But I moved over...

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
It's an adrenline filled week this week. Nearly at work, in a line of traffic, I filter up so far, and wait, behind a Range Rover. No rush. The Range Rover, when traffic moves on, moves out a little, but not enough for me to want to filter by, and anyway, I can't be sure they actually saw me, or were just weaving a bit.

Then I spot the woman driving in her wing mirror, on the phone, nattering away.

I hang back - well, I'm not squeezing down the side of someone on the phone - until the road widens a bit and she moved out further and pulls up again. This time I come alongside and indicate that she should put the phone down. Well, she doesn't like that at all. Traffic moves again, we pull up, same again. Third time, the phone has gone down, but her window is down and she speaks to me, and you know what?

She saw me coming up and moved over, so that's all alright, and it's somehow my fault for not coming past and moving on but instead making a fuss about her phone.

We 'discuss' for a while, and I regret I slapped her rear (tinted) window as she moved on. This apparently made me as bad as her, or so she said when we next stopped. So I said "Well, I'm sorry I hit your car. Are you sorry you used your phone?"

And then, spotting the booster seat "Do you use it with the kiddie on board?"

<shrugs, looks away>

"Only, I know people who've been killed by people using their phones..." (this is a slight lie, well, ok, a lie, but I know OF people killed)

<grudgingly> "Well, I'm sorry about that..."

And I let her go ahead.

Annoyingly, I don't have her reg - I did look at it, but failed to memorise, or any picture - not used the helmet cam for ages.

Anyway, it was all alright, because she moved over to let me by, even though I didn't want to go.
 

Moodyman

Legendary Member
That's a nice conversation. You agreed on some things, disagreed on others, but you both talked in a civil way.
 
OP
OP
Arch

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
Hmm, well, it was just about civil, in that neither of us swore.

I don't know how much she agreed about anything, but I might just have embarrassed her, although she didn't want to show it. The final "Well, I'm sorry about that..." was said with her face turned away, in a mumble.

I could have handled it even better, with hindsight, but hindsight's a wonderful thing. Hitting the window was sheer temper, I can't claim any sort of self defence. I suppose I might have made her think, But I'm no more optimistic than I am of having make that wally on a bike think yesterday after he turned right into me overtaking him, without looking or indicating

I'd love to know where she thought I was going to filter to, with all the space she apparently gave me to do so, when the lane ahead of her was completely filled by a Securicor van.

Mind you, watching some folk through town, scooting up the left side of a bendy bus in a queue or hopping onto the pavement to pass it, you'd think that all cyclists are as guilty of the 'must get ahead' syndrome as drivers.
 

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
Assume it was a new Range Rover ? They generally come fitted with hands free anyway.....sheesh...

What's all this about slapping her rear....did she have a nice bum ? :girl::smile:
 
OP
OP
Arch

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
fossyant said:
Assume it was a new Range Rover ? They generally come fitted with hands free anyway.....sheesh...

What's all this about slapping her rear....did she have a nice bum ? :girl::smile:

Newish - reg of the XX number XXX style anyway.

I can't comment on her arse - she was sitting on it.

I'd like to think it was fatter than mine though (Not that she was fat, from what I could see.) Thick maybe, but not fat.
 

John the Monkey

Frivolous Cyclist
Location
Crewe
fossyant said:
Assume it was a new Range Rover ? They generally come fitted with hands free anyway.....sheesh...
Not that that makes a huge amount of difference.

It's the cognitive workload that affects driving (at least, according to most studies done so far).
 

sheddy

Legendary Member
Location
Suffolk
The inventor of the Range Rover died last week (I think he was ashamed of the way that it has gone on to become a status symbol)
 

jonny jeez

Legendary Member
Moodyman said:
That's a nice conversation. You agreed on some things, disagreed on others, but you both talked in a civil way.

I was going to say the exact same thing, although this was an "altercation" I am amazed at how agreeable it became, I cant ever imagine a conversation between two guys being so pleasant (testosterone always gets in the way)
 
OP
OP
Arch

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
I don't know that it was pleasant - she'd clearly had a moment to think up the 'but I moved over, and no one else did' gambit, and was determined not to let me get a word in until she'd said it.

True, we didn't descend to abuse. I don't know if I got through, but if I did, I think it might have been the point at which I mentioned the kiddie seat, and knowing people being killed.

If I'd had time, then a smart remark night have been "I hope the kid who uses that seat never encounters someone using their mobile when they try to cross a road."

I was actually shaking a bit by the end - I was pulled up at the kerb with one foot down, and that leg was quaking like a jelly.
 
OP
OP
Arch

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
And the car model is probably irrelevant - except that it gave me a crystal clear view of her in the wing mirror, and put her at exactly my height for our conversation.
 
Naughty gal...road rage?:girl:

Generally if it's me I just do every swear word on the planet,yes I know it's not big and it's not clever.:smile:
 
OP
OP
Arch

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
Yeah, slapping the window was daft - it lost me the moral high ground, and made my hand tingle.

Never done it before.
 

HJ

Cycling in Scotland
Location
Auld Reekie
I'd love to know where she thought I was going to filter to, with all the space she apparently gave me to do so, when the lane ahead of her was completely filled by a Securicor van.


Range Rover driver, Think???


Mind you, watching some folk through town, scooting up the left side of a bendy bus in a queue or hopping onto the pavement to pass it, you'd think that all cyclists are as guilty of the 'must get ahead' syndrome as drivers.

It is a suicidal mind set and must be resisted, although you do see it with new commuters a lot.
 
Top Bottom