Giving someone a bit of verbal... and then regretting it!

graeme_s-2

I'm in a large queue of traffic on the way home today. I filter down the right hand side, but then as I get to the junction it splits into three lanes and I get stuck behind a double decker bus. I wait there behind the bus in the primary position as I think I'll make it through when the lights next change anyway.

I hear a vehicle pull up behind me.

A minute or so later I hear a voice.

Voice: "Oi mate... you know there's a cycle path there?"

I look over my shoulder.

Me: "Really?"
Voice (slightly confused now): "er... yeah"
Me: "Why don't you get a bike and use it then?"
Voice: "wooooaaah"

I turn round and look at the back of the double decker again and wait for the lights to change.

At this point several things run through my mind at once.

1. I'm 25, slightly over weight and wearing lycra.
2. I have never been in a fight in my life. My two closest experiences were getting repeatedly punched in the face by a bully at school who eventually burst into tears of frustration and confusion after I refused to fight him (really, he did!). The other was as a student getting punched in the face by a chav on the way home after a night out. I was so drunk I don't remember the experience, but my girlfriend says after he planted one on me and I didn't do anything he ran off.
3. I'm effectively hemmed in between the back of the double decker, the car beside me and the vehicle behind me.
4. The guy who spoke to me was middle aged, and had several tattoos that I could see, all of which looked like they'd been done by his drunken mates. Two of them were on his neck. Going by his clothes, and the white open backed van he was in, he was a builder. His two mates were sat in the other two seats of the vehicle.
5. Even if he doesn't get out and attack me, they're going to pass me after I clear the junction.

I'll be honest with you I was shaking slightly by this point and very much regretting what I'd said :oops: . It took what seemed like an age for the lights to change, and it wasthen that I realised all the backed up traffic was because a lorry in front of the double decker had broken down .

I then engaged in the fastest most skilled filtering of my cycling career, cleared the junction covered the next half mile at something like timetrial pace and then darted up a closed road.

Mulling it over now, I think he was actually attempting to be helpful rather than giving it the usual "get off the fucking road, use the cycle path". He was wondering why I was waiting behind the double decker when I could get past on the cycle path. Poor guy got a load of lip from me for his trouble. I wasn't using the cycle path because there's no pedestrian/cycle phase in the lights and it's a pain to cross the junction.

Next time I think I'll try to take a moment to assess the situation before opening my mouth. :oops:

Black Keith

any kind of verbal on the road is a waste of your time, unless it's calling to peds to alert them of your approach.

of course I don't mean ignore nice lady cyclists when they engage you in conversation at the lights!

BentMikey

LOL, that wasn't anything to worry about! At least you weren't turning the air blue.

Tartanyak

Nearest thing I've ever come to giving someone a verbal was after being run over and the driver asking;
"Have you seen what damage you've done to my car!?"
Me;
"Erm, no. I was being run over at the time."




P.S. WOOOO! New audience to tell this story to

whyamihere

Tartanyak wrote:

P.S. WOOOO! New audience to tell this story to

Brilliant, we're all bored stiff of it.

Drfabulous0

So why were you sitting in trafic when you could have used the bike lane?

Greenbank

Because, like lots of them, it was covered in glass, dog **** and parked 4x4s?

graeme_s-2

Drfabulous0 wrote:

So why were you sitting in trafic when you could have used the bike lane?

As I said in my original post, I was queuing for a traffic light controlled cross roads, and there's no phase in the lights for cyclists/pedestrians. It makes it very difficult to cross the road there. The cycle path is generally full of wheely bins, recycling boxes, pedestrians, dogs, broken glass, wet leaves in the autumn and crosses various driveways and roads where it doesn't have priority.

homers_double

To be honest, its a little harsh trying to enforce your views that he should cycle to work, if he was actually going to work.

I need a car for work but get on the bike when I can. Quite often I get caught in school runs in towns where I'm going to site.

dondare

All cycle paths lead to Hell.

The OP's reply is the correct one in most circumstances. But in this case a simple explaination: "cycle paths are crap" would have been better.

peejay78

i don't really say much, in case someone decides to slap/punch/stab/rape/shoot/or run me over.

electricdave

It's unfortunate that the vast majority of motorists, because they are motorists, have never used a cycle path, and therefore don't know any better.

Tartanyak

I believe, after much bitching, the highway code has been/will soon be re-jigged so you should only use cycle paths when you believe it is safe to do so...

Which i handy, Mr Council-Fool-Who-Made-Stupid-Cycle-Path-That-Gives-Cars-The-Right-Of-Way-To-Cut-Me-Up-Then-Force-Me-Between-Lanes-On-Busy-Roundabout!

And Chris, I love you too Did I ever tell you the story aobut when I got run over...

graeme_s-2

homers double wrote:

To be honest, its a little harsh trying to enforce your views that he should cycle to work, if he was actually going to work.

