I’m used to that by now.

Its their reaction to you once they know you’re still alive! It seems to be getting worse!

I was riding down a steep, straight descent into work this morning at a fair old pace. Woman comes whizzing past me in a Corsa, half pulls out to overtake the bus in front of her, then for reasons known only to herself, decides not too. She slams on, then swings the car back in towards the kerb. And I mean RIGHT towards the kerb. In the space I’m about to be occupying. I hit the brakes and just manage to stop before putting a me-shaped dint in the back of her car

Further up I manage to pull alongside her. She finally notices me. I point at her mirrors to remind her where they are, and indicate that she might want to try using them occasionally.

She curls her nose up, flicks me the V’s, mouthed ‘**** OFF!’ to me then accelerates away. Before thoughtfully taking the time to beep her horn, turn around and flick the V’s at me again!

The world is full of some lovely examples of humanity isn’t it?

It’s why I largely commute offroad these days…

yup i will try the off road route as well

yep, it truly is amazing, they almost kill you, but you deserved it because you arent in a car.
these people are very rarely like this when they are out of the vehicle.
assholes.

Seems to be getting more and more prevalent whether you are on a bike or driving a car….people seem to be less & less willing to just hold a hand up & admit they were wrong…..

Quite often when driving I have taken evasive action to avoid someone who hasn’t seen me and is about to/starting to do something stupid.
A toot of the horn normally results in a quick glance, continuation of the dubious manoeuvre and then lashings of fist waving/coffee bean shaking, flipping the bird and mouthing of words rhyming with banker….

Had a bloke in a Merc ML do something similar to what you have described while in a row of traffic following a tractor (while I was on a bike). He HAD to get past me even though there was no room in front to occupy and I was travelling at the same speed as the traffic in front.
He made several pulling alongside moves, then attempts to squeeze me against the kerb as cars came past from the other direction, before falling back and getting increasingly agitated. In the end I backed off to give him some room to move into & then proceeded to still keep up with him & the rest of the traffic for a further 1/2 mile or so. All the time he was effing and jeffing and waving his hands about that I had done something wrong….
At least the next person behind, realised that there was no point in doing the same thing that he had done…..

Crazy isn’t it.

I don’t think I leave an unfeasibly large gap to the car in front when I am on the motorbike, in fact it’s the same gap I would leave when I drive the car.

But for some reason, some drivers, just HAVE to pass the vehicle in front, and insert themselves in the space. I don’t understand.

And anyway, I am going to get in front of you at the lights, and oops, can’t find 1st. Oops, I’ve stalled it. Oh no, the lights have changed. Just enough time to get one wee motorbike through…

I’m so glad I don’t need to use roads to get to most places I need 😀

hels – Member
And anyway, I am going to get in front of you at the lights, and oops, can’t find 1st. Oops, I’ve stalled it. Oh no, the lights have changed. Just enough time to get one wee motorbike through…

😀

I find walking the most dangerous and have nearly got knocked over countless times in the last few weeks. The thing that really gets to you though is peoples reaction. They do something stupid, nearly kill you and then shout abuse out like it’s your own fault. From people driving up pavements to avoid a queue of traffic, driving through red lights at pedestrian crossings, to suddenly reversing without looking behind them. It’s crazy and getting crazier IMHO.

Never react, it really doesn’t help. Instead do something like this:

And anyway, I am going to get in front of you at the lights, and oops, can’t find 1st. Oops, I’ve stalled it. Oh no, the lights have changed. Just enough time to get one wee motorbike through

😀

Hats off for that one Hels 😀

Don’t get mad, get even…

Not convinced it is getting worse – it’s a bit like perception of crime; the older you get the more negative “scaring” experiences you pick up so your perception of what it’s like now gets worse.

The car haterz will rip into me for this but I think this is why we (as in the cycling community) need to be seen to act responsibly on the road by the wider community. Drivers are coming into these incidents with negative preconceptions about cyclists built up through their own observations and comment in the press and consciously or subconsciously view us as 2nd class citizens and in the wrong before they even think about what has just happened.

You are right though – life would be much better if more folks held their hand up to being in the wrong rather than going on the defensive, and that includes the cyclists too.

