Close passes

[Norm]

Illnesses and interviews have kept me off the bike of late, so today was the first time that I'd been able to cycle to work in nearly three weeks. As the clocks have changed in that time, tonight was my first daylight ride home and I reckon that I had more and closer passes tonight than I've previously had since starting on this contract last autumn.

I'm not sure why it was, whether drivers feel more confident when they think they can judge my extremities, whether the plethora of lights I use confuses them or whether they just had that Monday feeling but I had cars passing me round blind bends, cars squeezing through when there were artics coming the other way, cars trying to push me out of the correct lane on a roundabout, left hooks, right hooks, the lot. There was also a lot more traffic than I've seen at that time (1830) on the country roads I mostly use.

I'm looking forward to the evenings drawing in again.

 

[HLaB]

I In the middle of nowhere (an unlit area) I'd guess (it certainly seems that way anyway) that I'd get more respect in the dark too. Then again there might be no difference its just you've been off the bike and you had come used to it before but now after a break it feels extremely close.

 

[Norm]

Perception is certainly a possibility, although I didn't notice that many this morning.

There weren't any extremely close passes, they just felt closer than I usually get of an evening, especially overtaking on corners that the drivers couldn't see round.

I was also frustrated because, at 34 minutes my time was 2 minutes slower than usual because I've barely been on the bike in nearly 3 weeks.

 

[HLaB]

2 mins is nothing you will pull that back, some idiots will always sit in their car

 

[Brommie77]

Agreed - the lighter days seem to give closer passes. I think in the dark (unless you are a ninja) the combination of reflectives and flashing lights makes drivers unsure as to their proximity to you, so they give a wider berth. Come daylight and they reckon they can pass you with about three inches to spare (or so the WVM thought this morning). Also I think the clock change the other week made people more tired and so more careless, there was a definate trend for me.

 

[John the Monkey]

Huh. In Manchester yesterday, someone had decided that it was National Undertaking Day - worst was a lady in one of those boat like Mercs, who swerved into the LH lane (to go around me in the RH filter lane) and reach a red light all of half a second before me.

Inattentive, unskilled motorists seem to be getting worse, ime.

 

[fossyant]

Back on my fixed today (been hissing it down all night and didn't fancy the MTB on the Transpennine - I'd arrive at work looking like a bog monster).

Had my HOPE 1 lights on flashing, and whilst slowly (yes this is unusual for me) filtering on the outside, still had some bozo pull out from a side road on the right - he could see me coming, just went for it, unfotunately, I was in his way at this point - slammed on, and missed me by millimetres. Bozo's the lot of them. There is me trying not to get knocked off.

 

[Moodyman]

Yep, I feel safer in the dark too.

During daylight, a strong secondary for me to ensure they have to move further right for the overtake.

 

[Norm]

I had someone pull out right in front of me on a mini-roundabout today. It was a very near miss, not sure hoe I managed to avoid her.

As I was in 2.5 tonnes of Merc estate with the light on, it makes me wonder what chance I'd have had on the bike.

 

[BentMikey]

I have a doozy of a close pass from Sunday, I had to slap the car to push myself away from it and stop her coming in on me.