two near misses

slowbike

Two near misses this last week....

1) Taxi driver came past, pulled straight into the cycle lane just ahead of me and stopped (cycle lane one of these painted ones on the side of a wide road)

2) Approaching a guarded barrier - a bloke with an XC90 came up alongside (from behind) then drifted towards me - only stopped when I shouted ... on having a word he had the audacity to complain that I was on his nearside!! Well Duh!!
(the guard at the barrier said that it was shocking driving)

I guess I'm Mr Invisible despite both incidents occurring in good vis in broad daylight ... either that or we still let idiots drive cars ...

estampida

the standard of driving in this country has gone down hill in the last 10 years

unless the police actually start prosecuting for running red lights and the like it will only get worse....


better a near miss than being dead on target

snoopsmydogg

had one yesterday, while descending a 9% hill (single lanes & 30mph limit) at around 20-25mph (road still wet from the lovely british weather) I started to move over to pass a parked car and heard a car coming from behind. The car then decided the best (safest?) passing point would be as I was passing the parked car and to cut straight in front of me after overtaking.

Back brake locked up for a second as I tried to scrub off the speed but thankfully no fall.

Your not invisible but the only people that are really going to notice you are other cyclists much the same as motorbikes/horses etc.

Leeuw

I had one last weekend - while riding home after a puncture, I was taking it easy down a long dead-straight wide road. Ahead of me was a 90deg bend coming out of a 30mph limit - so as a car rounds the corner towards me at 30mph-ish, the car behind him starts to overtake towards me putting us three abreast - at least he had the decency to wind down his window before waving at me to move over and get out of his way (presume he would have ploughed headfirst into me if I hadn't shifted over; not that I was far off the road edge anyway) - and I hope my sarcasm came through there )!

Anyway, having punctured earlier, I was a little grumpy, and had a half-full 750ml bottle full of finest sticky Gatorade - which squirted lovely through his open window as he drove through the gap

Can't believe he had the nerve to suggest I was in his way while he tried to squeeze through - and thankfully he never came back to discuss his newly sticky interior!!

simona75

Slowbike wrote:

2) Approaching a guarded barrier - a bloke with an XC90 came up alongside (from behind) then drifted towards me - only stopped when I shouted ... on having a word he had the audacity to complain that I was on his nearside!! Well Duh!!
(the guard at the barrier said that it was shocking driving)

Dont know if anyone else finds this but whenever I'm out and about on single track lanes and meet a vehicle coming the other way most drivers are willing to pull onto the verge, even if its just a little, to let me through. Ironically the only ones that regularly dont do this are 4x4s.

slowbike

Leeuw wrote:

Anyway, having punctured earlier, I was a little grumpy, and had a half-full 750ml bottle full of finest sticky Gatorade - which squirted lovely through his open window as he drove through the gap

Oo - I like that idea ... for about 30 seconds until I realised that as I often ride by myself I'm just opening myself up to being knocked off by a now irate twat!

btw - the xc90 driver wouldn't talk to me - he had done a 3 point turn to face back the way he came - although he wound down his window and I asked if he could kindly look where he's driving in future he flustered then shouted "Oh F*ck Off" and took off down the road ... Perhaps I should've got my phone out and video'd the conversation ...

All he had to say was "Sorry mate" ... ie just acknowledge that he was in the wrong ...

MartinB2444

Scary experiences. One thing is a given, we will continue to encounter car drivers who put us at risk through impatience, carelessness, or plain lack of understanding. The more drivers who are also cyclists the better.

Cyclists aren't immune from stupidity though. Driving to the National Trust car park at the top of the zig zags on Box Hill on Sunday. Loads of cyclists 2/3/4 abreast, no problem for me, I was happy to wait behind them but it was a problem for them when they encountered a car coming round a blind bend in the opposite direction. Also could have been a big problem for the guy who had cycled up my left side when I needed to pull over to make room for the aforementioned car who, fortunately, was driving, like myself, with extreme care. Some of those cyclists put themselves in real jeopardy. Always expect the worst form drivers is probably the best bet.

