Another example of a drivers bad attitude.....

[4F]

My commute is split 50 / 50 between rural countryside and busy town traffic and I would say that most "incidents" are in town traffic but nothing usually of any undue concern.

Keep at it Glow worm, don't let a few idiots on the road spoil it for you

 

[benb]

... It is, indeed, an active forum, hard to keep track of at times as there are so many posters on so many threads ...

Top tip: Liberal use of the Subscribe threads function. I don't bother with the email notification, but it keeps the threads I want to keep an eye on in one handy place.

 

[Glow worm]

I'm a pretty slow cyclist, average 10-12 mph so that may have something to do with it. Drivers getting hacked off as I dawdle along. I'm also assertive and mostly use primary especially on bends- just for survival. They seem to really hate that. It is rare to even get to the next village without someone passing way too close on one of the many bends. Almost always I shrug it off and don't react, let it spoil the ride etc, but two particularly scary episodes in two days (yesterday and today) has me thinking it may just not be worth the risk anymore. I really thought I was for it earlier. It was such a close pass I had to sit down for a while/ some kind of shock thing I guess.

 

[Arch]

I'm a pretty slow cyclist, average 10-12 mph so that may have something to do with it. Drivers getting hacked off as I dawdle along. I'm also assertive and mostly use primary especially on bends- just for survival. They seem to really hate that. It is rare to even get to the next village without someone passing way too close on one of the many bends. Almost always I shrug it off and don't react, let it spoil the ride etc, but two particularly scary episodes in two days (yesterday and today) has me thinking it may just not be worth the risk anymore. I really thought I was for it earlier. It was such a close pass I had to sit down for a while/ some kind of shock thing I guess.

As I understand it, primary should be reserved for places where conflict could occur - so on those bends, fine, but not most of the time. I always think that making a very clear transition back to secondary (ie, a noticeable mini swerve to the left) after a pinchpoint or whatever helps to make the point that you're doing it for a reason, and that afterwards, you're 'letting someone through'.

I agree that it's not nearly as bad as this section paints it - we all report the bad stuff, but I go day after day with nothing much to report, all in town. There's the odd car that passes a bit close, but I'm mostly ready for them, mutter under my breath and then try to let it go.

I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me for cycling on the roads. I keep fit, it costs me bugger all, and I have fun!

 

[Glow worm]

Keep at it Glow worm, don't let a few idiots on the road spoil it for you

Cheers 4f- prob will do. Today's little episode was a bit of a brown shorts moment to be honest. Too close for comfort. No doubt I'll be battling it out again tomorra. I'm pretty laid back and normally let it go, but things definately seem to be getting worse hereabouts.

 

[GrasB]

I think people get confused between intimidation & drivers simply not having a clue so getting it wrong. A well timed, best with the passenger window down/drop top open, "for f**ks sake, too close again" that's exasperated rather than aggressive often will get a driver to move out a further 1m or so. The key isn't to be saying it 'at them' rather giving the impression they just happen to be the one which pushed to the point of vocalising your frustrations.

 

[DrSquirrel]

Now while I was browsing in the shop, I hear a voice (didn't see whose it was) say something along these lines: got held up by a load of bloody cyclists. For ****'s sake, they don't even pay road tax! I've been driving at cycle pace since he mentioned some shop I didn't know. I should have ploughed through a few thousand of them!

Not being one to start an argument, I let it go. But the more I think about it, the more angry it made me

Bait them, "join in" with them, you mostly can't win so you might as well just have fun and possibly show them up in front of whomever they were bragging to.

"yea, they were slow... [delay] my 3 year old really struggled up that hill... thanks for not killing him/her that's really grateful of you [further sarcasm]"

(doesn't work that well if you don't have a child with you of course).

 

[BentMikey]

Too many incidents to mention? Wow.. on my 35-40 mile round commute 5 day a week through South London I am happy to say that I have very few incidents I can recall over one week. Cycle confidently and with a good amount of road sense and awareness of what is happening around you then the less bad incidents will happen.

Even the ones I do remember are usually only because I videoed and bothered to upload them. Without that I'd hardly remember most.