AA Driving Instructor – How to overtake a cyclist as a junction.

[TwickenhamCyclist]

AA Driving Instructor – How to overtake a cyclist as a junction.

Thought you might all enjoy this little piece of expert driving that happened to me a little earlier today in Sheen. I was planning on going straight ahead – following the blue car when this happened…

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_F8cbRloDs



I didn’t know alcoholics anonymous taught driving skills – but you learn something new every day.



GD08 MKP 11 Aug 08

Around 2:15pm, Sheen Lane/Upper Richmond Road


For the record - there was only the driver in the car - so he should have been a pretty experienced driver

 

[TwickenhamCyclist]

Sorry - forgot to say have sent copy to AA:

Hi
One of your instructors just pulled this little manoeuvre on me while I was cycling – commonly referred to as a left hook I believe – can’t seem to find instructions for it in the Highway Code – could you please advise?

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_F8cbRloDs


Nick

x x

 

[domtyler]

I doubt he would have a very high success rate if that is how he teaches his students to drive!

 

[BentMikey]

Ouch, what a muppet of a driver!!! You going to send a complaint off to the AA?

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

Lol - good luck with the email!

That 'junction' looks a bit odd - what's the RH lane for? (i.e. could it be for proceeding straight on rather than the laft hand one?) There don't appear to be any markings there, but the AA driver's skill was pretty woeful!

 

[BentMikey]

Doh! Just read your second post.

 

[magnatom]

Shocking. A very bad, and very dangerous maneuver. Good luck with the complaint. If that is the standard of instructors, then what chance do we have!

On a brighter note, it is nice to see someone else having the incidents for a change. I think. Maybe not. Oh bother!

 

[TwickenhamCyclist]

Lol - good luck with the email!

That 'junction' looks a bit odd - what's the RH lane for? (i.e. could it be for proceeding straight on rather than the laft hand one?) There don't appear to be any markings there, but the AA driver's skill was pretty woeful!

You can go left, right or straight on at that junction – but the right turn isn’t under filter control so lots of traffic can get stuck waiting for oncoming traffic if turning right.
I might not be the best driver in the world, but at that junction I would be in the left lane to turn left or go straight ahead, and only use the right if turning right -as the cars in front of me did (ie used left lane to go straight on). He seemed to use the right lane to overtake me and simultaneously turn left – I think muppet sums him up pretty well.

 

[TwickenhamCyclist]

Shocking. A very bad, and very dangerous maneuver. Good luck with the complaint. If that is the standard of instructors, then what chance do we have!

On a brighter note, it is nice to see someone else having the incidents for a change. I think. Maybe not. Oh bother!

The interesting thing was, Magnatom, that when I caught up with him I actually said nothing – just made sure I got the reg – I think in the past I’d have let off a bit of steam at him, but as you have commented in the past, having the whole thing on tape somehow helps you rise above it…

 

[domtyler]

Out of interest why did you not filter straight to the front, as I generally do, and park yourself in front of the lead car?

That way you would have had control of the traffic going across the junction.

 

[magnatom]

You can go left, right or straight on at that junction – but the right turn isn’t under filter control so lots of traffic can get stuck waiting for oncoming traffic if turning right.
I might not be the best driver in the world, but at that junction I would be in the left lane to turn left or go straight ahead, and only use the right if turning right -as the cars in front of me did (ie used left lane to go straight on). He seemed to use the right lane to overtake me and simultaneously turn left – I think muppet sums him up pretty well.

Even if you were intending to turn left, it is dangerous to overtake at a junction. He needs the book thrown at him!

 

[domtyler]

Even if you were intending to turn left, it is dangerous to overtake at a junction. He needs the book thrown at him!

I wondered how long it would take you to bring up CycleCraft!

 

[magnatom]

Dom, not cyclecraft. I was thinking of the hardback version of encyclopedia brittanica vols 1-20.

Actually looking at that video again, he took the right lane to turn left. He should not be on the road, never mind training other drivers!

 

[spindrift]

Any reply yet?

 

[Notsoblue]

I know that junction well!

My 16 mile evening circuit from Chiswick to Richmond Park takes me straight across that junction. I always find that if I'm in the left hand lane I get cut up by drivers turning left, and if I'm in the right hand lane I get cut up by drivers in the left hand lane undertaking me as they go straight!