So, on the way to my club ride this morning an approach a mini roundabout at which I’d make a left turn, I’m riding along with my left arm out when I hear an engine, glance right and see a whit van headlight level with my hip and nerve rackingly close.

As I turn left, said vehicle tried to squeeze between me and the centre island bollard dividing the left hand approach/exit from the roundabout on a single lane road – he has to brake otherwise I’m going off, or he’s mounting the island. As this occurs I’m shaking my head.

Now, said white van drive races ahead of me, slams his brakes on whilst positioned diagonally across the road – also holding up other traffic – open the window, and shout “come ‘ere you ***t, “come ‘ere” very aggressively.

Not wanting to be involved I’m doing a track stand 10ft behind his van. “You, you’re a **** asshole he rants, **** you you asshole” and proceeds to zoom off.

Now, its nothing more than an aggressive attempt at intimidation by an idiot/pyscho – but should it be reported? I do have a partial plate and obviously a vehicle and person description.

Always worth reporting IMO even if no contact, maybe the latest in a series of complaints against a serial road rager

Report him to muddydwarf..that’l learn im.

Report it.

Sounds like one of those situations where it might have been better not signalling. If the van didn’t know you were going left he might have let you go through the mini RAB before overtaking.

What hilldodger said.

Some years ago I was in a similar situation on a motorbike. I noted the company name on the lorry involved and made a complaint to them. A week later I received a letter stating that the driver was an agency worker whom they had received a number of other complaints about. The letter went on to say that they had refused to have that driver work for them again and had terminated their contract with that agency.

it sounds to me like he was probably stopping to apologise and offer to take you for dinner but became enraged by your trackstand showboating..

no one likes a clever clogs

Report, and hopefully with a few more he receives a section 59, and has vehicle impounded before he seriously hurts someone.

Report him. People with anger issues like that are a danger to everyone around them and probably shouldn’t be given a driving licence until they’ve received counselling!

I had a similar incident – run off the road but Police weren’t interested unless I had full reg, make of vehicle and location. I got the distinct feeling they would have preferred it if I hadn’t called. Might be wrong but they weren’t making it easy…. so hope you have better luck.

The key element that the media fail to emphasise about cycling in the UK is the level of aggression and harassment we face and it needs to be brought out into the open and made socially unacceptable. It’s already illegal but that doesn’t seem to make much of a difference!

Mind you, lots of drivers being very courteous today so I guess recent events are making an impact somewhere

Yunki. Fking brilliant 😆

The patronising head shake does wind people up but I find myself doing it unconsciously at others and it does make me seethe a little when it’s done to me.

Another reason why Im going to start putting a gopro which I use for MTB on for all road rides. Ive had so many close calls recently normally by cars overtaking in REALLY dangerous spots narrowly missing other vehicles and/or me.

Last week a big 4×4 overtook slowly leaving very little room, them immediately (<10 metres) braked and indicated to turn right, causing me a my fellow riders to brake hard and stop behind him. I did wave my arms in disgust but didnt get verbal only for him to then sit on his horn giving it the full beans (fingers and verbal from behind his windscreen) as if we were in the wrong…t*sser.

Report. Next cyclist who offends him might end up worse off and any previous may help..

As a matter of course i report any car that i feel threatened by, at least if they do it again the police know they have form.

I have been told by the police that they have spoken to some of the drivers, what was said no idea. But i do know one of the drivers gives me ALOT more room since i reported him.

Should he be reported, definitely, the guy sounds like a tit with anger issues. Can you be assed with the hassle, well thats a different matter entirely.

Just another example of an angry white van man.

Report it ,and also mention that he may have been at your Xmas party 😉

So, on the way to my club ride this morning an approach a mini roundabout at which I’d make a left turn, I’m riding along with my left arm out when I hear an engine, glance right and see a whit van headlight level with my hip and nerve rackingly close

It wasnt this muppet was it.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFmiSF5v_Qk[/video]Just report the psycho-pathetic little prat

Report it. Earlier this year I reported a bloke on an Audi who drove past me like he was in a movie car chase forcing gaps and undertaking . Just on my call the police sent an officer round to scare him .

The key element that the media fail to emphasise about cycling in the UK is the level of aggression and harassment we face and it needs to be brought out into the open and made socially unacceptable.

^^ This.

Please report it.

Get his details and ill get my Mrs to cook for him.

Reported, apparently an investigator will call me soon.

I’d like to think he gets a visit at least, but unfortunately suspect that won’t be the case. My view is (as above) I hope this avoids him causing issues with other people tbh.

I’d view that as roadrage/verbal assault and dial 999.

