akb
Veteran
- Location
- Potton, Bedfordshire
Assume nothing, prepare for everything. Another lesson learned Mr _T.
How could you possibly not see me?
- Thread starter Matthew_T
- Start date
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Aquacars, Portsmouth's finest taxi drivers.
Approaching a junction with a 720 lumen Enduro Maxx, when taxi pulls out of junction, I brake and end up about a foot from door with light illuminating taxi and driver.
"How could you not see me?"
The reply:
"I thought you were a motorcycle and they have better brakes a motorcyclist would not have had problems stopping"
So in other words he didn't give a flying fig what was coming, he was going to pull out in front of them, and they would have to brake and avoid him!
Approaching a junction with a 720 lumen Enduro Maxx, when taxi pulls out of junction, I brake and end up about a foot from door with light illuminating taxi and driver.
"How could you not see me?"
The reply:
"I thought you were a motorcycle and they have better brakes a motorcyclist would not have had problems stopping"
So in other words he didn't give a flying fig what was coming, he was going to pull out in front of them, and they would have to brake and avoid him!
Miquel In De Rain
No Longer Posting
You can't argue with his logic.
lots of drivers do this now, they dont use the 'pull out without making someone slow down' , they use 'can i get out without him hitting me because he can emergency stop'...
this is my experience of driving anyway......
as for 'didnt see me', it isn't just bikes, it's cars remember, people miss cars and trucks... if they can miss cars and trucks, a bike is an easy miss.
Boris Bajic
Guest
I'm glad you weren't hurt.
It does seem odd that other road users sometimes fail to see illuminated things. I'm afraid it just happens and it will continue to happen. My last off was a SMIDSY. It is galling and can also be painful.
One thought occurs (at this time of year in particular): A low sun can make any amount of lighting ineffective. In fact, a vehicle (or rider) riding away from a low sun can 'increase their invisibility' by having powerful lights.
Warships used to be camouflaged with very bright lights on their superstructure. This made them partially invisile against a bright sky.
From your OP it sounds as if the incident was after dark, but do be aware that bright lights when you're riding with a low sun to your rear can be worse than no light at all.
I write the above without intending to start a new debate...
It does seem odd that other road users sometimes fail to see illuminated things. I'm afraid it just happens and it will continue to happen. My last off was a SMIDSY. It is galling and can also be painful.
One thought occurs (at this time of year in particular): A low sun can make any amount of lighting ineffective. In fact, a vehicle (or rider) riding away from a low sun can 'increase their invisibility' by having powerful lights.
Warships used to be camouflaged with very bright lights on their superstructure. This made them partially invisile against a bright sky.
From your OP it sounds as if the incident was after dark, but do be aware that bright lights when you're riding with a low sun to your rear can be worse than no light at all.
I write the above without intending to start a new debate...
It's not that he didn't see you it's just you are too low on the food chain. Mum's and parents with Kids buy big 4x4 to "protect" their kids, Big is better and gets more respect. Buses pull out without looking as they are big and hitting one will do a lot of damage, No one pulls out on a Longwheelbase landrover or Volvo estate, this is inviting a world of pain, but bikes and cycles have to give way as they are small and easy to bend, You have to accept that tinbox drivers all have small no**s, and need their thinking done for them, so ride defensively.
I ride on the roads all the time and I give myself a running commentary on what I think drivers will do, and mostly I’m right, car/van/bus drivers they will turn across you in to a parking space, they will overtake you and then cut left for their turning, they will pull out on you and make great effort not to see you whilst drifting into the cycle lane so you have to squeeze into a gap tighter than a ducks. Today a chap in a van bisected the angle between me, in primary, and an bollard protecting a crossing, he squeezed through but forgot that to do that his front wheel will end up about 5 inches from the curb and I was already in that space, but I knew he was going to do it, and was braking. He didn’t even look as I was beating lumps into this door, just drove on like it was normal to try and kill a cyclist.
