Forum menu
I'm pretty sure there should be a "if it is safe to do so" in there somewhere i.e. not what the pickfords van didIf project is going < 10 mph then they are entitled to cross the solid lines to overtake.
You're right. An overtake should only be performed when it is safe to do so regardless of the form of transport being used.
thered, too true. It isn't a case of cyclists or car drivers being 'bad'. It's inconsiderate people using different methods of transport.
We can all cite examples of cyclists being idiots, but the difference is that they are mainly a danger to themselves. I've also come to the conclusion that we could all cycle absolutely perfectly, and there would still be a significant minority of drivers who want us off the road. Given that motorists routinely speed and jump the lights, I doubt that their antagonism towards us is genuinely to do with our behaviour.
I had a classic one last week.
Heading down down a dual-carriageway towards a light-controlled crossroads, i was going straight ahead so was in the left hand lane. Traffic was heavy so i didn't bother filtering but simply sat in the middle of the lane and rolled with the traffic. All going well until i came alongside a left hand filter lane that takes vehicles into a left hand turn and up towards the motorway, because of this the original left hand lane (that i'm currently in) is always busier than the right hand lane, so people fly up the right hand lane then attempt to cut over two lanes of traffic in order to get into the filter/feeder lane.
I'm happily rolling along when i see a car appear alongside me to my right. His passenger door is level with me on my bike and i can clearly see him. He pulls into my lane and i shout loudly and brake sharply, stopping no more than 2 inches from his left hand wing - i'm still facing in my original direction of travel remember.
I knocked on his window and offered him the use of my specs as the bright yellow rain jacket i was wearing wasn't enough for him to see me, never mind the hi-vis rucksack i have....
his response?
"Oh i saw you, but i want to be over there" pointing with his finger towards the feeder lane.
"I don't care where you want to be" i said "you can't drive through me, i'm already here!"
"But i want to be over there!" was the only thing he said, and kept repeating!
In the end i had to ride around his drivers side to continue (and not hold up traffic any longer) and as he opened his drivers window to say something i just quietly leaned down and called him an arrogant prick.
He was quite blatant about the fact that he had seen me, but didn't care if he hurt me so long as he got into the lane where he wanted to be - the one he should have positioned for some 200yrds back!
Sometimes i really feel that my life is a hindrance to some people...
Friend of mine and I were riding (in the dark, but with lights) the other week. A car waiting in a side road checked there was nothing in the bus lane (other than us!) and pulled out into almost stationary traffic, bouncing him down the road, fortunately not too badly hurt. He got up and asked the driver behind if he would be a witness to the accident. The witness refused point blank claiming, initially, that he didn't have any lights on (he did, a couple) and then claiming he never saw the accident at all.
Some people are scum.
Fortunately the guy who knocked him off was not and has paid for a full bike checkup/repair and couldn't apologise enough.
Thats good news CK - it can be very easy not to see a bike because of inattentiveness, but at least the chap concerned accepted his responsibility. The **** behind needs a rear end shunt by an uninsured driver as karma...
We can all cite examples of cyclists being idiots, but the difference is that they are mainly a danger to themselves. I've also come to the conclusion that we could all cycle absolutely perfectly, and there would still be a significant minority of drivers who want us off the road.
Over many years of commuting by bike in London, Cardiff and Manchester I've tested this theory that cyclists get more respect if they obey the law extensively.
Riding in my normal assertive/defensive way and (while not being a total idiot) I will on occasions jump the odd set of lights, ride the wrong side of a traffic island, that kind of thing.
I've also tried riding exactly as per the rules of the road and the letter of the law.
And if anything I get more trouble with option B than with A. Maybe it's cos I'm closer to the cars for longer (eg instead of "anticipating" lights at junctions, I'm still sat there in front of the driver who's desperate to gun it to the back of the next traffic jam).
I just ride sensibly - if it means an illegal turn up a one-way street or anticipating a traffic light by a few seconds then so be it but it's very rare that I ever get involved in any confrontation or have someone hoot/shout abuse.
He got up and asked the driver behind if he would be a witness to the accident. The witness refused point blank claiming, initially, that he didn't have any lights on (he did, a couple) and then claiming he never saw the accident at all
had something similar could only assume the driver wasn't legal/insured
The worst bit is the road outside haymarket heading out of town. Couple of nice wee pinch points in there where cars dont seem to realise what the hell is going on. Safest place to be on a bike is right in the middle of the road. Then ride as slowly as you want through the coned off lane. Winds taxi drivers right up.
Earlier this summer I was tootling along on an early evening ride when I noticed two cars catching up with me; a middle-aged woman in a hatchback followed by an A4.
The woman was being proper patient and refrained from any stupid overtaking attempts. This only angered A4 Man who started beeping. Needless to say this eventually pressured the woman into nipping past but she at least did it fairly. A4 Man then tried a couple of times when on blind corners before backing off each time. So I looked back at him, made eye contact and shook my head as if to say "Why are you being a ****?" To which he took great offence, flicked some signs, waited for an opportunity to overtake and then purposely cut into my path in an attempt to take me out. I remember it vividly. So I gave him some signals of my own and half wanted him to stop so I could give him a slap.