Hehe. On the flip side, a few choice words can reduce them to tears.

Some lardbucket beeped at me for having the audacity to move into one of those middle-of-the-lanes cycle lane at a set of lights when she was dangerously close (as in not actually dangerously close but a good 30-50m behind me). She eventually pulled up beside and wound the window to start with the verbal abuse, so I just shouted “button it, fatty!” and she started bawling. Pure made my week, that did.

I can’t get with the ‘they’re all out to kill us’ attitude. I can’t say I have noticed my daily commute through manchester has got any more dangerous in the last 10 years. I have seen plenty of drivers make bad decisions and mistakes, and I would be lying if I said hadn’t done the same on the bike. Similarly, some drivers act like dicks, and so do some cyclists. I quite enjoy a bit of banter with some drivers, and won’t shy away from a heated exchange. Some folk seem to think any stranger on or off a bike could be a dangerous nutter out to get them; I’m no tough guy, but I can’t see the point in choosing to live in fear of the world.

She eventually pulled up beside and wound the window to start with the verbal abuse, so I just shouted “button it, fatty!” and she started bawling. Pure made my week, that did.

Post of the week. 😆

The latest fashion around my way seems to be for drivers at t-junctions joining the main road I’m on to just pull out as I’m virtually opposite the junction they’re exiting. They then wonder why I’m getting upset at their attempts to t-bone me.

The other night on the way to the pub in Edinburgh I was nearly knocked off by a taxi. It was in a stationary queue of traffic (which I was filtering up the inside of) and suddenly pulled into the inside as if to try to go round the car in front without signalling. I nearly went into the side of him, but he saw me just in time and stopped.
I pulled over 25 metres along the road and waited. He pulled along side and said “sorry mate I nearly shat myself there” I said “me too!”.
First time in a while that such an incident hasn’t resulted in someone swearing and gesticulating at me!

She eventually pulled up beside and wound the window to start with the verbal abuse, so I just shouted “button it, fatty!” and she started bawling. Pure made my week, that did.

Was probably about to ask you for directions… 😳

I reckon a lot of people react aggressively purely as some kind of inbuilt defence mechanism against the total embarrassment they’ve just caused themselves when they realise what they’ve done.

The latest fashion around my way seems to be for drivers at t-junctions joining the main road I’m on to just pull out as I’m virtually opposite the junction they’re exiting

That REALLY gets my goat too. Making good eye contact with drivers at jucntions usually stops most of this, but accelerating, and aiming squarely at their door panel with a crazy look in your eye when that doesn’t work is at least satisfying.

If you can get a decent to speed it is possible to make them drive on the wrong side of the road for some considerable distance! (I know I shouldn’t but red mist and all that…. 😳 )

Get one of these, continuously records,until the battery goes flat. and only 15 quid.

http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=110355

and here is afilm of me from a rear facing camera, fixed to my helmet, on some dodgy bends , watch out for the kid in the volkswagen, and the pickfords driver overtaking on a slow marking,on double white lines going uphill, aproaching a rh bend.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RRa8ZdUm0U[/video]

I had a similar incident to the OP except I did go into the back of the car at about 20mph , and put a very big dent in it, and in me too! He was more worried about the back of his 4×4 than me lying in the bus lane.

I reckon a lot of people react aggressively purely as some kind of inbuilt defence mechanism against the total embarrassment they’ve just caused themselves when they realise what they’ve done.

this, first response at anyone pointing out some dodgy manouvre is “**** off” even when 30seconds later they’ll review it in their head and think “oh yeah that was stupid”

That’s well dodgy project, if that was my commute I’d be about 1′ to the left of those double lines, if there’s not room to safely pass (and you shouldn’t be overtaking anyway) you aint passing. Takes a bit of bottle but IME most drivers are chilled about it and don’t try to pass, the ones who rant and beep are the ones who would have passed dangerously and nearly killed you….instead they are merely giving you some earache.

Was probably about to ask you for directions…

Given the wild gesticulations as I looked over my shoulder to see who was beeping who and the look of frothing anger in her eyes as she fumbled with the window winder, I reckon she was about to *give* me some directions…

Project – what size memory card are you using & do you find it skips frames at all? I know some only record in 5min blocks & aslo skip a few seconds between clips too?

