Your rants here.

FrankM

To the cyclist who came hurtling down Highgate West Hill and tried to overtake a car that had slowed down for a speed bump by going the wrong way around an elongated traffic island: I'm glad you were ok after you went head-on straight into the car coming up the hill on the correct side of the traffic island. It could have been a very nasty accident. It might, however, have been nice if you'd hung around long enough to apologise to the car driver and see whether their car had any damage.

Mr_Cellophane

FrankM wrote:

To the cyclist who came hurtling down Highgate West Hill and tried to overtake a car that had slowed down for a speed bump by going the wrong way around an elongated traffic island: I'm glad you were ok after you went head-on straight into the car coming up the hill on the correct side of the traffic island. It could have been a very nasty accident. It might, however, have been nice if you'd hung around long enough to apologise to the car driver and see whether their car had any damage.

This one ?
http://tinyurl.com/m8ldf6

That is a long way to be on the wrong side of the road.

FrankM

Wow - that picture is cool.

The traffic island hw went around is actually the one you can see when looking up the road in the pitcture taken from number 91 Highgate West Hill. Not sure how to link to it. :oops:

lost_in_thought

Why why why do bus drivers who have a whole bus lane at their disposal insist on putting on their indicator then pulling a foot into the other lane to move out, only to straighten up and go back into the bus lane? Why can they not just move off in a straight line?

Also, waving as you do something completely tw@t-ish does not excuse you. Muppet.

Porgy

ChrisInBicester wrote:

What goes on these people's minds? Traffic is slow to the point of not moving, yet this prat can think only of overtaking a cyclist just so that he can stop behind the Audi in order to watch me slide past again? Amazing. I don't go for stereotypes normally, but this guy fitted the norm.

It's an automatic reaction -- they can't help themselves - "must....overtake .....cyclist.....must ......overtake .....cyclist.....must......"etc. etc.

Fireblade96

What is it, Numpty Night ?
I'm a fairly confident and assertive cyclist. I've been commuting by bike for years and always use my bike for getting round town. I've never normally felt intimidated....until tonight.

I'd just been for a nice swift 23-miler on the new bike, through the country lanes, all was good. Got home, had dinner, and took the Ancient Racer into town to meet a mate for a pint.

*Everyone* seemed to be driving like a complete twunt ! The quick route into town is largely along 4-lane roads - dual carriageway but with a 30 limit. Normally no problem at all, but tonight loads of cars were driving far too fast, passing me with inches to spare.

Going round a roundabout, I was in the outside lane lining up for my exit when some pr@t in a little green car decides, from the *inside* lane, to just cut across in front of me to take his exit ! He must have missed me by inches - I yelled, swore, just missed him....and he carried on seemingly completely oblivious to my presence !

Several more close passes and I made it to the pub a nervous wreck...

...and then on the way home, lining up for another roundabout, a minicab roars past me on the outside, cuts right in front of me, slams on his brakes and cuts left !

Argh !

Reading drivers, you are behaving like a bunch of t0ssers tonight

:evil: :evil: :evil:

OSOH

I vary between bike and car to travel to work, and am always amazed by the number of people cycling on the road without lights, between 11-12p.m. Extremely difficult for a car driver to see them in poorly-lit areas. Cue the idiot last night, no lights, weaving around in the middle of the lane on an empty road with very little street lighting. As I pull out (I was driving) onto the other side of the road to pass him, I realise that he is totally unaware of my presence as he is busy sending a text message on his phone!!

I have had my fair share of car drivers seemingly try to kill me while on the bike, e.g. passing too close, cutting me up, and nearly having my arm taken off when signalling right by a car driver deciding they can't possibly wait 10 seconds for me to turn, despite the fact I'm already halfway across, have been signalling for ages and there is traffic coming the opposite way. However, it's sadly so clear that there are idiots on both sides. The scary thing is the number of people not using lights, on one night out of 4 cyclists I passed, not one had a single form of illumination. 3 on road, 1 on pavement. Still, if the texter is lucky maybe his probable early demise will be spectacular enough to win him a Darwin award.

flicksta

OSOH wrote:

I vary between bike and car to travel to work, and am always amazed by the number of people cycling on the road without lights, between 11-12p.m. Extremely difficult for a car driver to see them in poorly-lit areas. Cue the idiot last night, no lights, weaving around in the middle of the lane on an empty road with very little street lighting. As I pull out (I was driving) onto the other side of the road to pass him, I realise that he is totally unaware of my presence as he is busy sending a text message on his phone!!