I need a car for work but get on the bike when I can. Quite often I get caught in school runs in towns where I'm going to site.

I'm not saying he should cycle to work. I was saying if he thinks the cycle path is so great, maybe he should use it.

I seem to have swung from being lost for words whenever I'm confronted by a driver to being unnecessarily aggressive and confrontational. I maybe need to revert to my previous zen cycling.

Tartanyak

Be one with the road!

Ommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
ooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Greenbank

I have 3 responses to the "Get off the roads, you don't pay road tax." line.

1) "I do pay road tax because, believe it or not, I've own a car. And it's a much nicer car than that piece of sh*t you're driving. But I choose to cycle so I don't end up like a sedentary fat slob like you."

2) "I know, it's good isn't it. You lot in the cars pay for all the roads and stuff, and us cyclists get to use them for free. Thanks!"

but most commonly:-

3) *nothing*. I usually pretend that the headphones in my ears are turned up to such a level that I didn't actually hear them say anything.

Tartanyak

I've done (3) a lot and ...

"What? Really? Oh, sorry, I didn't realise! Please accept my sincere apologies!"

stompy

Greenbank wrote:

I have 3 responses to the "Get off the roads, you don't pay road tax." line.

The best response to this was somthing I read on these forums a while back.

Throw 50p through his (open) window and say "Here's your refund for the day"

Bloke on a bikecp

Her: "You should be on the cycle path"

Me: "You should be on the bus"

BentMikey

stompy wrote:

The best response to this was somthing I read on these forums a while back.

Throw 50p through his (open) window and say "Here's your refund for the day"

Except they should be giving you the refund, since you're not damaging the road with your bike, and you probably pay VED on your car anyway.

Massimo

......or just say "Is that why my front wheel is worth more than your entire car??"

jamesAC

I was in primary in the right hand lane, at the traffic lights. Even so a woman in a small car squoze in on my left. She pointed out, in a fairly reasonable way, that there was a cycle lane at the left hand side of the road. I pointed out, in a fairly reasonable sort of way, that I was turning right immediatelly after the lights, and it was much safer for me to get into the rh lane in the approach to the TL's, rather than try to cross 2 lanes of traffic in the few yards after. She looked thoughtfull for a moment or two, then acknowledged that she hadn't thought of that.

So I guess that many motorists just don't think - some are perhaps trying to be helpful when they point out a cycle path, some are perhaps being aggressive.

I try to match my response to the situation.

Cheers

mrchrispy

I gave someone the evils this morning for trying to squeeze mast me on my road, I couldn't get over anymore as its road is bumpy as hell and she buzzing my back wheel trying to get by.
Realised afterwards that they only live across the road. I'm annoyed with myself for getting shirty and annoyed with her for driving so close.

I'll be sure to say sorry next time I see her. :roll:

el_presidente

I slapped a taxi that squeezed past ridiculously closely, I don't think he even noticed though

Gussio

A private taxi MPV cut me up this morning and forced me to stop against the kerb on the approach to Putney Bridge. I called him a c*ck when steering round him 10m later to get to the ASL. Am 99% certain that he then tried to clip my back wheel with his bumper when we pulled away from the lights. If he had suceeded, I would very much have regretted giving him verbal!

el_presidente

Gussio you are obviously too quick away from the lights for these rogues to catch you!

I couldn't find my helmet this morning so diced with the traffic proudly sporting a TdF freebie T-Mobile cap, not sure if I enjoyed it or not...

Gussio

el_preidente: you must have looked a sight to behold in your pink chapeau

whiskywheels

I always tell 'em there's no such thing as road tax, there's vehicle excise duty, which I pay on both my cars. The roads are paid for by my taxes, which I pay a great deal of, and since I live here I think I'm entitled to use the road.

Best retort though, is to be completely outraged and start yelling at them " ....don't you know how to behave?? What do you think you're doing shouting at complete strangers while your supposed to be driving? Next time I'm out in my car and I see you, I'll ask you stupid questions too!

Or words to that effect.

naz-t

well done sticking to your guns fella, maybe he was trying to be helpful, but then again maybe he shoulda have minded his own eh?

most bullys will only bully when getting things their own way, stand up to any bully, any age, and youll find most of them are all mouth and no trousers.

Mike Healey

Tartanyak wrote:

Be one with the road!

Ommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
ooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

I am one with the road

Owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww...it hurts

peejay78

shouted at a fellow cyclist yesterday morning after he cut me up.

felt like a right idiot afterwards and apologised.

can only conclude my behaviour was down to the fact that i was cyclign at 7.45 through central london, a much later time than normal and thus exposed to the full force of the summer cyclists, on their horrible and suspiciously new looking cannondale MTBs.