Nearly squished this morning

BiggerBoat

I've had my closest call yet today. On a notoriously accident prone A road I was going around a very slight bend when a lorry overtook me. The front of the lorry moved over for me but once the front end was past me, he immediately started to move back over! I saw the entire trailer moving right at me pinching me into the high curb. I threw out the anchors and came to a stop just in time. There was a queue of traffic behind the lorry which would have made matters worse I had been squeezed off. I know it was close call because the red mist never appeared, just a feeling of "oh f*&k". It took few minutes to calm down.

Soul Boy

There are few things more terrifying than a lorry overtake and watching the trailer come closer and closer.....

I had a real close call a while back around Elephant & Castle roundabout, I really feared for my life. But hey, the ride home was nicer.

Glad it was only a close call and you're ok (of not a little shaken).

BiggerBoat

Yes, still a little shaken and commuting confidence dropped down a notch. The section of road I was on has had several deaths in the last few years (A530). I think I may start to walk sections of it now, shame.

cjcp

BiggerBoat wrote:

I know it was close call because the red mist never appeared, just a feeling of "oh f*&k". It took few minutes to calm down.

+1. That's close.

Stevo_666

I now stay well clear of anything long after a close call near the Elephant with one of the infamous 'bendy buses' which are still hanging around on some routes. I'm sure some other cyclists out there wonder why I'm hanging back in some cases but I don't want to tempt fate...

BiggerBoat

Hanging back is a good ploy. Shame there is booger all you can do when they over take! Do you hold your breath?

pastasauce

I'm not sure if more people are talking about close-shaves, or whether they're happening more.

Either way I'm feeling distinctly like trying another form of commuting.

Factor in cab grief, lorry danger and stroppy cyclists and its not as appealing as it once was.

I'm starting to think its not worth it anymore and that I'll save my cycling for enjoyable club runs and night rides.

Glad you escaped unscathed.

cjcp

That's the problem with trailers. You don't know they're there, and then, when you see them, how long they are. And what can be a problem is when the trailers are empty/without load and they're bouncing along on an uneven or pot-holed road...

Stevo_666

I'm always quite wary of bends when there is anything like that just behind - usually I just pedal like **** to get round the bend as quickly as possible ! Luckily in London the HGV/ bus type traffic is often going no faster than you are.

Rich158

That's close glad you're OK.

I seem to have at least one near miss every week, lorry's getting too close when they overtake and pull back in is par for the course, although very, very scary at the time. I tend to ease off to let them pass now, and put the hammer down when they've gone.

I reckon I have at least one, 'how the hell am I still here :shock: ' incident at least once a fortnight.

boneyjoe

Glad that you're ok. I read somewhere that 75% of cycling fatalities either occur on an A-road or involve an HGV. I try avoid both wherever possible.

the_hundredth_idiot

Actually, the London vs non-London thing is an interesting point. Despite the number of times car drivers try to kill me through carelessness and despite the number of cyclist deaths reported in the city, I'd rather commute on London roads than on country roads.

Street lights, low speed limits, regular traffic lights keeping speeds down, ...

Or, dark country lanes, not many other cyclists, cars approaching at 60mph so are on you before they see the little, twinkling of your lights, ...

I've no idea of the stats but city streets feel a more welcoming place.

(Long, weekend, pleasure rides in the country are a different matter. I'm talking about the winter commutes - dark on the way to work, dark on the way home.)

MonkeyMonster

Very glad its a nearly!

Rich158

The Hundredth Idiot wrote:

Actually, the London vs non-London thing is an interesting point. Despite the number of times car drivers try to kill me through carelessness and despite the number of cyclist deaths reported in the city, I'd rather commute on London roads than on country roads.

Street lights, low speed limits, regular traffic lights keeping speeds down, ...

Or, dark country lanes, not many other cyclists, cars approaching at 60mph so are on you before they see the little, twinkling of your lights, ...

I've no idea of the stats but city streets feel a more welcoming place.

(Long, weekend, pleasure rides in the country are a different matter. I'm talking about the winter commutes - dark on the way to work, dark on the way home.)

+1, the only time I've ever been knocked off was on a country road with some numpty turning right across my path.

Tbh most of the incidents that have left me thinking ‘how the hell did I avoid that, why aren’t I a squished mess on the road’ are on my local roads. I don’t seem to have nearly the same problems in London

BiggerBoat

"Actually, the London vs non-London thing is an interesting point. Despite the number of times car drivers try to kill me through carelessness and despite the number of cyclist deaths reported in the city, I'd rather commute on London roads than on country roads. "

Yes,agreed, most cars are going 60+ past me, including lorries. It's the stats that scare the crap out of me as well. There have been at least 5 RTA deaths in the last couple of years on my commute and its only 3.5 miles! I am going to continue to commute, come hell or high water (the latter being quite possible).

flicksta

At least in London it is:

a) reasonably predictable, most driving leaves something to be desired
b) at a speed that you can often (but not always) react to.

