To be fair I don't get all that many near misses – although I count a near miss as "another coat of paint and I'd have had 'im" rather than the usual "people driving like pillocks" incidents.

That said my most recent near miss was with another cyclist – 2 abreast on a cyclepath chatting to his mate, until I shouted "CHOOSE A SIDE PLEASE"

and I always seem to get more incidents when I've been off the bike for the while and am less chilled / less observant / more optimistic about others driving skillz.

Those lights change, I speed up, and time it perfectly to cross the line, fast, just mere millimoments after it's turned green

V v bad idea, as you found out! I never do this – car or bike.

MidlandTrailquestsGraham – Member

Approaching a T junction, on Tuesday this week, with straight ahead or turn left options.
I want to go straight ahead, but the lights are on red.
I hop up on to the pavement and ride slowly forward round the corner, waiting for a gap in the oncoming traffic turning right in to the side road which I want to cross.

Another day, another RLJ.

Why oh why do folk do this? Saves about 5 seconds and pisses all the drivers right off?

V v bad idea, as you found out!

True, but it can usually save me a few seconds so is worth the risk. (Yes, I'm trying to make that sound ironic, but have never really been sure I had the right understanding of the word since what's-her-name had that song out.)

Those who drive for a living are usually the real dangers!

Amen to that. Minicab drivers are the bane of my life round here.

Dropping anchor in the middle of the road without warning, attempting U-turns like they're a black cab rather than a Vecra, stopping for a chat with their mate who's driving in the opposite direction, cutting corners across the opposite carriageway turning right, and heaven forbid they should ever indicate. You take your life in your hands every time you go out, on two wheels or four.

3 in one day a few weeks back. My deadliest area is near the nursery in the morning, some parents really need to review their priorities.

Its numpty season in Edinburgh at the moment. I could have got dozens of tourists on a run thru town this afternoon.

On car classic. Riding up a road ( north bridge going south)that is a bus / cycle lane on the left and a car lane on the right. Approaching a junction where the right hand lane is turn right only and the left is straight ahead all traffic but before the end of the bus lane. The car alongside me decides its moving into the bus lane where I am. I saw it was going to happen so not really a near miss, I shout at them and they stay in the right lane but look very angry at me and make all the hand gestures! No indicators and why do they think they have the right to change lanes without indicating or giving way to traffic already in that lane? I leave them miles behind me in the next snarl up

Cynic – al – I have no idea why. What difference does it make going on the pavement – you don't suddenly become a pedestrian. It just pisses everyone off and saves so little time

I will occasionally go thru red lights a bit early or late slowly and carefully if it makes life safer for me but I don't do it for my convenience nor do I go on pavements

V v bad idea, as you found out!

well it's risky but the flipside is you get the drop on the drag race away from the lights where drivers…must…over…take…cyclist and BRAAAAKE for next queue of cars – if you time it right you can stay ahead of the drivers and not get squished in the kerb/parked cars, if you time it wrong you get taken out by and RLJing range rover, swings and roundabouts.

Why oh why do folk do this? Saves about 5 seconds and pisses all the drivers right off?

RLJing pisses drivers off*, MTGs method pisses off drivers and pedestrians saving time and effort.

*I've not got massive issues with RLJing, when cyclist do it atleast they tend to look before they leap (the ones who don't look don't last long), whereas when cars do it they just pile through cos "it's only just red" i.e. sors experience. But if your going to RLJ mtfu and do it don't sneak round on the pavement endangering peds.

Pretty much every time I ride to work with greater of lesser levels of possible injury 😯

Does actually being hit count? Deliberately rear ended while stationary at lights last week. Two good witnesses, one fubared rear wheel and it looks like my frame is bent too. Lodged a report with the local constabulary. Phoning them every day for an update of progress. Not a happy camper! 👿

Must admit I'll use the pavements if there's no cycle lanes nowadays.

When I did stick to the road I was taken out by a car who came too close to the pavement leaving me in hospital with a smashed up ankle taking months to recover. Still got the plates and pins left in now.

I don't get in anyone's way and go at walking pace if pedestrians could be around.

What does annoy me is the pedestrians oblivious to the fact there is a cycle lane and walk in it when they have their own lane right next to it.

Had one yesterday.

