Be more careful than I was when filtering down the center.

[Boris Bajic]

As said in the video description and agreed with the motorist, we both could have done something to avoid this prang. Thankfully the driver and I were unhurt and our conveyances were undamaged, so everyone walked away happy. I'm not posting this to start a blame/fault discussion, just to make people aware that filtering past junctions is a very real danger to cyclists. Ride safe out there, everyone.

Top marks to both parties for beng cool and conciliatory in manner. It can be difficult to be calm after a shock or a bump.

I did this (in daylight) on a motorcycle in 1981 and the police called it 50/50. I had no issue with that at the time and still don't. I was unconscious as we waited for the ambulance, but I was able to make a sort of assessment of the scene in my wobbly condition. Despite my 'bike being a total loss and the van having a wheel-shaped indentation between wheelarch and A-post, insurance was not involved.

The OP is quite right, it is legal to filter on the right (in fact it is almost always wiser to do so). Nonetheless, just as when I I flew over a bonnet in 1981, a slower approach by the cyclist would have made it clear that the traffic on both sides had left a gap for the emerging vehicle.

Whilst the emerging vehicle has a responsibility to ensure that his way is clear, I would also expect other road users (OP) to be aware of what the traffic in their (and the opposing) carriageway was doing. Apart from the speed, this is terribly close to my flying lesson in '81, so I'm not preaching here.

It's an experience thing and I'm jolly glad that nobody was hurt in the clip.

 

[Graham Simmons]

You're right, and normally I filter much less aggressively on this road. I hate to admit it, but I felt pressure from the witnessing cyclist to my rear to pick up the pace as he slotted in behind me at the previous junction, so I did. Just goes to show it's always wiser to cycle at the speed you are comfortable with, not that you think you should be going!

 

[oldfatfool]

Part of the blame (if not all) in situations like this can often be laid at the feet of the muppet who stops short of the junction and waves the vehicle out of the side turn. You can guarantee they do this without a single glance in there right hand mirror to check for anyone filtering, be it motorised or not.

 

[HLaB]

Blame drivers all you want but I think as the OP recognises just one person would be hurt

 

[Boris Bajic]

Part of the blame (if not all) in situations like this can often be laid at the feet of the muppet who stops short of the junction and waves the vehicle out of the side turn. You can guarantee they do this without a single glance in their right-hand mirror to check for anyone filtering, be it motorised or not.

I disagree here. I may be wrong, but I disagree. I do not think one can make that guarantee.

I frequently stop in traffic to let other road users in, out and about. I stop first only for traffic emerging from my own side or crossing my carriageway from the opposing lane, but if someone on the opposing lane has stopped and my stopping too will allow a move to be completed, I like to do it.

To do so without a good sweep of the mirrors would be very dangerous. In my view, people who stop for other road users tend to do it because they are attentive and are anticipating, not the other way around.

Few of us are quite as good a road user as we think we are, but I try to be observant and courteous, despite probably not being the most technically gifted.

In my (limited) experience, the ones who stop to let others out tend to be among the more courteous and observant - not muppets.

 

[oldfatfool]

In my (limited) experience, the ones who stop to let others out tend to be among the more courteous and observant - not muppets.

I spend roughly 4 hours a day 6 days a week driving in a mixture of town and residential areas I would say at least once a week I will see a situation where some 'christian' motorist as stopped to allow someone to enter from the left and either caused a rear end shunt or the following car to perform an emergency brake with appropriate commentry. Equally the number of cars that will pull straight out across traffic presuming that the opposite carriageway will let them in because someone in one direction as done so is quite astounding. At the very best they concentrate on traffic coming from the opposite direction from that which as already stopped.

Out of interest in this situation can you say you would check your mirrors and what action would you take?

'You' are in stationary traffic stood just before a junction on your left. There is a car at the junction wanting to turn right across you, there is currently a car in front of you blocking his progress. There is no traffic coming towards you. The line of traffic moves forward by a couple of car lengths, 99.99% of drivers in 'your' situation would stay stationary and allow the car at the junction to turn right, but would they bother to check their mirrors when they have been stood for a few minutes and no plan on moving?? If 'you' did check your mirrors at the instant traffic in front moved two car lengths and see a cyclist filtering what would your actions be??

 

[glenn forger]

Part of the blame (if not all) in situations like this can often be laid at the feet of the muppet who stops short of the junction and waves the vehicle out of the side turn. You can guarantee they do this without a single glance in there right hand mirror to check for anyone filtering, be it motorised or not.

I used to get this on Hackney Road, a driver would overtake me, then flash on oncoming car to turn! Hello! I haven't magically disappeared after you overtook me!

 

[glenn forger]

Similar:

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40012&t=12903015

The blue line is a line of queuing/slow moving taffic, the opposite carriageway was full of slow moving traffic. The pink arrow is the motorcyclist filtering, and the green arrow is the VW people carrier/van that hit the motorcyclist.

The driver said he was pulling out of his driveway when a van travelling northwards flashed him out. He pulled out and collided with the side of the motorcyclist with the front of his vehicle.

He must have pulled forwards with a bit of speed, rather than crept forwards as the motorcyclist was propelled all the way across the road and landed on the cycle path.

That's not my post, but it shows how common this sort of thing is. The van that flashed didn't even stop, it had to driver around the prone biker.

 

[Boris Bajic]

Similar:

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40012&t=12903015

That's not my post, but it shows how common this sort of thing is. The van that flashed didn't even stop, it had to driver around the prone biker.