I have had my fair share of car drivers seemingly try to kill me while on the bike, e.g. passing too close, cutting me up, and nearly having my arm taken off when signalling right by a car driver deciding they can't possibly wait 10 seconds for me to turn, despite the fact I'm already halfway across, have been signalling for ages and there is traffic coming the opposite way. However, it's sadly so clear that there are idiots on both sides. The scary thing is the number of people not using lights, on one night out of 4 cyclists I passed, not one had a single form of illumination. 3 on road, 1 on pavement. Still, if the texter is lucky maybe his probable early demise will be spectacular enough to win him a Darwin award.

I commute to London and drive in to Cambridge station. Since it starting to get darker in the evenings, it's acautlly depressing to see how many cyclists in Cambridge have no lights. The place where I park is a busy route for cyclists and it's no longer 'check to see if anyone is coming' before pulling out, it's 'check to see if a bike with no lights is coming' before pulling out.

We've all had a number of drivers trying to kill us, consciously or unconsciously, but the strangest experience is as follows; I used to live in Herne Hill, home to a fabulous chip shop, Olley's. I emerged from Olley's one evening, clutching their prize-winning chips. Out of the corner of my eye I spied a mid-twenties woman cycling along the pavement, about 3 feet from the shopfront and 3 feet from me. The pavement at this point must be 12ft across but she is hugging the shopfront to avoid the many peds. Fortunately, years of rugby prepare me for the impact, but unfortunately for her, she takes a pretty heavy fall and due to shock, cannot speak for about a minute. I pick up her bike and prop it up against a bin, at which point she emits a truly bloodcurdlingly scream, fully 90 seconds after the event. I mean this is a scream at the top of her voice. I say to her 'I think you mean sorry, I was cycling on the pavement and cycled into you'. She just continues to scream and scream.

A copper arrives.

He asks me what happened,

Me "I walked out of the chippy and she rode into me on her bike. I can't explain why she is having a mental but it seems clear she thinks it is my fault"

Plod "did you look?"

Me"did I look for what?"

Plod "did you look?" he is now annoyed

Me "did I look for what?"

Plod "You know what"

Me "If you mean, did I look to see if a young woman was cycling on the pavement, you are going to have to ask me that specifically"

Plod "Go home"

MonkeyMonster

flicksta wrote:

A copper arrives.

He asks me what happened,

Me "I walked out of the chippy and she rode into me on her bike. I can't explain why she is having a mental but it seems clear she thinks it is my fault"

Plod "did you look?"

Me"did I look for what?"

Plod "did you look?" he is now annoyed

Me "did I look for what?"

Plod "You know what"

Me "If you mean, did I look to see if a young woman was cycling on the pavement, you are going to have to ask me that specifically"

Plod "Go home"

Most chucklesome

lost_in_thought

MonkeyMonster wrote:

flicksta wrote:

A copper arrives.

He asks me what happened,

Me "I walked out of the chippy and she rode into me on her bike. I can't explain why she is having a mental but it seems clear she thinks it is my fault"

Plod "did you look?"

Me"did I look for what?"

Plod "did you look?" he is now annoyed

Me "did I look for what?"

Plod "You know what"

Me "If you mean, did I look to see if a young woman was cycling on the pavement, you are going to have to ask me that specifically"

Plod "Go home"

Most chucklesome

+1

Those who cycle on the pavement will get their comeuppance eventually.

themoog

Some complete idiot locked their bike OVER mine on the bike stands outside St Martin in the Fields last night.

Thanks if that was you - 15 minutes of huffing and swearing, and eventually having to remove my handlebars to get my bike out. Perhaps next time you do that you could have a little think about how the other person is going to get their bike out.

It's 24 hours ago and I'm still annoyed that someone could be so inconsiderate.

downfader

themoog wrote:

Some complete idiot locked their bike OVER mine on the bike stands outside St Martin in the Fields last night.

Thanks if that was you - 15 minutes of huffing and swearing, and eventually having to remove my handlebars to get my bike out. Perhaps next time you do that you could have a little think about how the other person is going to get their bike out.

