More haste, less speed - smug satisfaction....!
Out on the bike yesterday afternoon, riding on very narrow single-track country lane. Not going especially fast - recovering on a short flat section between one big hill and the next. The lane was full of mud & gravel in middle, edges of the tarmac badly broken with ruts & bumps on verges either side.
A car came up behind me, but I had no way to give any room. The road opens out and gets much wider at the start of the next hill, which was maybe 30 yards (10 seconds max) away. Instead of waiting behind me, the car tried to make the opening of a gate into field into an overtaking zone and push past, but didn't make it before the end of the turning area. As the car bumped over the beginning of the verge, I heard a pop, followed by a hiss, followed by the giveaway rumble of a flat tyre.....
Car continued off up the hill with a distinct lean. Couple of minutes later as I crested the hill I spotted the car further up the road with the spare wheel out.
Usually drivers trying to save those ten seconds puts my safety at risk, smugly satisfying that this time saving ten seconds cost the driver ten minutes with the jack & wheelbrace plus the cost of a puncture repair (likely a new tyre as he'd driven almost half a mile). I do hope he thought about that and will remember it next time.
Richard
A car came up behind me, but I had no way to give any room. The road opens out and gets much wider at the start of the next hill, which was maybe 30 yards (10 seconds max) away. Instead of waiting behind me, the car tried to make the opening of a gate into field into an overtaking zone and push past, but didn't make it before the end of the turning area. As the car bumped over the beginning of the verge, I heard a pop, followed by a hiss, followed by the giveaway rumble of a flat tyre.....
Car continued off up the hill with a distinct lean. Couple of minutes later as I crested the hill I spotted the car further up the road with the spare wheel out.
Usually drivers trying to save those ten seconds puts my safety at risk, smugly satisfying that this time saving ten seconds cost the driver ten minutes with the jack & wheelbrace plus the cost of a puncture repair (likely a new tyre as he'd driven almost half a mile). I do hope he thought about that and will remember it next time.
Richard
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Reminds me of an incident I had, was approaching the brow of a hill on a fairly narrow road and took up the primary position because you couldn't see oncoming traffic, idiot behind me started beeping because he was going to be delayed by around 10 seconds and then tried to take over and hit an oncoming car. The driver tried to claim I was the cause of the accident for being in the middle of the lane, he couldn't comprehend that I was in that position to prevent exactly what had just happened.
Did you say anything to him? I would have been tempted to have a laugh as I passed.0 -
I would have got my snacks/energy bars out and had a little picnic whilst he changed the tyre
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I thought about saying something as I passed, but then decided it was probably too provocative and could be counter-productive.
I suppose if I was being all nicey-nicey, in the spirit of co-operation between road-users I could have offered to help - golden opportunity for some positive education..... 50-50 chance of getting hit with a wheelbrace though!
I know what you mean, Deal, about positioning to discourage unsafe overtakes. What amazes me is that most driver's hazard assessment / awareness is so blinded by the desire to get past that they don't see the point, they just think we're getting in the way for the hell of it.
What usually happens in your situation, if you don't take up Primary, is that the car is alongside before he sees the oncoming car and realises there's no room - then rather than hit the car he squeezes the cyclist off the road or into a parked car etc.
Don't seem to realise that the outcome of such a mistake is much more serious for the cyclist, who at the end of the day is another person with a family and things to do that afternoon. For me, this realisation is the key point towards improving cyclist safety.
Richard.0
