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So you were not riding your bike where you should be, you were passive aggressive, and then wound him up even further.
you could have apologised and explained why you were not riding in the cycle lane. Cyclists give cycling a bad rep at times dont they
#facepalm #rollseyes #shrugs #shakeshead
Road raging drivers are just another flavour of the “professionally offended” just at a different point on the evolutionary tree…
FTFY 😁
Which is one of the reasons why I am not a fan of cycle lanes with wands
Magic cycle lanes are the worst.
Regular commuting by bike in many cases is probably safer than irregular cycling because you're riding at the same time each day along with other people making their regular commutes so we become recognised and expected, and we all just want to get to work and home again safely. Still get a gew ****s through the week, but shrug.
At least that's my experience when I've cycled along the same roads at irregular times of day suddenly seems like there's lunatics everywhere trying to more me down!
This isn't the city obviously, but from village to town, b roads and lanes.
Also yes the smell from weed is very obvious from vehicles.
The equilibrium is back in balance today. Let out of side roads by at least five drivers, some even where I had no priority - i.e. coming off a bridleway. Said hello to all my usual morning dog walkers and to some less known ones - one collie dropped his ball in front of me when climbing a steep hill - think he wanted to play. And nodded to my usual fellow cycle commuters. Weather a bit rubbish but, hey ho.
I think TJ has it.
Cocaine, I really didn’t know but last week after another altercation with a driver I was talking to Jnr who was at home on reading week.
He’s just started Uni so his first foray into the real world and his reply was the same. “Coke Dad, everyone is on it”.
I think he’s right. Most of the idiots who have little regard for my safety are of the same demographic, thirty something’s driving vans or pickups, most probably high and ultimately, dangerous!
As someone above has already posted, smile and wave is a great strategy.
You do wonder about drugs and the extensive use - I've lead a sheltered life in this respect, never tried any nor had friends that were social users. The amount of vehicles I smell weed coming from is incredible, and it's all sorts, from people carriers full of kids, exec saloons, white van men and chavs. Given smoking is banned in company vehicles, you do worry that no-one checks vans or sticks to works drug policy.
What @bensales said. Fin du cloches gonna fin du cloche. Me on a bike? Knife at a gunfight. Go home, in one piece.
Also, more credit to @FunkyDunc for a class piece of satire.
Lastly, you should see the same drivers when presented with a Sunday Drivin' Elderly Driver doing 29.5mph in a 30mph limit. Anger isn't reserved for cyclists.
You never know what’s going on in other peoples lives, for all we know he could have found out last night that his wife is divorcing him, or someone in his family has just died, or hes had his van broken into, or hes been hit with a bill he doesn’t know how he will afford, or hes suffering with mental health problems, or even a combination of any of the above.
That doesn't remove them of their obligation to not kill fellow citizens and I feel that making excuses on their behalf is simply condoning their behaviour.
Work from the government and police to improve this behaviour is useful - although forcing someone who does a close pass to ride ten miles along the A59 at 8.30am on a wet morning would be my preference - but going "oh, they're going through a crap time so it's fine for them to drive like a knob" is not the way forward.
Removing the BIK exemption for those turd coloured Nissan pick-up trucks would be a good start too.
The sad thing is, some people are just like this. You can go through most of your life mostly avoiding the sort of people you don't like without huge effort. Apart from in your car (or vaguely fit people doing car-like trips by bike), the distances travelled and the closeness of everyone in the UK mean everyone is "sharing" the road together.
People who think they are the main character and everybody else is an obstacle; people angry with everything and unafraid to voice opinions on it; people who coast through oblivious; poeple who think cocaine and a fight is a good friday night. I quite successfully avoid these people, but they could easily be in the car behind me.
you’re riding at the same time each day along with other people making their regular commutes
I dunno, there are so many people driving cars, it'd be a miracle if you saw the same one twice... Having said that I did recognise this noisy gas guzzling piece of garbage black & green (Nissan?) thing this morning. Have seen/heard it once before and saw it twice today, once when I passed him sat in a queue and then about 15 mins later when he caught me up. His 200whatever BHP and 500dB exhaust did him the world of good.
His 200whatever BHP and 500dB exhaust did him the world of good.
But so what? Some people like spending money on their car toys. I'd presume its an MOT fail in waiting, if genuinely that badly done. I can't get excited about the idea of stopping the fun of the 0.1% of population who want to put a daft exhaust on their car. The world has bigger fish to fry.
Back on topic, did this driver try running you off the road and shouting abuse or throwing bricks at your bike?
Had it on the way to work, wasn't on pavement mixed use bit as it's badly surfaced but close pass even though it's a two lane road then red faced screaming about not using the cycle path. He was apoplectic even though it made no difference to his journey and he was actually just now sitting at traffic lights.
Anger isn’t reserved for cyclists.
Can confirm. Yesterday's drive to Edinburgh was OK; driving home was like the wacky races at times from cars & vans and that wasn't even on the ring-road! Weather was atrocious. Rain bouncing off the tarmac. Visibility extremely poor. Still had a Porsche WP sat on my back bumper as I passed a couple of lorries. Just passed the front bumper of the lorry and lights flashing, then horn blaring as they went past me. I'd pulled over by this point and then they swing in front, hit the brake pedal, then straight back out into the outside lane. There are some odd people in this world.
What do you expect, you don't pay "road" tax for your bike, so why should be able to ride your bike on the road only meant for motor vehicles. Stick to your lane, if it's full of debris, go home and get a broom and tidy it up. If cars are parked on it, get off your bike and walk it on the pavement and then get back in the lane once clear.
