Interesting lesson on many levels.... Car vs Bike vs experience

[Slaav]

SO havign read many threads recently 'appotioning blame' to cars/HGVs/numpties on bikes etc it becomes obvious that we will NEVER all agree on simple factual stories.

I now almost regret NOT having a slow speed impact with a tw4t in an Audi Q5 (I think) tonight on my Boris Bike coming home. I could easily have argued every single angle if and when I came off. It taught me quite a bit.

I am also happy to admit that I learned a bit from the incident but more from reading others' experience and incidents - many of which I completely disagree with!

EG

I was in the right! Undeniably. A junction I do almost every day. Road marked in my favour. Queue a little longer in my lane so tw4ts try and push in frequently by not queuing.

Option A - Stick to my line - I am in the right! I get knocked over but have a legal claim against the driver?

Option B - Stick to my line and bang on his car as he effectively 'left hooks' me if I am lucky; I may get hurt but I hit his car. Feel better for a few ms and may get hurt?

Option C - Stick to my line and scream like a banshee at him as I 'know' what might happen - and then he goes straight on but I look like a tw4t?

Option D - Get aggressive and try and take primamry and make it clear that no '*ucker* is going to get in front of me - and possibly get hit as he simply hasn't seen me?

Option E - Just watch and wait; yep, you guessed it, he did what I feared and even on a Boris Tank, with rear wheel skidding, I manage to stop or slow down just enough to not get Left Hooked? Tw4ts are simply tw4ts?

Option F - as E but mange to catch up with him and punch him through his open window?

Option G - as F but simply calmly ask - 'did you not see me'? Giving him an easy 'out'?

Thoughts would be appreciated....

I did the wrong thing - despite there being other options in addiiton to the above!

ps - I didn't get hurt!

Hell there are some idiots on the road.

 

[classic33]

You may have been in the right. But would you have preferred to have been "dead" right?

 

[Slaav]

No I would not!

As has been said elsewhere, 'he was in the right' is not something I want on my tombstone.....

 

[bjellys]

Just chill out you got home ok .You are not going to change the world,negative thoughts just eat you away.

 

[Drago]

I always take the option which gives me the best likelihood of staying alive. Being in the right is nowhere near as important as being breathing.

 

[defy-one]

Avoidance of vehicular impact is my greatest aim when out cycling .... if said vehicle wants the lane,let them have it .... i'm willing to lose a minute and wait,not the rest of my life!

 

[Tynan]

a nice clear early primary prevents pushing most of the time, holding your line when they've seen you and are trying to bully you over is also good, perhaps allied to a hard stare

of course get out of the way if they haven;t seen you or are going to go through you

and try to control/restrain your temper whenever you can but it's not always possible when you realy have had a fright as a result of somene else's carelessness or agression

 

[Davidsw8]

I've used Boris bikes many times and I think they're probably ok for pootling around but for use in heavy London traffic I think they're way too heavy to get out of a difficult situation...

Leaving the bike type aside, if it's a junction that is awkward every time you use it maybe alter your route slightly? I alter mine all the time, especially if one particular area is problematic. I'd rather add a couple minutes to my journey than put up with the hassle of a regular awkward spot.

If you can't avoid it, how about getting of your bike and walking it on the pavement and use a crossing to by-pass it?

If you don't want to go the avoidance route, I can tell you that any kind of aggression will NEVER end well, believe me I know from experience Get out of the situation as safely as you can and let it pass.

Sorry, this is all very passive advice but you're on a bike, they're in a car (or whatever), you're the vulnerable one here.

 

[campbellab]

Quickly get off/fall off and throw it under their car in the process? It's not your bike after all

 

[amelia-jane]

I have to turn right at a box junction on my way to work and initially i tackled this in the 'correct' way. I had loads of near misses from drivers who decided to create extra lanes, swerve round me, pass far too close, yell abuse etc. Initially this just made me angry as i was definately in the right and doing everything correctly and legally (i double checked!) and i became even more determined to stick to it.

Eventually i realised that being in the right wasn't going to be worth much to me if i was dead...
I now take a different route.

I must admit, on deserted roundabouts, where a driver comes flying onto the roundabout across my path, determined not to stop just for a bike and trying to intimidate me into braking for them, i have occassionally pretended to be oblivious to them and kept my course and then made a huge show of apparently swerving at the last second to avoid being 'hit'. The drivers are generally pretty shook up and i hope it makes them think twice next time... don't really recommend it though...

 

[Drago]

Ye Gods! Lets just hope that the driver doesn't make a mistake in their efforts to avoid you and doesn't wipe you out. Is it worth risking your life to make a point to someone you'll probably never even meet, who's opinion is an utter irrelevance to you?

 

[amelia-jane]

Ye Gods! Lets just hope that the driver doesn't make a mistake in their efforts to avoid you and doesn't wipe you out. Is it worth risking your life to make a point to someone you'll probably never even meet, who's opinion is an utter irrelevance to you?

No, you're absolutely right.

 

[Drago]

Old pilots and bold pilots.

 

[classic33]

Old pilots and bold pilots.

This one perhaps
http://www.chuckyeager.com/

 

[Drago]

Although Chuck got the X1 job cos they reckoned he was the most expendable.