Interesting "conversation" with 4X4 driver last night!

[the reluctant cyclist]

I was cycling home last night, enjoying the sunshine and minding my own business on Broad Street in Birmingham when just in front of me a 4X4 blasted his horn at a cyclist who was in the middle of the lane.

There were actually two cyclists, one was over to the left and one in the middle. I saw the 4X4 beep him and then drive a bit (not really really) close to him and the cyclist pulled over a bit.

As usual about 20 feet up the road the 4X4 had to join the queue up ahead and I went past him about 25 seconds after the "incident".

I (stupidly) muttered my usual "you didn't get very far did you" more to myself than anything but unfortunately for me his windows were open and he had no stereo or anything on so he heard every word!

He said if the cyclist wanted to get killed that was up to him. I replied that it was hard to see what the cyclist had actually done wrong to me and that actually the 4X4 had only got a few feet up the road before he had had to join another queue.

The 4X4 driver answered that there were two lanes, one for him and one for the cyclist and that he (the cyclist) should keep to his lane. I pointed out again that the 4X4 wasn't actually getting anywhere fast though to which I got a load of "it's not your problem" "keep out of it" etc etc.

I was really polite the whole time and he was getting more than a bit arsey so I just left it at that and cycled on (even though he (maturely) shouted after me - "yeah go on off you go")

The "interesting" thing about the conversation was that this was on Broad Street in Birmingham and there are not "two lanes" at all - there is one lane all the way up Broad Street and it is not even a really really wide lane or anything on that side (out of town).

I was surprised that he thought there was "one lane for him and one lane for me" at one point he even said to me that it was "the rules of the road".

.... although why I am shocked I'm not sure!!!

Just thought I would share this with you as you are the only people who might be remotely interested!

 

[ChrisKH]

I'm not surprised. I approached a busy junction where the lights had ceased working in central London yesterday and executed a text book right turn, only to be overtaken by a Mercedes also turning right whilst waiting in the middle of the junction. To some drivers you either aren't there or have no right to be there.

 

[magnatom]

Of course there are two lanes silly!! He drives a 4x4 and is allowed to take up any position on the road, including the lane for oncoming traffic. Oncoming traffic must of course get out of his way!

Problems do occur when two 4x4s come head to head. However, this is resolved quite easily. The 4x4 with the brightest fog lights (which are always on of course!) has right of way. If their fog lights are of similar blinding value, the 4x4 which is the cleanest wins. 4x4s were not designed to go off road and get muddy...

 

[ChrisKH]

Of course there are two lanes silly!! He drives a 4x4 and is allowed to take up any position on the road, including the lane for oncoming traffic. Oncoming traffic must of course get out of his way!

Problems do occur when two 4x4s come head to head. However, this is resolved quite easily. The 4x4 with the brightest fog lights (which are always on of course!) has right of way. If their fog lights are of similar blinding value, the 4x4 which is the cleanest wins. 4x4s were not designed to go off road and get muddy...

Round my way it's won by the shiniest 4 x4 with the biggest builder in it.

 

[jiggerypokery]

Not sure which side of the road you were on but if you're coming down from 5ways RB there are two lanes which by the time you get to Flares/the canal narrows to one. But then again he may have been confusing the cobbled rumble strip that seperates the two carriageways as a lane all of his own too!

Broad St is not my idea of a fun ride...give me the Coventry Road any day.

 

[the reluctant cyclist]

No, I was on the other side - going from Birmingham City Centre up to the five ways island.

I was going to post this up last night but I wanted to make sure this morning that there was definately only one lane - and there is definately only one lane!

It was right outside what used to be the registar office. Definately only one lane on that side of the road.

To be honest - I didn't mean for him to hear me at all - I said it under my breath - I say it all the time! Just unluckly this time that he heard me - luckily for me he didn't hear me mutter "limp d*ck" under my breath as I road away either!!

 

[MERV]

Just thought I would share this with you as you are the only people who might be remotely interested!

It's cycling related im interested.

Sometimes I think they make the rules up as they go along.

 

[Maz]

Were the 2 cyclists riding side by side or was one overtaking the other?
This riding 2 abreast thing seems to just piss off drivers, imo.
It must be wide if it's called Broad St...

 

[upsidedown]

Yeah a 4x4's just the job for that tricky dust-track from town to Five Ways.
Console yourself with the knowledge that wherever he was going from the roundabout will have taken him at least an hour.

 

[the reluctant cyclist]

Were the 2 cyclists riding side by side or was one overtaking the other?
This riding 2 abreast thing seems to just piss off drivers, imo.
It must be wide if it's called Broad St...

I think that one was overtaking the other.

Broad Street did used to be just that - broad!

It could have been really good by putting a nice wide cycle lane either side and letting the cyclists get up and down it really quickly but instead Birmingham City Council decided to widen the pavements on both sides to accomodate the drunks on a Saturday night and in order to let ambulences through (also to accomodate the drunks on Saturday nights) they put a nice raised brick area in the middle.

The raised brick area is a bugger to cycle over so if you are on a road bike you have to sit behind all the flipping buses and 4X4's waiting in the fumes - it's fantastic in the summer - lovely and muggy!

 

[LLB]

Of course there are two lanes silly!! He drives a 4x4 and is allowed to take up any position on the road, including the lane for oncoming traffic. Oncoming traffic must of course get out of his way!

Problems do occur when two 4x4s come head to head. However, this is resolved quite easily. The 4x4 with the brightest fog lights (which are always on of course!) has right of way. If their fog lights are of similar blinding value, the 4x4 which is the cleanest wins. 4x4s were not designed to go off road and get muddy...

He is obviously in the wrong, but the shinier they are, the less inclined they are to rub the paint off against other vehicles

As well as being very good utility vehicles, Some of us do go offroad with them, so don't tar us all with the same brush

 

[Landslide]

As well as being very good utility vehicles, Some of us do go offroad with them, so don't tar us all with the same brush

Aye, they're great aren't they?

 

[magnatom]

He is obviously in the wrong, but the shinier they are, the less inclined they are to rub the paint off against other vehicles

As well as being very good utility vehicles, Some of us do go offroad with them, so don't tar us all with the same brush

No tarring, that's why I had the wink at the end

I was speaking to a neighbour yesterday who saw me cycling up to my house. He was in his 4x4. He commented on my recent fame, and I suggested jokingly that it was all about getting people out of their 4x4s. He laughed and justified his use of a 4x4 because of the very poor state of roads in Glasgow. The worrying thing is I think he had a point!

 

[HLaB]

I was a bit shocked at the weekend a 4x4 on a rural road that was patient and just would not overtake even when I was on a hill. I thought it was a farmer that was going to pull off at the next field and did not want to left hook. Yet it still didn't overtake even though the road was straight, the visibility was good and reasonably wide for a rural road. Before the road really steepened I decided to pull into a farm access to let him by. It was only then that I realised, this standard 4x4 had been modified with tractor tyres.

 

[LLB]

No tarring, that's why I had the wink at the end

I was speaking to a neighbour yesterday who saw me cycling up to my house. He was in his 4x4. He commented on my recent fame, and I suggested jokingly that it was all about getting people out of their 4x4s. He laughed and justified his use of a 4x4 because of the very poor state of roads in Glasgow. The worrying thing is I think he had a point!

When we go offroading, we always go in pairs so if one gets stuck, the other can always throw them a towrope to drag them out.

The 4x4 to go down there in that clip before me put the car on its side as he negotiated the top ridge due to lack of experience.

The down side of going offroad is you always end up damaging them on ledges, trees etc (hence the bullbar), even if it is huge fun.