Incident with arrogant tow truck driver mounting cyclepath

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captain nemo1701

Space cadet. Deck 42 Main Engineering.
Location
Bristol
On my way into work this morning, I had just mounted the Cattle Market Road segregated cycle path in Bristol when a tow truck driver coming along the road in the opposite direction, turned, mounted the path and drove along it towards me!. He stopped a few yards away from me. I knocked on his window and this is the 'conversation'.

ME: Excuse me, you can't park here it's a cycle path.

DRIVER: F**k off

ME: Could you move, you're committing a traffic offence.

DRIVER;: F-off (again)

The red mist descended and I felt like putting my D-Lock through his windscreen. Fortunately, I rode off but couldn't see any company markings or phone number on the vehicle (it was incredibly filthy!).

My boss, who also uses that route, caught up with me a few minutes later and reported that there was no truck on the path, so he'd obviously moved. what worries me is that it feels incredibly easy that such incidents can escalate. I was so angry at what was just blatant arrogance. How can I better deal with this in future?.
 

cosmicbike

Perhaps This One.....
Moderator
Location
Egham
I'd have said you dealt with it just fine, resisting the urge to become the criminal yourself and leaving at the right time.
 
OP
OP
captain nemo1701

captain nemo1701

Space cadet. Deck 42 Main Engineering.
Location
Bristol
Here's the path, red line shows the route he drove.
CMR.jpg
 

Drago

Legendary Member
These chaps are tow truck drivers and not brain surgeons because of their high brawn to brain ratio. They do a physical job in tough conditions in all weather's, so they're usually brawny rougnecks. The reason he told the OP to fornicate elsewhere is because had the matter descended to combat he would most likely have shoved the D lock up the Ops bottom and paraded him up the road like a lollipop.

The end result is pretty much foregone, so this sort of chap doesn't feel the need to mess about with foreplay beforehand. Either put up of shut up, as they say.

Instead, our hero now has it festering inside him, a corrosive anger at being psychologically bested. Deep breath, ignore him, forget it, move on.
 

Lonestar

Veteran
Agree with Drago here...and I had this on my commute in on the Bank Holiday Monday recently...Car 3/4 blocking the CS 2 just outside Mile End didn't help....Was not too impressed...want us to use the cycle lanes but quite happy to block them...It was very early in the morning so I guess the special people either don't work or don't commute in the very early hours of a Bank Holiday...I think I was more cheesed of with the get in the cycle lane bit than the fact that they are quite happy to put any old rubbish in there.

In the second incident on the same commute the Quietway 14 which has a cycle lane associated with it on a one way street (for cars) had five cars blocking it at various points and two cars stopped side by side...of which I alleycatted through the middle.

While muttering under my breath I did not feel inclined to discuss this with the owners at 5 in the morning.(or anytime which is probably a good career decision.)

It's a tough old world but unless you are Jean Claude Van Damme without a D-Lock it's best to move on.
 
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Tizme

Veteran
Location
Somerset
Take a photograph showing the license plate and email it to the relevant authority?
That is the best policy and if you can find a company name even better. On a couple of occasions when I've spoken to a driver I've asked if their company would be happy with the way they speak to possible customers (or words to that effect), doesn't usually make any difference at the time, but maybe they will think about it later and wonder if they are going to get called in for a chat with the boss.
 
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