Driver spits....

[BentMikey]

Like BM, I don't worry too much about filtering in front or cars in most high-density traffic scenarios, but I would be more circumspect when plonking myself directly in front of a driver I'd just chastised for using his mobile. I'm cautious in that respect.

That's a fair point - I agree, I usually am too. I wasn't particularly worried at the time as I'd been pretty polite and non-confrontational, and pointed out the camera.

 

[Origamist]

I personally don't push forward when there are only a few cars ahead. I don't see it gains me any advantage and it tends to avoid situations where drivers get annoyed/grumpy etc. Better to sit in primary a few cars back rather than to sit primary'ish near one car back, in my opinion.

If the road ahead is clear, yes, sit a few cars back at the lights - but if traffic is snarled up after the junction, there's little point waiting 4/5 cars back in primary. Different situations, different approaches.

 

[BentMikey]

I personally don't push forward when there are only a few cars ahead. I don't see it gains me any advantage and it tends to avoid situations where drivers get annoyed/grumpy etc. Better to sit in primary a few cars back rather than to sit primary'ish near one car back, in my opinion.

Well, sometimes I'm with you, and I'm quite happy to sit behind. That's not usually the best approach in London rush hour though. I'm not sure how busy your commute gets, but it rarely seems as dense as the traffic I tend to experience. This particular day and traffic situation had me leaving behind hundreds and hundreds of cars, as any Old Kent Road commuter will tell you.

 

[magnatom]

Well, sometimes I'm with you, and I'm quite happy to sit behind. That's not usually the best approach in London rush hour though. I'm not sure how busy your commute gets, but it rarely seems as dense as the traffic I tend to experience. This particular day and traffic situation had me leaving behind hundreds and hundreds of cars, as any Old Kent Road commuter will tell you.

Aye, but in that particular section it didn't look too dense. Space behind you and ahead of the lights. I'd have probably hung back. But, it is of course a matter of preference and in no way mitigates his response!!

Now, for traffic density on my commute, just look for my filtering video...

 

[BentMikey]

You'd have had to see more of the road to realise that I, and every other cyclist there filtered. You would have too, IMO.

We get that sort of density almost all the time, with many cyclists, and drivers used to being passed by two wheelers in a flood either side of their cars.

 

[magnatom]

You'd have had to see more of the road to realise that I, and every other cyclist there filtered. You would have too, IMO.

We get that sort of density almost all the time, with many cyclists, and drivers used to being passed by two wheelers in a flood either side of their cars.

I don't doubt you would be filtering further on. I have made the conscious decision in the past not to filter past a small queue at lights despite knowing that there is a larger queue 100m further on. I feel safer filtering past them once I've reach the longer queue than the shorter queue, and overall delaying the pass doesn't make any significant difference to my progress.

Where this might make a difference is if there are lots of lights (with short green phases) and lots of little queues. Might be the case here, of course.

 

[ComedyPilot]

What a cock.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Aye, I can never quite understand folk who say they would have hit him first. I have a good job and a family to look after etc. A criminal record would be a disaster for me! Therefore, my default is to never lash out first. Defend, absolutely, and if that means reacting to a punch in such a way that he hits the deck like a tonne of bricks wondering what hit him (yes judo has it's uses) then I will do.

Sometimes you have to get your retaliation in first, for your own safety, based on a sober assesment of the risk and threat. Failing to do so on the contact sports field earlier in life saw me take a stay in a high dependency unit and left me with with permanently impaired faculties. His first punch knocked me out cold and then he put the boot in.....

 

[shrew]

at the end of the day people on phones are a hazard and get people killed, sadly , i hate seening people drive and talk on mobiles and if a friend does it i emo at them and tell them to put the phone down or stop so i can get out.

a few of my friends have stopped doing it because of that, its not like people really need to use them while driving.

report him imo, i would have.

 

[martint235]

You'd have had to see more of the road to realise that I, and every other cyclist there filtered. You would have too, IMO.

We get that sort of density almost all the time, with many cyclists, and drivers used to being passed by two wheelers in a flood either side of their cars.

I used to commute down there all the time (now use the Greenwich road cos the A2 is just jammed all the way even if you filter and filtering is the only way to get down it. As I recall there are 3 lanes at that first set of lights with the right hand one being a right turn. I used to (when possible) take primary in the middle lane to make filtering down the centre easier between the two sets of lights.

B*****ks I'm waffling . Basically BM, as someone who commuted down the A2 for over 10 years, there's absolutely nothing wrong with your filtering or attitude. The guy is a prize idiot and should at least get a fine.

 

[CopperBrompton]

A clear case of assault, with good video evidence: definitely report it.

While not in any way suggesting that you provoked or deserved it, I would nonetheless observe that there are nutters out there (as your clip demonstrates) and I do feel that sooner or later you're going to tell off the wrong person and end up getting hurt.

 

[andrew-the-tortoise]

What a lovely man he was.

I very much admire your restraint; regrettably I may have resorted to mindless violence thus incriminated myself with my own camera footage

 

[ianrauk]

I would have filtered in the exact same way. Cutting in is part and parcel of busy traffic commuting. However, I would not have put myself in front of the van driver after pointing out that he was on his mobile phone. He was riled enough at the comment (given in the normal non confrontational bentmikey style) cutting in to him looked like you were making a point and taking the piss.

 

[slowmotion]

That was epic restraint on your part. Good man.

 

[cyberknight]

report the peanut !

Personally i would not have filtered but i do not know the road and in fact i can count on my fingers the number of times a year i would need to on my route so i cannot offer any advice on the merits of filtering.

Having had a similar experience pre camera days i hope that the footage gets you some joy with the plod.