WTF is going on? 3rd near miss in 14 hours

hfidgen

First of all I nearly get taken out by a BMW, then this morning going round Tower Hill a bunch of pedestrians step out right in front of me, then to cap it all I nearly get creamed by a Police car on blues! Not impressed. Someone is looking out for me and not in a good way :roll:

The pedestrians this morning really deserved the title of sheep. Red crossing light, oncoming traffic (and me) all with headphones in and then stepping out with approx 10m to go. I have to say I sat there being rather impolite to them while whisps of steam came off my front brake.

That was fine, you expect that every now and again, Bikes don't count after all - you can step in front of them any time you like.

What happened later though was my 2nd near-hospitalisation in 2 rides which really p***ed me off. It was a completely clear road, with one of the large police interceptors coming screaming up towards me on the outside of his lane. Loads of room - it was obvious he'd jump the junction on my side of the road so I carried on in the bus lane pootling up to the red light. That is until the previous docile sheep at the crossing got spooked and ran infront of the police car with about 20m to go. The police car was probably doing 50-60mph at this point (completely clear road after all) and so he had to swerve at me and missed me by only a couple of feet. He was rocking on his suspension, it was reasonably close to being lights out for me tbh.

Naturally I rather lost it with the pedestrian (headphones in) who just smiled and shrugged, and smiled. (He could well have been a chinese tourist). At this point I noticed a Police van waiting at the junction so I gave them the "did you see that"? They gave me a thumbs up then promptly drove off the other way when the lights changed. :roll:

Near accidents: 3
Potential deaths: 1
Actual deaths: 0

Alright considering I suppose...

rick_chasey

A miss is a miss whether by an inch or by a mile.(which is a good thing!!)

notsoblue

I know how you feel mate, its awful to be reminded of your vulnerability like that. Especially when its all out of your control. All you can really do is try to be a bit more pre-emptive, and to relax. You're certainly not alone though...

Lancslad

Bad things happen in three's (so my mum used to say) therefore you should be clear and free for a while.


My the lady continue to smile upon you.

hfidgen

I tend to be polite on my bike tbh - I totally subscribe to the view that if you're an arse, people will give it straight back (especially in london). A wave and a smile usually gets an apology where a rant often gets a raised finger. Getting there in one piece is also more important to me than "getting ahead" (SCR)

Rather broke that rule over the two incidents this morning though - gave them a supersized chunk of my mind.

W1

Emergency vehicles tend to be a bit of a nightmare for cyclists, as drivers automatically swerve left when the see/hear one - right into cycle lanes or cyclists! Having had a couple of close ones I now pull right off the road when I hear sirens (if possible) - it ensures my safety and gives the emergency vehicle one less thing to have to worry about.

hfidgen

W1 wrote:

Having had a couple of close ones I now pull right off the road when I hear sirens (if possible) - it ensures my safety and gives the emergency vehicle one less thing to have to worry about.

I think I shall join you in this - it would have been fine if i'd gone for the gutter, then I could have just watched with a shake of my head at the stupidity of the ped :P

rjsterry

hfidgen wrote:

W1 wrote:

Having had a couple of close ones I now pull right off the road when I hear sirens (if possible) - it ensures my safety and gives the emergency vehicle one less thing to have to worry about.

I think I shall join you in this - it would have been fine if i'd gone for the gutter, then I could have just watched with a shake of my head at the stupidity of the ped :P

+1

I'm amazed at how many motorists and peds don't get out of the way of emergency vehicles though.

W1

rjsterry wrote:

hfidgen wrote:

W1 wrote:

Having had a couple of close ones I now pull right off the road when I hear sirens (if possible) - it ensures my safety and gives the emergency vehicle one less thing to have to worry about.

I think I shall join you in this - it would have been fine if i'd gone for the gutter, then I could have just watched with a shake of my head at the stupidity of the ped :P

+1

I'm amazed at how many motorists and peds don't get out of the way of emergency vehicles though.

Probably the same people who complain if the police don't turn up within two minutes of being called.....

I really wouldn't want to have to thread an ambulance through heavy rush-hour traffic though. It must be so frustrating.