Big brave man in little white van

[Sh4rkyBloke]

So, there we are... Tharg and myself... merrily cycling along to work, when we come across a delivery lorry parked up on our side of the road. No problem, I think... check over my shoulder, allow the nearest car to pass and then move out to take a position to overtake said parked vehicle...

It seems the driver behind that one took some sort of exception to this and decided to go past too... regardless of traffic approaching on the other side of the road meaning that the gap was too small to fit him alongside me safely.

And all for the sake of about 10 - 15m.

He must be a big strong fella though, because he was brave enough to wind his window down and gesticulate at us before driving off....

It's funny how traffic tends to build up on that road, at the lights about 1/2 mile ahead of where we were....

Muppet.

 

[Davywalnuts]

Ohh what an absolute idiot, but I love it when they get stuck again! And as you say, all for a few metres! If only they had a brain!

 

[threebikesmcginty]

The curse of websense prevents me from passing judgement on this unbelievable jerk*




*Better get a comment in anyway - just to be on the safe side!

 

[John the Monkey]

Stuff like this just makes me wince.

A twitter pal of mine was knocked off yesterday - driver moved his bike out of the way and buggered off (a woman passing by saw what had happenned and called an ambulance, luckily, as the cyclist in question had been knocked out cold). I've had numerous near misses this week. I can't help feeling that things are getting worse, and no one much (other than us) gives a toss.

And don't get me started on the bloody cats...

 

[scouserinlondon]

The only WVM incident I ever had was resolved at the next lights when I rode to his open drivers window and said

'look mate, we can argue about who is right and who is wrong, but the last thing you want to do today, is go home and tell your kids you killed a bloke for the sake of 15 metres'

I thought he was going to tell me to fark orff, but he just said, 'yeah, fair enough mate, have a good evening'

Off I went.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Stuff like this just makes me wince.

A twitter pal of mine was knocked off yesterday - driver moved his bike out of the way and buggered off (a woman passing by saw what had happenned and called an ambulance, luckily, as the cyclist in question had been knocked out cold). I've had numerous near misses this week. I can't help feeling that things are getting worse, and no one much (other than us) gives a toss.

And don't get me started on the bloody cats...

Surely you don't have to be a cyclist to find that appalling?

 

[PBancroft]

Quite funny how he suddenly doesn't want to swear or make gestures when you catch him up.

 

[jonny jeez]

'look mate, we can argue about who is right and who is wrong, but the last thing you want to do today, is go home and tell your kids you killed a bloke for the sake of 15 metres'

QUOTE]

What a great comment...I shall store that in my memory bank for future use.

 

[garrilla]

We're you doing rabbit silouettes Sharky?

 

[jonny jeez]

It's funny how traffic tends to build up on that road, at the lights about 1/2 mile ahead of where we were....

Muppet.

...and how did that "conversation" go??

I assume you caught up with him?

 

[Lazy-Commuter]

Stuff like this just makes me wince.

A twitter pal of mine was knocked off yesterday - driver moved his bike out of the way and buggered off (a woman passing by saw what had happenned and called an ambulance, luckily, as the cyclist in question had been knocked out cold). I've had numerous near misses this week. I can't help feeling that things are getting worse, and no one much (other than us) gives a toss.

And don't get me started on the bloody cats...

That's my feeling too: there seems to be a lot of impatience out there lately, even by South East standards. I've got no particular evidence beyond a feeling, but it does seem to be the case.

Also, not sure if it's because I notice them / have them brought to my attention by friends and colleagues, but there's a lot of anti-cycling opinion articles in newspapers lately. From the James Martin thing, down through the usual run-of-the-mill tabloid nonsense to a pair of local newspapers that I've been shown at work lately.

Is there a link? And, if so, is it just that the article writers are pandering to sentiments that are already in place; or are they causing those sentiments with the articles? Or is it a feedback loop going on?

 

[XmisterIS]

I think the growing anti-cycling "movement" is a reaction to the current issue around global warming - if you're on a bike, you're immediately assumed by some people to be a vegetarian climate-camp protester who's best mates with Swampy.

 

[u9ge]

I hate people saying about cycling to be green, I have no interest. I have an interest in keeping fit and not letting my travel card loan fund the likes of that fat workshy communist Bob Crow and his mates or that half baked numskul penis Boris.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

you're immediately assumed by some people to be a vegetarian climate-camp protester who's best mates with Swampy.

Another bowl of tofu and brown rice brother?

 

[John the Monkey]

Surely you don't have to be a cyclist to find that appalling?

I have to hope not. (I'm an occasional motorist myself, albeit not in a professional capacity, or in a capacity where I do a large amount of driving).

That said, people are passing me closer and closer lately (I DO have good lights, and reflectives). If they actually gave a monkeys (no pun intended), they'd move the wheel an inch or two over and give me more room, surely?