I ride on the roads all the time and I give myself a running commentary on what I think drivers will do, and mostly I’m right, car/van/bus drivers they will turn across you in to a parking space, they will overtake you and then cut left for their turning, they will pull out on you and make great effort not to see you whilst drifting into the cycle lane so you have to squeeze into a gap tighter than a ducks. Today a chap in a van bisected the angle between me, in primary, and an bollard protecting a crossing, he squeezed through but forgot that to do that his front wheel will end up about 5 inches from the curb and I was already in that space, but I knew he was going to do it, and was braking. He didn’t even look as I was beating lumps into this door, just drove on like it was normal to try and kill a cyclist.
OP
OP
Matthew_T
"Young and Ex-whippet"
- Location
- Prestatyn, North Wales
The thing is, I was coming up the part of road which all drivers for ASDA drive up. On the other side of the junction is a car park for the prom. Even if he was looking for cars, he might have thought that I was a motorcyclist.
I suspect he presumed I would be turning left into the car park as most people do. And this was at about 8.30pm so he might have thought that noone was going to go to the prom at this time of night.
I suspect he presumed I would be turning left into the car park as most people do. And this was at about 8.30pm so he might have thought that noone was going to go to the prom at this time of night.
Cyclopathic
Veteran
- Location
- Leicester.
I fully understand your reaction here as I have done it myself more than once so be assured I am not trying to preach at you when I say that you really should be careful about how you react to people. It is impossible to know who you are dealing with and there is always a chance that they will be someone who only knows how to react to situations with aggression or violence. In a heated roadside moment like this there is every chance that they will get out and lamp you one. I have had to retreat very quickly once when I let my anger spill out. These days I try as hard as possible to make any reaction measured and appropriate and not just because I might get hit but also because sometimes it is better to remain as calm as possible for the best result. Personally I would hope that after pointing out a near miss to a motorist that they would think more about what they're doing and I think blowing up at them might just make them think that I'm being unreasonable and unnecessarily aggressive. But mostly I'd hate to read that you'd been duffed up by some brain dead moron when your only crime had been to point this out to them.
Crankarm
Guru
- Location
- Nr Cambridge
Ride defensively, ie be prepared to stop. You might have right of way but that doesn't mean you adhere to this if it means you end up in collision with another vehicle.
OP
OP
Matthew_T
"Young and Ex-whippet"
- Location
- Prestatyn, North Wales
It was very easy for me to stop as I had a strong heading (upwards of 30mph) and I was doing about 14mph.
OP
OP
Matthew_T
"Young and Ex-whippet"
- Location
- Prestatyn, North Wales
Crankarm
Guru
- Location
- Nr Cambridge
Euhh! Silver BMW/Audi, white male, 40+ years, fag hanging out his mouth, appears not to be wearing a seat belt either.
He just drove across you when he should have let you pass. What an ar$e.
He just drove across you when he should have let you pass. What an ar$e.
Miquel In De Rain
No Longer Posting
Im thinking that when im cycling Thailand (next month) (look at me)...That my bright clothing wont be as effective in the bright sunshine.
CopperCyclist
Veteran
Unfortunately you get from time to time. I've had it twice recently, and on both occasions I've dealt with it by overtaking the offending car. As I've been approaching the junction I've registered the driver looking, but possibly not seeing as they turned away to fast, checked if I have the 'out' of an overtake - no cars approaching the other way, no junctions they could pull out of etc - and if I have this out, when the car does pull out I simply take it, and accelerate past the car with an exaggerated 'Ahhhhhhhh!' as if I've just pulled off an emergency manoeuvre. Both times recently it's worked a charm - drivers jumped out of their skin, and then even held back afterwards too embarassed(?) to overtake (it's on a nice slightly downhill section so I'm doing 20+ anyway).
If the 'out' isn't there of course I'm prepared to stop.
Drivers simply think 'Any cars coming... nope... and don't register that a bike can be as fast as it is.
If the 'out' isn't there of course I'm prepared to stop.
Drivers simply think 'Any cars coming... nope... and don't register that a bike can be as fast as it is.
Miquel In De Rain
No Longer Posting
That's the trouble,it's a car loving society,we need to change all that.
