How come...

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Cab

New Member
Location
Cambridge
If I'm on a road where it would be foolish to take secondary position, because there are parked cars on one or both sides and/or the road is too narrow to allow overtaking, I'll possibly (two times out of ten, maybe more) get beeped at. Obviously I'll let people overtake if they're able to go faster than me, and there is a safe space to do so, but I'll be the judge of that! Really that means that on almost every road I'll find a place to allow safe overtaking; might not be right away, the car behind might have to wait some seconds, but thats how it is; I'd say that on 9 out of 10 occasions or more I'll find a way to allow safe overtaking.

Anyway, if I'm going along a road and a car is going far more slowly than I want to go, Ill make it clear that I want past (get on the right hand side behind the car, make eye contact in the mirrors, look at the space in front, you know, act like a car driver behind a cycle). On no occasion do I recall a motorist moving aside to allow me to overtake; it doesn't happen. I don't remember any motorist moving over, ever, just to allow me to pass.

Why is that?
 

domtyler

Über Member
If you don't know the answer to that by now Cab you should pack up and go home. :biggrin:
 
Because you are a mere speck of existence, only notable because you inconvinience the motorist by daring to cycle on their roads.

How dare you attempt to overtake a car on a mere bicycle. GO AND STAND IN THE CORNER AND THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE DONE.
 
OP
OP
Cab

Cab

New Member
Location
Cambridge
What brought this on is that a driver really gunned her engine to sprint past me before a speed hump, then slowed down, and continued at a snails pace all down a road with speed humps (where there would have been plenty of room for me to overtake had she just got the hell out of my way). That was this morning. Last night I had came across maybe three car drivers who needlessly held me up by not moving over to let me pass them on roads where there was plenty of space to overtake (you know how it is, quiet-ish roads, late Sunday evening, tail wind :biggrin: ).
 

BentMikey

Rider of Seolferwulf
Location
South London
Yes, I don't like it much when a car overtakes me, only to slow me down passing oncoming cars on a narrow road. Occasionally I beep them with my airzound, well naughty I know!!
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
BentMikey said:
Yes, I don't like it much when a car overtakes me, only to slow me down passing oncoming cars on a narrow road. Occasionally I beep them with my airzound, well naughty I know!!

You might be able to say "I was warning them I was there, since they apparently hadn't taken that into account when they slowed down in front of me....";)

Ha, a car move over to let a bike past? Ha, ha, ha.
 
OP
OP
Cab

Cab

New Member
Location
Cambridge
Arch said:
Ha, a car move over to let a bike past? Ha, ha, ha.

You say that, but I very often encounter a whole row of motorists in Cambridge who move out to allow undertaking at a junction. Usually all but about three, to be honest, who 'aren't from around here', so you can't really filter safely on either side in that situation. Never, ever, ever happens in moving traffic, and I've never had one move over to the left to allow me to overtake.
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
Cab said:
You say that, but I very often encounter a whole row of motorists in Cambridge who move out to allow undertaking at a junction. Usually all but about three, to be honest, who 'aren't from around here', so you can't really filter safely on either side in that situation. Never, ever, ever happens in moving traffic, and I've never had one move over to the left to allow me to overtake.

Ok, ok, I meant "A moving car move out to let a bike past? Ha ha, etc..."
 



They also speed up to try and stop cyclists going tast. This guy was watching me in his mirror, moved right over in the lane to make it hard for me to see past him, and when I pulled out to overtake you can see he tries to stop me going past by accelerating, but is forced to brake for the next bump.

Small penis syndrome in action.
 

Tetedelacourse

New Member
Location
Rosyth
In most situations I encounter, it's safest to bide time behind the tosser in question and then filter once he or she has stopped.

As we often spout, what difference will staying behind make to your journey? 30 seconds? Just wait you Impatient Horatio.

If the question is really about the broader attitude of motorists to cyclists, not acknowledging that cyclists are as important as they are, then contrary to the majority of posts here, this is simply not my experience of cycling. I genuinely hardly ever feel threatened by traffic (2 instances last Tuesday but can't recall the last incident before that).

I think someone considering cycle commuting would be put off if they visited this section of the forum.

Not that you're not entitled to complain about whatever you like here of course, just an observation.
 
OP
OP
Cab

Cab

New Member
Location
Cambridge
Tetedelacourse said:
In most situations I encounter, it's safest to bide time behind the tosser in question and then filter once he or she has stopped.

As we often spout, what difference will staying behind make to your journey? 30 seconds? Just wait you Impatient Horatio.

Fair point, I rekon I'd have saved about a minute on a fifteen minute trip last night, and about the same this morning. Not a big difference in time, but just about sufficient that I'd hope that the road user in front would allow me to pass when it is safe to do so; I'd extend them the same courtesy.

If the question is really about the broader attitude of motorists to cyclists, not acknowledging that cyclists are as important as they are, then contrary to the majority of posts here, this is simply not my experience of cycling. I genuinely hardly ever feel threatened by traffic (2 instances last Tuesday but can't recall the last incident before that).

I think someone considering cycle commuting would be put off if they visited this section of the forum.

Not that you're not entitled to complain about whatever you like here of course, just an observation.

I think its a fairly clear demonstration that motorists don't feel that we're equal road users. I'm delighted that you rarely get the kind of aggro that many of us get every week.
 

domtyler

Über Member
I would not recommend cycle commuting for everyone as I don't believe everyone has what it takes to handle all the aggro that comes with it. Like it or not by choosing to cycle on the roads we are making a conscious decision to put ourselves in a vulnerable position where any idiot can bully us using their motor, spit at us, verbally abuse us, chuck stuff at us, physically assault us and even casually kill us with little chance of any legal consequences.
 

Maz

Guru
I'd go along with that.
From the cycle commuter's point of view, it's definitely "character-building"!
 

BentMikey

Rider of Seolferwulf
Location
South London
magnatom said:
If they are behind you and they beep, they've seen you.

Job done. :biggrin:

Have you noticed how pointing a video camera at them and at their number plates tends to make them settle down very quickly? I love that effect!!!
 
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