My First SMIDSY

[carolonabike]

Tonight I had my first SMIDSY.

I was at a T junction waiting to turn right. A bloke in a BMW came along the main road, stopped just past the junction then began to reverse backwards into the junction towards me.

I am a very defensive rider so I had stopped a few feet behind the give way line. When he began to reverse I started to hop backwards trying to get out of his way (one foot still clipped in). Luckily he saw me in his rear view mirror and stopped.

To his credit, he wound down his window and apologised.

I feel like a real commuter now.

 

[Jim_Noir]

Hope it's your last one too

 

[theloafer]

glad he saw before he hit you ...bmw drivers ,s

 

[Ste T.]

Cripes! How lucky are you? If you had fallen over with the bike ( a quite possible scenario when you are trying to hop backwards partially clipped in ) he might not have seen you in his mirror and backed over you. This is your lucky week Carol, make sure you buy a loto ticket :¬)

 

[Ste T.]

Oh, and you get ten extra points for having a BMW driver apologise to you. Mine usually come out with a foul mouthed, vein popping rant.

 

[carolonabike]

It was a soft top BMW and I think the visibility is quite poor anyway.

I was surprised and rather pleased that he apologised.

I have had very little trouble with traffic so far. I've worked out a route which avoids the busiest roads. My journey also takes me through the city centre which is pretty much car free, the two main streets are buses (and cycles) and access only and my main problem is pedestrians, who seem to randomly jump out into the road, often using ipods or phones. I think because I'm not a huge bus they just don't appear to see me.

Tomorrow, I'm off to the lbs to buy a bell!

 

[I like Skol]

...........I am a very defensive rider so I had stopped a few feet behind the give way line. ..........

That could have been why it happened. You need to stop right at the line and glare at the other road users. Put yourself right in the line of sight of approaching vehicles. There is no need to be agressive but you do need to project a larger aura on your surroundings because many people can't see for looking!!!

Don't mistake timidness for defensive, sometimes the best sort of defence is domination (like riding in a strong primary position through a narrow road restriction rather than stopping and waiting for a break in the traffic or moving closer to the edge of the road in case anyone trys to squeeze through).

 

[carolonabike]

Hmm, do you think I'm being too cautious?

I do always take primary at junctions and lights and I always make eye contact at roundabouts and such like. I started commuting in November, a couple of days a week but since the New Year it's been pretty much every day.

I have grown in skill and confidence but I'm very concious that overconfidence can result in mistakes.

I'm really looking forwards to cycling home in daylight.

 

[Up_at_the_crack]

Being cautious isn't a bad thing. There's good cycling and bad cycling and for all our moaning of other road users, if we also abuse our rights by being cocky/ risky cyclists, we're no better than the complacent motorists who inhabit the roads with us.

Preaching to the converted no doubt, but we all have our part to play in the great road struggle.

And
carolonabike


Bring on the light!

 

[Arch]

I think because I'm not a huge bus they just don't appear to see me.

Nah, I've driven a bus, painted lime green it was, and they still stepped out in front of that!

 

[carolonabike]

Nah, I've driven a bus, painted lime green it was, and they still stepped out in front of that!

 

[HLaB]

Nah, I've driven a bus, painted lime green it was, and they still stepped out in front of that!

Yeah some folk don't look at all. I was walking along Princes St when suddenly a bloke comes running past; nothing unusual there but he then proceeded to run straight into the side of a bus. It wasn't lime green It was a Lothian Double Decker (something like this) sitting in a queue of about 3 or 4 buses. Yet despite the obvious wall of buses they missed it, only not to miss it if you catch my drift; those diamonds must of been camouflage ;-)

 

[marvin]

Oh, and you get ten extra points for having a BMW driver apologise to you. Mine usually come out with a foul mouthed, vein popping rant.

I've been knocked off my bike once and that was by a BMW driver on the school run. He was nice enough, I sent him a bill and he paid for the bike repairs.

 

[fimm]

carolonabike, what's your reasoning for sitting back from the junction like that? What are you trying to avoid?
I hope this doesn't come across as hostile questioning, I'm just trying to understand where you're coming from.

 

[carolonabike]

Not at all Fimm.

As I was approaching the junction he drove past me and then stopped just on the corner. There was another car a few yards behind him who stopped too, just on the other side of the junction. I stopped and waited to see what they were going to do, I couldn't turn right because of the second car, and he couldn't move forward because of the first car.

It's as well I did stop short because if I had been on the line he would probably have hit me.