People have places to be, don't get in their way. If they are in a bad mood, it's everyone else's fault and we should bend over backwards for their dangerous driving, remember it's a god given right to drive a car or van.
You do wonder about drugs and the extensive use – I’ve lead a sheltered life in this respect, never tried any nor had friends that were social users.
Same. It's featured so little in my life that it honestly never crossed my mind as an issue. The "bad kids" at high school were on B&H, not class As. I vaguely know a few friends-of-friends who are heavily chemically enhanced but within my own direct circle there's a couple of stoners and that's it. If any of my friends are coke hounds, well, they've hidden it well.
Forget the nutcase drivers, its the nutcase pedestrians you also need to watch out for.
Toro on flashing is pretty bright, but they still walk right out in front of you without even so much as a sideways glance.
And always on a Sunday.(drivers included) What is it about this day in the week that has so many incompetent people out and about.
And always on a Sunday.(drivers included) What is it about this day in the week that has so many incompetent people out and about.
I've never understood this either. Go into ASDA at 10 to 4 on a Sunday and it's like a low budget reboot of Cocoon. WTF are pensioners doing the other 6.9 days of the week that necessitates buying two months' worth of shopping at that time? When I retire I'm doing my shopping at 11:30pm on a Thursday, it'll be fantastic.
WTF are pensioners doing the other 6.9 days of the week that necessitates buying two months’ worth of shopping at that time?
Current pensioners (shuffly old ones not newly retired active ones) spent most of their life with no sunday trading. Probably still a novelty for them.
And always on a Sunday.(drivers included) What is it about this day in the week that has so many incompetent people out and about.p
Sunday drivers used to be a phrase used for poor driving (is it still used?):
Some people get a cheap laugh breaking up the speed limit
Scaring the pedestrians for a minute
Crossing up progress driving on the grass
Leaving just enough room to pass
Sunday driver never took a test
Oh yeah, once upon a time in the west
Once Upon a Time in the West - Dire Straits.
Where did the term Sunday drivers come from?
The term Sunday driver is derived from a practice of early automobile owners. In the 1920s and 1930s, many car owners did not depend on their automobiles for transportation. Taking a leisurely and largely aimless drive in the country on Sunday afternoon was a form of entertainment, as gasoline was cheap and abundant. Drivers who indulged in this practice were in no hurry, enraging other drivers on the road who were trying to get somewhere. The term Sunday driver became a popular epithet.
It’s not just when you’re cycling. I had an absolute throbber get very vexed and yell at me for not giving way to my left at a roundabout. I just shouted “to the right you ****wit” and carried on my merry way. They are everywhere and appear to be multiplying.
I t’s not just when you’re cycling. I had an absolute throbber get very vexed and yell at me for not giving way to my left at a roundabout. I just shouted “to the right you ****” and carried on my merry way. They are everywhere and appear to be multiplying.
They are rife here in Torquay, to the point where you have to double check they are not going to pull out, on every single roundabout !
Go into ASDA at 10 to 4 on a Sunday and it’s like a low budget reboot of Cocoon. WTF are pensioners doing the other 6.9 days of the week that necessitates buying two months’ worth of shopping at that time?
That’s because the Post Office is shut on a Sunday. They like to go en masse around lunchtime , just to hold up everyone else , who are trying to get something done quickly in their lunch break
I had one nutter actually use his car to force me to stop on the M4, the bloke got out of his car and totally lost it, standing on the motorway screaming and shouting, he was a dead ringer for the bloke off the Mr Muscle ads, he looked about seven stone wet, I just sat there chuckling.
I think this morning was the worst I have ever seen for some reason. In just a 10 mile ride I had 2 close passes and 3 overtakes going into blind corners (one of which were I was in a very primary position - i.e. riding in middle of road as was 30 metres from corner yet car squeezed by giving me less than a metre of room)
Last two days have been fine, but the traffic, my word it's been bad - doesn't affect me as I whiz past these bits on a properly segregated cycle path.
I tend to take primary position, and smile and wave at everyone.
An approach to life which is hard to argue with.
Rico, Private is going to ride last man....!
catfoodFree Member
I had one nutter actually use his car to force me to stop on the M4
I had similar a while back but it wasn't a motorway, a 30mph residential area. I was coming clos to where I needed to turn right and coming the other way was a chav chariot doing about 60mph and taking off over the speed bumps. So I thought I'd nip out in front of him -knowing I could easily do it but close enough to give him a bit of a panic. As I looked in mirror after making my right turn I saw him shoot passed the turning I'd just made, then he reversed back and turned left after me. He then overtook me on a hump back bridge, no way to see if anything was oncoming, he swerved in front of me, stopped and got out the car. What I saw was a skinny little child dressed in a hoody, hood up, doing some kind of Yo-Rap pointing dance thing in front of my car. I had the music on quite loud so had no idea what he was prattling on about. Anyway halfway through his act the lights changed so I just drove round him and carried on my way. Most odd and quite funny I thought 😂
I had to drive to the office yesterday rather than cycling - it just reminded me why I hate being stuck in traffic and driving to the office - cycling is a so much nicer way to cover the 9 miles into the city centre, admittedly I can't drive down the canal and river side paths.
You have Adam Tranter on your side in the West Midlands (and by extension the Mayor). I’ve just seen him on LinkedIn exhorting people to use the police portal to report bad driving.