Forum menu
If anyone knows the roadie that had an altercation with a taxi driver in Mildenhall (Suffolk) this afternoon (about six), tell him he should be ashamed of himself and I have reported it to the Police and encouraged the taxi driver to do likewise!
Rider came up the street at speed, passed me (in my car, I'd just turned right onto that road), dived to the inside, Taxi driver turns left, rider going to fast to react other than mount the pavement, cut across front of taxi just missing car coming the other way. He then storms back to taxi driver raging at him and smashed his wing mirror off and rode off. Now regardless of the rights and wrongs of who did what as far as road use is concerned, that was criminal damage and everone watching (it was busy) will make their own conclusions about him and other cyclists! He was on something pretty swish as it had aero bars, he was pedominantly dressed in white kit. Don't know what the hell he thought he was trying to achieve riding through there at that speed at that time of day!
He was on for a KOM and some taxi got in the way.. Fuming
tell him he should be ashamed of himself
So it sounds like the taxi driver didn't check his mirrors properly before making the left turn cutting off the cyclist, and the cyclist should be ashamed of himself? A smashed wing mirror is the driver getting off lightly, imo.
How did he smash the mirror off?
OP implies cyclist's speed and movement meant taxi driver was both surprised and being undertaken...
+1 , undertaking a car turning left is just stupidity.OP implies cyclist's speed and movement meant taxi driver was both surprised and being undertaken...
Sound like he's a triathlete, not a cyclist.
Cloud nine think your wrong there if the guys undertaking the taxi the laws pretty clear undertaking is a no no regardless of the taxi checking or not. Name and shame the guy if you find him as he does the rest of us that cycle safely no favors when it comes to image
rider sounds like a bellend
Did the OP pull out in front of him?
got a link to back that up?the laws pretty clear undertaking is a no no
rider sounds like a [s]bellend[/s] triathlete
Did the OP pull out in front of him?
He was in sight when I pulled out but the traffic slowed and he caught up, it is narrowish street with a builders merchants (unsighted entrance), multiple other turnings, pedestrian crossings and a bus station.
Now regardless of the rights and wrongs of who did what as far as road use is concerned
..... Michaelmcc?
nickjb,we drive on the left and pass on the right in the uk.
163 - only overtake on the left if the vehicle in front is signalling to turn right, and there is room to do so
That do ya?
Cheers four banger I remember the question coming up on my theory test a few ago (31 years of age only started driving fours ago as had too at the time)
163 - does this apply if you're in a dedicated cycle lane?
Shame you cropped this bit from 163:
[i] If the queue on your right is moving more slowly than you are, you may pass on the left[/i]
You know, before the internet, nobody other than the very people who were involved would ever have known about this.
If he was a triathlete he would have fallen off before he got up to decent speed and wouldn't have the skillz to hop onto a pavement to dodge a taxi.
Shame you cropped this from 163:
stay in your lane if traffic is moving slowly in queues.
"Diving up the inside" doesn't mean you're in your own lane you just created. I really hope you only ride a bike nickjb, as you apear to know FA about the Highway Code.
You know, before the internet, nobody other than the very people who were involved would ever have known about this.
This - how does anyone other than the OP feel they're in any position to judge the cyclist?
I can't quite work out what happened here from the OPs description of events and I'm not sure how anyone else has!
What I do know is I'm getting bored of strangers judging me to be scum of the earth when I'm on my road bike...
why did you choose to report it to the police?
I'm guessing it was the criminal damage bit
I need to know if I should be outraged. Please help.
give it a go Dez, then report back
[i]I'm guessing it was the criminal damage bit[/i]
Yeh but surely that would be up to the taxi driver, it was the wing mirror from his vehicle.
Give your name as a witness, but report to the police?
He's riding down the middle (all over in fact) of a busy town street - kids, cars, buses, taxis, shoppers etc and then he takes the fact that he ****'d up out on the taxi driver? some seem to be suggesting that he can do as he pleases?
How long before his rage surfaces again, and again most stand by, watch and shrug as they carry on?
We all (well ok, some present company excepted!) make mistakes on the road, a lot of the time nobody sees, it affects noone. The cyclists behavior was not acceptable, he was the one that put himself into the position he did not the taxi driver.
fourbanger - Member
163 - only overtake on the left if the vehicle in front is signalling to turn right, and there is room to do so
That do ya?
Isn't that for motor vehicles? 'Rules for cyclists' are 52-82.
Also, rule 160 includes this:
"be aware of other road users, especially cycles and motorcycles who may be filtering through the traffic. These are more difficult to see than larger vehicles and their riders are particularly vulnerable. Give them plenty of room, especially if you are driving a long vehicle or towing a trailer"
Filtering through traffic suggest passing on the left or between lanes.
