A very close call

dm38

Grrr large vehicles

I guess the saying is you can never be too safe and if you're going to get squashed you're going to get squashed.

This morning I and two other cyclists - one in front and one behind were between a bus lane and a normal lane - it's an area that had about 20 different bus routes and loads of stops along the way so using the bus lane is one way of getting squashed pretty quickly. Between the first bus stop and the set of lights two big vehicles - one a very long lorry the second was a council bin truck were both clearly locked in some sort of argument - they came rushing from behind us beeping each other and shouting, trapped us in between the two vehicles while they were arguing with each other as they stopped as a set of traffic lights were coming up in about 5 meters - they were red at the time and swiftly changed to green.

As it went green the gap started getting much narrower and I could feel my bike starting to go under and thankfully the cyclist behind me grabbed my back wheel and I did likewise to the person in front of me and we all turned so our backs and chest were facing each vehicle rather than shoulder width. Despite banging on the trucks they were clearly so engrossed in their rage that they didn't even hear us and sped off still beeping each other and shouting.

If it wasn't for the cyclist behind me there would have been no way of stopping my bike going under with me on it as it completely snapped my pedal off. I've been commuting for years, consider myself quite road savvy but in this situation there was absolutely nothing I could have done to avoid it.

davis

Are you saying the two vehicles essentially overtook you (well one overtook, the other undertook) and stopped, leaving the 3 of you on the white line between lanes sandwiched (almost literally) between the two vehicles?

Sounds flipping scary.

graeme_s-2

Sounds like clean under wear would have been required when you go to work. Absolutely terrifying. Very glad you're still around to tell us about it.

Did anyone manage to get either of the registration plates? (from experience I know I wouldn't have had the presence of mind to note them down in that situation).

cje

Sent a shiver down my spine reading that. Glad you're all relatively unscathed. I'd have their licences away.

kelsen

I'm having trouble visualising what actually happened, but it sounds like a pretty hairy moment. How did the truck manage to hit your pedal without hitting you?

Cleat Eastwood

kelsen wrote:

I'm having trouble visualising what actually happened, but it sounds like a pretty hairy moment. How did the truck manage to hit your pedal without hitting you?

I think he's saying there was a lorry to his left and right and he and the other 2 were sandwiched bewteen them - so narrow was the closing gap that they had to stand side on - facing the side of one lorry and with their backs to the other. If it was a bin lorry wouldnt you consider complaining to the council. That fecking scary.

jds_1981

Don't follow the description, but perhaps worth trying to get council cctv to work out who the vehicles were?

dm38

Nope didn't get their number plates - I was too busy shaking - but the guy behind me sped off like a crazy person and I can only assume that he was trying to catch them up - he had a pretty fast road bike so I'm sure he did. I'm emailing the council as well.

Re the pedal - I had both feet on the ground and my torso twisted so my chest and back were facing each vehicle.

pangolin

That would be terrifying! Glad you're ok

SimonAH

Jeez - that must have been viscerally terrifying. Police immediately mate, see if CCTV can identify. That sounds like it was a hairs-breadth from vehicular manslaughter (and hopefully the other guy who sped off after them will also have reported with the reg numbers if he caught them up).

t4tomo

SimonAH wrote:

Jeez - that must have been viscerally terrifying. Police immediately mate, see if CCTV can identify. That sounds like it was a hairs-breadth from vehicular manslaughter (and hopefully the other guy who sped off after them will also have reported with the reg numbers if he caught them up).

^^^^ +1
and if its how I am visualising it WTF was either of them doing in the bus lane undertaking you - well dangerous. its bad enough when mopeds and motor bikes undertaken you.

vermin

Shocker. Glad you escaped.

Oh and, obviously, this ^^

veronese68

Bloody hell!!! That's terrifying, glad you're all ok. Like others have said report it to anyone that you can and try to get them to check for CCTV

Kieran_Burns

Firstly: thank God you are all unharmed!

Secondly - you MUST report this, please. 3 people could've died today because of appalling driving, and that cannot be left unrecognised by the drivers involved.

Please, please, please report this.

Green Brompton

This sounded terrifying. Ditto what everyone else has said, please report it. Glad all were safe.

jimmypippa

As above

gulp

Headhuunter

t4tomo wrote:

SimonAH wrote:

Jeez - that must have been viscerally terrifying. Police immediately mate, see if CCTV can identify. That sounds like it was a hairs-breadth from vehicular manslaughter (and hopefully the other guy who sped off after them will also have reported with the reg numbers if he caught them up).