An update:

The police called me yesterday, to state I had done the right thing and what he’d actually done was a Public Order offence which is arrest-able, and carries an associated punishment and that they would be visiting on him and depending on his attitude at the time, the minimum he’d receive is a caution, progressing to points on his licence, progressing to some kind of community service. The also told me as a result of the recent publicity this kind of thing has increased lately, and we should report these drivers as several have repeat offences against cyclists. They also mentioned that my lack of verbal reply or physical engagement was entirely the right thing to do, and had possibly saved me from being assaulted as he would have probably escalated his behaviour.

Worth reporting, don’t put up with it just report it.

Surrey Police have a text number this Christmas for reporting drunk drivers. A similar thing to report these sort of things would be good.

If a vehicle has a company name on it I have found using their Twitter very effective at getting a response too.

@Kryton

Glad to hear that response from the police and that they’re doing something about it.

The police called me yesterday, to state I had done the right thing and what he’d actually done was a Public Order offence which is arrest-able, and carries an associated punishment and that they would be visiting on him and depending on his attitude at the time, the minimum he’d receive is a caution,

Wow, what force is that? I was clipped by a ‘horny’ driver who then jumped out, knocked me over and punched me in the head half a dozen+ times.

West mids police told me it wasn’t serious and that they wouldn’t do anything except ask him to write a letter of apology (“I regret that we bumped into each other” is what I got).

Then when a driver did the cut up and brake thing while I was trying to go left, forcing me to crash into the back of him they said “it’s very bad driving but there’s no point in us trying to prosecute so we’re just going to file it”.

Then, a couple of months ago a driver on the phone clipped me while overtaking through a pinch point. Warwickshire police decided ‘no further action’. That was after I went into the station to report it and the desk sergeant started telling me stories about lawbreaking cyclists he’d seen 😕 “He shouldn’t have hit you, but i once saw a cyclist pull onto a roundabout without looking…” 🙄

Another Warwickshire police officer told me “if you get hit by a driver using a mobile then that’s just the risk you take because bikes aren’t always visible”.

These were all with full video of the incidents!

this just further encourages me to take a stronger defensive ‘secondary position’ normally and to remember I can adopt the primary position where the road is unsafe for idiots to come past without risking knocking me for six. I do it now but often am closer to give them space, I really shouldnt.

edit: reminds me, can anybody recommend a little usb chargable video camera that can be mounted on a bike and run for hour/hour half with removable or downloadable media? I figure an hour is all i need for commutting and happy to usually over right the previous ride unless something happens?

Bails, I’d be pushing that with the PCC or whatever the police complaints thing is called these days

+1, although you complain to the relevant police force first, but that is really shit if it was as described.

The assault I did complain about. My MP at the time raised it with the force to look at. They decided that everything was fine so didn’t do anything.

The others were all as described, I got the letters/phone calls saying “soz CBA, LOL” and didn’t bother complaining because it’s such an institutional thing (someone else had a carbon copy of my assault happen to them, same ‘local resolution or nothing’ from WMP. Other local cyclists have reported hit and runs/collisions and had the same “we don’t care” response from them). It’s not a case of one lazy officer messing up, it’s the attitude, approach and processes of the whole force.

Wow, what force is that? I was clipped by a ‘horny’ driver who then jumped out, knocked me over and punched me in the head half a dozen+ times.

West mids police told me it wasn’t serious and that they wouldn’t do anything except ask him to write a letter of apology (“I regret that we bumped into each other” is what I got).

Then when a driver did the cut up and brake thing while I was trying to go left, forcing me to crash into the back of him they said “it’s very bad driving but there’s no point in us trying to prosecute so we’re just going to file it”.

Then, a couple of months ago a driver on the phone clipped me while overtaking through a pinch point. Warwickshire police decided ‘no further action’. That was after I went into the station to report it and the desk sergeant started telling me stories about lawbreaking cyclists he’d seen “He shouldn’t have hit you, but i once saw a cyclist pull onto a roundabout without looking…”

Another Warwickshire police officer told me “if you get hit by a driver using a mobile then that’s just the risk you take because bikes aren’t always visible”.

These were all with full video of the incidents!

I would send these stories (along with the videos) to all major UK newspapers – followed by major cycling blogs, followed by posts places like reddit – amalgamate the videos into one long video to make it easier.

Stuff like this needs to be heard, it’s too late for you to get a response from the Police but at least you might expose this type of behavior more!

To the OP – how did you get the full licence plate out of interest? Or was what you had enough to go on based on the description of the van also?

It was the Met.

Plyphon, I remembered the plate as it was easy to do so, and the description of both driver and vehicle. I should have added above though that because there is no CCTV or witness if he denies it it’s his word against mine.

They did say even though, the visit may be enough to make him think twice in the future.

The patronising head shake does wind people up but I find myself doing it unconsciously at others and it does make me seethe a little when it’s done to me.

Almost as good as the ‘tut tut finger waggle’ that really inflames things…