Leeuw

Slowbike wrote:

Leeuw wrote:

Anyway, having punctured earlier, I was a little grumpy, and had a half-full 750ml bottle full of finest sticky Gatorade - which squirted lovely through his open window as he drove through the gap

Oo - I like that idea ... for about 30 seconds until I realised that as I often ride by myself I'm just opening myself up to being knocked off by a now irate fool!

btw - the xc90 driver wouldn't talk to me - he had done a 3 point turn to face back the way he came - although he wound down his window and I asked if he could kindly look where he's driving in future he flustered then shouted "Oh F*ck Off" and took off down the road ... Perhaps I should've got my phone out and video'd the conversation ...

All he had to say was "Sorry mate" ... ie just acknowledge that he was in the wrong ...

Funnily enough, I had the words "now irate fool" running through my head for the following couple of miles home, and flinched everytime a car got close behind me - don't try this at home kids!!

And you're dead right, a "sorry mate" makes all the difference - but then, when they drive like idiots, they're not likely to understand it's them in the wrong...

nferrar

Most cyclists and drivers lack any road sense, it's just it hurts more as a cyclist if your the victim of an incident resulting from it.

migrantwing

simona75 wrote:

Ironically the only ones that regularly dont do this are 4x4s.

Big car-small brain/d**k

slowbike

migrantwing wrote:

simona75 wrote:

Ironically the only ones that regularly dont do this are 4x4s.

Big car-small brain/d**k

I drive a 4x4 ... and I ride ... (not at the same time) - but don't let that affect your prejudice ...

Monty Dog

Reminds me that I once emptied a bottle of energy drink over the seats of a Porsche cabriolet once - he'd driven straight at me at a pinch-point on a village road forcing me to stop despite it being my priority...to park up a short way further on. A couple of days later, on a nice, warm day obligingly parked it outside his house with the soft-top down...I was returning home from a ride with a full bottle remaining and couldn't think of any better use for it.

Leeuw

Monty Dog wrote:

Reminds me that I once emptied a bottle of energy drink over the seats of a Porsche cabriolet once - he'd driven straight at me at a pinch-point on a village road forcing me to stop despite it being my priority...to park up a short way further on. A couple of days later, on a nice, warm day obligingly parked it outside his house with the soft-top down...I was returning home from a ride with a full bottle remaining and couldn't think of any better use for it.

Good effort!! And I can't help wonder how sticky the energy drink was after a while on a warm day

Anonymous

I got knocked off by a van on friday whilst commuting. Missing a toe nail, bit of road rash and lots of fear.Van never even stopped, come to think of it neither did any of the 15 cars either.

BobScarle

Couple of incidents spring to my mind. Riding along an "A" road once I got squeezed by a lorry and ended up hitting the kerb and going over the bars, fortunately somersaulting onto onto a grass verge. Several cars behind the lorry stopped to see if I was alright? No they didn't, not one of them!

The second happened just a week or so back. I was out on my early morning loop going along a slightly uphill section of a narrow lane, it's wide enough for a car but not too much more. I am riding along when I become aware of a bus, yes a bus, behind me and guess what he thinks he can get by! Fortunately after almost taking my back wheel out the driver comes to his senses and waits the 20 seconds it takes to get to the next junction. He went one way, I went the other.

Two incidents where the outcome could have been a lot worse than it was.

siamon

Monty Dog wrote:

Reminds me that I once emptied a bottle of energy drink over the seats of a Porsche cabriolet once - he'd driven straight at me at a pinch-point on a village road forcing me to stop despite it being my priority...to park up a short way further on. A couple of days later, on a nice, warm day obligingly parked it outside his house with the soft-top down...I was returning home from a ride with a full bottle remaining and couldn't think of any better use for it.

Why didn't you bang on his door and tell him to be more considerate to other legitimate road users rather than just committing a mindless act of vandalism?

If he had seen you, your actions could have been detrimental to the safety of other cyclists.