SOME drivers!

jamazin

Usually on the mtb i dont get troubled with idiots but now ive started piloting the road bike daily, im getting some what angered by foolish drivers. Two examples.

The classic roundabout t**t. I put my hand out to pull out into the middle of the road to go right. As i pull out, some idiot behind obviously cant drive continues at full speed. I get to the middle and of course she starts beeping and going on when it is clearly her fault.

Also i pulled left out of a side street onto a bigger road with enough room before a car. Some t****r comes flying down the 30 road at50 and hugging the kerb. Then as i am getting upto peed she sees she is tooclose to fast and slams on the brakes. Beeping anall. She holds everyone up and the unknowing person a couple of cars behind starts shouting all sort of insults at me!

ARGGHH!

freehub

I hate drivers that think they are in the right when they are wrong but it gets worse sometimes.


Yesterday some a$$hole in a 4x4 came airing it down this single lane country road, he nearly knocked me and another cyclist behind me off, he must have being doing 40, rightly so the cyclist behind me gave him the finger, he was a loony, then he skidded his 4x4 to a halt and came out all confrontational acting the big I am arguing we were riding 2 abreast, the weird thing was, the cyclist with me was behind me, this is single file, then he argued that you are NOT allowed AT ALL to ride two abreast, when on any road a cyclist is legally allowed to ride on you can ride 2 abreast, it is only considered courteous to ride single file when the road is A, narrow or B busy, in which case I we were riding 2 abreast which we was not I know full well the guy behind me would have gone single file as we're not the kind of cyclist out to p155 road drivers, I also know drivers when passing cyclists should give as much room as they would require, which does not mean airing past in a 4x4 slamming on breaks jumping out asking for a fight, I said corrected the driver and he was like "was I talking to you", and, "next time I'll run you over" and basically, " I don't give a **** about the law", I was fuming, still am, I cannot believe the bloody attitude he had, he had 3 kids in the back, the eldest of which covering the eyes of the 2 little ones, and the wife in the front passenger seat sitting there watching in bemusement.

downfader

We need Kimbo to go out on a ride with us. :twisted:

I came close to smacking a driver on thursday morning (posted about it in the CTC forums) but it wasnt worth losing my job over or a criminal conviction.

I have started to wonder... sick a thought as it is.. if these drivers ever consider that the cyclist they upset might go and fill out a letter to crimestoppers saying "kiddie fiddler, licence plate blah blah" :shock: :?

bobpzero

then would get done for telling lies. ive wondered what it would be like if managed to grab the drivers keys and tangle them over a storm water drain, tho that wouldnt work either. Im definitely not approving you try this even if you are extremely tempted.

all i can say is transfer your rage to leg power & try not let the crazy drivers get to you personally, tho i know thats insanely difficult.

cycologist

Just to add a similar story from my ride yesterday. Having descended a steep hill through a reasonably busy urban area i was going pretty swiftly but holding back due to traffic and the need to turn left immediately after a row of shops. Before I had actually started to break before the turn, the ubiquitous black 4x4 pulled out in front of me from a service road. I braked and managed to control the rear wheel that had started to snake. The idiot driver stopped in front of me and I managed to manouvre around him whilst verbally venting my anger (something along the lines of "you f*****g tw*t) This seemed to outrage his passenger (son, aged about 25) who ordered me to stop and wait. Yeah, like i was going to do so in order to get a good kicking in place of the failed asassination attempt by the driver. I accelerated off doing my impression of Mark Cavendish on the Champs Elysee, turned left, overtook the queue of traffic at the next set of lights and disappeared off into the distance.
Things I must remember in future:-
1. Always be alert for drivers with big cars and small brains.
2.Don't shout obscenities at drivers ,especially when they are stationary, have the windows wound down and have psychopathic passengers on board.
3.Never pick a fight when you are outnumbered 2 to 1 and both guys are much bigger than you.

dilemna

Out of the road bike this morning in rural Cambridgeshire. As I was riding out of the village out of a side road coming toward me on my side of the road hooned this complete kunt in a big silver estate at about 40 mph. He didn't even bother to stop or look as the car came right onto my side of the road appearing to skid and snaked back onto the correct side of the road the driver sped up to an insane speed toward me I reckon about 70 mph in a 30mph limit. As the car went by all I could see was a white male driving with several kids in the back in football kit. The car looked like a BM or Audi or similar but as it was travelling so fecking fast I couldn't be sure. I shouted slow down as he went by but he just blew his horn and stuck his middle finger out the window as he disappeared into the distance. No chance to get the reg as the car was going too fast.

