How do you handle...

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Pete

Guest
There is a stretch of my commute where there are opportunities a-plenty for the errant motorist to pull this one on me (rat-run, parked cars all down one side, etc.).

I rarely get grief. Sometimes there's room enough, so long as the car isn't going at speed, we can pass reasonably safely, with me way over to the left but not in the gutter, I assure you! In the exceptional case where it's a bit tight, I hold my ground but slow down. The car does the same (the driver's got no choice, unless he wants to commit murder...). Then we edge past. Yes I know there's a risk, as in everything we do, planning an escape route helps, but I've never needed one. No shouting. No angry look. No finger. Just a neutral encounter.

That driver maybe learned something. He learned that there was a cyclist in the road, both needed the road, and both needed space. They made space for each other. Job done.

(*looks around*). Hey, first post on CC. "Hello Children Everywhere!"
 
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Cab

Cab

New Member
Location
Cambridge
Had one on Saturday that really narked me. Narrowish road, parked cars on both sides. You CAN pass a car coming the other way, but only if both of you are perilosuly close to car doors that could open into you (and of course, thats a no-no).

Slowed down in the middle of the road, making it clear that the car heading towards me could jolly well pull into the gap between parked cars in his side, when three other cyclists undertake me and scoot down his right. Of course he then came right at me.

Its hard teaching the motorists how they should behave when so many other cyclits are complete divs.
 

barq

Senior Member
Location
Birmingham, UK
domtyler said:
Personally I would have just held my ground for as long as it was feasible in order to make my point (i.e. it is my right of way, you move).

I was in this situation the other day. As I was forced off the road the driver leaned out her window and said to me (in a very posh voice) "When you see a car trying to come through you get off the road and out of the way!".

Makes me feel I did the right thing though. I think it is really important for cyclists to be collectively viewed as legitimate road users rather than as wheeled pedestrians who can at any time choose to use the pavement instead.
 

gbb

Legendary Member
Location
Peterborough
I had this late last year...village road, cars parked down the opposite lane.
Car pulls out and comes straight toward me. There is room, but not much....
In situations like this i lower my head, get as close to the drivers window as i can as they pass, and suggest he may be a 'self pleasurer'.

On this occasion...it was a woman, who let fly with 'fcuk off daffodil' :eek: at me as she sped off into the distance.

I didnt quite expect that one :blush:

I cant let bad incidents go without letting my mouth go...trouble is, one day i'm going to get hammered by someone who REALLY takes exception to me mouthing off at them...
 

dondare

Über Member
Location
London
Cab said:
The reason I brought this up is that it just happened at lunchtime. Lorry and a van behind it parked on a double yellow on the other side of the road, and while there was just about enough room for a car and bike to pass, for me to be safe he'd have to be well inside the door opening area from the other vehicles, i.e. in a stupid and arguably illegal position. And on my side, this being Cambridge, was part of Hobsons Conduit, a very old meansby which fresh water used to be transported to the market to wash produce, but these days just a great big gutter with flowing water in it thats only turned on in summer. Too deep to drop into, too wide to hop over, also wet and slimy. Makes escape there fraught.

So my approach there was to slow right down and make him either stop (his best option) or pass the lorry and van far, far too close (naturally thats what he did). I called him an idiot as we passed, he sounded his horn at me in response, well after we'd passed.

I don't think I handled it all that well, but it seemed like my least bad option.
You can't risk dropping into the gutter so keep well out. It hardly matters to you if he's too close to the parked vehicles, only if he's too close to you.
 

Tynan

Veteran
Location
e4
in my experience of this, as bad as the first car is, it's the second, third or fourth one following bumper to bumper that are dangerous as they certainly haven't seen you

lately I'm trialling a very early and very primary position
 
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