Our roads are lethal enough without pricks like him going about their vendettas. ****er.
project - do you need to charge up that camera immediately before each use ? The blurb states a standby time of 5-6 hours. Does that mean that once charged the battery will discharge in that time period even if not used ?
on the Veho muvi, and the one from 7 day shop,Just switch it off, then switch it to standby,just before use, the cylinder one can be recharged from the cigarette lighter socket, with the enclosed cable and conector.
Yeah, but if not used for a period of > 6 hours then does the battery run down ? i.e. when fully charged and then left unused overnight is it good to go first thing next day or does it need recharging first ?
Once its switched off its off ,not using hardly any power as its not waiting to be switched on is it, as it would be if on standby.
The thing is to always keep an eye on the blinking light, for the first few uses to see how yours performs.
I get what the OP is saying being cut up is bad enough, but drivers giving you abuse afterwards when you point out their error 🙄
I'm not a perfect driver or a perfect cyclist. I make mistakes when I do I hold up my hand in apology.
I had a taxi driver want to fight me one day because I shouted at him when he nearly knocked me off pulling out from a parking space. Was he trying to prove he was an arsehole as well as a shit driver
Most abuse I got was from an IAM stickered motorcyclist. A 1/2mile stretch on my commute is 4 lanes with lights in the middle quite often someone in lane 1 will want to be in lane 4 just after the lights and vice versa, mayhem! I need to go from 1 to 3 so ride along with the traffic have a good look then change when safe but don't signal. IAM has seen me do this a few times and takes offence, passes me and starts waving his hands left and right, I was stopped next to him at the next set of lights so I calmly explained it's mental on that bit I always have a good look and move lanes when safe etc but on that section I aint taking my hands off the bars/brakes for anyone. He kept on ranting at me to signal. So I left him and carried on, next set of lights I "anticipated" he went mental again "red light! RED LIGHT!". Oh dear i don't think we'll ever be friends.I just ride sensibly... ...it's very rare that I ever get involved in any confrontation or have someone hoot/shout abuse.
(don't anticiate all lights just ones with long queues and pinch points straight after, wide road no need, short queues I'll wait [b]in[/b] traffic)
anticipate is code for jump, yes ? 🙂
Anticipate is set off when the other directions lights have changed to red (after checking for RLJers of course 😉 ) that millisecond before your's go to red-amber, technically jumping yes I'll hold my hand up to that - but as someone wrote "I'm morally at peace with it"
[i]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]
Was it an ex of yours binners? 😉
I have a go pro which I used for commutes but now it's always dark it's next to useless. Not very good in low light.
"richmtb - Member
I get what the OP is saying being cut up is bad enough, but drivers giving you abuse afterwards when you point out their error"
Couple of months ago cycling to work down a residential side street bloke does a u turn right in front of me causing me to do a big emergency stop, I point out rather vehmently that he may be blind. Next thing he winds down his window and starts shouting "Did you call me stupid, etc" so I now point out to him that he is obviously a little deaf as I called him blind and maybe shouldn't be driving a car with such a range of disabilities. Next thing he stops the car and gets out shouting the odds, so I dump the bike on the ground and explain that I'm fed up with bullies in cars who think they can knock people over with impunity. He gets in his car and drives off.
Next morning riding down the same street, he's just getting into his car and he shouts " hello mate how you doing" genuinley being pleasant, I reply in kind - most bizaare!
(some) Motorists attitudes to cyclist are different. The woman that cut me up on the roundabout yesterday then preceded to ignore me completely until the shout of "OI!" got so loud that she acknowledged it by flicking me the Vs. Had I been driving my car I'm pretty sure a mouthed "sorry" or a more friendly hand gesture would have been forthcoming. This may be a very pessimistic view, but I can’t help thinking this is because hitting another car is more hassle than hitting a cyclist, who are seen by some motorists as dispensable. Hitting one is unlikely to damage their vehicle so they are not worth worrying about or at least treated differently.
Part of this is about the level of interaction. What non-cycling drivers are never prepared for is the more personal response of the cyclist. In the above example, had I been in the car, I would have sounded the horn. It’s pretty impersonal. The offender thinks oops, silly me and carries on. On the bike, I’m in the open air and the more personal tone of my built in horn (OI!) tends to drive home that they have been a bit of a prat more directly. Drivers are not used to people shouting at them in their cars and hence they are not quite sure how to react. Empathising with my near death experience is the last thing on their mind as they feel threatened.
most bizaare!
Not really - at the time the adrenalin keeps him going, but by the next morning he's calmed down and realised he was being a t**t. Can't believe it's that uncommon.
I think we definitely need someButton it, fatty!
