Passed way too close

Jacomus-rides-Gen · June 2007

This morning along Victoria Embankment I was approaching a set of lights which had just turned yellow, I was about 20m away so just stopped pedalling intending to drift to a stop gentley.

The vauxhaul thingamy behind me had a different idea and floored it managing somehow to squeeze between me (riding in the middle of the lane) and the biker in the next lane. Then he changed his mind and screeched to a stop, nose just over the line.

What a to**er, he was trying to ignoor me, so I gave him a full volume "OI!" and pointed for him to put his window down. Then I said "Would you mind taking a little bit more care with my life next time, you came a couple of inces from killing me just then" He got the message, didn't apologise, but did give me a proper amount of room further down the road.

Why do they do it? I just don't get what makes drivers go mental if they are going to suffer a minute or two delay.

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Quote: "25mph is pretty fast when you aren't wearing a car..."

BentMikey · June 2007

A minute's delay? Don't you or anyone else dare delay them for even a fraction of a second mate. What a fcukwit, glad he didn't hit you. I bet you wish you had another rape alarm. [:)]

My bikes
My skates

If I had a baby elephant, I'd teach it to skate.

Jacomus-rides-Gen · June 2007

Haha! That would have been sweet, especially since he was lowest of the low - a dodgy minicab driver, and was carrying passengers too [:D] Ah well, its wrong, but thse things happen, and you never know, he might actually give other cyclists on his journey some more room. For a couple of hours.

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Quote: "25mph is pretty fast when you aren't wearing a car..."

DavidTQ · June 2007

The thing which surprises me about motorists despite having been one for quite a while is just how many are prepared to break the law for the sake of 100 yards of a couple of seconds. Its not just the "usual suspects" either its not just boy racers taxi drivers and WVM its even the 50 year old women.

One stretch of my commute home is down a road with 2 solid white lines down the middle, the lanes are quite narrow I ride down it 2'+ from the kerb to be safe. I travel at around 27mph down this road its a 30 limit, Ive only seen two drivers EVER to have waited behind me for a few seconds instead of crossing the solid white lines driving down the wrong side of the road to "get ahead of the cyclist" this road is perhaps 300 yards long before it turns to two lanes!

Its law not a nicety that they cant straddle or cross the solid white lines to overtake a cyclist unless the cyclist is doing under 10 mph! the nbumber of them I see a foot from a collision with an on coming car is crazy.

The same drivers carrying out this manouvre and dicing with death would complain like hell about some chav in a nova overtaking them like that but its ok for them to do it because Im just a bike - forget the fact that im nearly at the speed limit. They have to get in front of the bike.

BentMikey · June 2007

Yes, it's called Rule Number 1.

My bikes
My skates

If I had a baby elephant, I'd teach it to skate.

DavidTQ · June 2007

Sorry that was meant to be 2' not 2" [:D] im about 1/3rd of the way into the road, enough to ensure wiggle room without blocking a drivers view of the road ahead. About a foot from full primary position. A further foot over would not stop the antics along this road. but it does mean Ive got more wiggle room for when one of them does collide with something coming the other way.

twowheeledwriter · June 2007

Car drivers' behaviour frequently astounds me. Yesterday, some crazy focker decided to pass me very close because I wasn't using the shared cycle/pedestrian path next to the road. I was doing 20mph and had chosen not to use the path. When I gesticulated at him, after he had passed, he pointed to the cycle lane, as if to say "that's where you should be."

What gives people like that the right to intimidate me in a dangerous, reckless manner? I know my rights!

kavcp · June 2007

I committed a hatful of sins on Tuesday on the way home. I used a pelican crossing to stop traffic (getting to it via roads and cycle lane, nothing improper like riding on the pavement), cycled across the crossing and joined the road and ignored the cycle lane. Cue lots of honking and too close driving from old boy in beaten up Volvo. 100 yds up the road he was stuck in traffic and I got in the cycle lane and sped past with a smile.

The thing is I'm not sure if I'm allowed to cross a crossing on my bike, but I do it twice a day everyday and this is the first time in 20 months that anyone has found it offensive and I've stopped all sorts of people including WVM, Taxis, buses etc etc.

magnatom · June 2007

I've got my own example of this yesterday. Approaching a humped bridge where you can't see what's coming. I'm in the primary as normal for this part of the road and a ned-mobile skims past me, waaay too close. I shout woaw and raise my arm, the passanger answers back with the 'V' sign. I see them at a roundabout later and they are laughing about it and looking at me. This makes me think they did it intentionally. [:(!]

I have it on video so I am tempted to call the cops. Is it worth it or would I be wasting police time?

rgisme · June 2007

I must admit I feel a bit of two minds about criticising drivers who pass 'too close'. On the one hand I hate it when they do it - although 'too close' for me in London traffic generally literally means within inches - less than one foot. On the other, I do it to them all the time when I am overtaking them. The differences are I suppose that I can be much more aware of exactly how much room I've got than them, the speed differential can be less, although often not by much, and I'm the one who's chosen to do it.

domtyler · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by rgisme
I must admit I feel a bit of two minds about criticising drivers who pass 'too close'. On the one hand I hate it when they do it - although 'too close' for me in London traffic generally literally means within inches - less than one foot. On the other, I do it to them all the time when I am overtaking them. The differences are I suppose that I can be much more aware of exactly how much room I've got than them, the speed differential can be less, although often not by much, and I'm the one who's chosen to do it.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Also if you make a booboo you scratch their paintwork. If they make a booboo they wipe you out.

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urrrrrrrrrs · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Jacomus-rides-Gen

Haha! That would have been sweet, especially since he was lowest of the low - a dodgy minicab driver, and was carrying passengers too [:D] Ah well, its wrong, but thse things happen, and you never know, he might actually give other cyclists on his journey some more room. For a couple of hours.

_________________________
Quote: "25mph is pretty fast when you aren't wearing a car..."
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

jacomus,like the bit about lowest of the low[:D]

cheered me up !! just been to pay my credit card bill and council tax bill and mortgage repayment + also my hot water at home isnt working properly and my internet connection is misbehaving !!![:(!]

i'd rather have a bottle in front of me,than a frontal lobotomy

RufusA · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by kav

...I used a pelican crossing...The thing is I'm not sure if I'm allowed to cross a crossing on my bike
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

In theory for a Pelican crossing you need to dismount to cross the road. For a Toucan crossing (which usually has a green cycle symbol to go with the green man) you can cross whilst mounted.

Perhaps ask the relevant authority if they have plans to convert it to a Toucan as it is adjacent to a pair of cycle lanes.

Rufus.

Passed way too close

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