View: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=oJftDy8cQys This 'professional driver decides to almost drive through me (as shown by my natty little annotation! ) He happened to stop where I was about to park my bike so I decided to have a wee chat....
I don't think that driver knows what cycle craft is, and wouldn't bother to read it. I think you should of said to him that, cyclists are allowed to be in the primary position, which is a safe way from hitting a car door if one was to open on you. You were going at a good pace to keep up with the traffic, so he could of been patient and waited. Funny thing was he didn't get to the destination any quicker than you did. So what was the point? Very close shave though....
Of course I knew he wouldn't have a clue about Cyclecraft! The reason I was mentioning it was so that I could point out to him that it is recommended by a book that is sold through the governments own stationary office and was supported by ROSPA. Unfortunately he cut me off before I had a chance to pass on these facts! You are right it was close, but because I was in the primary I had an escape route to my left, which I actually use as you will notice I swerve to the left as he passes. This just highlights the ignorance that we continue to face on the road. As Cab has pointed out in the past, drivers would be shocked if all cyclists cycled as they should. There would be more cyclists in the 'middle of the road' more of the time. If they knew that, they would stop bleating on about getting proper cycle training!!
I didn't know anything about cyclecraft till I read it on here every day. Though I do have a copy somewhere.
Well of course good road positioning, regardless of if your are on a bike or in a car, is really a key component of safe road use. The important advantages are simply the space it provides and the ability to gain good observation of possible dangers
Send a copy to of your video with a letter to: Licensing Section Room 29, 235 George Street Glasgow G1 1QZ or phone 0141 287 4811 and ask who you should send it to, questions should be asked about the driving standards of registered taxi drivers, especially by those who license them...
I had a similar response when I sopke to a guy that had come within inches of hitting me as he squeezed through a traffic island. When I told him that he had nearly killed me, his response was "there wasn't enough room for both of us" no sh*t Sherlock!!
I hadnt heard of cyclecraft till i saw magna mention it and recommend it and to behonest its made me much safer using it. If i hadnt of read it, i would have probably cycled nearer the side in this case, but having read that i can see why you rode like that. But people are always "in a hurry". Is there some way that on the main front page there can be an obvious link for people to see a link to cyclecraft rather than looking deeper into the forums? Maybe we can put some high viz around the link :-D
What a prat. Maybe the ctc or someone should have an advertising campaign to make people aware what the primary position is.
Maybe you should say something like it's a government recommendation that cyclists take primary, which it is really considering how the book is published. Asking them if they've read cyclecraft is too alien to them I think.
I certainly think you were right to be in primary for the first 30seconds of the video, especially alongside the parked cars and the roadworks. But, at the point where the first car overtook, I'd have slipped over to secondary position: there was a longish gap with no parked cars on the left, and - also important, there was a gap in oncoming traffic. Please understand me, I'm not condoning that sort of driving, he passed too close, it put you in danger, he was in the wrong: check. Just that I tend not to play the hero, and he may have had a point about your remaining in primary needlessly. I have a stretch on my commute where I stay in primary, alongside parked cars. As soon as I reach the yellow-lined bit, with no parked cars, I go to secondary. And I get grateful gestures from following drivers thereby!
Pete, I stay in primary for three reasons here. Firstly, there is a junction on the left so I want to to remain visible here. Also I am travelling at a reasonable speed on the approach to a roundabout at which I always catch them up at anyway. Also if I pull in I have to try and negotiate back out, and the traffic flow here can be fairly heavy, so it wouldn't be easy. If I remain in primary here I generally hold drivers up by about 10 seconds max. What's the rush?
I'm a registered Taxi Operator (Hackney Carriage) in East Devon and the licensing authoritys take incidents involving the general public very seriously If you wish to pursue this incident ? then firstly speak with your local road safety officer whether it be Police or Council ? and ask them to present or help you to present the case to the licensing authority this will carry alot more clout and will probably result in the drivers license being suspended whilst they investigate the case Some good and valid points made by Pete as well Simon
