On my commute there is a complete idiot who insists on coming past me at speed (40-50 ish), way way too close on a massive sprinter van. The road in question’s a 50 limit with double white lines. It’s wide enough for 2 way traffic but not really when overtaking a bike if your leaving a sensible amount of room. there is only a pavement on one side which is massively over grown and only just wide enough for pedestrians.

No he’s not actually hit me or knocked me off but it’s way to close for comfort. No MTFU’s please!

What are the odds of me reporting him anything actually happening?

I’m not expecting anything other than an initial chat which might make him think! Else IMHO it’s a matter of time until he hurts somebody or me! Will it only be then that the police would do anything?

probably winding me a more than usual ‘cos my wife’s due to pop out a little 29er any day now and I want to be there and not in a hospital ward.

First thing is you’d need something on film I reckon, get a couple of cameras (one facing forward, one back) and just record all the time, then when you get ‘buzzed’ you’ll have something to take to them.

Just give them a call. Explain how he drives and how close he gets. I know Cumbria police have followed a few up.

OK fair enough will give ’em a ring and see what they say.

just wasn’t sure if they just fob me off as nothing’s actually happened in the eye’s of the law.

When the road is restrictive and other traffic might be tempted to ‘squeeze’ past, I tend to move out further into the lane to give myself space and prevent the squeezing. It does work.

Other than that, *every* time he pulls the same trick, report it. Eventually they will do something.

Rachel

I reported someone and police went and had a chat with him, mind you he was going for the hat trick, too close, in a bus lane whilst on his mobile all at once. Might be worth a go.

As rachel says report it everytime it happens, ballache but I suspect something will get done eventually

I’m not riding in the gutter by any means, if it’s a small car coming past and they slow a bit then it’s OK. It’s just he’s in a mahoosive van which produces a fair bit of wind at speed when that close.

I know a bit about road craft (although I don’t profess to be a master), but I don’t want to go out of my way to piss off people more than is necessary which is what would happen if I rode any further out which can provoke even more dangerous driving

What Rachel said – sit further out. Then folk have to pass you properly. Is it a works van ? Try calling the company too.

white van no company graphics, I’ve got the reg though so will have a go with the police.

I’ve had good responses from a couple of HGV company’s in the past always my first port of call normally. More than a thousand HGV’s through work every day so I get passed by a lot. So 3 in 6-7 years of regular bike commuting’s not too bad with the HGV’s. Only ever reported the really bad ones plenty more a bit too close but only a few where I’ve really though it could have been me under the rear wheels. 2 motor cyclist and 1 cyclist killed on the private road here in 10 years I think 😥

I tend to move out further into the lane to give myself space and prevent the squeezing. It does work.

It does, yes, but it REALLY pisses some people off.

+1 Molgrips

there a stretch of road through a village where there are islands in the middle and I do it there every time as the few times people have tried to pass in them it’s really dangerous, but this road is boarderline unless your in a massive van/HGV

Help from the Police, what are the odds?

Ranging from very high to f all depending on 1) where you are and 2) the officer that takes/gets the call, I’m afraid.

Up here, the driver would be getting a visit. Middle of London, not so certain.

I bought one of these for mucking about on the bike, more than adequate for gathering evidence and only £30:

Good luck to you both with the littlun’ – hope you’ve finished rebuilding the house already!

Al

Road positioning and mirror. Ride 1.5M from the kerb. When you see a close overtake coming move 1M inwards a couple of seconds before it passes. Punishment overtakes don’t work when you can regain your clearance this way.

I’ve done this for years. I also find the mirror gives me confidence to right a proper distance from the kerb as I can watch following traffic.

It should do no harm to phone the police non-emergency number and have a word. I’ve done this when some lads in a car have roared past me, shouting ‘stuff’ (not even abuse really, just usual ‘humorous’ chat) and they couldn’t have been more helpful.

Usual thing applies as well, they may have that reg. already on file, enough calls come in related to poor driving, they’ll be more minded. And it is ‘driving without due care and attention’ when all’s said and done.

cheers Al

I’ve got a camera exactly the same as that one for MTBing so will strap that on to the commuter.

The house is 100% done upstairs and enough done downstairs, still a a few months of evening and weekends work to get it all done, but all the major messy & dusty stuff is done.

Fingers crossed I’ll get out for the odd ride soon, and once the house is done I’ll be back on it regularly again fingers crossed

Pretty much every day I drive up and down a single track lane with passing places.

It’s a local rabbit run and most people just want to get to their destination without starting a war so there’s a lot of give-and-take. A few years ago there was an old bloke in one of those little 4x4s who insisted on driving right down the middle of the lane expecting everyone else to pull over and I had a few near misses with him so I reported him to the police

May be just coincidence but after a week or two I never saw him again.

It does, yes, but it REALLY pisses some people off.

yeah but you get the same effect by looking at their pint in a funny way, some people are just psychos, can’t base all your life around the psychotic minority. Riding primary prevents “normal” people overtaking at silly places and gives you space to move into if some idiot still tries to pass.