Yep, oddly I was reading an article on this sort of under/overtaking from bike pov this morning.
Where bikes are concerned it's not cut and dry is the short answer.
Personally, I tend to only roll by traffic on the left if there's a queue at a traffic light - if it's safe to do so. Obviously I'd stop at the light. Usually I'll overtake to the right simply as it's easier for drivers to understand so therefore safer for everyone.
Oh, and regarding throwing Highway Code around, you do realise it's much closer to 'best practice' than actually being the letter of the law? Not knocking it, as road users should know it, but it's not The Last Word.
Going back and smashing the taxi was definitely unwarranted and probably criminal though!
the poster said [i]the laws pretty clear undertaking is a no no[/i]. By way of proof you posted a rule that specifically lists some examples of when it is allowed. Hardly conclusive. The cyclist has done something wrong IMO, but I was looking for clarification over one specific aspect. You haven't been able to do that although maybe I wouldn't go as far to say it is because you know FA about the law. TBH 'the law' is pretty irrelevant in this case as what happened to both parties could easily have been avoided with some common sense.you apear to know FA about the Highway Code.
A bit ott but as ironic punishments go it was pretty appropriate. 😈Going back and smashing the taxi was definitely unwarranted and probably criminal though!
...everone watching (it was busy) will make their own conclusions about him and other cyclists
What if he turns out to be Irish or muslim or gay or all three?
Will everyone then make their own conclusions about gay muslim Irish people?
Why do individual cyclists always get held responsible for the public perception of all cyclists?
Well the next time I see a roadie I'll make sure to part the way in a Moses style crevice through the busy streets as not to upset him/her resulting in him/her damaging my car in a rage,after all he/her does own the road.
If the queue on your right is moving more slowly than you are, you may pass on the left
I've not checked, but I think it's safe to assume that refers to a dual carriageway? Or a queue turning right. You cant really have two queues on single carriageways can you.
So, taxi driver left-hooks cyclist. Cyclist breaks his wing mirror.
People getting knickers in twist, why?
Such is the vagaries of the highway code. There are plenty of roads throughout the UK that are not specifically dual carriageway but allow multiple lanes to form where space permits. Are these covered? In this particular case the cyclist wasn't in a separate lane, formed or otherwise, but that doesn't excuse the taxi driver from not using his mirrors before manoeuvring.
Only got the OP to go on, but
... also doesn't excuse the cyclist from not anticipating the actions of other road users, travelling at an inappropriate speed and failing to overtake only when it's safe to do so
... also doesn't excuse the cyclist from not anticipating the actions of other road users
That is ridiculous. You just blamed the victim of a left hook.
It's a left hook if the vehicle half-overtakes you and pulls left
It's not a left hook if you choose to undertake a vehicle that's already indicating
It's not really a left hook IMO if you undertake a car that's slowing on the approach to a junction even if it's not indicating (this is the observation bit - even if it's not turning off, why is it slowing and why should you be overtaking "into" whatever it's braking for?)
what we hear from the OP is that the cyclist [b]over[/b]took his car, then changed sides and tried to [b]under[/b]take the taxi. Taxi turned left shortly after this manoeuvre started.
We don't know whether any indicating or slowing was taking place so this situation's not totally clear.
I'm assuming Moe is a cyclist and so would tend to see incidents from that perspective, yet still thinks the cyclist was a cock. That's pretty much good enough for me (as I'm not a judge/juror).
Me too.....
If the situation's not clear, we shouldn't be so quick to condemn the cyclist.
Regardless of the guff on this thread, filtering (to either side) is perfectly legal for cyclists. Otherwise, we'd all have to sit in traffic with the cars and trucks.
However, there are times when filtering on the near side is inadvisable, because drivers do not always use their near side mirrors before manoeuvring (sp?) left. If the cabbie had been signalling left, then to attempt to filter on the near side was bloody stupid. However, we don't know if this was the case. Futhermore, if the driver DID signal, we don't know if he checked his mirror before he did so.
And yep, knocking the wing mirror off someone's car is antisocial and not something I would ever do. However when you've just had someone try to kill you, you don't always think rationally.
again,
I'm assuming Moe is a cyclist and so would tend to see incidents from that perspective, yet still thinks the cyclist was a cock. That's pretty much good enough for me
Many people have difficulty accepting they're at fault, especially when the adrenaline's running, and some of them will be cyclists. A few of those will turn out to be aggressive arseholes.
I'm assuming Moe is a cyclist and so would tend to see incidents from that perspective, yet still thinks the cyclist was a cock. That's pretty much good enough for me
Moe, you have a fan! Use your power wisely...