Good experiences on the road

[Jim_Noir]

Thought I’d start a thread about the good times out there.



One part of my commute is near Glasgow airport and is a total black out for about a ¼ of a mile*. One night on the way home I had a lorry come up behind me, slow right down then come to me side, leaving me tons of room. He then stuck his full beam on and stayed with me for the length of the road. Sadly he didn’t have any marking on the lorry so couldn’t send a thanks to his company.





This road is a 50 zone, and the traffic travels a lot faster than that, however it’s a road I get lots of room (It’s a wide road but lots of potholes) and as yet have had not one issue and feel safe on that road!

 

[Jim_Noir]

This road however is the one I was hit on and always seem to have people close pass!

 

[benborp]

Oi! Jim!

You didn't even give anyone else a chance to derail your thread about the good times!

I've had a fair number of bus drivers acknowledging my courtesy to them and also hanging back for me recently. I think there's been a definite improvement in south London.

 

[Jim_Noir]

LOL, I thought that after I posted!

I am just back from taking the dogs out in the car... stopped to let a cyclist turn right and had a van driver blast his horn and get out with a tyre iron... so opned the boot and let my Rottie out... never seen anyone move so fast! His work is just around the corner from my house, so a little walk around tomorrow to have a little word with him. Note I hate the use of dogs as a weapon, but sometimes it's needed.. and he's lucky it wasn't the sheapred I let out as she would have tore him a new one... anyway back to the good times

 

[XmisterIS]

I have just come back from ASDA in Gosport; about this time of day the traffic is heaving and gridlocked; I was manoeuvring round the queue of stationary cars and a woman stopped to let me cross her lane, so I waved a thanks. I think that's good even if it gave just one other driver a better perspective of cyclists.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

This morning in fog I was stopped behind give way lines at a cross roads waiting for a chance to cross a B road

Traffic passing in both directions on the B road was moving in queues.

A cabbie on the B road stopped and waved me over.

Yes.

A cabbie.

 

[Adasta]

I'd just like to say thanks to the nice lady by Clapham Common (she was driving towards the High St) who gave me plenty of room on the road. Even when a bus had stopped in the cycle lane at point blank range she was hanging back waiting to see my next move rather than attempting a speedy overtake. When I went to make eye contact with her, she was already looking at me (maybe it was just my tights? ) so I waved her past.



Glory to her and her house.

 

[doog]

I commute down the A31 in Dorset (the busiest road in the County).

Today every single HGV and other MPV gave me room.........thankyou

Its a shame Polish HGV drivers cant 'get it'

 

[Mad at urage]

A48, N of Cardiff, westbound am and eastbound pm: The vast majority of cars and trucks use the overtaking lane when overtaking.






Which makes it such a shame about the minority who try to clip my legs, the mothers delivering children to school around Rogerstone who overtake as close and as fast as possible and the RLJing cars at Pye Corner!

 

[BSRU]

I had a good experience with a coach driver this morning, he was "stuck" behind me on a long drag, so I'm only going at about 20mph and the road has a 40mph limit. Coach driver stayed well back, didn't attempt to overtake as the oncoming lane was full of stationary traffic.
As I came to a lay-by I pulled into it and waved him through, then pulled back onto the carriageway.

 

[Bigsharn]

I've had about 2 bad experiences with buses in York, recently though because I started working in transport they all wave and give me plenty of room (some with a cheery beep).

A huge amount of people see that and must either think I'm psycopath or see that cyclists are worth being friendly to, it's amazing. (Though you still get the odd moron that comes within an inch of my handlebars)

 

[HLaB]

I find that the back road to Inverkeithing is great at night pitch black but 3 out 5 times (guess), I'd be followed by a car who stays behind me, puts their full beam on but sit back at a nice safe distance. Its not often a commute though but hey ho :-) (This is the road in the day light, its pitch black from about 1:18). I also usually on a road bike and a wee bit faster.

Coming the other way often on a commute I'd pull in just before the climb at a farm track entrance on the corner; most people don't acknowledge it but it was nice when folk did. Having said that I also got a p'ture or two there or just after and I'm fitter so I don't tend to pull in any more; its pretty easier to pass me on the long straight around the bend when I'm going 8-9mph.

On the whole I quite like the road unfortunately one winters day I was heading towards the aforesaid corner at about 3/4 out in my lane to find a WVM heading towards me cutting the corner and slightly on my side of the road. I lost control thankfully I escaped from it relatively unsaved. I think my good experiences on the road still outweigh that negative and its still my favoured way to get to the FRB.

 

[2Loose]

I had a pedestrian notice me indicating to go down the road she was just about to cross and actually stop at the kerb.

I waved thanks (for looking) as I turned and she smiled.

It's enough. Sad that it is though.

 

[GFamily]

I had a pedestrian notice me indicating to go down the road she was just about to cross and actually stop at the kerb.

I waved thanks (for looking) as I turned and she smiled.

It's enough. Sad that it is though.

Oh, If you were turning into a side road and the pedestrian was about to cross it, she would have had priority - so you should have stopped and smiled.

 

[Davidc]

Most of my experiences on the road are good, both here and when I'm in and around London.

I get whole days when everyone seems to be stopping, waving me on, and generally being pleasant.

Sadly there are occasionss when the experiences aren't good, or are downright bad. They're a minority.

Similarly most drivers lok where they're going and give enough room. Unfortunately a minority don't.

If it wasn't that way round cycling would cease to be enjoyable, which it is, and it would cease to be safe, which it is.

It is important to thank people when they're courteous to you, when they give way, and so on. It encourages them to think positively about cyclists and carry on behaving well. It's also important to say thanks to pedestrians who move out of the way on shared paths and the like, and to acknowledge when a dog owner keeps their pet under close control for you.