Magnatom's camera thread has just reminded me about my other bus driver incident (and how I wish I'd have had a camera).
I was cycling down the A55, and there was a bus driver was wanting to join from a sideroad (it wasn't a proper sliproad) onto the carrriageway. Thankfully there was nothing behind me so I moved into primary position as if he'd have pulled out I'd have had to brake hard or he'd have side swiped me (I was averaging 25 mph on this stretch) so wanted to make myself more visable to him, and I was nearly halfway past the "sliproad".
Anyway, he did give way to me begrudgingly. After he had joined on to the A55 he pulled up alongside me, opened his doors and said something like "You shouldn't be on this side of the white lines". I shouted back that "Yes I should, it's illegal to cycle the other side of the lines", he shouted something back which I couldn't hear properly, I think it was something along the lines of "If you say so" before driving off.
He was referring to the solid white line that runs along the side of the carriage way, like you get on motorways, where the gap is maybe a foot if that and is usually full of debris. Now I don't know whether he thought it was a cycle path or something - but even if I did decide to cycle on it, one stretch of the A55 (towards Abergwyngregyn) is part of the old road and this foot of road disappears and I'd have to hit the curb and end up on the grass verge, or veer back onto the main road in front of oncoming vehicles. Plus when you reach slip roads they disappear and the road he was joining from had this concrete triangle thing in the way, so I'd have had to cycle past him "on the wrong side of the white" line anyway as there was none at that point!
Anyway, I hope I haven't lost you all in my rambling explanation. What is the score with these "hard shoulders" on dual carriageways - was I correct in saying it was illegal for me to cycle in it? I wish I'd have had more of a comeback to him and been able to spount some bit of the highway code / traffic legislation at him. I mean I can sometimes do 30+ mph if the wind is in my favour on that stretch, that's pretty much the average speed of a tractor - would he be telling a tractor to drive on that part of the road?!
I suspect he was more pissed at having to slow & give way to a cyclist more than anything. I wonder if this is the same bus driver that tried to turn right onto the main road I was cycling on but had to do an emergency stop to avoid squashing me (I was already on the main road indicating to turn right down the road he was waiting at, fairly similar to Magnatom's incident with the lady driver on one of his Videos). I'm convinced I saw him pass me this morning in the bus going through the next village down from mine.
I was cycling down the A55, and there was a bus driver was wanting to join from a sideroad (it wasn't a proper sliproad) onto the carrriageway. Thankfully there was nothing behind me so I moved into primary position as if he'd have pulled out I'd have had to brake hard or he'd have side swiped me (I was averaging 25 mph on this stretch) so wanted to make myself more visable to him, and I was nearly halfway past the "sliproad".
Anyway, he did give way to me begrudgingly. After he had joined on to the A55 he pulled up alongside me, opened his doors and said something like "You shouldn't be on this side of the white lines". I shouted back that "Yes I should, it's illegal to cycle the other side of the lines", he shouted something back which I couldn't hear properly, I think it was something along the lines of "If you say so" before driving off.
He was referring to the solid white line that runs along the side of the carriage way, like you get on motorways, where the gap is maybe a foot if that and is usually full of debris. Now I don't know whether he thought it was a cycle path or something - but even if I did decide to cycle on it, one stretch of the A55 (towards Abergwyngregyn) is part of the old road and this foot of road disappears and I'd have to hit the curb and end up on the grass verge, or veer back onto the main road in front of oncoming vehicles. Plus when you reach slip roads they disappear and the road he was joining from had this concrete triangle thing in the way, so I'd have had to cycle past him "on the wrong side of the white" line anyway as there was none at that point!
Anyway, I hope I haven't lost you all in my rambling explanation. What is the score with these "hard shoulders" on dual carriageways - was I correct in saying it was illegal for me to cycle in it? I wish I'd have had more of a comeback to him and been able to spount some bit of the highway code / traffic legislation at him. I mean I can sometimes do 30+ mph if the wind is in my favour on that stretch, that's pretty much the average speed of a tractor - would he be telling a tractor to drive on that part of the road?!
I suspect he was more pissed at having to slow & give way to a cyclist more than anything. I wonder if this is the same bus driver that tried to turn right onto the main road I was cycling on but had to do an emergency stop to avoid squashing me (I was already on the main road indicating to turn right down the road he was waiting at, fairly similar to Magnatom's incident with the lady driver on one of his Videos). I'm convinced I saw him pass me this morning in the bus going through the next village down from mine.
