Left Hooked at 60mph?

attica

So this morning I had to set out in my horrible tin box as I had to get to an office 60 miles away. I set off at just gone 6am as I had to be there super early.

About 10 miles up the motorway from here there's a long climb with a junction at the top, (Cribbs Causeway northbound on the M5 if you're interested) being slightly concious of fuel efficiency (who wouldn't be at £1.20 a litre {20% more than when it breached the one pound barrier but nobody is complaining half as hard, go figure}) I let the speed trickle down rather than push all the way up the hill, so by the time I reached the junction I was doing somewhere between 60 and 65 mph.
Bear in mind that this was at just after 6am there was hardly any other traffic.
Two cars caught me just before the junction, crow barred their way into the gap that I had to the car in front and stepped on the brake pedal seriously hard in order to get off at the junction meaning that I had to take avoiding action, this move must've saved the drivers in front anything between no seconds and bugger all, especially considering that they were heading into a maze of traffic light controlled junctions.

I had just been left hooked or near as damnit.

My point, if drivers are prepared to do thiis on a motorway to other cars in order to save possible milliseconds, then what chance do we have on our bikes?

attica

Apologies if this seems a little overwrought.
My wife's Aunt was killed yesterday whilst attempting to change the tyre on her caravan, Her husband was also badly hurt.
They were stationery on the hard shoulder of a ruler straight dual carrigeway when the caravan was hit from behind by another car.
The driver of that car is currently helping police with their enquiries and is at present rumoured to have been on the phone at the time of the accident.

To say I'm feeling a little vulnerable is an understatement.

cee

Attica wrote:

So this morning I had to set out in my horrible tin box as I had to get to an office 60 miles away. I set off at just gone 6am as I had to be there super early.

About 10 miles up the motorway from here there's a long climb with a junction at the top, (Cribbs Causeway northbound on the M5 if you're interested) being slightly concious of fuel efficiency (who wouldn't be at £1.20 a litre {20% more than when it breached the one pound barrier but nobody is complaining half as hard, go figure}) I let the speed trickle down rather than push all the way up the hill, so by the time I reached the junction I was doing somewhere between 60 and 65 mph.
Bear in mind that this was at just after 6am there was hardly any other traffic.
Two cars caught me just before the junction, crow barred their way into the gap that I had to the car in front and stepped on the brake pedal seriously hard in order to get off at the junction meaning that I had to take avoiding action, this move must've saved the drivers in front anything between no seconds and bugger all, especially considering that they were heading into a maze of traffic light controlled junctions.

I had just been left hooked or near as damnit.

My point, if drivers are prepared to do thiis on a motorway to other cars in order to save possible milliseconds, then what chance do we have on our bikes?

I have to say, that does my duster.....

So im driving along the motorway, leaving a nice safe gap between me and the car in front....(not extravagant, just enough to give thinking time), and some ar53 or two fire along and jam in front, to get off at a junction that I am not even coming off at...

:twisted: :evil:

Clever Pun

Attica wrote:

Apologies if this seems a little overwrought.
My wife's Aunt was killed yesterday whilst attempting to change the tyre on her caravan, Her husband was also badly hurt.
They were stationery on the hard shoulder of a ruler straight dual carrigeway when the caravan was hit from behind by another car.
The driver of that car is currently helping police with their enquiries and is at present rumoured to have been on the phone at the time of the accident.

To say I'm feeling a little vulnerable is an understatement.

yikes, sorry to hear that...

TheFoolio888

Really sorry to hear that Attica...

The attitude of a number (seeming increasing) of car drivers baffles me...and regularly frightens when on my commute. It seems to be a combination of lack of patience, lack of consideration and people thinking that they are invincible (and unacountable) when inside their tin cans.

I really am not a violent person...never been in a fight in my life...but the amount of people I have felt like setting upon with a crowbar this year due to the driving behaviour must be in the high 50s.

In the last week alone my missus and cousin's missus have both been driven off the road by tossers who think that the laws don't apply to them. It's really beginning to seriously pssss me off...

attica

Thanks for the kind words folks.

redddraggon

I was doing my 100k training loop on Saturday, and some of the passing I saw was ridiculous. On my way home, a car passed me at about 40mph (in a 40mph area) and gave me plenty of space (thanks) but some numpty thought he would try and pass that car at 60mph while the other driving was passing me - cue loads of horn blowing by the speeding driver. I really do feel like dragging these idiots out of their cars and teaching them a lesson sometimes.

dirk_van_gently

Last evening, on my way to visit masseur, trundling up a bit of a climb. Overtaken by a bright yellow Fiat Cheepytincan. Female driver gives me plenty of room, 2 more cars pass me, again plenty of space. Then not more than 60mtrs in front the Cheepytincan pulls to the kerb and stops! to let a passenger out.
Why overtake?
I don't know!

DavidTQ

Dirk Van Gently wrote:

Last evening, on my way to visit masseur, trundling up a bit of a climb. Overtaken by a bright yellow Fiat Cheepytincan. Female driver gives me plenty of room, 2 more cars pass me, again plenty of space. Then not more than 60mtrs in front the Cheepytincan pulls to the kerb and stops! to let a passenger out.
Why overtake?
I don't know!

Something like these people? who "have to get in front of the cyclist..."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHUwMPU4WWA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcitvPfdRP8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9eoQXaxbqM

This mornings commute though was great, stress free and very enjoyable. Just think I could have been sat in one of those cages that get held up by cyclists...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYE_zFer0Zk

This afternoon looks like pouring rain

Gambatte

record commute home.

Airzound used 3 times!

I'm going to have to claim a stronger primary, maybe to the right of centre of the lane. All 3 at junctions - 2 of 'em RABs.

Typical one was when I notice blondies bonnet coming alongside me in the last 5m before the RAB...

Bassjunkieuk

It's been a while since I've been on here due to a new arrival in the family, but it appears people's attitudes to cyclist (and each other) haven't changed. Only yesterday I and a few others in the office I'm working at witnessed the tail end of a hit and run at Vauxhall Cross.

I was chatting to someone and saw a silver Xsara Picasso go skidding round the corner heading towards Battersea from Brixton, they corrected and drove off and I just assumed they overcooked the corner as it had just started raining. Then someone in the offices further along started shouting "their driving off!" to the driver of a silver astra estate on the opposite side of the junction with a trail of smashed car parts behind him. We can only assume the Xsara driver jumped a red as they didn't stick around long!

As another cyclist in the office said, even when your driving properly people still find ways to crash into you and what chance does a cyclist have?