Close overtake & then some

[trsleigh]

I feel a bit embarassed about this as I am 50 plus and have been cycling in London for about 35 years, but am still annoyed.
Riding along a fairly narrow one way street with shoppers' cars parked to the left, slight uphill. ( Springbridge Rd Ealing for any W Londoners ) I am keeping well clear of the door zone and, as I thought, far enough over so overtaking was impossible.
Apparently not, a car squeezed through the gap without appreciably slowing down. I considered this a considerably dangerous bit of driving and caught up with the car at the next lights.
I tapped on roof and the woman driver half opened the window.
"please can you leave more room in future when overtaking" says I ( no swearing )
"you should learn to cycle properly" says she.
This annoyed me and so I started to explain why I was where I was in the road, but she wound up the window and looked straight ahead.
I explained that I hadn't finished my discussion with her, and as the lights were changing, to get her undivided attention I stood in the road ( with the Brompton ) right in front of her.
Somewhat to my surprise she drove forward into me, I stood my ground, with much hooting going on all around, until my knee gave way against her front bumper. She was still driving forward so then I found myself sitting on the bonnet. At this stage things were getting complicated as I didn't want my Brompton run over by the stupid biddy so I managed to exit left without incident.
The woman sounded antipodean and the car is a blue Ford Escort, I have recorded the registration number.

Any views on how people would have played this?

 

[thomas]

That's the risk of pulling infront, sounds a bit overkill on her part and not something a sensible driver would have done. If that's how much she cares about other people maybe she shouldn't be on the road.

I think if that had of happened to me I'd of really kicked off at that point and her car might of had some damage.

 

[jamesgibby]

If you have any witnesses I would report to the police as an assault. This has a stricter definition than careless driving so is easier for the police to deal with. Also they get an easily solved case to add to their statistics.

 

[downfader]

I feel a bit embarassed about this as I am 50 plus and have been cycling in London for about 35 years, but am still annoyed.
Riding along a fairly narrow one way street with shoppers' cars parked to the left, slight uphill. ( Springbridge Rd Ealing for any W Londoners ) I am keeping well clear of the door zone and, as I thought, far enough over so overtaking was impossible.
Apparently not, a car squeezed through the gap without appreciably slowing down. I considered this a considerably dangerous bit of driving and caught up with the car at the next lights.
I tapped on roof and the woman driver half opened the window.
"please can you leave more room in future when overtaking" says I ( no swearing )
"you should learn to cycle properly" says she.
This annoyed me and so I started to explain why I was where I was in the road, but she wound up the window and looked straight ahead.
I explained that I hadn't finished my discussion with her, and as the lights were changing, to get her undivided attention I stood in the road ( with the Brompton ) right in front of her.
Somewhat to my surprise she drove forward into me, I stood my ground, with much hooting going on all around, until my knee gave way against her front bumper. She was still driving forward so then I found myself sitting on the bonnet. At this stage things were getting complicated as I didn't want my Brompton run over by the stupid biddy so I managed to exit left without incident.
The woman sounded antipodean and the car is a blue Ford Escort, I have recorded the registration number.

Any views on how people would have played this?

You could always go to the police station and ask advice, explaining that the woman seemed more concerned with her journey than any one elses safety. They might wonder why you stood infront of the vehicle tbh - it is not something I would do.

Sounds like a similar incident to Carlton Reid's.

 

[trsleigh]

If you have any witnesses I would report to the police as an assault.

No witnesses unfortunately. All motorists too busy blowing horns, while peds studiously studying pavement.

 

[magnatom]

Just imagine the pelters I would get if I had filmed myself doing something like that!

Mate you were wrong. I have pulled up beside cars to remonstrate in the past (and I am trying not to do that now), but standing ground in front of a car is not a sensible thing to do.

If I were you I would put this incident down to experience and in the future take a position on the road further out.

You could get a camera, and then you might not feel the need to remonstrate in such a way, as you would have footage, which if you felt the driving was bad enough you could send to the police to let them deal with it. If she was indeed an old biddy, just imagine the effect of the police coming around to her house for a chat!

 

[trsleigh]

You're right Magnatom, in all my 35 years of London cycling I've never tried standing in front of car, and won't be doing it again. I can hardly move my knee this morning.

I've been going up that bit of road nearly every day for 9 years, and usually staying well out of the door zone has been ok. From now on I will stay in the middle of the lane to make it quite clear that it is an unsafe place to pass.

Not an old biddy btw, just the sort of biddy beneath contempt.

 

[magnatom]

You're right Magnatom, in all my 35 years of London cycling I've never tried standing in front of car, and won't be doing it again. I can hardly move my knee this morning.

I've been going up that bit of road nearly every day for 9 years, and usually staying well out of the door zone has been ok. From now on I will stay in the middle of the lane to make it quite clear that it is an unsafe place to pass.

Not an old biddy btw, just the sort of biddy beneath contempt.

I should add that I wasn't criticising as such. I can certainly understand how easy it is to get wound up!

If you've managed only one incident like that in 35 years, then I take my hat off to you!

I hope the knee gets better soon!

(P.S. If you do get a helmet camera, remember to say magnatom sent you. Maybe one day they'll send me some backdated commission! )

 

[trsleigh]

If you've managed only one incident like that in 35 years, then I take my hat off to you!

No, there've been plenty of frank discussions over the years, far fewer as the years go by, but yesterday's response so annoyed me I thought I'd try something different & see what happens.

 

[fossyant]

Report it - you were wrong to stand there, but to drive a car into somebody is an offense. The police may tell you were stupid, but she's the one who has comitted an offense. Go now as you have 24 hours to report it. Especially as you have injured your leg. One stupid act doesn't deserve another.

Explain what happened, how close she came to knocking you off - she wouldn't listen, so you stood in front of the car to catch her attention - thats when she drove at you with enough force for you to land on the bonnet !

 

[Wobbles]

Well, IMO I don't think you were wrong to stand in front of her.....maybe if you stood infront of her doing 70 on a motorway, but to do it to a stationary vehicle to get her attention, no.
What's wrong is her doing what is effectively a 'hit & run'.
Wish you well if you report it(hope you do) and hope the knee gets better(maybe log in with your GP & get it checked....maybe useful for evidence?).
I'd be fuming if I was you

 

[nilling]

After cycling in London for 35 years you must have developed very broad shoulders. Chalk it down to an experience best not repeated.

 

[hackbike 666]

This sort of incident doesn't surprise me in the least.There are some real idiots out there who do this without thinking.

 

[Downward]

I would have stood infront and when she drove forward I would have fell stuntman style onto the bonnet and let her run over my bike. But then i am an peanut and my bike is Insured so I would have claimed and I would have called the police and sued her ass.

 

[hackbike 666]

I had this when I was cycling up to bank a few years back,bloke using his mobile so I had a go at him (his road positioning was poor and put me at risk),cue him shaking his fist at me and driving his car into my bike.After that im very careful.

In a way I wasn't too bothered if he'd have taken me out but I swear I would have made him sorry.