It's 24 hours ago and I'm still annoyed that someone could be so inconsiderate.

One of the reasons I use a chain lock to wrap the bike as close to the stand as possible, hopefully it deters others from sharing a stand (which are only designed for one bike and one bike only)

themoog

Cheers Downfader, that makes sense - trouble is, I take the front wheel off, which kind of leaves the 'front' of the stand exposed. This wally had locked his frame to the front of the stand right over the whole of the front of my bike - with his chain lock nice and tight over my bars!!

I need to get some of those lockable skewer things so I don't need to take the wheel off anymore

downfader

themoog wrote:

Cheers Downfader, that makes sense - trouble is, I take the front wheel off, which kind of leaves the 'front' of the stand exposed. This wally had locked his frame to the front of the stand right over the whole of the front of my bike - with his chain lock nice and tight over my bars!!

I need to get some of those lockable skewer things so I don't need to take the wheel off anymore

Loads of hex/allen bolt skewers out there from about 7 quid onwards. There are security key versions too

Mr Sworld

I thought that was a bike thief trick? It means you have to leave the bike there which gives them more time to cut you lock!

downfader

Mr Sworld wrote:

I thought that was a bike thief trick? It means you have to leave the bike there which gives them more time to cut you lock!

It can be, along with putting glue in the lock (using a lighter and heating the key can sometimes work on the glue trick I'm told)

el_presidente

themoog wrote:

Some complete idiot locked their bike OVER mine on the bike stands outside St Martin in the Fields last night.

Thanks if that was you - 15 minutes of huffing and swearing, and eventually having to remove my handlebars to get my bike out. Perhaps next time you do that you could have a little think about how the other person is going to get their bike out.

It's 24 hours ago and I'm still annoyed that someone could be so inconsiderate.

I'd have taken their handlebars off as well, and left a little note explaining why

themoog

To be honest, I was tempted to let their tyres down. But I was worried they might remember my bike and then a whole new war would start! And yes, I did want to leave a note, but I had neither pen or paper.

downfader

:x :x :x :x Pam's Drving School - Southampton. Stupid instructor! :x :x :x :x

Riding up Chessel Avenue towards the lights. Parked cars left and right so I'm out of the door zone and basically in primary bacause of lack of space here, not exactly going slowly even though its uphill I'm doing about 15mph according to the computer, when Prize Plum in a white car decorated with "Pam's Drving School" barged through. I had to swing hard left just to get the vital inch or two space between me right handle bar and his bonnet.

Shouted out in shock, not exactly sure what but 20 feet ahead there is a red light and he's had to stop. I pulled up behind and shout (as his window is done up) something along the lines of "Was it worth the rush? why didn't you give me space?!"

He winds down the window and is playing with his hands-free ear peice and shouts back "YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE LEFT!"

"NOT at pinch points! You as an instructor [nearly said learner as I was puffed out] should know that!"

He argues the toss, the lights change and people start beeping their horns. Plenty of witnesses saw it happen (people standing up by the surgery and drivers behind). We leave our separate ways. Couldnt find a website so have complained through the DSA. No wonder there are so many sh**ty drivers here at the moment with instructors like that.

The Chingford Skinhead

Well done for complaining. Let's hope Pam follows it up. As you say, what hope is there for us if even the instructors think stupid and dangerous moves are fair game in a race to the next queue!

downfader

The Chingford Skinhead wrote:

Well done for complaining. Let's hope Pam follows it up. As you say, what hope is there for us if even the instructors think stupid and dangerous moves are fair game in a race to the next queue!

Found their website eventually, might send an email tonight, might leave it to the DSA. Havent decided yet. My father thinks he was prolly late for an appointlemt (it being just past 3pm) and that the handsfree made him think the instructor might have been playing with the phone. Not good behaviour.

Rich158

fecking white vans :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

Approaching some traffic lights on the way to Eltham this morning I filter up the inside as they are red, and sit at the head of the traffic. Now the road narrows through the junction, and cars generally have to wait for bikes, so I get through as quickly as possible to keep the traffic flowing. The fecking idiot in a white van, who happened to be two cars back, then decides to turn left immediately after the lights nearly taking me out. We both come to a standstill and he has the temerity to have a go at me for being in his way :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

Honestly, he could see me, see I was going straight on and common sense must have told him that he didn't have enough time to get round me and turn left into a minor road directly after the lights :shock: What is wrong with these people, their spatial awareness goes to pot as soon as they get behind the wheel of a car/van. :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

Still at least I got to vent my anger directly at him as we both sat there looking at each other

Aidy

Damn Taxis.

