Approaching the lights at the junction just before Southwark Bridge and a van lurches into the left-hand lane, causing all the cyclists to brake to let him in.

Behind me I heard someone start shouting at the top of his lungs at the van driver. When we all came to a halt at the lights, I could hear (I didn’t turn my head) the driver start shouting back. When he wasn’t getting anywhere (“Cyclists have the right of way!”) the cyclist asked “Anyone? Yeah?” and one or two (including me) turned round to look.

There they were, each bellowing at the other at the top of their lungs and neither paying any attention to what was being said. They looked like a couple of fighting dogs on leashes.

Finally, the cyclist shouted “Grow up!” and the driver came straight back with “No, YOU grow up!”

It occurred to me that that’s just the sort of response a child would come back with and I thought the cyclist might have had a point.

Anyway, as the traffic started to move off, the driver wound down both windows and was still shouting for all he was worth (at who I don’t know, the cyclist had gone) and as he paused for breath I just looked at him, smiled and said “Have a nice day”.

I thought his head was going to explode. 😆

Nice story. I really wish I commuted on a bike in London.

I cycle in from the rural charm and calm of Surrey outside the M25, but once on Boris’s “CS7” it can get a tad tense.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY-03vYYAjA[/video]

DaveyBoyWonder – Member

Nice story. I really wish I commuted on a bike in London.

Whenever I see footage of cyclists in London, I feel that Clarkson has a point. 🙂

Whenever I see footage of cyclists in London, I feel there is still some hope of getting people out of their cars.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYXMxDQfHC4[/video]

I thought his head was going to explode.

Years ago, I had a run-in with a chap in a 3-series. Took it upon himself to assert his superiority over a young lad in a Mk1 Fiesta. Said young lad, being as the Americans might say “full of spunk”, was having none of it.

Long story short, we were locked in mortal combat on the Queen’s public highways for a good while with him getting angrier and angrier, and going redder and redder, as time went on. I pulled alongside him as I dodged off down a slip road, and he was full on screaming at me, leant across the passenger seat, shaking his fist and everything (I didn’t know people actually did that, but seemingly so).

I made eye contact, and blew him a kiss. *mmwah*

He paused mid-rant, freeze frame, mouth wide open and fist still in the air, for a heartbeat. Then went absolutely spare, properly batshit mental at me, I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Funniest thing ever.

When you actually live and ride in London rather than view it through internet/newspaper/YouTube anecdotes (which are NOT data), you’ll find in many ways it’s paradise.

Traffic is generally slower than cycling, the sights are world-famous (Buckingham Palace on your daily commute anyone?), drivers are very used to cyclists, and cyclists are everywhere.

I get far more grief on club rides out to Kent at the weekend, or at the beginning and end of my commute in suburban Bromley than I do the Central London part of my commute…

Did you see that Road Rage programme after the Fargo the other day? Where the van driver/taxi driver/courier/lady cyclist all swapped gender roles?
The way London folk talk about cyclists/taxis/van drivers is as if it’s the same EVERYWHERE. “Taxis/Cyclists do this blah blah blah”. No, LONDON cyclists/taxis do that.
It ain’t the same where I commute.

^ I know, another cool story. 8)

Red-faced apoplectic drivers is it?

Then may I commend this video?
(warning: involves a very angry driver swearing.. A LOT.. at an increasingly angry cyclist)

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99_E4e4Ce0o[/video]

More on the story here:
http://road.cc/content/news/121405-video-my-name-penis-head-%E2%80%94-meet-britains-sweariest-driver

I made eye contact, and blew him a kiss. *mmwah*

Haha. I did exactly that to a local driver in Spain a few years back. I was in a Spanish plated hire car, and not knowing the road system 100%, I harmlessly, albeit accidentally, waited a beat too long in the wrong part of a junction to make a turning. Cue the Spaniard pulling close enough to my car that the wing mirrors were touching, leaning his head almost right into my car and launching into an absolutely MENTAL SWEARY tirade.

I couldn’t understand a word he was saying so I just puckered up, blew him a kiss, and drove off. Fast.

Turns out that didn’t impress him too much either, as he then followed me at speed, inches from my car, for a good few miles. I don’t just mean behind me either… this was proper Knight Rider stuff – he was definitely trying to run me off the road at one point.

But the best part of it all was that I had my (now ex) wife and her parents in the car with me. Cowering. Hee.

Oh, the laughs we had recalling that story. Not.

I get far more grief on club rides out to Kent at the weekend, or at the beginning and end of my commute in suburban Bromley than I do the Central London part of my commute…

*Waves*

I cycle commute from the West End to catch my train at Bromley twice a week. Normally it’s no bother at all, aside from TFL’s finest psychotic bus drivers.

I cycle around the hills on a road that has gates at both ends to stop motor vehicles. yesterday I saw a deer. Today I saw a red squirrel. Fortunately neither of them cut me up or left hooked me. In fact, neither of them even seemed to be confrontational.

grahams: not one of the cyclists in that video jumped a red light. Absolutely shocking.

grahams: not one of the cyclists in that video jumped a red light. Absolutely shocking.

Disappointing video. It really needed a conclusion. Preferably with “penis-head” lying in the gutter gurgling his own blood. Not “I don’t need to, I’ve got a camera”. Rubbish.

I had a full bore steaming head-to-head with a chap on a scooter a couple of weeks ago.
He went to cut me up at a pinch point so I blocked him and said something like “don’t you ****ing dare”.
We then had a 5mph incoherent slanging match the basis of which was he didn’t like the fact that I’d swore at him… so much so that he threatened to shoot me, then go and get his car and run me over.
If one person is speaking over the other, it can quickly escalate into a slanging match.
It’s good for the soul.

Someone was over taking me on the way in the other day, either they were cutting it fine and messed up on the judgement by an inch or two, or they had no idea about me or the traffic island and it was a complete surprise, but they hit the sharp kerb and ripped a hole in the tyre.

“Brrrm, crash, psssss, crump, crump, crump” up the road to pull off at the next turning.

I thought about going to help, but I was already late for work, so didn’t really have time to help change a tyre. Didn’t want herm to think I was gloating either.

it can quickly escalate into a slanging match.
It’s good for the soul.

Really?

I spent 4 months commuting by car from Guildford to Maidstone. There were only about 2 sets of lights and a couple of roundabouts between my house and the office, with an hour or more of multilane boredome in between. I actually started to appreciate pushy, sweary, arsehole drivers. some reflief from the skull crushig boredom!

Didn’t want herm to think I was gloating either.

I had a similar issue one morning when I watched a car in the oncoming lane turn left into a “Bikes Only” road and smash into the bollards.

It was a low speed shunt so they were fine – but I suspect if I’d stopped to ask I’d have got a right earful. 😆

(This road in Gateshead if you care)

Scared to ride home now, especially after two Police mopeds nearly took me out this morning, he then had a go at me for shouting. Be careful.

“Nice story. I really wish I commuted on a bike in London.”

By far the best place I have ever commuted.

GrahamS – Member

I had a similar issue one morning when I watched a car in the oncoming lane turn left into a “Bikes Only” road and smash into the bollards.

I think they may have since changed the layout, but there’s a junction in Cambridge (over the railway bridge turning left towards the Junction, for any locals) where several times I have seen motorists turn left into the wide mouthed cycle lane only to find out that it soon gets quite narrow. 😆

Aye that got mentioned on road.cc the other day.
This one?

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/News/The-moment-a-car-crossed-cycle-bridge-07012013.htm

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