Charming!

[Arch]

You can't win. On the few occasions where I have been controlled and polite enough to point out a driver's shortcomings all I have got is abuse, aggression and on one occasion an assault. As the nice gentleman in the 4 x 4 said at the weekend; "Oh yea? Yer just a fackin bike! "

I once had "It's alright you're only a bike" after pointing out to a lorry driver that his completely blind reverse round a corner manoeuvre had nearly flattened me.

And then he had the temerity to ask me to see him back round the corner safely, while refusing to apologise for nearly squashing me. I'm afraid I rode off and left him to it, which was mean and un-public spirited, but I was angry...

 

[Arch]

Not saying that this was the case but a lot of **** wittery around emergency vehicles could be down to unfamiliarity with the area.

It happend to me when driving in the USA. It was rush hour, I been driving a US roads for about 8 hours total and I was approaching a busy intersection when I heard the fire truck sirens behind me and my instinctive reaction was to try to move over to the left...

I think that's a valid mistake to make. But this lady was quite definitely English, in England.

Lost and alone in France once, in a British registered car, I turned round in a gateway in a village and proceeded back the way I'd come, on the left. Fortunately the first car I encountered, after a few yards, was going slowly, and I made a huge pantomine of "Oh god, I'm so stupid! Sorry!", and moved over, and they waved and smiled and all was well.

 

[mangaman]

Slightly off topic, but last night I was driving along a residential road with a 100-200 yard stretch with cars parked on both sides. There's definitely only room for one car at a time.

As I approached (driving) a bloke on a bike approached the other way. IMHO if the road's too narrow for more than 1 car it's too narrow for a car and a bike, so I stopped and flashed to let him through (as he got there just ahead of me). After getting over the shock of a polite motorist, he cycled intelligently - well away from the door zone - and I waited with my indicator on to show I wasn't parked or anything - just waiting

Innevitably an oldish bloke drove up behind, straight past me and hared off towards the cyclist who had to stop and escape between 2 parked cars.

I stopped and checked he was OK (he wasn't hit or anything) and we had a nice chat about the general f*ckwittesqueness of a lot of drivers and tootled off.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but it was the stupidest bit of driving I've seen in ages and I just had to share it with the world

 

[Arch]

Oh, and also yesterday, but I have no idea if it's f***wittedness or not...

Riding home, came to a pinch point. Just beyond the pinch point, stopped in the middle of the road was a Tesco delivery van. I rode up behind, trying to judge if there was room to get by, wondering why he was stopped where he was, not wanting to get stuck if it suddenly moved off. A lady came out of a house behind me, and waved, and two chaps in the garden of a house in front were talking to the van driver and one said "Oh, that's were you want to be (pointing at the woman). Just back up..."

I squeaked a bit, something like "hang on, let me get out of the way!" (I could see his mirrors, but didn't want to take a chance on him actually looking in them) and the chap in the garden shouted to the van driver not to reverse yet, there was a cyclist. I pulled over to the kerb, to leave him room to reverse past me, and he did so, and as he passed me said something.

I have absolutely no idea what he said. I think it was English, but it was just a lot of incomprehensible noises. From his completely neutral expression, I couldn't tell if I'd done something wrong, or he was saying something reassuring

Anyway, after that it was a pretty uneventful ride home....

 

[mangaman]

I have absolutely no idea what he said. I think it was English, but it was just a lot of incomprehensible noises. From his completely neutral expression, I couldn't tell if I'd done something wrong, or he was saying something reassuring

Maybe Yenners has got a job as a Tescos driver?

 

[Arch]

Maybe Yenners has got a job as a Tescos driver?

I should add, on my way out last night, after my run in with potty mouthed lady, I was riding up a terraced street, cars both side, going slightly uphill, and chose to pull in and stop to let an oncoming car past, although I could have carried on and made him stop, and he gave me a nice friendly wave for it, so it's not all bad...

 

[Arch]

Happened again, only this time I didn't have a chance to have a word.

Turned into St Leonards Place, traffic oncoming queued at lights, as always. I hear a siren, and can tell it's coming from the Gillygate junction further on, so trying to pass the queue. I pull over to the kerb. Looking over my shoulder, I see a bus come round the corner behind me, and I gesture at him to stop. He apparently doesn't see me, and goes past, to come face to face with a paramedic car, trying to come down the outside...

Now, it's possible that the gap would have been no wider behind me, than it was in front of me, but he seemed oblivious to the siren. Are they not loud enough, or what? The car behind the bus did pull over behind me, but by then the blue lights were probably visible as well.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

A siren and flashing lights will often precipitate a paroxysm of ****wittery in many road users. Getting out of the way of an emergency vehicle on a bike is not usually a problem - avoiding traffic that suddenly takes on the characteristics of shrapnel, can be...

My favourite is when they suddenly realise there's an emergency vehicle behind them and their first response is to, er, hit the brakes. Must cause no end of hilarity among an ambulance crew in a hurry.