But yeah I’ve been on roads where there’s nothing you can do, just glad they’re in out of the way places that I can avoid in future.

Haven’t read the whole thread but –
a couple of years ago I had something similar happen. At the insistence of the folks in the pub, I went to the police who, as expected said there wasn’t anything they could do without evidence as it would by my word against the driver’s. I said i was aware of that, but maybe a visit front he boys in blue, especially at home and in front of the wife an kids would be something for him to think about. They agreed and did. Also remember that if this is typical behaviour, the police will eventually do something as they don’t want a report in the paper after someone has been killed saying that this driver was reported 20 times and they did nothing.

can’t base all your life around the psychotic minority.

No, true, but it’s a fairly large minority when it comes to stopping people squeezing through at tight spots. You could try and take them on I suppose, or just rise above it all.

To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?

These lines are worn out from so many piss-takes, but when you consider what they actually mean it’s pretty profound….

Don’t get a helmet cam. Slippery slope before you start being “targeted” by psychotic drivers 😉

Where are you from? Your area will have the equivalent of this:

https://secure.met.police.uk/roadsafelondon/

Fill it in every time there’s an incident that you feel isn’t safe. Do you see any other cyclist on your commute? Talk to them, and assuming it’s not just the cut of your lycra he’s taken exception to, encourage them to file reports as well. The police can build a case on enough evidence.

I know this works as I received a letter of intended prosecution for overtaking towards oncoming traffic, towards a blind bend, endangering other road users etc etc. In my case, I overtook a myopic old biddy crawling along at 40 in NSL, in a perfectly safe maneuver. The case was “dropped” when I replied with words to that effect. A letter like that certainly tightens the sphincter though, even knowing you’re in the right!

Sussex Bad driver report web site.
Operation Crackdown

You could try and take them on I suppose

I’m not trying to take the psychos on, as I said primary seems (anecdotal I know) to stop lots of people doing silly overtakes at pinch points, left hooks and similar. That’s what I’m aiming for, the majority treating me as a vehicle and giving me space, doesn’t work on all and winds some people up, if they try to force their way through I move left into the space I’ve left, if they come passed later yelling abuse I just smile and wave. I think you’re just as likely to get hit by careless driving as by wilfully dangerous driving, as an individual I can’t do anything about the latter but I can work on the former.

I’ve had a look and can’t find and specific police initiatives but had a poke around their website and it looks pretty welcoming and helpful. I might try an email first and see what happens.

My commute is from a small village on the edge of the new forest into Southampton and back. I’ve got two options with regards routes about 5-10 mins difference between each one. Generally I choose the longer/slower one with more country roads and cycle routes.

Both routes have bad bits

To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?

These lines are worn out from so many piss-takes, but when you consider what they actually mean it’s pretty profound….

Eh? That’s about suicide (ie. whether to exist or not to exist), somehow I don’t think that’s the OP’s answer…

willing to be proven wrong but I don’t think that drivers going to respond to a poetry recital 😉

That’s about suicide

That’s not how I read it, but I haven’t seen the play 🙂

Seems others also disagree too, according to the Wiki wikki wa wa. To me it says, do you fight for what’s right (ie enforce your rights as a road user, by taking the primary and taking on the road rage bullies) or just let it slide, for an easier life.

what tyres for shakespearean danish princes 😆

To be honest, it could be but the “To be, or not to be..” and the later bit about “to die, to sleep…what dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil…” that gives it away.
The whole soliloquy is hamlet questioning why more people don’t just top themselves and concludes it’s the fear of the unknown rather than the morality or any nobility which stops them. I’m not sure he’s right mind – but he’s a teenager and therefore prone to introspection, naivety, dark thoughts and the general angst that we all look on at from middle age and roll our eyes at.
You can take anything out of context and give it your own spin and draw a different meaning from it tbh. Not criticising, I just thought that after he railed at the van driver your suggestion to the OP (even though I realise that wasn’t your intent) could be taken as a suggestion that he question his own place in the world, maybe that’s just my sense of humour though. 😉
Meanwhile back at the topic…

Well you could still argue that it’s about inaction vs action, but in this case the action being suicide.. interesting discussion about it on wiki like I say.

Anyway. That’s brightened up my STW day. I think we were done weren’t we?

what tyres for shakespearean danish princes

Continental barons?

mikewsmith

On the three occasions I have needed Cumbria police it was like pulling teeth to try and get them to do their duty……piss poor

Could try police Facebook page if they have one 💡 Friend has just done so and got prompt rely re some traffic regs 😀

– but he’s a teenager and therefore prone to introspection, naivety, dark thoughts and the general angst that we all look on at from middle age and roll our eyes at.

Hamlet was an Emo??

Well you could still argue that it’s about inaction vs action, but in this case the action being suicide..

Second prize