"Driver calls 999 to report a cyclist for refusing to leap out of her way"

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winjim

Smash the cistern
My favourite of the YT comments so far...

583144
 
Either party could have defused the situation at any time - they didn't. They both wanted to make something out of it.

Meanwhile, the driver was in the wrong; there is no obligation to immediately let faster vehicles past. If there was, horse boxes would average 12 miles per day on any journey. She was stuck behind him for a few seconds, not several minutes.

I doubt she will stop and challenge (or overtake and shout out of her window) another driver the next time she is delayed by a tiny amount.
 

Craig the cyclist

Über Member
Why do you have always to bring your size into most every thread? It’s just another boring example of power you seem to want to promulgate. Cant you just dial back the testosterone ever? What you’re saying in effect is you’re so big you don’t get this treatment. I mean, have a word with yourself. The camera guy is policing with hormones too. He could be a jujitsu master for all you know, and might put you on your arse with a flick of his go pro. It’s all the same. We could all just go about our business. You have me doing it now, getting tension about some fool with a camera and some other chump blowing off about his amazing genes. FFS. There is no story here, other than the camera fool ought to get on with his life and none of us should be wasting time talking about this shite.

I get what you are saying, but honestly I have had situations when my girlfriend (very petite) has been either ahead or behind me (to be honest, mostly ahead :whistle:) and had drivers beeping, revving and shouting and all sorts, then when they get to me 100m later (quite big, and maybe intimidating I guess) nothing. They just wait patiently. Or they wait behind me, and then rev etc when they catch her up! What is that about?

This situation though, why did he stop, just carry on, leave her to it. Jeeezus, both of them are a disgrace!
 

ianrauk

Tattooed Beat Messiah
Location
Rides Ti2
I'm so glad I don't live anywhere near there. Not doing anything to help motorists see cyclists as fellow human beings....
Being local I have cycled that road more times than I can remember.
Its a lovely road to cycle though it is quite narrow in places but not enough to not let a patient motorist through.
The video was 50/50 imo. Both needlessly wound each other up. Bit silly really.
 

GuyBoden

Guru
Location
Warrington
Personally, if I was the cyclist I would have applied the highway code guidance and pulled over and let the car pass.

The Highway Code asks slow moving vehicles to pull in when safe to allow traffic to pass.

Rule 169: "Do not hold up a long queue of traffic, especially if you are driving a large or slow-moving vehicle. "Check your mirrors frequently, and if necessary, pull in where it is safe and let traffic pass."
 

Milkfloat

An Peanut
Location
Midlands
Personally, if I was the cyclist I would have applied the highway code guidance and pulled over and let the car pass.

The Highway Code asks slow moving vehicles to pull in when safe to allow traffic to pass.

Rule 169: "Do not hold up a long queue of traffic, especially if you are driving a large or slow-moving vehicle. "Check your mirrors frequently, and if necessary, pull in where it is safe and let traffic pass."
Where was the long queue? I will let a car through when appropriate, but for sure I won’t be bullied off the road.
 

Pale Rider

Legendary Member
I give a small thumbs up to the first oncoming driver in the vid who spotted them messing around and slowed almost to a stop to lessen any chance of a collision.

The cyclist was polite, if a bit tiresome, and he wisely kept his distance from her when they were stopped, making it difficult for her to claim she was threatened.

She has no right to get past, just as she has no right to pass a slower moving car until it's safe to do so.

A pair of chumps, but I'm giving it 60/40 in favour of the cyclist.
 

Nigeyy

Legendary Member
It seems there are a lot of assumptions being thrown out on this one. One thing is for sure, we don't know the full context of the situation, and we just have a particular time window of the event.

But, if I'm judging from the video alone, it's 95-5 in favour of the cyclist. Purely from the video, it seems like she is the one who started the confrontation. If the cyclist didn't feel it was safe for him to pull over to let her pass, then she can wait and he has no obligation to pull over. If I was cycling would I have pulled over/stopped onto the verge to let the car through? I don't know, it depends on the situation but all I can say if I prefer to do that than get a driver angry, even if I theoretically am in the right to continue cycling (it's not worth it). But I don't think any less of the cyclist for not doing that as I don't know the full context. That and the "youtube" comment account for my 5% blame on him. But even then he may have been saying the youtube comment in the belief this would protect him from her doing something rash, knowing she was on video and was being confrontational. And yes, he could have chosen to ignore her commentary, wished her a nice day* and probably that would have been the end of that.

There is no doubt she took the time in a much heavier vehicle to stop and freely point out in how arrogant the cyclist was. I think she used her phone to take a picture while driving. She took the time to pull over (in a bad place too, given there was a safer place to pull over right before where she pulled over) to confront. She called 999 for an extremely clear non-emergency situation. Yeah, that's where the 95% of blame comes from for me.

If we are purely judging just on the video, I'll be honest, I'm a bit disappointed with the victim blaming here. She really could have just gone on her way too.

*I'm sure all of us do that every time something like this happens, right?
 

PK99

Legendary Member
Location
SW19
From the video it would appear that the cyclist simply held his position.

My approach in a similar situation is to acknowledge the driver behind with a wave and thumbs up and to move over as and when I reach a safe passing option. Then a wave as driver passes.

Friendly negotiation and acknowledgement seem to work best.

Simply holding position can appear arrogant. Getting immediately on the highway code high horse also appears arrogant.
 

steveindenmark

Legendary Member
"You will be on YouTube later" Im sorry but he is a bigger twxt than she is. What does he gain from that? 10 seconds of fame. A chance to show some drivers are ignorant of the law. Explain the law if you feel the need and get on your way. Dont threaten people with infamy.
 
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