What was his problem?!
Totalnewbie
Posts: 932
A first for me - got shouted at by a cyclist this morning and can't quite work out why!
I was waiting to go over Vauxhall bridge (northbound) in the bit where only buses and cycles are allowed. For non-Londoners, it's complicated, Vauxhall cross is a monster gyratory system but this bit in the middle means you can ride straight across to the bridge, which is 3 lanes inc 1 bus lane, turning into four lanes at the end (with a right only lane appearing).
So the lights go green and I pedal off, heading over to the right lane whereas the majority of cyclists peel off to the left for the bus lane. I go for the right because I turn right at the end of the bridge and there are enough lanes for cars to go around you, plus the phasing of the lights means I have a bit of time before the cars come.
This cyclist passes me on my right ultra close as we cross the junction, I jumped a bit because he was so close (he had obviously come up behind as the lights changed so he had a bit more speed) and he shouts something at me. He looked p*ssed off so I doubt it is a friendly Hello! Then he keeps looking back at me with an evil look his face, as though he expects something back but I did not hear what he said so I can't reply and then he veers left in front of me to get to the bus lane and I carry on, and he goes straight on while I go right at the end so that's the end of it.
What did I do? All I can think of is that he was 'assuming' I would veer left into the bus lane like 9 out of 10 cyclists do there, and thus 'assuming' he would have room to overtake me on the right as I did. When I did not and carried on towards the right lane, he was left with hardly any room due to the crossing kerbs that we had to ride between, and he got peed off and shouted at me.
Seriously, I would like to know what I did, motorists giving abuse is one thing but cyclists is another! I would have asked him if I caught him at the lights but they went green.
I was waiting to go over Vauxhall bridge (northbound) in the bit where only buses and cycles are allowed. For non-Londoners, it's complicated, Vauxhall cross is a monster gyratory system but this bit in the middle means you can ride straight across to the bridge, which is 3 lanes inc 1 bus lane, turning into four lanes at the end (with a right only lane appearing).
So the lights go green and I pedal off, heading over to the right lane whereas the majority of cyclists peel off to the left for the bus lane. I go for the right because I turn right at the end of the bridge and there are enough lanes for cars to go around you, plus the phasing of the lights means I have a bit of time before the cars come.
This cyclist passes me on my right ultra close as we cross the junction, I jumped a bit because he was so close (he had obviously come up behind as the lights changed so he had a bit more speed) and he shouts something at me. He looked p*ssed off so I doubt it is a friendly Hello! Then he keeps looking back at me with an evil look his face, as though he expects something back but I did not hear what he said so I can't reply and then he veers left in front of me to get to the bus lane and I carry on, and he goes straight on while I go right at the end so that's the end of it.
What did I do? All I can think of is that he was 'assuming' I would veer left into the bus lane like 9 out of 10 cyclists do there, and thus 'assuming' he would have room to overtake me on the right as I did. When I did not and carried on towards the right lane, he was left with hardly any room due to the crossing kerbs that we had to ride between, and he got peed off and shouted at me.
Seriously, I would like to know what I did, motorists giving abuse is one thing but cyclists is another! I would have asked him if I caught him at the lights but they went green.
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Comments
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He messed up and then shouted at you to cover his embarrassment, I wouldn't spare it another thought.
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Porridge not Petrol0 -
He's a james blunt innit. Sounds like you did a good job of riding properly to me, and I also use that same road, sometimes going on the right like you do.0
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I hate cycling on that roundabout - congratulations on surviving!
Doesn't sound like you did anything wrong. If the other guy was haring through semi stationary traffic as the lights were changing, it was his look out to either slow down or make sure that he gave you plenty of room.0 -
Ta guys. It just baffles me that anyone has the nerve to shout when they are in the wrong, which is what makes me start to doubt myself...
I wonder what he shouted though?!0 -
what a complete window licker...forget about it! like sting once said it takes a real man to suffer ignorance and just smile!dangerous jules.0
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Total I'm not saying this is the case, but..
If your riding slowly and correctly you'll block his route, this may have annoyed him
Don't change your riding it's his problem and he's probably a part time commuter
Was he on a road bike?
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When I get something like this, a good reaction seems to be to cup your ear and smile at them.0
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Do what the police do and just assume the one making all the noise is the guilty partyMarin Mount Vision 2005. Fox RL100/RP3. Hope Pro 2/Mavic XC717/DT rev. Cinders 2.1, XTR, Lots of bling
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I'd got away fairly quickly but he was always going to be faster because he came along as the lights changed so he had more momentum.
Not a road bike as far as I could see, no drops for sure, may have been MTB. He had one of those BMX-type hard shell helmets on, which does not suggest a roadie to me...
And if he'd been on the left of the junction to get into the bus lane like he should have been, I'd have been nowhere near him anyway.0 -
I was regretting the fact that I never shouted something back, but the middle of Vauxhall bridge is hardly the place for an argument so Bentmikey's approach of the smile etc is probably better. And more irritating for the shouting fool, of course.0
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Sounds like you are in the right to me.Totalnewbie wrote:Ta guys. It just baffles me that anyone has the nerve to shout when they are in the wrong, which is what makes me start to doubt myself...
I think this is a normal reaction - I get the same from car drivers when they fail to give way to me or assume that I am about to do something that I am not. Some people just react aggressively when they get things wrong, no idea why. Any psychologists out there?0 -
TotalNewbie,
Do you ride in the bus lane in the middle of Vauxhall Bridge?
He may have objected to you doing that, as you would be riding on the other side of the road. Loads of other cyclists do it though.0 -
Totalnewbie wrote:Ta guys. It just baffles me that anyone has the nerve to shout when they are in the wrong, which is what makes me start to doubt myself...
I wonder what he shouted though?!
Er, I take it you're not married then!! :oops:
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Porridge not Petrol0 -
No, I wasn't riding in the bus lane on the other side of the road so that wasn't his problem. The shouting happened before I had even made it properly into my lane, anyway, it was as he overtook at the junction.
Haha Dom. Obviously this thread is not about relationships, whole different ball game!0 -
'heading over to the right lane'
were you moving over to the right?, if so then you might have cut across him surely?
can't recall the layout there, long time, so ignore me if I'm wrong0 -
It's possible, but I'd positioned myself at the lights so I could ride in a pretty straight line over to the far right lane so I wasn't really cutting across anyone. I was so far over to the right already (one way system) that I jumped when someone overtook there as no one's ever tried to before.
I still think it was because he was not expecting me to go straight on and thinking he could veer left with me. Well, maybe next time he will allow for the fact that not all cyclists go straight into the bus lane like he expects them to...0 -
Tynancp wrote:'heading over to the right lane'
were you moving over to the right?, if so then you might have cut across him surely?
can't recall the layout there, long time, so ignore me if I'm wrong
Surely it's the responsibility of the overtaking muppet to allow for TN to take any of the lanes and not make assumptions?0