Heading down a dual carriageway that, as it approaches the crossroads becomes three lanes as the left-most lane becomes a left turn-only feeder lane.
I was heading straight on through the cross roads so stayed in the (original) left hand lane. Motorists have a nasty tendency to try to overtake then turn onto the left-hand feeder lane so i always sit well out across the lane going down the hill to dissuade them from doing this.
Yesterday however, the traffic was fairly heavy in my lane so this complete buffoon decided to speed down the right hand lane, see what appears to be a gap in the left hand traffic & pull across in order to get into the feeder lane.
Of course, muggins here happens to be occupying that particular moving space (traffic behind me being very courteous).
The buffoon sees me & instead of stopping beeps his horn and continues to try to drive through me. I had to stop and let him otherwise he would have driven over me i believe.
Managed to come alongside him at the lights & shove my face very close to his through his open window whilst proclaiming my thoughts on his parentage, his sexuality & the likely fact his children were in fact sired by a mentally-retarded blue-assed baboon 😆

last week i had a prety bad one when i was dominating my lane doing a sizable speed to not hold up traffic on a 3 lane roundabout some **** decides he wants to float over to my lane with no looking no signal needless to say he had a lovley cleat goug down his door or i would of been off for sure he wasent happy but admited falt and damage after a red light rant so was all good in the end.

Climbing out of the saddle on some singletrack yesterday. Head down, Foals on the i-pod, glanced up to see a **** massive irish wolfhounds arse about a foot in front! Poor thing seemed to be scared of bikes as it was motionless and remained so until it's owner called it.

Much as I like commuting on the road, thru the woods is better 🙂 All of my most recent near misses (and accidents, come to think of it) involved trees. They might be solid, but at least they aren't trying to hurt you….

All of you people using the pavement should get some cycle training and learn how to ride a bike in traffic with confidence and competence. You maybe the raddess off road rider but it's a very different skill.

Not a recent near miss, nor even a near miss in fact but I was taken out on a roundabout by a guy driving an old VW camper . I just saw it coming and managed to get my nearside leg out of the way behind the frame . Just as well cause he hit me at about 20mph and launched me about 20ft across the road onto the middle of the roundabout. When I managed to pick myself up, the driver wandered over and enquired that all time classic, 'Are you alright'. The reply is not printable but 'no' was the short answer.
Almost felt sorry for him he, got charged with careless driving and his insurance got spanked for a £2000 bike for me.
And that's when I took up mountain biking, as you dont get many roundabouts in the hills.
I managed to escape the incident with a few cuts and bruises hate to think what it would have been like if I didn't get my leg out the way.

"All of you people using the pavement…"
That'll be me then.
"…should get some cycle training and learn how to ride a bike in traffic with confidence and competence"

2500 cyclists and pedestrians killed or seriously injured a year by motorists.
It's not a matter of training cyclists.

Had a few this past week, I blame the hi-viz – drivers can see what they're aiming at now! Two blatant ones were just outside my office on the hospital campus.

I was victim of a very very odd incident a few weeks ago.

I cycle in along a quiet country road (Boglieburn Road, Melrose if you know it). I see the same walkers and cyclists every day, the road is closed to car traffic for some of its length. I was cycling up the hill when a cyclist coming the other way slowly moved across the road towards me. I assumed it was someone I knew but he kept coming, at speed directly towards me until I had to dive off the road ending up in a heap in the bushes! He just carried on down the hill like nothing had happened.

Never seen him before or since. Freaked me out a little bit to be honest.

The Hi-Viz also means that IF you have a close miss the driver in question is VERY worrying. I've had one who I asked 'have you had a heavy night/been drinking' – girl thought I was taking the piss but I was very serious. She screwed her face up and told me what to do with myself and what she'd do to me.

Gobsmacked at the side of the road. Literally. I remember saying 'charming' as she shot off in her Clio.

Very near miss a couple of weeks ago although not when commuting. Some prick in a "souped up" civic didn't look before pulling out of a junction. Luckily they braked in time and I was able to swerve into the oncoming lane (empty) so a very near miss. The annoying thing is they beeped and angrily wheel-spun away as though it was my fault.

