Morning cycle in today, about 100 meters from the turn off into my workplace carpark a car overtakes me whilst cars are oncoming in the other lane, thereby giving me about 4 inches space. I gesticulated as you do, shouted ****! then watched him turn off into my buildings car park. locked the bike up and then went over to the chap.
I gave him a fair boll@cking i admit, all well founded about the space he left me, why overtake with cars coming the other way, and why the hell he overtook me when he was turning off after 100 yards. At the end he apologised to me, and i felt good.
Happy start to the day!

Because he realised the error of his ways, or because he thought you going to give him a slap round the chops?

He probably looked in his mirror & saw you turn in behind him & thought “ah, bollocks….”

Nice to get an apology, but would have been nicer if the dick hadn’t done it in the first place to save approximately no time at all….

“my building”

He decided that lying through his teeth with an apology was preferable to risking damage to his car at some point.

Most of the time, an apology is all you want. It’s not like you can go back in time and rectify the event!

Slightly related – I thanked a colleague yesterday for his sympathetic driving as we arrived at the site around the same time (me on bike, him in car) – he hung back waiting for me to turn, whereas most will try to squeeze past before the turning – “BIKE! Must get in front!” He waited, and it was nice 🙂

“my building”

That’s generally what they get called when you work on a business park or estate type thing.

going to give him a slap round the chops?

There being no slats available… 😉

Sorry. As you were. 🙂

Do you know what your Managing Director looks like?

Slightly related – I thanked a colleague yesterday for his sympathetic driving

I’ve done that a couple of times to people who happen to stop shortly after doing something considerate. Despite me giving what I like to think was a cheery hello from quite a distance they both looked very relieved when it turned out I didn’t want a fight 😳

I hate to say it, but if he didn’t go into your building you wouldn’t have got an apology, more likely run into the kerb.

I’ve had that once with a driver after he first did the blaming me thing. Did indeed feel good

However slightly ruined by all the ones who didn’t apologise and threatened to fight me 🙁

Reminds me of a similar thing where I’d have been left hooked if I hadn’t have jumped on the brakes and only just missed the passenger door. I was pretty wound up at that point and followed the car into the cul-de-sac where it parked and the driver got out to me fuming and she immediately started apologising. She basically had completely misjudged my speed and her manoeuvre. I ended up feeling bad for confronting her!

Of late I’ve had several roadie types put a hand up and thank me for my considerate driving. Maybe it’s catching on this niceness….

I always thank people who pass wide or wait until the road is properly clear before going past when I’m riding on my road bike.

Sadly I think it’s because they’re the exception rather than the norm so I’m relieved someone’s treated me like a human rather than a nuisance 🙁

Of late I’ve had several roadie types put a hand up and thank me for my considerate driving.

I will always do this if someone is especially courteous or has been behind me for a while. It takes no effort from me and might just make me seem a little more human rather than a weirdo on a bike.

Of late I’ve had several roadie types put a hand up and thank me for my considerate driving. Maybe it’s catching on this niceness….

Everyone who stops at a pedestrian crossing gets a wave and mouthed “merci”, everyone who hangs back before safely overtaking when I’m on a bike gets a doffed cap. Anyone coming the other way who gives way I’ll lift a hand off the bars or steering wheel. If you reward niceness it encourages people to be nice. I feel I’ve been trained by motorcyclists sticking their feet out after overtaking, when there’s one behind it’s amusing making the moving over to let them through so obvious they stick their foot out.

It’s stockholm syndrome though isn’t it? People are supposed to behave sensibly but because there are so many terrible, obnoxious and downright dangerous drivers out there we end up believing bad driving to be the norm and prostrate ourselves in thanks when someone actually treats us with a reasonable level of respect. It’s appalling and indicates more than our roads are getting worse rather than better. And I’m as guilty as you are, I do it too.

As for work ‘colleagues’. The most dangerous place for me on my 14 mile commute is the roundabout at the entrance to the work campus. I regularly experience a near miss on that roundabout every morning to the point where (stockholm syndrome again), I enter the roundabout assuming I am going to have take avoiding action and then become immensely suspicious when I don’t have to. I’ve had to jump onto the roundabout centre itself before now to avoid a brain dead colleague driving straight over without looking left or right. It’s appalling. Of course, the instant they’re actually on work premises they start behaving and paying attention because now they know they could get reported to their boss for driving badly.

Don’t think people will be better drivers because they work at the same place or because they might know you.

Most of the time, an apology is all you want.

This.

“Sorry, I was a **** and I realise that.”

Fair enough, carry on.

I will always do this if someone is especially courteous or has been behind me for a while. It takes no effort from me and might just make me seem a little more human rather than a weirdo on a bike.

And this. Takes little effort and hopefully makes someone feel good about driving with consideration.

I always thank people who pass wide or wait until the road is properly clear before going past when I’m riding on my road bike.

+1 – I always acknowledge considerate road users.

I always thank people who pass wide or wait until the road is properly clear before going past when I’m riding on my road bike

It’s funny, but I do this as well – nobody really notices any friendly hand gestures though! Only **** signs and middle fingers ever get seen 😆

I know, when I’m driving that there’s not much chance of seeing a ‘thanks’ hand raised from a bike.

Talking about overtaking here, not “thanks for waiting” to people coming towards you!

Don’t think people will be better drivers because they work at the same place or because they might know you.

Definitely – The colleague I thanked sits in the same office as me. Others on the site, who don’t know me, drive differently!

Of late I’ve had several roadie types put a hand up and thank me for my considerate driving. Maybe it’s catching on this niceness….

Be the change you want to be. It works while driving too.