Assaulted on Finchley Rd...

[Globalti]

You should have ignored him then moved aside at the first opportunity. Instead you stopped and actually sought a confrontation. You were as aggressive as he was - next time you might not be as lucky; you need to recognise that city driving is as stressful for car drivers as it is for cyclists (probably more in a high-pressure job like his) and cut them some slack.

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

Personally I think the OP simply defended his position, just because the driver toots his horn and is stressed does not give him all rights to the public highway, the moment we accept, condone or allow such behaviour it becones acceptable. At no time imho does the OP approach the driver seeking confrontation. The horn is a warning, using it in such manner is actually illigal, the law states you must not use your horn agressively, it also states that you must not use your horn at all unless another road user poses a danger. The OP simply reacted to an aggressor, although it could be debated if this heightened the situation, I feel the reaction was understandable.

 

[gavintc]

If I was driving and someone tooted at me, I would not stop the car and remonstrate with the driver who tooted at me. To do so would be regarded as road rage. What makes this so different if it is a cyclist not a car?

 

[BentMikey]

Being tailgated like that does make it hard though - I think you might be safer stopped than carrying on at speed. It does seem very silly to blame the cyclist for that driver's behaviour.

 

[eml1909]

Some brief replies:

1. Yes, he did touch me. He twisted my head sharply to "show" me that there was "no traffic".

2. I accept that perhaps I should not have argued with him in the middle of the road. However, I was scared and angry because he was coming up very close behind me, beeping his horn and shouting. The fact is that I was reacting to his aggressive driving and his breaches of the Highway Code, all of which was unacceptable and unprovoked.

3. what you cannot really tell on this video is that the traffic is choc-a-bloc almost the whole way down Finchley Road. Although at this particular part of the video the traffic seems free flowing, it most certainly isn't. It's stop start all the way. So I wasn't really holding up the traffic. As the continuation of the vide shows (which I haven't bothered posting), within about 100 yards of the incident, the traffic returns to bumper to bumper.

4. I did think about filtering and then riding in front of him but, tbh, I was far too shaken up and just wanted to get to work safely.

 

[eml1909]

If I was driving and someone tooted at me, I would not stop the car and remonstrate with the driver who tooted at me. To do so would be regarded as road rage. What makes this so different if it is a cyclist not a car?

He wasnt just tooting his horn. He was coming up behind me very aggressively and was clearly trying to intimidate me. He was beeping his horn and was shouting at me to get out of his way. I didn't really hold up the traffic because within 30 seconds of this incident, the traffic had already come to a standstill once again.

 

[eml1909]

At the traffic lights, the road looks fairly clear, but that is because there is a large box junction which prevent cars from stopping. Once you get past the traffic lights, it's bumper to bumper again, but you can't see that on the video.

 

[gavintc]

He wasnt just tooting his horn. He was coming up behind me very aggressively and was clearly trying to intimidate me. He was beeping his horn and was shouting at me to get out of his way. I didn't really hold up the traffic because within 30 seconds of this incident, the traffic had already come to a standstill once again.

I will continue to compare this to an event with 2 cars to avoid the implication of a bike/car element. It is not uncommon for a driver to flash lights, toot horn because they want to travel faster. There are idiots on the road. The typical reaction from a driver would be to pull over, let the idiot through. You stopped and confronted him. That, I contend is unusual and I suggest invited the classic idiot's reaction - resort to violence. I am not condoning the driver's behaviour, but I suggest your actions created the conditions for the assault.

 

[NotthatJasonKenny]

The only bit I think you may have a hard time defending is right at the beginning where you squeeze past him and then pull right in front of him obviously then you would be slower than him if the traffic suddenly moved quicker. Not illegal I guess but if a car did that I would feel aggrieved and if we want equal standing 'in the traffic' then maybe we should think about how our cycling effects them, after all we spend a lot of time telling drivers to think about how their driving effects cyclists!

I was told a long time ago that the first person to get out of their car in road rage incidents is always seen as the guilty party as they are the aggressor.

In this case, physical contact also makes him guilty but I do think you should have just flicked him the finger and carried on cycling rather than stopping!

 

[eml1909]

The only bit I think you may have a hard time defending is right at the beginning where you squeeze past him and then pull right in front of him obviously then you would be slower than him if the traffic suddenly moved quicker. Not illegal I guess but if a car did that I would feel aggrieved and if we want equal standing 'in the traffic' then maybe we should think about how our cycling effects them, after all we spend a lot of time telling drivers to think about how their driving effects cyclists!
!

> I understand what you are saying. However, I was filtering as we approached the traffic lights. He was still stationary as I moved past him and I looked into his car to make sure that he had seen me. I'm sure he was playing on his phone as I past him (shame that's not caught on camera!) and I didn't want him to be caught by surprise when he looked up. By the time he had started to move off he had definitely seen me. It's true that he had to drive slower because of me but, as I have said, the traffic moves incredibly slowly all the way down Finchley Rd and he was back in a traffic jam very soon after this incident.

 

[eml1909]

I will continue to compare this to an event with 2 cars to avoid the implication of a bike/car element. It is not uncommon for a driver to flash lights, toot horn because they want to travel faster. There are idiots on the road. The typical reaction from a driver would be to pull over, let the idiot through. You stopped and confronted him. That, I contend is unusual and I suggest invited the classic idiot's reaction - resort to violence. I am not condoning the driver's behaviour, but I suggest your actions created the conditions for the assault.

Yes, I accept that I "created" the situation by confronting him in relation to his aggressive and threatening driving. (And I was about to cycle away when he started to get out of his car, which is why I decided to hold my ground.)

 

[machew]

I will continue to compare this to an event with 2 cars to avoid the implication of a bike/car element. It is not uncommon for a driver to flash lights, toot horn because they want to travel faster. There are idiots on the road. The typical reaction from a driver would be to pull over, let the idiot through. You stopped and confronted him. That, I contend is unusual and I suggest invited the classic idiot's reaction - resort to violence. I am not condoning the driver's behaviour, but I suggest your actions created the conditions for the assault.

There is a 20mph zone near were I live, I on the hole will slow down to 20 in my car. However I always get idiots tailgating, flashing lights and hooting. I did once have a hi-vis vest in the car that had on it "Polite Slow" and when I got out the car with it on the other driver visibly went pale

 

[BentMikey]

That does seem to be some unwarranted victim blaming coming from you there, gavintc.

 

[BSRU]

The driver has no excuse for assault, whatever excuses he makes up in his own mind to justify his behaviour.
Using you car to bully another road user out of the way is normally classed as dangerous driving, especially when the other vehicle is a vulnerable road user.
I have gad a few aggressive tailgaters, they have no comprehension of the danger they are putting the other road user in, just to move a few metres further in the traffic queue.

 

[mr_hippo]

He was beeping his horn and was shouting at me to get out of his way. .

I was a big fan of yours many, many years ago! Above all the general traffic noise, the car`s engine, the beeping horn,you heard him shouting at you. Glad to know that your bionic ear is still working, Steve Austin.