^^^^ +1
and if its how I am visualising it WTF was either of them doing in the bus lane undertaking you - well dangerous. its bad enough when mopeds and motor bikes undertaken you.

Unless you've got reg numbers and witnesses etc, the police will do bugger all...

gabriel959

my goodness that is awful. As others have said call the police. With the amount of CCTV in this country I would be surprised if there isn't a camera nearby.

Corporate Camper

I believe a lot of bin lorries are fitted with CCTV in order to protect the operatives. You have to report it, this isn't run of the mill bad driving that you can let go...

rick_chasey

Headhuunter wrote:

t4tomo wrote:

SimonAH wrote:

Jeez - that must have been viscerally terrifying. Police immediately mate, see if CCTV can identify. That sounds like it was a hairs-breadth from vehicular manslaughter (and hopefully the other guy who sped off after them will also have reported with the reg numbers if he caught them up).

^^^^ +1
and if its how I am visualising it WTF was either of them doing in the bus lane undertaking you - well dangerous. its bad enough when mopeds and motor bikes undertaken you.

Unless you've got reg numbers and witnesses etc, the police will do bugger all...

This.

Corporate Camper

Rick Chasey wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

t4tomo wrote:

SimonAH wrote:

Jeez - that must have been viscerally terrifying. Police immediately mate, see if CCTV can identify. That sounds like it was a hairs-breadth from vehicular manslaughter (and hopefully the other guy who sped off after them will also have reported with the reg numbers if he caught them up).

^^^^ +1
and if its how I am visualising it WTF was either of them doing in the bus lane undertaking you - well dangerous. its bad enough when mopeds and motor bikes undertaken you.

Unless you've got reg numbers and witnesses etc, the police will do bugger all...

This.

Probably true. I'd report it to them anyway, then get on to the council (assuming it wasn't a private bin lorry)

Headhuunter

Corporate Camper wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

t4tomo wrote:

SimonAH wrote:

Jeez - that must have been viscerally terrifying. Police immediately mate, see if CCTV can identify. That sounds like it was a hairs-breadth from vehicular manslaughter (and hopefully the other guy who sped off after them will also have reported with the reg numbers if he caught them up).

^^^^ +1
and if its how I am visualising it WTF was either of them doing in the bus lane undertaking you - well dangerous. its bad enough when mopeds and motor bikes undertaken you.

Unless you've got reg numbers and witnesses etc, the police will do bugger all...

This.

Probably true. I'd report it to them anyway, then get on to the council (assuming it wasn't a private bin lorry)

It is true. In these situations you have to fill in a self report form and it specifically says if you haven't got witnesses and reg details the police will do nothing

Corporate Camper

Headhuunter wrote:

Corporate Camper wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

t4tomo wrote:

SimonAH wrote:

Jeez - that must have been viscerally terrifying. Police immediately mate, see if CCTV can identify. That sounds like it was a hairs-breadth from vehicular manslaughter (and hopefully the other guy who sped off after them will also have reported with the reg numbers if he caught them up).

^^^^ +1
and if its how I am visualising it WTF was either of them doing in the bus lane undertaking you - well dangerous. its bad enough when mopeds and motor bikes undertaken you.

Unless you've got reg numbers and witnesses etc, the police will do bugger all...

This.

Probably true. I'd report it to them anyway, then get on to the council (assuming it wasn't a private bin lorry)

It is true. In these situations you have to fill in a self report form and it specifically says if you haven't got witnesses and reg details the police will do nothing

Fair enough, but if the chap who sprinted off after them did get the details then the only way to link it all together is to report it. I'm not expecting the police to get inspector Morse on the case, or even "do" anything at all, but this sounds like a very serious incident and something that should not just be left as a forum anecdote.

rick_chasey

A driver tried to run me over, and as I tried to escape he got out, kicked me off my bike and kicked me whilst I was lying on the floor.

All they did took him in, he denied it, and that was that, despite the copious bruising I showed the policeman all over the right hand side of my rib-cage.

I was also onced pushed off my bike by a chap leaning out of the passenger window which ended up breaking my pelvis bone and the police also didn't do anything.

Given that no-one was hurt, they DEFINITELY won't do anything about this.

