Any comments?

[Matthew_T]

The video speaks for itself really.

My side of the story: Before people start questioning my lane positioning, I use the strange line on the road as a guide for getting into primary. It is perfect and doesnt dart about.
This woman starts overtaking me a bit before the pinch point, but refuses to get a move on and overtake already. I repeatedly look at her but she fails to notice me. She then cuts in very closely at the pinch point, forcing me to take avoiding action.

I am open to all comments as I am positive I did nothing wrong.

 

[HLaB]

It doesn't look like you done much wrong there, perhaps you could have been more central earlier but we all come across numpties like that who are determined to squeeze through no matter what all you can do is be alert and the central position allows you wiggle room and sometimes its just easier to drop back a little and let the numpty through.

 

[Matthew_T]

P.S. This driver is getting reported because it was way too close and dangerous.

 

[HovR]

sometimes its just easier to drop back a little and let the numpty through.

I agree with this. There's no point playing chicken with a car hoping they'll back off. Better to take the avoiding action sooner, rather than having to emergency brake when they cut in.

 

[beastie]

That was a bad overtake. I would have been further over earlier, don't allow room for a pass, own the whole road Matthew.

 

[MattHB]

What a shocker.. It was an Audi driver.. Why is it nearly always an Audi driver?

 

[mr_hippo]

There seem to be two schools of thought on this one - move out and 'own' the road & and ease off and let him pass.
Matthew, I take it your camera is in a fixed position on your bike. Do you have a neck problem or a hearing problem? The reason why I ask is that looking at the video, the first indication of a car is when it is alongside you. You also appear to move to your right slightly as you approach the pinch point as if you were undecided about your position; now if you did move further out without a shoulder check then i would not be replying to your post, indeed, you would not have been in any position to post it.
What would I have done? In that incidence, more shoulder checks, eased off and moved slightly to my left and let the car pass. I can already see fingers poised over keyboards to ask me why I am surrendering to the motorist and letting him get away with his bullying tactics. I enjoy cycling and have done for over 50 years and hopefully I have more years left in me but I want to keep my body intact and my blood inside it so my safety is of paramount importance. .It is not called surrender, it is called co-operation.
Matthew, there is a lot of advice on internet forums, some good and some bad; you will have to learn to separate the two.

 

[Dan_h]

The video speaks for itself really.

My side of the story: Before people start questioning my lane positioning, I use the strange line on the road as a guide for getting into primary. It is perfect and doesnt dart about.
This woman starts overtaking me a bit before the pinch point, but refuses to get a move on and overtake already. I repeatedly look at her but she fails to notice me. She then cuts in very closely at the pinch point, forcing me to take avoiding action.

I am open to all comments as I am positive I did nothing wrong.

I can't see that there was anything wrong with your positioning, just an impatient and inconsiderate driver. Not really much you can do there apart from take avoiding action if necessary. Whatever your position on the road you will always get someone who will push past you at these pinch points. Sometimes it is impatience, sometimes it is poor judgement of speed, whatever the reason you just need to avoid them (which you did) and carry on.

 

[siadwell]

Poor judgement by the driver, in my opinion. They started an overtaking manouvre without looking ahead to see the hazard in the road, they assumed because you're a cyclist you must be doing about 5mph, and only when they were alongside did they realise they had cocked up. But by then the options were to brake sharply or shove you over. As an Audi driver, the choice was an easy one.

I had someone nearly ram a traffic island when I was riding the other day as they pulled a similar stunt at a mini roundabout. Fortunately, they did the decent thing and hit the anchors.

 

[Matthew_T]

There seem to be two schools of thought on this one - move out and 'own' the road & and ease off and let him pass.
Matthew, I take it your camera is in a fixed position on your bike. Do you have a neck problem or a hearing problem? The reason why I ask is that looking at the video, the first indication of a car is when it is alongside you. You also appear to move to your right slightly as you approach the pinch point as if you were undecided about your position; now if you did move further out without a shoulder check then i would not be replying to your post, indeed, you would not have been in any position to post it.
What would I have done? In that incidence, more shoulder checks, eased off and moved slightly to my left and let the car pass. I can already see fingers poised over keyboards to ask me why I am surrendering to the motorist and letting him get away with his bullying tactics. I enjoy cycling and have done for over 50 years and hopefully I have more years left in me but I want to keep my body intact and my blood inside it so my safety is of paramount importance. .It is not called surrender, it is called co-operation.
Matthew, there is a lot of advice on internet forums, some good and some bad; you will have to learn to separate the two.

I have a tendancy to move about when I shoulder check. I have no idea why but it just happens. I become a little unstable.

I was repeated shoulder checking here because I could see her overtaking and I was very wary of what she was doing.

 

[ianrauk]

That was a bad overtake. I would have been further over earlier, don't allow room for a pass, own the whole road Matthew.

This....

Also did you put your arm out palm backwards to warn the driver not to pass?

 

[StuartG]

The only issue I raise is about being "positive I did nothing wrong".

Because the other road user was completely in the wrong doesn't mean there was nothing to be done to mitigate the incident - if only with the benefit of hindsight (a great teacher). There a some suggestions above. Don't take them as criticism but as learning to live with idiots. Right & wrong are luxuries a cyclist cannot afford. I don't think there is any bad incident with total idiots I have never been able to learn something from and modify my future riding.

 

[the snail]

What a shocker.. It was an Audi driver.. Why is it nearly always an Audi driver?

Audi is the new BMW. They used to be sensible/boring, these days they target the tosspot market with e.g. the TT - a muppet's car if ever there was one.

 

[SavageHoutkop]

I hate pinch points generally, and always expect some numpty to cut in in front of me if there is one. I'd probably have hung back if I knew she was there (hard to tell from your video though).

I'm always worried about what happens if the driver doens't know the road (i.e. doesn't expect the pinch point) and clips it with their wheel, thus riding into me.

 

[totallyfixed]

Being a bit wobbly when you look over your shoulder is no bad thing when approaching a pinch point or anything similar because it will give the driver pause for thought. I have never been cut up at a pinch point, it's all about anticipation Matthew, look behind you in plenty of time, look at the driver, let them know that you know they are there, it really works. I have a slight worry that the camera is somehow being thought of by the wearer as a kind of armour or insurance and consequently some riders are losing their normal self preservation instincts and maybe a bit of road craft too. Incidentally, all drivers who are patient get a raised hand in acknowledgement from me and I almost always get an answering wave.
I could be completely wrong on all of this, just the impression I am getting from reading all the posts of near misses. Finally I would say practice looking over either shoulder on a deserted bit of road until you can do it and still hold a straight line, I know it is something a lot of people have trouble with, there is a way of mastering this skill but it would take too long to explain here.