This looks remarkably similar to the accident I describe in #18. In my case the van was creeping across into my lane. It was my speed that carried me the significant distance I flew, and my late swerve to the right that made me follow a path the the opposite kerb and temporary loss of wafefulness. It is perfectly possible that the MPV in the case here was creeping out as slowly as the van I hit. It is often the velocity of the filtering two-wheeler that lends their trajectory such length and vector.

As a one-time injured party in such an accident, I am now much more cautious when filtering. In my experience, road users who stop to allow others out are normally of the courteous and attentive type, although there will always be examples of ineptitude and thumping stupidity.

 

[boydj]

Part of the blame (if not all) in situations like this can often be laid at the feet of the muppet who stops short of the junction and waves the vehicle out of the side turn. You can guarantee they do this without a single glance in there right hand mirror to check for anyone filtering, be it motorised or not.

Very true. My biggest hit was when an idiot in lane 2, who had just passed me (in lane 1, on a downhill run) flashed a right-turner from the opposite lane. In spite of being alongside him at a red light 50 yards earlier he was clearly oblivious to my presence or the danger of his action. The police used the action of the flasher as mitigation in deciding not to charge the driver who's vehicle I had hit, while the flasher failed to stop.

 

[Nigeyy]

Blame; it's a great game.

I can't agree with your comments on this one -there's certainly plenty to share one this one, with no single entity being 100% at fault. From my point of view, sure you have to look carefully when pulling out of a junction, but given it was dark, the driver appears to pull out cautiously and (IMHO) the OP was going a little too fast coming up to a junction in a situation where they can be easily obscured by other vehicles that are stationary or close to stationary, there seems to be plenty of blame to share here..... I just don't believe that placing the blame on someone who has the courtesy to allow someone out of an awkward junction (when traffic is stationary or slow) is even close to being the real problem (well, unless they stop or slow down dangerously and the road is not conducive to such courtesies).

And kudos for the OP with the video -I know from this board they are opening themselves up for a whole host of criticism!

Part of the blame (if not all) in situations like this can often be laid at the feet of the muppet who stops short of the junction and waves the vehicle out of the side turn. You can guarantee they do this without a single glance in there right hand mirror to check for anyone filtering, be it motorised or not.

 

[oldfatfool]

@Nigevy

I was making more of a general statement about this type of accident and, imo, one of the fundamental causes, not necessarily the cause in the op. Hence the use of the phrase 'in situations like this' and the word 'often'

In the op I would agree the cyclist was travelling on the brisk side, however if we all cycled so slowly as to be able to stop safely 'if' someone SMIDSY'd us then we may as well walk.

As a car driver and a cyclist though in these situations I often find it hard to lay the blame on the driver actually pulling out, as far as he his concerned he as been given the all clear from his right and is concentrating on his left. If for instance it is a van allowing him out he as no visibility to his right until the nose of his car is past the front of the van (and into the cyclist). Equally unless the rider knows the road well, he has no visibility over/ through the van to know there is a junction or a car waiting to pull out.Hence why in these situations I maintain that it is the responsibility of the driver allowing the car to pullout to make sure that there is no-one filtering.

I would also point out that if the op had been on a motorbike the odds are he would have been travelling faster, also the odds are that the car pulling out would have seen him due to better lighting, but if he hadn't the outcome would have been a lot worse.

The safest course of action is therefore not to filter, or as a driver be a git like me and don't stop to allow people turning right out of side roads.

 

[CopperBrompton]

+1 for this being 50/50. Overtaking past a junction on the one hand, and pulling out without being able to see the way was clear on the other.

 

[thefollen]

Agree with handled ok by both parties. Tricky one as a driver since in those situations there are a lot of areas to observe. Maybe could be argued that the driver shout have proceeded with more caution but whilst the cars going left will have stopped and let him in, some douche in the target lane more-often-than-not will close up the gap and not them him in (or there are cars coming); often means you have to enter the gap quickly. In London (driving) people rarely let you in and you have to be assertive.

From the driver's perspective the OP would have appeared from behind the traffic very suddenly.

Of course a driver should be tuned in to anticipating filtering pedal/motor cyclists- if he wasn't before, he will be now! I've done exactly the same on my bike but now always approach those situations with a tad more caution. If there's a gap in the traffic, there's usually reason for it :-)

 

[Linford]

I would also point out that if the op had been on a motorbike the odds are he would have been travelling faster, also the odds are that the car pulling out would have seen him due to better lighting, but if he hadn't the outcome would have been a lot worse.

The safest course of action is therefore not to filter, or as a driver be a git like me and don't stop to allow people turning right out of side roads.

There is nothing wrong with filtering as long as it is done sensibly (IE max 10mph difference between the filtering bike, and the traffic it is passing) whilst being prepared to stop at junctions and slowing before for the eventuality.

I have seen bikers filtering faster (in London), but it is rarely the case that it is done elsewhere. I even foolishly got sucked into filtering behind another motorbike on the M25 a few years ago. It was just mad really, and I dropped back into the traffic after maybe a couple of miles... @ 30mph above the rest of the traffic. The only mitigation is that it was all going the same way, and there were no vehicles pulling out of the junctions on us.

I really did give myself a severe talking too after that. I've done track days where I've jostled for position with hard braking into corners along side other bikes from 140mph, and the high speed filtering is a lot more scary as at least on the track, everyone is aiming for the same line, or consistently spaced out as they corner.