I have brown shorts....anyone got any Vanish?

[thomas]

On my usual (long route) to Sainsburys today I must have had a few brown shorts moments. Two of them were very serious and the drivers showed a complete lack of care.

One of them I thought I was going to be side swiped because moron didn't know how to use his indicators and another was a driver, slowly and sensibly pulling out past a parked lorry to see if it was safe and I thought they were just going to go for it so naturally gave my best warning yell.

Sooo, there are videos, but here are some description

The first thing that happened on my ride was going down a hill at about 30mph, where there are two lanes. The driver in the outside lane had his left indicator on, before he'd passed me so I yelled as I assumed he was about to pull into my lane and side swipe me. It turned out the moron just had no idea how to use indicators, but was still quite nerve racking.

Later on a car is pulling out, slowly behind a lorry and I assume they're just going to go for it so yell for them to wait. They do so that's okay. I yelled as I'd rather be safe than sorry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbMDVNuve7A

Then, one of the two most serious ones. Going up Kett's Hill (If you've heard of Gas Hill, it's the one along from that....they are very steep). The hill is very busy and has lots of parked cars causing pinch points.

There is a bit of a gap before the next pinch point and I am going to pull over a bit (enough to make it easier to let people pass, but not so much that I can get back in traffic). I don't do this as a 4X4 overtakes and it looks like they're going to be stuck at the parked van.

Anyway, half way there and car behind uses the horn, very aggressively. He then undertakes me and squeezes through the gap between me and the parked van.

I yell some very foul language....so be warned!

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3VvxrujoZM


I then loop back down to Kett's Hill and get to the bottom. I've put a bit of narration on the clip to show you the road layout, but basically, you need the right hand lane to go straight over. There's a long que of cars which I filter past, otherwise I could be waiting there 10 minutes.

I filter a few back and put my hand up to say thank you to the driver for "letting me in". Just general good manners from my part which I didn't need to do.

I then follow the correct line over the roundabout (different from most roundabouts) and before I can signal to turn left, the joker behind is trying to undertake on the roundabout. I think I then signal left and get honked. I then yell out for him to look at the road markings, as he's being a twit.

After that, when I look past he seemed to be trying to position himself so he can overtake in the smallest of gaps. I then point to the camera and he seems to get the message and doesn't overtake me until after the pinch points on this stretch of road.

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KgWMEzsoKY


I am pretty much use to close overtakes and take most of them as just driver ignorance (unaware they need to give more room), but these last two were just idiots trying to bully there was on the road, without a clue about how they should be driving. Thankfully, I'm so immune to it all now that it doesn't really bother me in the same way that it might a few years ago.

 

[Bman]

Nice use of Google Streetview

 

[thomas]

Nice use of Google Streetview

Cheers. I just wanted to make clear that my positioning across the roundabout (eg. Not being on the inside to go straight over) was correct.

 

[chap]

Thomas, you seem to have quite a few episodes involving inconsiderate motorists. I am curious, it is a good thing you post them up on You Tube - and here - with the registration number displayed. However, do you actually report these to the police?

 

[thomas]

Thomas, you seem to have quite a few episodes involving inconsiderate motorists. I am curious, it is a good thing you post them up on You Tube - and here - with the registration number displayed. However, do you actually report these to the police?

Most of them I don't. I tried reporting one online the other week, but that hasn't seemed to have been noticed (more just to test their online system, than anything else). I might show the undertaking car one at the local police station tomorrow as I will be on my bike and have my laptop with me anyway. I'll tend to only show them the more serious stuff....rather than every single close overtake.

I'm not too worried about posting the number plates and things here and youtube. I've never told someone to Google their numberplate though, so I bet that none of them know they're there. The only people who might would be the companies I've shown footage too. I know what you're getting at though...if someone saw me again. It's not really something I'm worried about

 

[chap]

Most of them I don't. I tried reporting one online the other week, but that hasn't seemed to have been noticed (more just to test their online system, than anything else). I might show the undertaking car one at the local police station tomorrow as I will be on my bike and have my laptop with me anyway. I'll tend to only show them the more serious stuff....rather than every single close overtake.

I'm not too worried about posting the number plates and things here and youtube. I've never told someone to Google their numberplate though, so I bet that none of them know they're there. The only people who might would be the companies I've shown footage too. I know what you're getting at though...if someone saw me again. It's not really something I'm worried about

Good good! Well take care of yourself, and happy safe cycling.

 

[BentMikey]

I'm with Lee on this one. I'm happy to let drivers past with far less distance between pinch points than you had. Doesn't excuse the drivers of course, but it would reduce unnecessary conflict.