Then out in my car a bit later this stupid blond bint in BM X something or other, the ones that are like tower blocks on wheels tried to overtake me on a blind right hand bend but had to slam her brakes on as she was just starting to pass as a car came in the opposite direction. She then sat on my bumper about 6ft behind for 1/4 of a mile up to a roundabout where I turned right and she undertook and went around me on the outside tyres squeeling like hell I thought she was going to roll it. She had kids in the back but no front seat passenger that I could see. I blew my horn but again she stuck her middle finger up at me.

Then at a big junction in Peterborough another kunt in a big Audi estate shot through the nearside turning left lane as everyone was starting off as the lights turned green then swerved back across 4 lanes of traffic which were now moving back into the far right lane turning right around the roundabout. A total k*nt.

What is it with people?

I've often thought if you could grab the keys when they stop and kick off. Say something like "They're going over there/there.....look and do a dummy throw" then they look in that direction but you throw them in another direction they are not looking and ride off..........heheheheheh

NWLondoner

dilemna wrote:

I've often thought if you could grab the keys when they stop and kick off. Say something like "They're going over there/there.....look and do a dummy throw" then they look in that direction but you throw them in another direction they are not looking and ride off..........heheheheheh

Yes, but only if you can sprint away faster than Mark Cavendish

NWLondoner

dilemna wrote:

I've often thought if you could grab the keys when they stop and kick off. Say something like "They're going over there/there.....look and do a dummy throw" then they look in that direction but you throw them in another direction they are not looking and ride off..........heheheheheh

Yes, but only if you can sprint away faster than Mark Cavendish

NWLondoner

dilemna wrote:

I've often thought if you could grab the keys when they stop and kick off. Say something like "They're going over there/there.....look and do a dummy throw" then they look in that direction but you throw them in another direction they are not looking and ride off..........heheheheheh

Yes, but only if you can sprint away faster than Mark Cavendish

Ollieda

NWLondoner wrote:

dilemna wrote:

I've often thought if you could grab the keys when they stop and kick off. Say something like "They're going over there/there.....look and do a dummy throw" then they look in that direction but you throw them in another direction they are not looking and ride off..........heheheheheh

Yes, but only if you can sprint away faster than Mark Cavendish

My friend did something like this whilst cycling in oxford.

Cycling along and some chavs in a car decided to lean out the window and shove him as they drove past. What they didnt think about was the red light further down the road, my mate caught back up and cycled round to the drivers window leant in and hit him, nicked his keys and threw them in the field next to the road before pedaling like mad into the distance.

Wouldn't recomend doing it though.......its only going to increase their hatred and violence towards cyclists and you could be in trouble if they see you out and about again, might step it up a bit!

nwallace

dilemna wrote:

Then out in my car a bit later this stupid blond bint in BM X something or other, the ones that are like tower blocks on wheels tried to overtake me on a blind right hand bend but had to slam her brakes on as she was just starting to pass as a car came in the opposite direction. She then sat on my bumper about 6ft behind for 1/4 of a mile up to a roundabout where I turned right and she undertook and went around me on the outside tyres squeeling like hell I thought she was going to roll it. She had kids in the back but no front seat passenger that I could see. I blew my horn but again she stuck her middle finger up at me.

Sounds bloody reckless.
Roundabouts are junctions, so it wasn't an undertake.

Had to check that one in the past, because I regularly find I carry much more speed through roundabouts than the vehicle in the outside lane (usually because they stop at the give way line despite it having been clear for the last 5 hours.
Or my other favourite at the TRB south access, failing to accelerate out and bogging down on the hill in a modern car. A 23 year old 100bhp (at new) motor should not out accelerate anything up that hill.

My other roundabout favourite is when people get upset at you for holding back from a lorry or bus.

Once had a bus then a lorry in the left lane on the way into the Tesco Circle on Riverside Drive in Dundee, woman behind started gesticulating at me for holding back.
FFS could she not see the bus and lorry? Does she not know that they have to straight line these sort of junctions (it's a very tight one)
As it turned out the bus got through then something turned right from Tesco so i ended up at the give way line with a lorry right next to me. I didn't bother checking to see how up set she was at me not trying to beat the lorry to the apex.

john-e-big-guns

freehub wrote:

I hate drivers that think they are in the right when they are wrong but it gets worse sometimes.


