John the Monkey
Frivolous Cyclist
- Location
- Crewe
Worst commute so far for me today.
For a start, everybody on the road is determined to pass close, and it's one of those days where people will overtake to gain 20 metres on you. (Which should have clued me in, tbh).
So far, so normal. First thing is my fault - coming up one of the cycle lanes I use, there's a huge great truck in it. Not so unusual in this bit of town, so I join the flow of traffic around it - I have a guy behind me on my left (on a bike) so I look over my shoulder to see if I can move over and - bosh. Car ahead of me stops and I do a slow speed run into the back of it. No damage done to the vehicle, driver looks it over and says that as long as I'm ok, nothing needs to be done. Cyclist I was watching on the left stops a while to check me and the bike are ok, offers tools to help straighten up my bars (the quill stem had been knocked 'round out of true by hitting the floor). A top fella, and I wish I'd been a bit more effusive in my thanks to him.
Anyway, get that sorted out, and carry on once I'm sure me and the bike are fit to. Then I get passed by a coach - wide enough at the beginning, but I'm watching the side and back of the thing getting closer and closer... I'm in the stupid sub-secondary that the 1m wide cycle path puts you in on this bit of road, with nowhere to go other than the pavement (and I'm wondering how much it's going to hurt to bail out onto it) when the back passes me with inches to spare.
Bus stops to let on passengers up ahead, I pull along (I'm aggrieved, but not ranting or swearing). "What were you doing?" I ask. "You were a bit too close back there." Driver looks at me once, decides I'm not worthy of his attention and proceeds to ignore me.
First one, I reckon I should have seen the guy behind me and sat in the traffic. The second, I'm still fuming about - if the driver had just said "I'm sorry, it was a mistake" or something but to nearly flatten me and then act like he didn't give a toss really annoyed me. Dreading the ride home :/
For a start, everybody on the road is determined to pass close, and it's one of those days where people will overtake to gain 20 metres on you. (Which should have clued me in, tbh).
So far, so normal. First thing is my fault - coming up one of the cycle lanes I use, there's a huge great truck in it. Not so unusual in this bit of town, so I join the flow of traffic around it - I have a guy behind me on my left (on a bike) so I look over my shoulder to see if I can move over and - bosh. Car ahead of me stops and I do a slow speed run into the back of it. No damage done to the vehicle, driver looks it over and says that as long as I'm ok, nothing needs to be done. Cyclist I was watching on the left stops a while to check me and the bike are ok, offers tools to help straighten up my bars (the quill stem had been knocked 'round out of true by hitting the floor). A top fella, and I wish I'd been a bit more effusive in my thanks to him.
Anyway, get that sorted out, and carry on once I'm sure me and the bike are fit to. Then I get passed by a coach - wide enough at the beginning, but I'm watching the side and back of the thing getting closer and closer... I'm in the stupid sub-secondary that the 1m wide cycle path puts you in on this bit of road, with nowhere to go other than the pavement (and I'm wondering how much it's going to hurt to bail out onto it) when the back passes me with inches to spare.
Bus stops to let on passengers up ahead, I pull along (I'm aggrieved, but not ranting or swearing). "What were you doing?" I ask. "You were a bit too close back there." Driver looks at me once, decides I'm not worthy of his attention and proceeds to ignore me.
First one, I reckon I should have seen the guy behind me and sat in the traffic. The second, I'm still fuming about - if the driver had just said "I'm sorry, it was a mistake" or something but to nearly flatten me and then act like he didn't give a toss really annoyed me. Dreading the ride home :/
I took it easy on the commute home, and passed most of it uneventfully (as most journeys are, touchwood). Only low point was the lady in a blue Ka who squeezed past me opposite a traffic island near home - next time I'm doing the palm out signal thing, see if that makes a difference.
