My Eventful Commute Home Today!!!

drewfromrisca

I commute from Wandsworth to Chiswick daily and today on the way home I had such a bad experience that I have to get it off my chest instead of me usually telling my dog when I get home!!!! I was travelling down the road at a really slow place due to a build up of traffic and the fact that it was hammering it down and some idiot just pulls out right in front of me almost clipping the car in front and taking me out in the process. After coming to a screeching halt and stopping on his car I politely tell him to watch what he was doing and drive more careful to which I was met with a barrage of abuse and the obligatory middle finger. The choice of language was extremely coarse with several f's and 'c' words thrown in!!! All this whilst his wife/girlfriend/sister/whatever was sat in passenger seat and three young kids sat in the back. Not taking a liking to this I told him to watch his mouth and just watch where he's driving in the future...you know the usual thing!!! The guy then motions to get out of the car by taking off his belt and opening the door. Expecting me to then ride off I stood my ground and unclipped the other foot and I think suprised him, so he then backed down and shouted something along the lines of "I'll F**K you up next time!". So not wanting to make a scene I turn around and low and behold a police van is right behind the car and I counted at least four pcso's and officers watching the situation. What do you think they did??? Thats right you got it...absolutely nothing!!! As soon as they made eye contact with me they hurriedly turned around and totally ignored me and the obvious offence of driving without due care and attention and public order!!!
It doesn't stop there!!! About a mile down the road I get cut up by some t****r in a bmw and tell him (politely I might add) to check his mirror before he pulls into the lane next to him...which happened to be a bus lane and no he wasn't a taxi. I then get hit back with a barrage of abuse and bull*hit and think whats the point of arguing back. I then ride off thinking things can get better...oh no...some hgv driver come formula 1 expert then tries taking a sharp bend at a high speed and almost sandwiches me in to the wall!!! At this point I had had enough and got off the bike and walked the final twenty yards up the road. I then come to a crossing, walk the bike across the road and some idiot crossing the other direction tells me to 'F**K OFF out the way!!!', well at this point I tell him where to go rather unpolitely!!! It got so bad today and in recent weeks (only a few weeks ago I landed inside someones convertible as he pulled out in front of me, t-boning his car giving it a huge dent and me somersaulting in the air over handlebars landing in back seat and scuffing the leather with my disco shoes!) that I'm thinking of leaving the bike at home running to station and work from the other end!!! And if I see one more advert/sign/news article saying that Red Ken is promoting cycling etc etc I swear I'll flip!!!
There thats better, now I can take the dog for a walk without the poor pooch's ears hurting from my ranting!!!

ddraver

i'm sorry dude but the though of t-boning a car and somursaulting into the bak seat is just so comical its making me forget all the above

bad luck - if it makes it any better i did much of that route (south ken to ealing) and didn't have a problem all year that wasnt my fault (cept the old busses a tad too close and people in the cycle lane) so maybe your just having a bad month - keep the faith

however i did tend to keep my mouth shut alot of the time and just mouth obcenities or give evil looks, perhaps try that, and talking to the dog abit more maybe

ash68

as the post before said" keep the faith". Sounds like your having a rough time down there in the smoke. Makes me appreciate the country lanes that I commute on each day.The worst hazards I come across are the kamikaze rabbits running around in front of my front wheel,well and the odd tosser in a car :roll: Know it's hard to keep your cool when people nearly kill you with their poor driving but sometimes it is the best policy,there's a load of nutters out there on the roads only too willing to have a go at you.

toontra

It's interesting that the worst drivers often seem to have the foulest mouths, and they just hate anyone pointing out their shortcomings!

MattBlackBigBoysBMX

Bloody hell mate! :shock:

I'd certainly be having words down my local nick though...

drewfromrisca

Oh yeah forgot to mention earlier!!! I am a policeman!!! Shocking huh!?!?!? I didnt want to make a fuss as things can get awkward but looking back I wish I had taken the reg. plate of offending veh. and police veh.

As you say I think it was one of those things...hopefully the last. And the somersault...yeah it was freaking hilarious!!! All the more when the guy started shouting at me telling me it was my fault. He was soon told different, and the dent and scratched paint was awful but hey that's his fault.

plusgourmande

You're a copper? Why didn't you smack him one? What are you, some sort of pussy?

drewfromrisca

Well the fact that about 6 other coppers were watching probably didnt help...I can just imagine it now - getting locked up, losing my job and totally ruin my chance of emigrating to the U.S. with the missus!!! Not that I didnt want to of course!!! Anyway last time I 'smacked' someone (albeit in self defence) I ended up on front page of paper being accused of police brutality and an animal!!!!

Tourist Tony

It is getting silly. Got slapped by a car passenger the other day, and the next day was up in Covent Garden. According to the signs, cyclists are the problem...