Yesterday some a$$hole in a 4x4 came airing it down this single lane country road, he nearly knocked me and another cyclist behind me off, he must have being doing 40, rightly so the cyclist behind me gave him the finger, he was a loony, then he skidded his 4x4 to a halt and came out all confrontational acting the big I am arguing we were riding 2 abreast, the weird thing was, the cyclist with me was behind me, this is single file, then he argued that you are NOT allowed AT ALL to ride two abreast, when on any road a cyclist is legally allowed to ride on you can ride 2 abreast, it is only considered courteous to ride single file when the road is A, narrow or B busy, in which case I we were riding 2 abreast which we was not I know full well the guy behind me would have gone single file as we're not the kind of cyclist out to p155 road drivers, I also know drivers when passing cyclists should give as much room as they would require, which does not mean airing past in a 4x4 slamming on breaks jumping out asking for a fight, I said corrected the driver and he was like "was I talking to you", and, "next time I'll run you over" and basically, " I don't give a **** about the law", I was fuming, still am, I cannot believe the bloody attitude he had, he had 3 kids in the back, the eldest of which covering the eyes of the 2 little ones, and the wife in the front passenger seat sitting there watching in bemusement.

I do'nt pi$$ about with these t*ats that want a fight, I'd have put him on his ar**, that was clearly what he was asking for... 'Tonka Toy' drivers think they own the road

pedylan

Sadly it's a jungle out there. But how do we deal with it, the difference if you're on a bike (or a pedestrian) is that someone's single mistake could be our fatality.

The Institute of Advanced Motorists (much derided by Clarkson and his lackeys on Top Gear) advise a DEFENSIVE driving style where you anticipate problems and effectively compenate for other drivers uselessness or recklessness. On a bike I interpret defensiveness as being seen, making eye contact where possible and assertive road positioning.

I always bear a few rules in mind.

1. I'll never win a fight wearing cleated road shoes.
2. My bike will cause little damage to their 4x4 if they choose to run me over.
3. Shout loudly where necessary but with a warning or instruction not a volley of swear words.
4. No one you abuse for crap driving is EVER going to say " oh sorry that was terribly poor driving on my part". They will always come back with agression or abuse or both.
5. I will not let one tw*t spoil my day.
6. I will not descend to the standards adopted by the stereotypical "get out of my way" road user/knobhead/genetic misprint.

Dunno if any of that helps but engaging in their version of jungle warfare just diminishes us.

disgruntledgoat

Overall, i'd agree with the above. Oftentimes, poor and dangerous driving are driven by ignorance and carelessness rather than malice. However, where impressing ones mates or just spite are clearly the motive I get really annoyed.

A collection of incidents from teh last 12 months in a pretty out of the way rural location.

A lorry overtaking downhill round a left hand bend and closing in on me with it's trailer in the wet. I locked the back wheel and could see it getting closer and closer...

A BMW (what else?) convertable coming on my right at a junction whilst I was indicating to go right... Bottle of purple PSP in his back seat for that

Some bloke getting really agitated as he couldn't get past two of us doing 20 mph in a 20mph limit. This guy was the worst. Usually when I get a gesture i just wave cheerily back at them. This guy took this as a red rag, pulled over and got out after stamping his brakes in front of us then started mouthing off about how he was taking his som out to enjoy the lake district and who did we think we were etc etc. The worst of it was his son was now crying in the back seat and if you were just on a sunday drive as part of your holiday, why does it matter how fast you get to drive? Just observe the pretty scenery.

prawny

pedylan wrote:

I always bear a few rules in mind.

1. I'll never win a fight wearing cleated road shoes.
2. My bike will cause little damage to their 4x4 if they choose to run me over.
3. Shout loudly where necessary but with a warning or instruction not a volley of swear words.
4. No one you abuse for crap driving is EVER going to say " oh sorry that was terribly poor driving on my part". They will always come back with agression or abuse or both.
5. I will not let one tw*t spoil my day.
6. I will not descend to the standards adopted by the stereotypical "get out of my way" road user/knobhead/genetic misprint.

Dunno if any of that helps but engaging in their version of jungle warfare just diminishes us.

+1 I am a Zen master on my bike. ommmmmmmmm.

freehub

If anything cleated road shoes would help win a fight, all that pressure focused into 3 small points is got to be made of win.

pedylan

freehub wrote:

If anything cleated road shoes would help win a fight, all that pressure focused into 3 small points is got to be made of win.

Assuming this confrontation takes place on the road or pavement, you have no chance, you will never get any force behind the leg that's kicking if it's supported by the other leg on its cleated shoe. Your only hope would be if your protagnist pisses himself laughing.

