3ft habit

[Ste T.]

Yesterday, my 3ft habit saved my skin.

I was coming off a local roundabout onto a single lane each way road . The traffic lane narrowed as they always do, as they come away from a roundabout and I was where I always am, 3ft from the kerb in secondary.

There was a line of cars coming the other way slowing down approaching the roundabout. Now I know from experience on this road that if I went any further in I would be overtaken at high speed with inches to spare so I stayed where I was, doing about 20mph.

Along comes a 4x4 and starts to overtake me as the lane narrows, so what does he do when he sees that he has misjudged the narrowing gap?


1 Brake and pull back until there are no cars coming the other way?

2 Try to squeeze past me at 22mph?


No prizes for guessing the right answer. He physically forced me across to the left and into the gutter. As he started coming across I looked at him and he was driving with his arms locked straight out and his head tilted back and looking like he was clenching his buttocks. To be honest I think he was shitting himself as much as me.The impression I got was the look on Steve Martins face in Trains,Planes and Automobiles when he's squeezing between the two oncoming lorries. What made it all the more bizarre was the slight difference between our speeds. It was like he was on autopilot and couldn't stop himself from doing it.

I went to bang on his panel but miss timed it and hit his wing mirror with my fist as it went past, forcing it back and breaking the glass.
He passed me and I managed to stay upright ( just) . I saw him looking in his rear view mirror with his eyes out on stalks. I was giving him the old "you thick bastard" sign ( forefinger jabbing my head ) expecting him to pull over but instead he accelerated away. I should have got his number, but I was too busy listening to a little voice in my head saying "shoot I've broken his mirror" and I didn't think quickly enough.



So, the old 3ft habit came to the rescue. If I hadn't had it to spare I would have been off, and possibly under his back wheels.

That’s eight lives to go then. Pip Pip :¬)

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Strangely, it seems to be that the prime reasons for staying 3ft out - such as staying in the line of drivers' sight and claiming the road - failed in this case. But maybe the extra wiggle room you reserved to your left did mean you had somewhere to go to avoid being hit or literally run off the road.

I wouldn't worry about the wing mirror, though - the driver seemed to be stuck in straight ahead tunnel vision mode and doesn't seem to spend a lot of time looking over to that side much anyway.

 

[MrHappyCyclist]

I wonder whether technically that is a hit and run?

You might need to revise your 3ft habit to a 5 ft habit. Cyclecraft advises primary position coming off a roundabout, although it sounds as though, in this case, he might have driven straight through you.

 

[400bhp]

I hate roundabouts

Luckily for me I have only one on my commute-guess what, it's the most dangerous part.

 

[400bhp]

Do you have a google link to the r'about?

 

[HLaB]

I hate roundabouts

I hate widely flared roundabouts where its impossible to take the primary across 3 lanes. Or folk overtaking on them when I can technically go through faster tham them. I had to laugh the other day though; I was stopped givewaying in the primary on a dual carriageway roundabout as was the car in the outside lane. Although its marked as two lane though its wide enough for 3 so a car edged through between us. They were being cautious, in fact too cautious, they were too busy watching me they edged on to the roundabout right in front of the car I was giving way too. You probably had to be there but it was quite funny his remonstrations with the circulating driver, as if it was the latters fault

 

[asterix]

What made it all the more bizarre was the slight difference between our speeds. It was like he was on autopilot and couldn't stop himself from doing it.

I honestly believe that some drivers are incapable of slowing down on their own initiative. There has to be something large and obvious or they have to be told by traffic signals or road markings.

 

[Ste T.]

Do you have a google link to the r'about?

Sorry no. I don't know how to do it, but it is the first r.a.b. as you approach Formby, on the A565, traveling north out of Liverpool. I was turning left into Formby. I don't usually go that way because when it's windy it comes howling over open fields for a mile or so from the Irish Sea. The prevailing wind is pushing you into the traffic and gusts can easily catch you unawares.
Still...with one mighty bound I live to cycle another day - Yippee

 

[Arch]

I wonder whether technically that is a hit and run?

You might need to revise your 3ft habit to a 5 ft habit. Cyclecraft advises primary position coming off a roundabout, although it sounds as though, in this case, he might have driven straight through you.

Or tried to undertake. At work I'm either in a rather slow electric vehicle, or riding a Maximus trike, and at one point on the route back to base there are traffic lights with a left filter lane and a straight on lane to the right of it, and we go straight on, claiming the lane early to avoid being trapped in the left filter lane. Plenty of vehicles undertake us on the left, cutting back in at the last minute as we go across the junction. It's especially fun when someone's trying to use the width of the junction to overtake at the same time (it narrows to one lane after the lights).

Still, on a Maximus you're pretty secure, so it's easier not to flinch.

 

[400bhp]

Do you have a google link to the r'about?

Sorry no. I don't know how to do it,

This one?

A565 r'about

 

[Ste T.]

That's the one.