Altercation at Tower Hill

[moralcrusader]

Was wandering back to the office along Tower Hill at luchtime and saw a guy on a bike cut across the left lane to get to the centre lane at the lights Here.

However, he tried to cut across in front of an artic cement truck that was slowing down for the red light - the cyclist didn't make it and ended up having to bounce over the kerb to avoid getting himself run over. The number of time that we're told not to go up the inside of trucks at lights, yet you still see people willing to put their lives at risk - and for what? The guy driving the truck was not at fault at all - there was no way that he could have seen the bike given that he came from the left hand side so quickly. - he'd have not have known he was there until the "bump".

But what got me more was the reaction of the cyclist - he wrenched the passenger door of the cab open and started screaming all sorts at the driver, who I assume was presented with a raging cyclist for no obvious reason. He then tore off up a one way street, leaving the driver to cause a tailback while he got out to close the door that was left open.

So, there's one more truck driver whose opinion of cyclists hase just got worse. Thanks from the rest of us, buddy...

/RANT

 

[fossyant]

A very angry person !!!

 

[Paulus]

A very angry person !!!

A very silly person morelike.

 

[Bromptonite]

A person not long for this world if he makes a habit of that kind of riding.

 

[martint235]

[QUOTE 1273486"]
Is there was a role reversal in the OP the this would have gone to twenty pages by now. With calls for trucks to be banned, someone suggesting writing to everyone but Father Christmas for action to be taken and calling all truck drivers ''knuckle draggers'' or the like. Oh the irony.

And yes the cyclist is a a twat.
[/quote]

Unfortunately it's unlikely we'll ever find out who it was to be able to explain this to him

 

[asterix]

Maybe I don't understand the situation, but wouldn't the truck have been behind the cyclist about to overtake and therefore seen the cylist in front? Also, doesn't the cyclist have the right to change lanes albeit with a hand signal and with due regard to others?

 

[Jezston]

[QUOTE 1273486"]
Is there was a role reversal in the OP the this would have gone to twenty pages by now. With calls for trucks to be banned, someone suggesting writing to everyone but Father Christmas for action to be taken and calling all truck drivers ''knuckle draggers'' or the like. Oh the irony.
[/quote]

You mean if a lorry driver had tried to undertake a cylist and ended up mounting the kerb, then shouted at the cyclist? I'm not sure I understand where the irony would be here.

 

[moralcrusader]

Maybe I don't understand the situation, but wouldn't the truck have been behind the cyclist about to overtake and therefore seen the cylist in front? Also, doesn't the cyclist have the right to change lanes albeit with a hand signal and with due regard to others?

The truck was slowing down for the lights, and the cyclist was belting along so they were going around the same speed. The cyclist essentially tried to cut up the truck in an effort to jump the lights and failed. Lucky he wasn't run over thanks to his own stupidity...

 

[turnout]

Why did the cyclist change lanes? If he wanted to beat the lights he could change lanes after the slowing lorry which was stopping at the lights.

And how could the lorry have caused a atilback if he was stopped at the lights anyway?

 

[moralcrusader]

Why did the cyclist change lanes? If he wanted to beat the lights he could change lanes after the slowing lorry which was stopping at the lights.

And how could the lorry have caused a atilback if he was stopped at the lights anyway?

I think because when there is an artic stopped at those lights, there is no room down the left side at all, even if you were foolish enough to try. Thus if you were desperate to RLJ there, the only way would be to cut up an artic on your bike.

The lights went green again while the cyclist was still screaming at the driver. When he cycled off, the driver had to get out of the cab to shut the passenger door. A sizeable queue built up behind, and as we all know, people stopped at green lights in London get the horn. Lots.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

I'm having trouble visualising this one. I can imagine, cyclist on the left, late getting into the desired central lane, an artic coming alongside but heading into the left-turning lane and thereby stopping the cyclist changing lanes. Said cyclist then tries to power in front of the slowing vehicle to change lanes, from left to right, in front of the truck. But having done this found that the traffic island had already begun so there was no assertive/risky way through and had to bail out.

Did he bail out onto the pavement to the left? Or actually bail out onto the traffic island?

 

[asterix]

I think because when there is an artic stopped at those lights, there is no room down the left side at all, even if you were foolish enough to try. Thus if you were desperate to RLJ there, the only way would be to cut up an artic on your bike.

The lights went green again while the cyclist was still screaming at the driver. When he cycled off, the driver had to get out of the cab to shut the passenger door. A sizeable queue built up behind, and as we all know, people stopped at green lights in London get the horn. Lots.

..but if they had both stopped at the lights the cyclist would have sat there with a sodding great lorry on one side and railings on t'other, no? In which case would it be possible that the cyclist was concerned at such an outcome rather then trying to beat/run the light? Or was the cyclist under-taking the lorry when it would have been easy to wait behind it?

Could the artic have slowed down enough to allow the cyclist to get ahead or was he going too fast for that? Those railings look pretty lethal, cyclist-crushing-wise.