Let's be realistic when we're imagining how violence would develop. There's more than a touch of fantasy in some of the descriptions of wished for confrontations.

cee

pedylan wrote:

freehub wrote:

If anything cleated road shoes would help win a fight, all that pressure focused into 3 small points is got to be made of win.

Assuming this confrontation takes place on the road or pavement, you have no chance, you will never get any force behind the leg that's kicking if it's supported by the other leg on its cleated shoe. Your only hope would be if your protagnist pisses himself laughing.

Let's be realistic when we're imagining how violence would develop. There's more than a touch of fantasy in some of the descriptions of wished for confrontations.

or to quote mike skinner.....its never gonna be that jackie chan scene it could have been.

disgruntledgoat

pedylan wrote:

freehub wrote:

If anything cleated road shoes would help win a fight, all that pressure focused into 3 small points is got to be made of win.

Assuming this confrontation takes place on the road or pavement, you have no chance, you will never get any force behind the leg that's kicking if it's supported by the other leg on its cleated shoe. Your only hope would be if your protagnist pisses himself laughing.

Let's be realistic when we're imagining how violence would develop. There's more than a touch of fantasy in some of the descriptions of wished for confrontations.

Too true, the first whiff of violence would leave me running home to get me dad on them. I love how every club has a guy who talks like he's clobbered motorists for lookng at him funny and yet never reacts when a car gets agressive on the sunday ride.

thatkidduffy

Dickheads like this don't help though:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1211917/JAMES-MARTIN-The-Tesla-Roadster-electric-supercar-thats-fast-Ferrari.html

Currently, James Martin is on the receiving end of plenty of Twitter abuse, led ably by Bradley Wiggins.

Richard891

The majority of motorists are ok though aren't they - courteous, give you enough room overtaking etc.? That is always worth bearing in mind. All it takes is the minority to spoil it. My pet hate is people passing too close. Last weekend I knocked on the windows of two cars passing to let them know they were too close - if I can easily knock your windows you're too close aren't you!? I tend to ride about 2-3 feet from the edge of the road as I find this encourages drivers to give me more room, consiously considering me as a road user to be passed safely rather than an obstacle that can be squeezed past without any deviation.

The first guy overtook me despite traffic coming in the other direction, and due to my road positioning he found himself stradling the centre line and got a horn from an oncoming car, forced to move left, as well as a knock on the window from me. This was a family car, full of kids too, I often wonder what kind of example this sets... I had just passed out of a 30mph zone, so we weren't going fast, never the less I felt vulnerable and angry. The second incident was totally weird. Back in another 30mph zone I was slowly and closely passed by a lad in a ford sierra or something, eating an ice cream with his pal. There was no oncoming traffic this time so he could've given me a wide berth and I felt there was something deliberate - not just thoughtless - about how close he scraped past. Banged on his window. A few yards up the road he slows down and now he's holding me up, so I shouted in the passenger window that I thought he could've given me a bit more room and he starts going "You were right in the middle of the road, you were right in the middle of the road...", I pointed out that the highway code recommended that cyclists be given as much room as cars when overtaking... "you were right in the middle of the road..." I wasn't, but how did this justify unsafe/deliberately close/threatening overtaking? I lost it and started calling him all sorts and he eventually drove on - lucky for me I guess (Cleated, outnumbered...).

The thing is these stupid incidents can totally spoil your ride. The rest of my way home I was just angry; angry at the way we get treated, angry that I started considering I was putting myself in danger by doing something I love and angry at my comportment in my confrontation with this simpleton. When the adrenaline starts to flow it's difficult to remain calm...

What is it about driving a car that makes people behave with such indifference to other life?

downfader

..On her ride in this morning one of the ladies in the work's cycle lockup said she nearly got reversed into by a shop mobility scooter as she took a turn on the road. I guess that makes an odd change! :shock:

pedylan

downfader wrote:

..On her ride in this morning one of the ladies in the work's cycle lockup said she nearly got reversed into by a shop mobility scooter as she took a turn on the road. I guess that makes an odd change! :shock:

Could definitely (actually make that probably) kick their arse, cleated shoes or no cleated shoes.

nwallace

And continuing on my roundabout rant.
and on the way to town (in the car) today some arse decided to cut the TRB south access one when i was nearly alongside in the "outside" lane (as in the one on the inside of the roundabout).
They seemed to have second thoughts when they saw the big bumpers and heard the air horns going (Horn = If you haven't noticed i am here then you should by now).