T shirts printed up
[img] 
[/img]
Quality! 😀
Never sure why some cyclists (or motorists for that matter) feel the need to berate another when they do wrong or make a mistake after the danger has passed. To shout/beep at another user when the incident is ongoing is one thing as it might prevent an accident but do those that indignantly chase cars to bang on the side or continue to shout "oi" repeatedly louder until you are acknowledged actually think you will modify behaviour? I'm not convinced and think all it probably does is ramp up the aggression levels especially when the original offence was an accident rather than deliberate.
I think a problem with the really bad drivers is that they are so bad and lacking in awareness, they don't even know they've done anything wrong.
In the past I've chased people just to vent my spleen but mostly nowadays I'll chase people and ask them why they did it and why it was wrong in an attempt to [i]try[/i] to educate them a little, gonna fail in most cases I guess and if they wind the window down and immediatley launch into a tirade [i]against me[/i] I know I'm on a loser.actually think you will modify behaviour?
Treat all other road users like the unpredictable, foolish sleep deprived idiots they are
As for trying to "educate" a person by shouting at them... its a waste of time. Be glad they did'nt kill you and ride on safe in the knowledge they are on borrowed time.
Ride safe everyone.
Couldn't quite figure out where my recent experience fits in, but now seems as good a time as any.
Two months ago I was riding down a long, straight and frankly nasty B road out of Bradford on Avon. I was aware of a white van behind, about to overtake. As he passed me, I saw he was keeping his right indicator on, presumably to take a right turn coming up. Then I heard the screach of braking tyres as a car doing twice his spead hurtled down the wrong side of the road from behind, intent on overtaking us both.
I can only presume the guy expected the white van to overtake me then pull back in in front. When he realised his insane manuoevre was about to be blocked he slammed the brakes on at probably 70mph. As he passed me his wheels had locked; his back end was twitching left, then right - he was all over the road. Fortunately he didn't twitch too far left or he would have collided with us both, and I can't see I would have come out of that too well (if at all). As it was he bounced into, then out of, the ditch on the far side of the road and the car was already at 90 degrees when it skidded across the minor road the white van was about to turn into, then wrapped himself round a lamp post.
I stopped, not quite believing what I had just seen. So did the guy in the van. He got out to see if driver and passenger were ok - they were. It was at that point that I began seething with anger. I realise I should have stayed to act as a witness, but there was one already, and if I had actually confronted the guy whose act of lunacy had nearly killed me I really don't know what I would have done. I rode on, and only when I got home realised how 'lucky' I'd been.
Sorry for the essay
If project is going < 10 mph then they are entitled to cross the solid lines to overtake.
Not on a blind bend!
I will get flamed and I always ride to the letter of the law but if somebody pulled some of the stunts above on me they would have a considerable amount of damage to their cars and even themselves. Its unnaceptable to put peoples lives at risk like this and some people only understand a message when you make it clearly enough.
If your outrageous driving risks my life then there is a real risk you will have a large gouge out of the side of your car/broken mirror/bent door etc.
Whilst I am as polite as nybody else I cant understand the attitude that simply allows people to walk/drive away without accepting any responsibilty
Just google street view, Brimstage, for a cars view of the road
The Flying Ox, are you copywrighting that Tshirt or can we steal it and get one printed?
Definately going on my christmass list!
I'm pretty sure the Ministry of Defence has copyright on Kitchener's mug, and if the intellectual property that is "button it, fatty!" belongs to anyone, it's probably my mum.
Steal away 😆
@convert just to qualify, the "oi"ing is going on during the incident. The person had not seen me, or more accurately was not looking in the direction you would normally expect upon entering a roundabout i.e at the traffic. I'm not the sort of person to chase a vehicle down the road, bang on it or to keep shouting once the danger has passed, which I agree achieves nothing.
Steal away
Anyone else want one for cost+post before I photoshop it and head down to my local t-shirt printing emporium?
I'm pretty sure the Ministry of Defence has copyright on Kitchener's mug, and if the intellectual property that is "button it, fatty!" belongs to anyone, it's probably my mum.Steal away 😆
I should maybe retract this statement. I claim full copyright, and in the case of "button it, fatty!" being the start of a multi-billion dollar t-shirt empire for thisisnotaspoon, I'll take stock options.
I'll take stock options.
My stock options are OXO or Knorr
I've had plenty of incidents over the years.
Possibly the most ridiculous was some bloke taking exception to my LED Triple-shot light, whilst I dealing with a freshly run over (and still alive) cat with the cats owner. He starts ranting that it was too bright and had blinded him (unlit country road). I apologised and told him I was otherwise occupied, but would he let it go? In the end I told him to F off before I did something he'd regret.
Had some clown in Tescos car park tell me to f off too. My crime? Driving on the correct side of the car park whilst he careered round a bend in the opposing direction on my side of the road. Gave him a surprised look and got sworn at. Cheers for that. 🙄
Morons are everywhere.