 

[HLaB]

I agree with the folk above; I used to be guilty of holding the primary too long but I've found life is simpler if you just let them by sometimes.

 

[Norm]

+1 to all three of those, I'm afraid.

Also, on the third video, the driver trying to undertake you is only doing the exact same thing that you had done to the cars on the way into the roundabout.

Cheers. I just wanted to make clear that my positioning across the roundabout (eg. Not being on the inside to go straight over) was correct.

Your positioning on the roundabout may have been correct but, it wasn't correct 10 yards earlier. From the POV of the other vehicle users in the queue which you just undertook, you've sneaked through using the wrong lane and imposed yourself as a rolling roadblock in front of them.

Sorry, Thomas.

 

[thomas]

I do take the points on the positioning. Normally I would have moved back in as the van was far enough away that I would be sensible. The reason I didn't was because at the time it looked like the 4x4 was going to be held up long enough that I wouldn't need to. I was obviously wrong, as he only had to slow down a bit...but I wasn't just there for the sake of it

At the end I was probably a bit distracted by what happened and didn't move in.

3rd vid: I would have carried on in the n/s lane and not bothered trying to filter in at the last minute.

Taking primary in the left turn land, a quick look over the rab and you are away, there's more then enough room going around the rab and the mouth of the junction going straight on is easily enough to accomodate both a motorist and a bike.

edit: looking at the 3rd vid again there are two lanes and you seem to be in the right hand one of the two even though you are going straight on? If so then this is very poor lane dscipline cutting across a lane and would lead to a fail if you was on a driving test.

If I had used the 'left turn' lane and something had happened I would have been criticised for that. Possibly could of held a better position, but still not an excuse to try and undertake on a roundabout.

As for your edit, the position I took across is the standard position for this roundabout. I tried to make clear at the start that of the video.

Your positioning on the roundabout may have been correct but, it wasn't correct 10 yards earlier. From the POV of the other vehicle users in the queue which you just undertook, you've sneaked through using the wrong lane and imposed yourself as a rolling roadblock in front of them.

I filtered pass on the inside, which was safer. I am more than happy to wait in ques where sensible, but I've waited for a couple minutes, frequently when first to this roundabout so I could of been waiting a while at the back.

When I did move back across I even put my hand up to say thanks to the guy to remove any tension that could of been caused by me being able to filter to the front easier than a driver....so all in all I think I did try to be polite.


I do take all the criticisms and suggestions, but don't think that excuses the drivers.

 

[hackbike 666]

I agree with the folk above; I used to be guilty of holding the primary too long but I've found life is simpler if you just let them by sometimes.

+1

 

[Norm]

I do take all the criticisms and suggestions, but don't think that excuses the drivers.

You're completely correct there, Thomas. Also, no-one else was with you under the circumstances which you faced.

 

[hackbike 666]

It's not so easy out there is it.I was watching some of my commute yesterday.It's much easy watching it from the comfort of the computer and a cuppa tea instead of being there.

I was looking at some of my positioning but hindsight is a wonderful thing.

 

[thomas]

It's not so easy out there is it.I was watching some of my commute yesterday.It's much easy watching it from the comfort of the computer and a cuppa tea instead of being there.

I was looking at some of my positioning but hindsight is a wonderful thing.

yep! If I'd of known the 4x4 wasn't going to need to stop as much as I thought I'd of probably pulled over a bit. It wasn't a bad judgement (even though wrong) as after getting past me he had to stop quite sharply due to on coming traffic.

It was 3 seconds after I could of realised I got honked (not really long enough to react and move) and instantly undertaken. By the time the guy was undertaking I'd probably have started to slowly move out again, rather than risk conflict at the van.

Here's an old video of going up the hill.

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH2qNz1I-iQ


The gap is a lot smaller between the parked cars, so I'd be surprised if anyone would go into it.


Anyway, I've uploaded the clip that didn't work again

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbMDVNuve7A


I'd like to point out that I'm actually a pretty calm rider and certainly had a smile on my face for a lot of the journey, as well as whistling/singing to myself ...Don't let the clips give you the wrong idea about me!!

 

[hackbike 666]

I see a lot of that stuff......but that bit at the end made me laugh.

You call him an unexperienced cyclist because he goes the wrong way up a road.....but does that make him unexperienced?

Perhaps he's been doing it years.

Also if you regard him as being an unexperienced cyclist for doing that then do you regard yourself as being a very experienced cyclist?