I am fed up of lorrys and close overtakes!

[thomas]

but from what I have seen with Thomas' based on his videos he seems to be winding himself up needlessley. Needs to calm down a little imho.

Where as you, when you have an altercation don't seem to get wound up or let it affect you as much.

I wouldn't say I needlesslely wind myself up or that I wind myself up, usually once it has happened, that is it. Maybe using the airzound gives the impression I'm winding myself up?

This morning I did let it get to me, and the end result didn't really benefit anyone. Maybe in some of the earlier videos I do...were there any in particular you were thinking of?

It is the 7.5 tonne brigade typically the parcel delivery trucks that are the most dangerous along with their smaller 3.5 tonne vans..

It was one of those smaller ones.

 

[Crankarm]

Originally Posted by Crankarm
It is the 7.5 tonne brigade typically the parcel delivery trucks that are the most dangerous along with their smaller 3.5 tonne vans..

It was one of those smaller ones.

I think drivers with older driving licenses can drive anything up to a 7.5 tonne on a car license. They don't need to sit any further test above that of the std car driving test. Crazy. Or this still might be the case that passing a car driving test permits a driver to drive anything up to 7.5 tonne (except proper motorcycles obviously without passing the bike test).

 

[thomas]

I think drivers with older driving licenses can drive anything up to a 7.5 tonne on a car license. They don't need to sit any further test above that of the std car driving test. Crazy. Or this still might be the case that passing a car driving test permits a driver to drive anything up to 7.5 tonne (except proper motorcycles obviously without passing the bike test).

Possible, I don't know though. You do get rights to drive up to a certain weight and older licences sometimes come with privillages (eg, you don't need CBT/L plates for a 50cc mo-ped on an older licence).

 

[bryce]

I've posted the same comment to the OP before on the Tesco lorry thread so repeating my thoughts but if you antagonise drivers behind you by maintaining a constant 'primary' position, they are more likely to do something stupid or aggressive. They don't know why you're in the middle of the lane so unless you hang a huge sandwich board on your back explaining your behaviour, they'll think you're just being selfish.

 

[Zorro]

They don't know why you're in the middle of the lane so unless you hang a huge sandwich board on your back explaining your behaviour, they'll think you're just being selfish.

I agree about motorists thinking you are being selfish. I was riding down Gower St. in the bus lane, a while back, when a rather hasty taxi overtook me and proceeded to cut in to the bus lane catching my handlebars with the rear section of the cab. Admittedly I was in the middle of the bus lane (that road has a ton of potholes) but the other non-bus lanes were not very busy. I managed to hold on when hit but the event reinforced the old taxi-driver stereotype.

 

[thomas]

I've posted the same comment to the OP before on the Tesco lorry thread so repeating my thoughts but if you antagonise drivers behind you by maintaining a constant 'primary' position, they are more likely to do something stupid or aggressive.

I do understand that and I don't stay in primary 100% of the time. Just when I don't really fancy someone brushing along past me or when there isn't a safe opportunity for someone to overtake.

In the strech of the road, it is wider than usual, but with oncoming cars it isn't wide enough for a large vehicle to pass.

 

[allen-uk]

No, you're fed up WITH, not OF. As my old mum used to say, "Get the grammar right and you can ride with your head held high."

A.

 

[HeartAttack]

Thomas, was this in Norwich? As I have to admit with all the video's and posts you have done about close calls, Norwich sounds like a bad place to be when out on a bike.

However I have yet to encounter anything like what you say or show, I'm not saying it doesn't happen but I do over 200 miles a week in and around Norwich and other than the odd close car/van I've never had a problem. Yes occasionally I shout at them but just because I can rather than I have to (last years Norwich 100 excluded). Also at lights or RAB's I can normally leave the line a lot faster than most other cars/vans/lorries and so put myself where I want to be to ensure I'm safe before they become an issue, if there is limited room then I put myself where I can't be passed or far enough out that I can be passed safely.

Take it easy out there and ride safe

 

[classic33]

Got cut up by a close passing lorry on the approach to a set of lights. Knew where he was headed, just a different route to the same place. Took the trailer number & started looking for it when I got to work.
Questioned as to what I was doing & why got the response "let us talk to him first". I said I would, but if it happenned again I'd report direct to the company. Used to get passed by the same drivers on a daily basis, so I left it to the drivers to sort out.
From the following day given a wide margin by all the companies lorries on the trips to & from work.
Maybe its worth approaching the other drivers, if a company vehicle

 

[thomas]

Thomas, was this in Norwich? As I have to admit with all the video's and posts you have done about close calls, Norwich sounds like a bad place to be when out on a bike.

No, this was in Surrey . I think Surrey maybe appears worst for driving, just because I'm cycling more in rush hour. Norwich isn't too bad. I've had a few bad experiences, but when I go out in Norwich it's generally just country lanes. For my route to work (in Surrey) the roads are busy. The problem is, because there's so much traffic both ways, there aren't enough opportunities to use the outside lane (or even go into it slightly), which for most of the roads is the safest way.