I had one yesterday in Leyton, a woman driving with a burka pulls out on me as im riding down the cyle lane and even though I nearly flew over her bonnet she failed to acknowledge i was even there. Man these nutters should not be be driving with burkas on. c#nts im still angry

i comute over the quantocks on my roadie, biggest risk is probably hitting a rabbit or sheep, probably see about 10 cars each time i commute,

MidlandTrailquestsGraham – Member

2500 cyclists and pedestrians killed or seriously injured a year by motorists.
It's not a matter of training cyclists.

Eh? How is the move you described above about safety?

joolsc – Member
Must admit I'll use the pavements if there's no cycle lanes nowadays.

What does annoy me is the pedestrians oblivious to the fact there is a cycle lane and walk in it when they have their own lane right next to it.

Oh teh IRONING!

Nothing intrinsically wrong with using a pavement IMO, indeed many round here are 'dual use' cyclepaths/footways anyway.

I stick to the road purely because its quicker and you're not crossing peoples driveways, but if it was a busy 60mph limit road i'd ride on the pavement.

No training is going to stop some idiot driving into the back of you.

Yep, but on my evening ride (not commute). Last night: on a residential road a white A3 decided to go for a gap that was barely there and flew past me with a couple of inches to spare; and then a pizza delivery boy decided to turn across my lane at a set of traffic lights without giving any notice which forced me to anchor on.

IME for every tw4t that tries to save a few seconds by being a d1ck (or generally drives like a d1ck), there are thankfully loads more considerate drivers who show lots of patience/give loads of room when overtaking/etc.

Defensive riding makes you safer.

Some of the near miss incidents described really make me wonder as to the skills of the riders. In the one I describe because of my road positioning I had an escape route, because I was anticipating I saw the car coming. Considering I ride a lot in the city I get very few scary ones – because I ride defensively and anticipate so see them coming – turning a near miss into mere irritation at numpties.

Many many cyclists are very lacking in road riding skills.

Riding on pavements is hardly ever justified.

A large pedestrian in Leeds city centre a few weeks ago decided that I was a bit close to them as they stepped out into the road and hadn't seen me coming. .

He grabbed me with both hands and pushed me across the road. Thanks to my amazing skills* on a road bike I managed not to fall off (but it was very sketchy).

Then he shouts "get some f***ing lights". Which could have made sense if it wasn't just after 3pm on a sunny summers day. I'm not a bloody BMW/A4 driver you twunt.

So I called him a 'fat lad' or more offensive words to that effect. But by the time I had slowed and turned around he had disappeared into a doorway. Shame, as there was a copper on patrol very close by.

TJ has a point, at least IME. I too ride defensively if I can either see or sense something that could go wrong, e.g. a car accelerating from behind in a way that tells me he ain't gonna stop until he's made the gap (or whatever). But I also ride "ascertively" by widening my presence on the road if I feel it's right to make myself "bigger" if you know what I mean, e.g. I sense the car(s) behind want to overtake near the top of a long twisty climb with a blind corner up ahead, so by taking up the road they "can't" go anywhere and have to hold back.

EDIT: I will happily ride on the pavement if I deem it measurable safer. Always give way to others too (unless they're being a pr1ck).

In the last couple of weeks I’ve had some young muppet’s in a corsa pull out on me as the car coming in the other direction had ‘flashed’ him out, he stopped mid lanes, and I applied brakes and brown pants but squeezed through the gap. On Monday when needing to turn right off a fairly busy road, I indicated and moved across, behind me was a white van who slowed to allow me across, as I did my final look over my shoulder before crossing and land rover had decided he wasn’t waiting and he overtook the van and myself at speed. Last night on my way home in the rain, I was passing a line of about 25 parked cars so the car behind me was moving at my pace as traffic coming the other way meant they couldn’t pass. After the parked cars as I tucked back in, the car behind passed me and then immediately indicated and braked to pull in at the side of the road. The move was so sudden I wouldn’t have been able to stop, so I moved to go round the car, at the same time the car behind us both skidded and locked up as they clearly hadn’t been paying attention to what either of us in front was doing. In the last few months I have gone from irregular shift work to mainly doing 9-5’s and the move to commuting at the rush hour times has certainly made it a more engaging experience.

DRAWING YOUR COLLISIONS

perhaps some of the artistic on here could add similar experiences? eg

😆

saw 2 folks on the deck yesterday morning after non misses on way into Glasgow (1 in Castlemilk, one at Gorbals). 😥

I got to the lights and they were on green today, so I pulled over and waited for them to go red before riding through, as a matter of principle.