Would not mind finding something like that to record my hour commute.

She curls her nose up, flicks me the V’s, mouthed ‘**** OFF!’ to me then accelerates away. Before thoughtfully taking the time to beep her horn, turn around and flick the V’s at me again!

Blowing that type a kiss, normally sends them into orbit 😉

I had a woman drive at me from behind on a side street near home, nearly knocking me off. When I pulled up beside her at the t-junction, about 20 yards in front of us, I tapped on her window and just gurned at her for what must have been a full 2 minutes, making noises like I was Sloth from the Goonies. She absolutely shite herself and I’ve never chuckled so hard in my life.

I might get one of those cameras. Perhaps we could have a competition for dumbest driver of the week.

I have a realtive short commute (2 miles) and only 20% of that is on the road: three short stretches. 4 days out of 5 i have to take avoidance action because some idiot didn’t use there mirrors/took a junction too fast/plain isn’t looking. I think i’m going to have to use my trout light on full beam even when it is light as a bright red jacket clearly blends into the background too much.

Seems to be an issue with city folk rather than just drivers doesn’t it, all these urban warrior types (bike and car) getting all uptight and aggressive towards each other :sigh:

Concrete jungle innit……

Up The Flying Ox! Now THAT’S FUNNY! Made my day has that. T

Ski a 4 gb memory card,in both the muvi, for the you tube footage and the 7 day shop one, the 7 day shop one overwrites the video, so if you want to keep something swop with a spare mini sd card.
Also you could have 2 cameras one as a standby, for the brimstage bends vid, i never realised that the drivers where so close and so stupid.

TFO
She probably beeped you to draw attention to the fact that your light was obscured and wound down the window to tell you the same. 😕
Another vote lost.

project – Member
Get one of these, continuously records,until the battery goes flat. and only 15 quid.

Looking at that vid, I reckon ignorance is bliss. I reckon I’d just scare myself in to never going on the road again….

I think we definitely need some

Button it, fatty!

T shirts printed up 😆

tbh I’m with Donk on that one, Project you need to be further out from the curb – make them ‘really’ overtake you.

If I were project i’d be on the pavement for that stretch

I suppose there’s two things I’d propose, one, ride more road dominant so they have to properly overtake you, two, buy armoured gloves for the commute, i know they’ll be hot but if something like this happens and you feel you are absolutely justified, there’s not a chance you’re done anything wrong, smash the wing mirror off with said armoured gloves, then get yourself out of there or be prepared to use armoured gloves on their face 😀

punch the car at the lights. I find that sometimes gets the point across.

and here is afilm of me from a rear facing camera, fixed to my helmet, on some dodgy bends , watch out for the kid in the volkswagen, and the pickfords driver overtaking on a slow marking,on double white lines going uphill, aproaching a rh bend.

All those drivers crossing the solid white line should get points on their license! Can you read the numberplates on the original footage?

Do you (or anyone with a camera like this) make a compilation DVD and mail it off to the filth every month? Do you reckon they would act on it?

I commute 25miles per day and I’ve had one ‘issue’ in the past year, and that was mostly my fault (filtering through stationary cross traffic and someone reversed into me).

I honestly don’t understand what most cycle commuters rant and rave about. I have little issue with other drivers at all whilst commuting for the past 6 years. Ok I’ll probably now have them all this evening but meh, doesn’t bother me too much.

What I abhor is the other cyclists that don’t seem to understand what the highway code is and/or RLJ. Traffic lights are great for sprint practice IMO and 9/10 I pass RLJ’ers shortly after anyway.

The way I see it is that, I know we’re perceived as the pests of the road, so surely by having good road manners and trying not to disrupt the flow of traffic, then you shan’t have too many problems.

EDIT: You are actually allowed to cross the white lines to overtake bicycles and other vehicles if they are travelling at less than 10mph. Rule 129 of the highway code. Obviously the caveat of “if it is safe to do so” applies here as it does to every rule of the road.

If project is going < 10 mph then they are entitled to cross the solid lines to overtake.