I got left-hooked today, beautifully. Woman in convertible BMW, where Marylebone Road meets Park Crescent. Bus lane ends for traffic in middle lane of three to move over and turn left. I'm 30m from the lights when the BMW beside me indicates left. I look over and manage to make eye contact (they do find it harder to hit you then), at which point she accelerated, cut in in front of me, now 10m from the lights and left hooked. Hard to believe that she thought that was a safe manoeuvre.

redddraggon

Rich158 wrote:

I seem to have at least one near miss every week, lorry's getting too close when they overtake and pull back in is par for the course, although very, very scary at the time. I tend to ease off to let them pass now, and put the hammer down when they've gone.

I did once have this tractor with huge trailer, spend a whole hill catching me up only to catch me at the top. Once I got to the top I was level with the "cab" and of course it being a descent I started to speed up, but so did he, and started pulling into me assuming I'd disappeared. I was running out of space as he was pulling and wasn't confident that sprinting in front was the best idea, and my only option was to jump on the brakes and get behind him.

No common sense whatsoever, if he'd taken a couple of miles to catch me on the climb, why did bother trying to pass at the top?

Once I'd got behind him, the hill got even steeper and he never bothered speeding up, so I just sprinted past him.

GEPC

+ 1 for London actually being a safer place to commute.

Several things that make London safer than the country or probably a lot of other town centres in my opinion.

- There are lots of cyclists in London now so regular London drivers are used to looking for and there being lots of cyclists.

- Everything moves so slowly there really isn't a chance for lorrys to overtake you at any more than about 25mph. Even if they do you will overtake them in a minute anyway at the next lights.

- We have the bus lanes which are effectively big bike lanes for us as most buses don't bother overtaking the bikes as they have to stop again for the next bus stop so soon. Consequently buses and bikes move at about the same speed. You do however get a few irate black cab drivers.

- I suspect most London commuters ride the same route each day and therfore know the dager spots.

Glad the original poster is still on one piece. No shame in walking a danger section if there is a risk to your life there.

turnerjohn

+1 for riding in London

Think two large factors are;
1 - traffic speed in non-existant (normally stationary)
2 - Cycles are expected in London all the time - dont get that in the country I can tell you!

redddraggon

turnerjohn wrote:

+1 for riding in London

People who says this must never have ridden in proper isolated rural areas. On this forum people seem to have more near misses in a single week than I do all year in North Wales.

I'd rather ride in North Wales than England any day.

flicksta

redddraggon wrote:

turnerjohn wrote:

+1 for riding in London

People who says this must never have ridden in proper isolated rural areas. On this forum people seem to have more near misses in a single week than I do all year in North Wales.

I'd rather ride in North Wales than England any day.

I'd rather ride in the Peaks or North Wales as well, but the point being made is that commuting in heavy traffic might be better in London where the traffic is slow. Not better per se, but safer.

Still a pile of crap, but a safer pile of crap.

biondino

And, most drivers in London are professional drivers. This doesn't mean there aren't psychos and idiots, but most know what they're doing.

Obviously, properly rural areas are much more fun places to cycle. It's the smaller towns and cities, and the rat runs between them, that frighten me most.

gabriel959

I think this all comes down to what you are used to. I cycle in Cambridge and feel comfortable with it even if I do it around the city and not in the city itself. I have also been two London a few times lately and thought “you must be mad cycling in there!” but if you guys do it I am sure I could do it too. Same thing goes for cycling in North Wales, as long as you are prepared and ready for your usual day-2-day situations I am sure 99.9% of the journeys would be safe.

Let me laugh at the “professional drivers” bit though, by far the worst drivers I have found are the bus drivers, trucks and taxies group – but that might be Cambridge again.

P.S: I have never been left-hooked or been ever close to that situation

flicksta

biondino wrote:

And, most drivers in London are professional drivers. This doesn't mean there aren't psychos and idiots, but most know what they're doing.

Obviously, properly rural areas are much more fun places to cycle. It's the smaller towns and cities, and the rat runs between them, that frighten me most.

Interesting, because I would say the professional drivers are the most aware of other vehicles, but take far more deliberate risks with cyclists than 'amateur drivers'. The amateurs just don't know you are there.