I couldn't even tell you how many times an articulated lorry has passed me very closely before deciding to try and left-hook me. It's only because I know what I'm doing do I squeeze the brakes in as soon as I get passed by one.

Headhuunter

Rick Chasey wrote:

A driver tried to run me over, and as I tried to escape he got out, kicked me off my bike and kicked me whilst I was lying on the floor.

All they did took him in, he denied it, and that was that, despite the copious bruising I showed the policeman all over the right hand side of my rib-cage.

I was also onced pushed off my bike by a chap leaning out of the passenger window which ended up breaking my pelvis bone and the police also didn't do anything.

Given that no-one was hurt, they DEFINITELY won't do anything about this.

I couldn't even tell you how many times an articulated lorry has passed me very closely before deciding to try and left-hook me. It's only because I know what I'm doing do I squeeze the brakes in as soon as I get passed by one.

Something similar happened to bails didn't it? Some driver in a black Mercedes tried to run me down in new cross the other week and then stopped his car in heavy traffic to chase me on foot after I knocked on the window. I hopped on the pavement to escape and he shoved me from behind, I managed to stay on and escaped down a side road.he accelerated after me and was clearly going to try to run me over, he was wheelspinning hard and the road turned out to be a dead end... Luckily I found a pedestrianised bit with Bollards which he couldn't drive through... It was damn scary. I didn't bother to report it...

First.Aspect

Report it to police, then report it to the employers? What companies were they driving for?

SimonAH

RC, HH, What the hell are you doing to annoy people to the extent that they become homicidal??

And rather more to the point HH, running away and not reporting it to the Popo? All this does is justify the actions of the ringpiece in question and allow them to think that they can get away with this behaviour - so the next time there is less of a moral threshold to overcome.

At the very least a report must be made (even if no disciplinary action is taken, at the end of the day I believe that the police would be obligated to contact them over the allegation (Flyingbogy?)

There are only two options when faced with this level of agression - a) report it to the Police in detail and make it annoyingly clear that you wish to press charges or b) smash the living shite out of his car and punch him in every genital he posesses and trust that he doesn't use option a.

bails87

SimonAH wrote:

RC, HH, What the hell are you doing to annoy people to the extent that they become homicidal??

I had the cheek to be clipped by a car as I was overtaken over a humpback bridge, over doubel solid whites. It was my own fault, so I took it on the chin, literally, when the guy driving the car that'd I'd been rude enough to be hit by knocked me over and punched me in the face.

bdave262000

You do wonder about some people out there. I'm a pretty big guy and would normally stand my ground if someone comes after me, but I have had one or two occasions where I thought F!*k it, they must be proper pychos and its really not worth it. One was being chased down a bus lane by a van driver for no other reaon than holding may lane around a one way system. Just get home in one piece as your life means more than theirs.

Headhuunter

SimonAH wrote:

RC, HH, What the hell are you doing to annoy people to the extent that they become homicidal??

And rather more to the point HH, running away and not reporting it to the Popo? All this does is justify the actions of the ringpiece in question and allow them to think that they can get away with this behaviour - so the next time there is less of a moral threshold to overcome.

At the very least a report must be made (even if no disciplinary action is taken, at the end of the day I believe that the police would be obligated to contact them over the allegation (Flyingbogy?)

There are only two options when faced with this level of agression - a) report it to the Police in detail and make it annoyingly clear that you wish to press charges or b) smash the living shite out of his car and punch him in every genital he posesses and trust that he doesn't use option a.

I didn't have the reg plate or witnesses and the police specifically say on the self report form that they will do nothing if you cannot provide this information. Basically the guy in the Merc skimmed past me VERY close a few times on the way along OKR and the last time he was literally a hair's breadth off me... I banged on the window to indicate my displeasure and he swerved his car straight at me... I was behind at the time so he missed me. At that point I thought I would stop by the side of the road and let him go on alone but he jammed the brakes on in heavy traffic and proceeded to get out of his car and come at me so I escaped over the pavement and the rest is as above....

I thought momentarily about standing my ground but it was a little too close to home for comfort and I didn't really want to make an enemy of a dodgy looking guy in a black Merc with dark windows in New Cross... Organised crime and drugs comes to mind so I thought the best route of action would be to get out of there.....

The Rookie

Report it, if the Roadie got the plates you'll be an extra witness.......