Used to get passed by the same drivers on a daily basis, so I left it to the drivers to sort out.
From the following day given a wide margin by all the companies lorries on the trips to & from work.
Maybe its worth approaching the other drivers, if a company vehicle

I'm not sure this is a lorry that does a route every day. Anyway, I'm going back to Norwich tomorrow so I won't be seeing him for three weeks . If I have any problems again with him (or his company) I will be calmer as I do realise the options are either get mad and leave it at that, or stay a bit calmer and have the upper hand when complaining.

I've watched the footage and because I'm not on my road bike it's really just picked up tarmac so it's not really that good. The other thing with it, and this is probably a limitation with the camera, you don't really get a sense that I swerved into the kerb and braked. It would therefore, probably do more harm than good if I posted it online as at a quick glance you might not really see how close he came or how close he would have come if I'd of not reacted

Looking at the clips which are good, I'd say there's maybe about a meter and a half of space between him and the kerb as he overtakes. If you look at freeze frames you can see that I had to swerve in...annndd, because of my camera's awful position it actually caught his face .

 

[Crankarm]

It always ceases to amaze me the huge number of cyclists who just do not look behind regularly. If I am catching cyclists ahead of me which is often the case, I am looking around many times before I reach them. When I pass them they are surprised by a cyclist coming by and I am in disbelief as they have head phones in their ears. Maybe the majority of problems you encounter are from positioning yourself in this primary position and blocking vehicles from passing. I really think you can antagonise drivers by cycling down the middle of the road. In my experience providing you have eyeballed them as they approach and go by they will do so safely. Basically drivers are cowards, so if you never look behind you are certain to be knocked off. Maintaining regular looks behind you are a lot safer. Especially so if cars are approaching you I always look behind as I don’t want to be at the point where the two on coming cars cross as the one behind attempts to pass you!! Cycles are a lot slower than cars when traffic is freely flowing and I don't feel it my duty to selfishly hold them up. I would rather be nearer the kerb, but not in it, should I encounter a vehicle that is clearly being driven recklessly so I can get off the road to safety. It is fairly futile dying just to prove a point that you had every right to be cycling in the middle of the road.

 

[thomas]

It always ceases to amaze me the huge number of cyclists who just do not look behind regularly. It is fairly futile dying just to prove a point that you had every right to be cycling in the middle of the road.

I wasn't cycling in the 'middle of the road' because I have the right to. I only do it along parts of my commute because of the amount of close shaves I have had and I will move in when there won't be any problems. I typically try to hold an almost weak primary when I don't want to be overtaken. Enough not to annoy, but enough so that most people don't try and squeeze through.

Whatever the case, the lane I was in is very narrow so unless I was gutter hugging, he wouldn't of had a chance to overtake without brushing past. In the end of the day, my position forced him to overtake properly. It's just a shame that he didn't have enough power to get past in time and had to cut in with the rear of the trailer - that's what I had to avoid.

I entirely agree that by looking back frequently you can stop most silly incidents from happening. I like to know what is going on behind and it is as important as what is going on in front (according to my driving lessons).

 

[Black Sheep]

Touch wood I've not had an incident with a lorry for quite a while and on the whole I find them good drivers. It's the ned'ish (chavy) sars that are annoying me just now they seem to deliberately go at you, grining as they do so whereas other people it seems to be a genuine mistake and can be avoided with road positioning etc; you can't avoid neds (chavs) however

punch the spolier off the car, job done.

 

[Graham1]

i will tell you what I think as a cyclist who rides up to 150 mls a week and as a lorry driver who drives 1500 miles a week, ditch the camera as I think you are just looking for trouble and help the drivers by letting them past, as crankarm said keep looking behind you, drivers who see this will at least know that you know they are there, as you may or may not be aware tractors and slow moving vehicles are supposed to pull over and give faster traffic the chance to get by, I have kept an eye on this thread since day one even advising you of where the tesco lorry came from also putting up the how is my driving freephone but I think you are just anti lorry, the best thing is for you to park your bike up or find a quiter route to use on your commute.

 

[thomas]

i will tell you what I think as a cyclist who rides up to 150 mls a week and as a lorry driver who drives 1500 miles a week, ditch the camera as I think you are just looking for trouble and help the drivers by letting them past, as crankarm said keep looking behind you, drivers who see this will at least know that you know they are there, as you may or may not be aware tractors and slow moving vehicles are supposed to pull over and give faster traffic the chance to get by, I have kept an eye on this thread since day one even advising you of where the tesco lorry came from also putting up the how is my driving freephone but I think you are just anti lorry, the best thing is for you to park your bike up or find a quiter route to use on your commute.

I have pulled in to let people past on my commute and in general. I wasn't going slowly at this stage and in another few hundred yards it would have been safe to overtake. If I was to overtake for everyone I'd never get to work. I don't look for trouble with the camera, I'd much rather not capture anything and enjoy the ride. I'm not anti-lorry, I'm just fed up with some lorrys coming too close. As a whole, I'd say most lorry drivers are some of the better drivers on the road - just with size, the same mistake would have a cyclists coming off a lot worst and I'm fed up with the occasional mistake.

As for Tescos, the lorries that have past me since have all given a good distance, though I make sure I'm aware where the rear of their trailer is just in case.