Of course I'm not going to say anything about the arse who filtered up the inside at the Marketgait lights, leaving his wife behind me (and then continually until I got past before the next set of lights) as the lights were on Amber+Red when he did it.
(Ok I will, I reckoned it was a bit of a duff decision on his part considering the lights were changing and he had bugger all to gain considering the car in front of me was on the stop line, but then he was also cycling in the gutter after the lights, haven't a clue what he did at the Nethergate junction.)


Think I need to go for a nice gentle cycle tomorrow :-D

DavidBelcher

downfader wrote:

..On her ride in this morning one of the ladies in the work's cycle lockup said she nearly got reversed into by a shop mobility scooter as she took a turn on the road. I guess that makes an odd change! :shock:

Those things can be bloomin' dangerous. Many's the time I've been out shopping in a pedestrianised area and an old codger decides to zip through with Sweeney-style driving, without giving a monkey's for anyone else!

David

StealTheR

I have one, it made me laugh at the time though.

I was going round the roundabout and one of the slip roads from a motorway comes off onto this roundabout so there was this van waiting to set off he could see me coming so he waited and then a car from behind him came up the slip road and the guy in this car forgot about the van in front of him as he was just looking at me and crashed into this van, wasn't anything major though. Still made my month.

sicknote

pedylan wrote:

Sadly it's a jungle out there. But how do we deal with it, the difference if you're on a bike (or a pedestrian) is that someone's single mistake could be our fatality.

The Institute of Advanced Motorists (much derided by Clarkson and his lackeys on Top Gear) advise a DEFENSIVE driving style where you anticipate problems and effectively compenate for other drivers uselessness or recklessness. On a bike I interpret defensiveness as being seen, making eye contact where possible and assertive road positioning.

I always bear a few rules in mind.

1. I'll never win a fight wearing cleated road shoes.
2. My bike will cause little damage to their 4x4 if they choose to run me over.
3. Shout loudly where necessary but with a warning or instruction not a volley of swear words.
4. No one you abuse for crap driving is EVER going to say " oh sorry that was terribly poor driving on my part". They will always come back with agression or abuse or both.
5. I will not let one tw*t spoil my day.
6. I will not descend to the standards adopted by the stereotypical "get out of my way" road user/knobhead/genetic misprint.

Dunno if any of that helps but engaging in their version of jungle warfare just diminishes us.

As for 4. I have to say that I have had a few people say sorry over the last few weeks :shock:

partrir

I only (thankfully) have had one bad incident.....

Cycling along a 30mph single carriageway up to a roundabout where I intended to turn right....

Looked back - car behind (way back) signaling right also. Plenty of room for me to turn right before he had to overtake. Or at least if he hadn't been doing about 80MPH. Car was a Silver Honda Civic.

Anways...check again...car was still way back - I move to the right...check the roundabout....clear....move out onto the roundabout.....hear a huge screech of brakes amd am just thinking WTF, when I'm propelled forwards then instantly backwards onto the bonnet of said Silver civic, rolling off and hitting the road. Bike totalled, somehow I got away with minor road rash.

My mate, who had been in front, saw the whole thing (alerted by the screeching brakes), and after checking I was OK, walked over to said Civic driver, who was attempting to get out of the car.

I say attempting, because the bloke was so drunk, he could barely stand, let alone speak.
He offered me £20 to repair the bike (yeah, right) and asked if we could keep the whole thing between us.

Thankfully a police traffic car was passing, Mr Plod was as stunned as I was at how drunk the man was. He got a 24 month ban, £1000 fine, and had to pay me £750 for my bike.

This was in the days before no-win-no-fee-ambulance-chasers, otherwise I might have had a bad case of whiplash too.

Pross

The majority of motorists are ok though aren't they - courteous, give you enough room overtaking etc.? That is always worth bearing in mind.

That is a good point. As a proportion of the numbers I see in a day I would say there are far more cyclists endangering their own / others lives through their riding habits than there are car drivers who do the same. Saying that I still see red when a motorist does something dangerous whether I'm on my bike or driving myself. I also agree with a point made earlier that drivers who have made a genuine mistake will often acknowledge it unless you respond aggresively (again whether on the bike or driving). It's the nutters who drive to deliberately frighten or even hurt cyclists or other road users that I hate with a vengeance or those that feel they have to hurl abuse no matter how correctly you are riding.

mrchrispy

I recked they should class abusing cyclists as a hate crime?

Some drivers do seem to hate us purely because we are on bikes, they wouldn't treat us like that if we were to meet somewhere other than the road.