounted kerb to block my way (I was still in road) after a car-tapping incident. He then threatened to slit my throat. I decided this was a good time to leave, unfortunately in such haste I didn’t get enough details to report the incident.

it makes for a discussion.

to be fair, that’s the best start.

The more people discuss and think about it the more likely it will be in people’s minds when out on the roads.

I’m never out “looking for trouble” on my bike

Car went passed me and my zip (from my open jacket) caught the side of his car. He pulls over and has a go. Me, genuinely gobsmacked and I replied ‘you passed me and were soo close that something attached to my jacket made contact and you are having a go at me’?

There are some real nutjobs out there- and they hold a driving licence. I think Judges refer to ‘moments of madness’. I don’t want to be near any of these.

LOL… methinks he doth protest too much.

The driver misjudged his overtake, entered the cyclist’s lane illegally and then forced him sideways.

In what way was any of that due to the cyclist looking for trouble??

The more people discuss and think about it the more likely it will be in people’s minds when out on the roads.

Phmmph.

I had a similar with a driver of a small bus this morning in Morden, swerving into the clearly marked cycle lane just opposite the Amadhiya Mosque.

I banged on the side of his vehicle and when it stopped, I squeezed through the narrow gap between it and the kerb and carried on.

Further on, when I had stopped to put on my smog mask in preparation for Boris’s CS7 through south London, he pulled up alongside me and opened the bus door.

“If you want to take my name, it’s difficult driving with people overtaking, I have to swerve and…”

At that point, I employed a phrase that I reserve for these situations:

“I’m not interested. Go away.”

It’s so much more time efficient than getting involved in stupid conversations when you’re busy trying to get somewhere..

Oh and kmcyc is a regular contributor to Silly Cyclists too – so I don’t think he has an anti-car agenda, just a “road safety” agenda.

Finally listened to it, calm polite-ish but driver is still a tool* “there wasn’t room to pass me so why didn’t you wait?” “Eh?” look of confusion while he considers the absurd notion of slowing for a bike then ignore the question and carry on moaning about it being an offence to touch a car and riding in the gutter.

*as if the initial incident, the blaring horn and the running a cyclist into pavement weren’t big enough indicators

“If you touch my car again that’s an offence”

Idiot.

“If you touch my car again that’s an offence”

even if i’d just run over you.