Pull out of a junction right in front of me, causing me to brake sharply, then proceed to swerve left and right in front of me. Not letting me past on any side.

Oh, and not just any junction, a yellow cross-hatched box junction where I have clear right of way.

Then proceed to wind window down and swear at me? Excuse me? Idiot.

Kieran_Burns

Aidy wrote:

Damn Taxis.

Pull out of a junction right in front of me, causing me to brake sharply, then proceed to swerve left and right in front of me. Not letting me past on any side.

Oh, and not just any junction, a yellow cross-hatched box junction where I have clear right of way.

Then proceed to wind window down and swear at me? Excuse me? Idiot.

Did you get his licence plate number? (the Council one) If you did then speak to Taxi Licencing, they will pull the guy in and have a word.

Aidy

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Did you get his licence plate number? (the Council one) If you did then speak to Taxi Licencing, they will pull the guy in and have a word.

Kinda wish I had, but I was too busy trying to work out what the hell he was doing and where the hell he was going to be next to take note of it.

hipshaker

Three idiots this evening - one when driving onto Shaftesbury avenue - the taxidriver behind me on the narrow one way streets beeps horn until I move to the side so he can queue ahead of me. Left me in a dangerous situation, idiot. What's up with taxi drivers nowadays?

Secondly, cycling down Lillie Road down a hill so good speed when car from side street turns out and crosses road without even looking. I swear I was centimetres from the bonnet. Very frightening, really made me think is it worth cycling in London?

Three a pedestrian walks out on busy road without checking, inches from my handlebar.

Stressful

Mr Sworld

Just as I come out of work today I got stopped at the end of the street by the lights. So I pulled alongside the car at the white line. Now the line here is set about 15 feet back from the actual meeting point of the T junction with the main road.

The lass driving it then starts slowly creeping forward, bit by bit! As the passenger window passes me I tap on it and shout 'do you know what the white line is for?' However she steadfastly refuses to even look at me and just still, bit by bit, edges the car forward. By the end of it she's 5 foot ahead of the line with the lights still on red!

And then when the lights change she manages to stall the engine while attempting to get away. So Il pass her laughing out loud! Crazy!

rolf_f

Mr Sworld wrote:

The lass driving it then starts slowly creeping forward, bit by bit! As the passenger window passes me I tap on it and shout 'do you know what the white line is for?' However she steadfastly refuses to even look at me and just still, bit by bit, edges the car forward. By the end of it she's 5 foot ahead of the line with the lights still on red!

People who do that always make me laugh - invariably, they creep forward and when the lights finally do change, their reflexes are so slow that I've long since passed them (on car or bike) before they've cleared the lights.

Spiny_Norman

Cycling in this morning, I was pleasantly surprised when the white van that came charging up behind me didn't try to squeeze through the narrow gap to pass me just as we approached the junction. Could it be that I'd been guilty of unfairly labelling the driver because of his vehicle? Could it b0ll0cks!

As I waited to turn right at the T-junction, with traffic nose to tail in both directions, he decided he wasn't going to have any of that. He charged up the inside, edged into the traffic, bullying them into stopping, then turned right across me, leaving me choking on his diesel fumes as he floored it.

And to think that I nearly thanked him for driving like a normal, sane human being. :roll:

Skippy2309

Had a very very close call today, coming down a hill get up to speed and going at a comfortable pace, totally relaxed. pretty quiet road - car in front about 20m's ahead, catch sight of a car near the bottom of the road, all the side roads are 1 way systems (all no entry) its coming up the hill, pay it no attention as its coming up the hill.... BIG MISTAKE, indicator flicks on and the bloke swerves in front of me to try and make the turn sees its no entry and turns so he is coming right at me!!!

I was up on the front wheel i pulled the brake so bloody hard, I managed to get to the middle avoiding the head on collision, as you can guess there was plenty of swearing the bloke was completely oblivious, just floored it past on the inside going the wrong way down the road :roll: