What, if anything, did I do wrong?

[benb]

I realise that you didn't filter, and he pulled up along side you before cutting across his path. The filtering was the only reason why he may not have seen you, and that would have been his mitigation, and not 'you weren't wearing high viz'....I'm on your side

Cheers. I thought you were suggesting I had filtered up.

 

[benb]

I quite understand, but the situation you outline in your OP and reiterate in the above-quoted post does not make eye contact any more challenging or unlikely than if you had filtered or arrived at the same time. I do not suggest you did anything wrong; I just say what I do. A glance across takes a second or so.

Much of the time I (as a cyclist) am the first to arrive at a junction where traffic has to stop. I can still make eye contact in almost every situation with the two lead motorists in a queue and I do not have any special powers. In fact I would rate myself as a not-terribly-good cyclist. We seem (as a race) to be aware when someone is looking at us, so eye contact is pretty easy to achieve.

I'm happy to be wrong on this. It works for me, which is not the same thing as being universally applicable.

I find it unusual that an experienced and thoughtful cyclist (which you clearly are) would not endeavour at all junctions and crossing points to make some sort of eye contact with all other road users whose trajectory may in some way meld with their own in a potentially kinetic way.

You really don't have to tap on the window (which would anyway be a bit creepy and Magnetronish). Just a nice, smiley glance will elicit a peep back. His (or her) peep back is your life saver.

I see what you mean. I think I could have looked in through his window and will do so in a similar situation. The likelihood is that he would have been resolutely looking right for a gap in traffic, so eye contact might have been problematic.

 

[Andy_R]

I try to make a point of getting into primary everytime at junctions. That way you deny them the opportunity to pull alongside you, preventing this sort of thing.

 

[akb]

I think the only issue would be 'motorist, assume (s)he's going to do something utterly stupid'

FTFY.

Hope the shoulder heals quickly.

 

[gaz]

It's hard to call if your position could have been better without having knowledge of the junction and how traffic uses it.
I know for some junctions I take, I don't take a primary position and it's not a problem, this is usually the case if it is quite open.

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

He was an absolute arse, trying to get away with something because he didn't want to wait behind you.
The hi-viz comment was probably his expectation of all cyclists, and he probably clobbered you to punish you to prove his point

 

[Amanda P]

I get this quite a lot. It's a very wide junction, so wherever I stop, there's room for even a large vehicle to stop either side of me. Then when there's a gap in the traffic, we both move off on a collision course.

Some just aren't thinking, and a little discussion or gesturing sorts it out. Others are deliberately being obnoxious or impatient, and will cheerfully attempt to drive right through me (I think one driver lost his job doing this. He didn't realise his next drop was where I work).

Howeve nice the guy was, benb, I'd suspect he was impatiently trying to get through the junction ahead of you, assuming you'd let him go first or that you'd jump out of the way.

 

[benb]

He was an absolute arse, trying to get away with something because he didn't want to wait behind you.
The hi-viz comment was probably his expectation of all cyclists, and he probably clobbered you to punish you to prove his point

Howeve nice the guy was, benb, I'd suspect he was impatiently trying to get through the junction ahead of you, assuming you'd let him go first or that you'd jump out of the way.

You may be right. It's not the impression I got at the time, but in any case I just hope he'll take more care in future.

 

[boydj]

Like others, I always get into the centre of the lane at a junction - whether at the front or not, but especially if at the front - even when turning left. The aim is not to have anyone alongside in the same lane.

 

[BentMikey]

Upload the video, and let us see it?

I'm wary of relying on eye contact with drivers. Like indicators, it means very little. I'll still check for it, but I'm more interested in watching the vehicle body language, such as which way are the wheels pointing, and are they creeping round?

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Sounds like crap driving, driver was focused right and forgot about you, the only thing you could have done is been a bit more to the right and not left a gap the driver could have used, tried to keep drivers behind you, but having not seen the junction I don't know how well it would have worked. Its something I do a lot and it stops a lot of problems.

 

[benb]

Upload the video, and let us see it?

I'm wary of relying on eye contact with drivers. Like indicators, it means very little. I'll still check for it, but I'm more interested in watching the vehicle body language, such as which way are the wheels pointing, and are they creeping round?

Just exporting it now, will link when uploaded. It doesn't show much of the incident itself, as my bars are pointing left when it happens.

 

[benb]

Upload the video, and let us see it?

I'm wary of relying on eye contact with drivers. Like indicators, it means very little. I'll still check for it, but I'm more interested in watching the vehicle body language, such as which way are the wheels pointing, and are they creeping round?

Here you go. Warning - contains swears.

 

[Matthew_T]

I had a very similar thing with a taxi a while ago. I had filtered past a few cars and slotted in infront of the taxi. I was then waiting to turn left at a junction and he pulled along side my right indicating left. As I set off, so did he and he ended up overtaking me just a little too close.

 

[Arjimlad]

I don't see you were at fault at all, there. He was impatient & bullying, or at best wholly inattentive.