I’ve not commuted much this year, but haveben riding most of my life. In the past few weeks I’ve been cycling to the office a couple of times a week. On almost every journey somebody tries to squeeze past me inappropriately or causes me to slam on the brakes.

A couple of instances were worse than others.
Last Friday somebody squeezed past me on a section of road that is just wide enough for two cars each way as it passes under a bridge. I’d been slightly over to the left to avoid a pot-hole when the Black 02 Megane saw the ideal & totally unnecessary opportunity to squeeze past me. The wing mirror was ~2cm from my handle-bar. I was so close that I was able to hit the rear passenger window with my knuckles(not finger-tips). I caught the car up at a traffic lights and asked the fairly docile-looking, middle-aged man driver why he’d just done that. He said a half-hearted “oh..sorry” and I, very impolitely, told him that he’d better not do that to anybody else.

This morning something similar happened and again, I was able to tap the window of the car as it squeezed past me (I deliberately wasn’t hugging the kerb) and a car coming the other way. I caught this car and tapped on the window, the ~30 year old, docile-looking bloke driving looked like he’d sh*t himslef and drove off.

I was feeling bad for the state of mankind.

On the way home I was riding past the Trafford Centre when a bus loomed closely in my peripheral vision as I approached a roundabout in the left lane. I was a little perturbed and looked around. The driver was visibly gesticulating and mouthing-off at me!

The bus then cut-me up and forced me to stop otherwise I’d have been under its rear wheels. I was a bit disturbed by this.

I caught the bus at the Bus Stop and asked the driver what he was doing. The driver was foreign -Italian or Balkan?- and was shouting that I should not be on the road, but on the “cycle road (sic), as it is safe there!”

I replied something along the lines of: “I’m entitled to be on the road and it’s dangerous on the roads because of idiots like you” Incidentally, the cycle path through Trafford Park is crossed by HGVs pulling out and side roads. Near the Trafford Centre it’s full of myopic shoppers and it would take an age to cross the roads.

I was really angry.

What is going on?

I ride a motorbike and can honestly say that cycling on the road is worse.

It’s not necessarily the aggressive types who are the problem. The problem seems to be with the ignorant, oblivious people:
-women in cars on the phone/doing hair,
-dozy people not paying attention
-People who don’t understand that racing to the next queue isn’t quicker
-people who don’t appreciate that cyclists are entitled to be on the roads

Assert yourself on the road, take up the space that would allow a vehicle to pass unsafely,take a picture of offending drivers with your phone.

Ever thought of going by bus, theree are a lot of cheap tickets available.

Dunno where you are but interestingly I find the opposite in Edinburgh – not that that is much help. Buses especially seem to be far more polite than they used to be. School run mums and bmw / 4×4 owners are still dangers tho

I think its a “critical mass” thing as in there are now enough cyclists in the city to be seen as usual and legitimate road users.

Defensive riding is the thing – when the road is only just two cars wide then ride in the middle of the lane. When a car comes up behind move out into the road then back into the kerb as it comes past to give more room. If a bus cuts you up report it. Bus companies do take it seriously IME

Useful info, but if you read what I’d written I DO DO THAT!

The bus could have used the right-hand land and drove across me

I was well away from the kerb and the car this morning squeezed between me and a car on the other side of the road.

I don’t need to go by bus. I have a bicycle, a car and a motorbike. Why shouldn’t I go by bike?

I’ll have my mobile to hand in future and take photos.

a couple of weeks ago i was just riding along… stopped (*gasp*) at a red light. all was well with the world, for about two seconds.

a bus then thunders past, brakes full on, about 10cm from my (now stationary) handlebars. he proceeded to screech to a halt on the other side of the road, about 10m over the stop line.

turns out he hadn’t planned on stopping at that particular red light, and was somewhat surprised when i did.

i don’t really know which defensive riding techniques i should have been using to avoid this. he even tried to have a go at me, but talked himself to a standstill as he realised what had actually happened.

Aristotle – have you reported the bus driver? If not please do so – we don’t need people with attitudes like that driving buses.

Unfortunately and foolishly, in the heat of survival, I didn't get the bus details.

I normally have my phone in the pouch on the strap of my courier bag, but didn't have the courier bag with me.

In future I will get details.

I'm considering fitting blades to my axles and wing-mirrors with centre-punches.

A .50 calibre gun and a flame-thrower on the rack might be taking things too far, but I reckon I'd be given more room.

In answer to your original question, it's always been like that, but its bound to get worse isn't it?
I mean, how many new drivers pass their test every day? How many people actually give up driving each day? I'm certain the former totally outnumbers the latter, so it's never going to get any better.

Aristotle – I suggest you take the middle when you go onto a roundabout – the right hand side of the left lane. Don't let them squeeze you in the edge.

Its not just against cyclists. I had two close misses yesterday in rush hour Manchester. I'm generally good at reading other drivers and both were spot on last night (neither with indicators).

I was cycling out of Exeter back to my house along a shortish bit of dual-carriage way a few weeks back, when a tractor with a large trailer overtook me and then pulled back in too soon forcing me off the road. I shouted, etc. but he ignored me and carried on. I cycled on following him, and he pulled into the farm next to my house. This gave me the opportunity to give him a few choice words – he then came out with something so stupid I had to laugh……."well it's illegal for bikes to be on a dual-carriage way, so it's your fault." Uh, pardon? Did you actually pass you driving test or ever read the highway code?!*!?

With numpties like this around I really do dispair!

complain about the bus driver in writing. professional drivers should NOT be allowed to behave like that. they set an example to the rest of us. that is not the examplr to be setting.

I think now that a lot of drivers have totally swallowed the rop-off Britain/ stealth tax bollox spouted by the Mail et al and feel that they ought to be turfing everything else off the roads seeing as they have rights you know.
I'm still convinced that the most aggresive dangerous drivers on the road today are 30-40 year old women.

I think the seething level of aggression that is a common trait across this land seems to be becoming increasingly overt in larger numbers of people. More and more there is a general assumption that rudeness, bullying and aggression are necessary modes of every day conduct. How many times does one read or hear the proposed first response to anything is violence (viz the classic kicking dogs threads on here).

We've always been a pugilistic bunch, but we seem hell bent on allowing ourselves to be wound up by little things and then taking them out on others in a big way.

I'm not sure it's new as such, but it definitely feels like the "me, me, me" concept is getting worse. While i despair of the Labour governments from 1997 to now for their wish to try to legislate every aspect of our lives, there is something in the idea of respect and citizenship that we could all do to learn from.

'People' feel invulnerable in cars -nowadays even small ones

How dare a person on a bike decide to use the same road as somebody driving to work?! Why should they have to slow a bit to allow the bike to pass the parked cars? Why shouldn't they just squeeze past? "Because they're worth it!"

-take away the car and the drivers who have wronged(!) me are probably not the type who would be aggressive to my face.

Modern cars also allow 'People' to drive very badly and erratically and get away with it.

For some reason, a lot of 'people' take offence at the smallest slight/delay whilst they're driving a car and react badly. It's probably worse in busy areas with a lot of traffic lights.

Red light jumping and ignoring by both bikes and cars seems to have been becoming more and more common in the past 5 or so years and I'm not the only one to have noticed it.

What has made the UK stand out from some other countries is the level of 'consideration for others' (think of our attitude to queueing), although I suspect that this has changed slightly in recent years. I would say that British people are becoming very selfish types and we are, of course, considered ignorant thugs by many of our European neighbours!

queueing? Thats the one thing that gets me all 'Falling Down'. Im a stickler for it. two scrotes pushed infront of me at the self-service at asda. Blatantly. I waited until the next till was free then said loudly 'I dont think so'.. Corrr I was propa Michael douglas!

I live on a road that has one bus service use it
Due to parked cars the buses drive down more or less the middle of the road
Usually most drivers keep to their side when you come to pass them [very considerate 8)
Except one guy,he came barrelling along dead center,i could see that there wouldnt be a lot of room spare when he passed me and was making no attempt to keep more to his side than mine
So i drifted into his path, forcing him to stop,he starts shouting[quite the angry type this driver]for me to move over and let him pass.
i refuse[cos i enjoy confrontation when im in the right 😈 ]
And tell him that i am also a road user and have a right to cycle on the road without arseholes like him driving around thinking they own this road
He shouts something about his bus having right of way and this is a bus route..
AHA! got him
So i then ask -Why were you driving on MY side of the road,and very sarcasticly ask whether he understands why there is while line running down the middle of the road,i then asked him
I'm on MY side of the road ,which side were 'you' on? forcing him to admit he was on the wrong side ,he went red and was unable to answer.
Flushed with my success i went happily home and drafted a strongly worded letter to the bus company which i followed up a few days later 😉
The bus company seemed mortified that their driver would behave in such a selfish manner and how this wasnt in the companys ethos to do such thing[standard suck-up letter]
Job done
On another excursion through Shawlands [in Glasgow]down to my fav LBS i had anothert driver tailgate me [he was seriously close that i was beginning to panic that i might hit a pot hole and fall under his wheels with him having no time to aviod me or stop.
As i came up to one of these traffic islands ,i signalled i was stopping[using the highway code signal for a cyclist slowing down till a stop]
Then turned to the driver and asked him to 'please leave a proper distance between us as is safe.
He looks down his nose and dismisses my request saying i should ride in the gutter "where cyclists belong" 😯
Wrong thing to say to me 😈
I do nothing,he cannot get past because theres a pavement one one side and the traffic island on the other.
A couple of minutes pass i aint going anywhere,he's hard on the horn,yet still i do nothing
This is Saturday afternoon and this area is a very busy shopping centre,and im blocking 100 yrds of traffic
The driver nudges the bus forward in a threatening manner,still standing across my bike i turn ,mobile in hand shouting ,'im phoning the police',he shits himself jumps out the cab and starts whining his foot slipped and he make sure he keeps his distance in future.

Flushed with success 😆 :lol:…..i draft another letter……and a follow up 😉

I'm still convinced that the most aggresive dangerous drivers on the road today are 30-40 year old women.

I do sometimes wonder why there always seems to be a Clio/mini/X5/Q7* within 6 feet of my cars rear end being driven by aforementioned women….

*They also seem to drive small cars, or huge cars, not many in mid sized cars.

Thats alot of angry ladies looking for some soothing massages…..
.
.
.
….alrighhhhht
.
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.

….alrighhhhht

😆

Give as good as you get (Or worse)
Bang on the side of some cars
Follow them and have a good old shouting match
Use your best Anglo-Saxon swearwords
Get the blood boiling
Rip a few wing mirrors off

It's good to blow your top now and then. Good for the soul.

😉

Suggest you watch some football to get tips on falling down and creating a fuss

aarrrrrrggghh, argggggghhhh, 20 quid I think not! arrrrgghhh ambulance, arrrrgghhh, 50 quid? lets see if I can get up?

Know a guy who chased down a caravan that cut him up, beat the hell out of it as they're not that tough

Other tip, buses often have emergency stop buttons on them somewhere, have made use of these before

Open the tailgate, boot or rear passenger door on a car (especially in heavy traffic). Oh, and then leg it.

I have been thru many stages of this. Eventually I have come to where I am now. Don't let it ruin your day and upset them if you can. drivers who pull out of side roads at you – big scream so they know you are there then either a big stoppie right at the side of the car or a big slide so they think you are about to crash into them – give them a scare. Then ride off laughing.

Pass too close – slap the side of the car – but don't do damage – find a good insult " hope yer next craps a pineapple" ride off laughing

Make "you have a tiny dinkle" sign at over aggressive drivers – and ride off laughing!

I have seen folk really frightened when they suddenly see what appears to be an out of control bicyclist hurtling at them – its best if you do a stoppie right at the drivers door while screaming for the cars who pull out of side roads in your path.

You get the idea? Much better for your blood pressure. They get upset, you have a laugh at their expense. Maybe they even learn a lesson if they get a fright.

Open the tailgate, boot or rear passenger door on a car (especially in heavy traffic). Oh, and then leg it.

Parts of Manchester I ride through, I'd have to be literally faster than a bullet….

As an interesting aside, it would appear that our roads are getting safer!

http://www.rospa.com/news/releases/2009/pr699_25_06_09_road.htm

Parts of Manchester I ride through, I'd have to be literally faster than a bullet….

According to STW some folk are!

I used to commute. Everyday there was an incident where, I felt my life was in danger from a driver.
Oh that comment 'I just didn't see you', is laughable when you're left shaking and angry at the kerb side, having had a near miss.

i have often thought about having a "use a headcam day" for all commuters (those that have one obviously) and record as many incidents on that particular day

unfortunately i don't know what we would do with all the recorded incidents – press/police ??

Had a car squeeze past me the other day when commuting. Was in a rush to get past and did not see a car coming the other way. Just swerved my way missing my bar by 2 inches. Idiot. Had all been fine until 5pm when all the people are in a rush to get home.

Gooner: I often ride with my joystick light on my helm and I have definitely noticed that drivers think it's a camera and give extra space 🙂

Having said that, I do think drivers attitude to cyclists in Exeter are generally improving. There's still blind inconsiderate twonks though (I generally give extra space to any driver wearing a hat, that's always a bad sign)

Parts of Manchester I ride through, I'd have to be literally faster than a bullet….

or just more manoeuvrable?

Here's my helmet cam contribution http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl1mr73qMPk

The short answer is Yes and seems to correlate with Audi drivers. From my owm empirical research (e.g. of each occasion I nearly get knocked off/desatched to the next world etc there seems to be an amazingingly reliable correlation between bad/inconsiderate/arrogant driving and Audis.