Nearly splattered today

[catwoman]

Riding down Tufnell Park Road going eastwards today towards the notorious Holloway Road at about 16:00. Lovely weather, cars parked on both sides of the road with a bus coming towards me travelling westbound.
I heard a car behind accelerating fast, by my calculation he would have been passing me at the same time as the bus coming in the opposite direction. I pulled over in a small gap between the parked cars and stopped and let him go avoiding being squished. There is only room on the road for two vehicles to pass each other safely with all the cars parked on both sides.
I caught up with him at some lights at the bottom of the road, I looked at him but he was just staring intently ahead. We were both turning right into Holloway Road but at the first junction with Seven Sisters Road he was going left and I was going straight ahead.
The lights were red at the Seven Sisters Road junction and as he saw me coming along his off-side, I saw his window wind up to closed. I went ahead of him by one car length to wait at the line and turned to look at him again.
He wound the window back down and stuck his head out to abuse me. I shouted to him that if I hadn't pulled over he would have run me over and he told me to shut up!
I may have over-reacted but I yelled at him that he was a murderer he told me to shut up again so I accused him of being a murderer again...
Maybe I should have said he was a potential murderer, maybe I got carried away a bit there, but he was an arrogant pompous git and I hope I never come across him again because I shall just have to slap him!

 

[Keith Oates]

It's a good job you were concentrating and had the presence of mind to take evasive action. As for the verbals with the driver I think the look would have been enough for him to know what you thought. Shouting at him probably did not make any difference to him and, understandably, caused you some upset!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[DJ]

It's a good job you were concentrating and had the presence of mind to take evasive action. As for the verbals with the driver I think the look would have been enough for him to know what you thought. Shouting at him probably did not make any difference to him and, understandably, caused you some upset!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I disagree! The car driver is in abig hard shell and we (on bikes) are left to there mercy.

Giving them a tough time verbally is one of the ways to get our presence felt!

Some times its's the only way to get yourself noticed.

And some (not all) London drivers show complete disregard for the cyclist.

 

[the reluctant cyclist]

He so knew he was in the wrong - not looking at Catwoman and then winding the window up to avoid a confrontation.

I note that (as usual) despite the life threatening overtake he still didn't actually get anywhere faster than Catwoman as they met again at the lights...

"Ah evil car driver, so we meet again" (Said in a villanous type of way)
"Yes Catwoman but I am not so brave now I'm not doing a million miles an hour past you on your poxy bike - please don't entice me into your evil lair and then torture me to death slowly with videos of the Tour de France!"....

You get the picture....B)

What is it with this must overtake mentality. There is a route I take sometimes where you come over a set of traffic lights and about 100 feet from them there is always and I mean always a queue of traffic. I try every morning to get to the outside of the queue so I can overtake them all - every bloody morning some numpty decides to overtake me (as I am indicating right) just to get to the back of the queue where I am going to overtake him anyway!

When I overtake them they get "the look" too!

 

[BentMikey]

Looks like you did a good job of making him feel guilty, Catwoman.

 

[domtyler]

Show your presence on the road through your road positioning not by engaging these people in slanging matches. What would you have done if he had got out of the car and ran over to you with fists up? Or worse?

Just hold your position on the road, yes it takes a little nerve, but a doubt if you will ever come across anyone who will deliberately drive over the top of you, that really would be murder, and never engage verbally with car drivers, it will never, ever be productive and almost always leaves you feeling worse. Just don't do it.

 

[magnatom]

Well done for your presence of mind to get out of the way.

I must admit calling the chap a murderer would probably have confused him more than annoyed him, but maybe that is a good thing!?B)

 

[Riding in Circles]

I may be playing devils advocate here, but as those on the hel*et threads might say, you have no idea that you prevented anything by pulling in, he could just as easily have slowed down, he stopped at the lights so his brakes must have been working, he had abuse shouted at him for an event that never took place, so by all means pull in if that makes you feel safer but beware of assuming the car driver would have killed you, it is an unsafe assumption to make.

 

[nickb]

...and never engage verbally with car drivers, it will never, ever be productive and almost always leaves you feeling worse. Just don't do it.

Not always true.

I've had a few people apologise; notably one guy about ten years ago that came within millimetres of knocking me off. I thought he was talking into a mobile phone and chased after him. Turned out he was shaving with an electric razor!

When I caught him and asked him what the hell he thought he was doing, he told me to f*ck off. When I explained that he had very nearly killed me a moment before and started to take note of his number plate, he changed his tune dramatically - a small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

 

[catwoman]

Show your presence on the road through your road positioning not by engaging these people in slanging matches. What would you have done if he had got out of the car and ran over to you with fists up? Or worse?

Just hold your position on the road, yes it takes a little nerve, but a doubt if you will ever come across anyone who will deliberately drive over the top of you, that really would be murder, and never engage verbally with car drivers, it will never, ever be productive and almost always leaves you feeling worse. Just don't do it.

I very rarely engage in verbals with drivers or other road users, I am wise enough not to. I agree they are too unpredictable but this one was irresistible I'm afraid. There was no way I could have held my position on the road yesterday, he was driving like a maniac! If I had held out I would now be an ex-cyclist - either dead or badly hurt.
If he had got out with fists etc up I would possibly have gone for him, which is completely against my better nature but when you are under attack you will defend yourself - no matter how sensible you should be under normal circumstances.

 

[Amanda P]

I've had words on occasion. If the driver makes eye contact, I'll try to explain what I think was the problem. Sometimes I get "Oh, OK, never thought of that," or "OK, sorry". Sometimes I get "Shut up, F*ck off" or whatever. In which case I tend to do as I'm told.

There's no point trying to reason with someone whose only response is abuse. It'll just get you both worked up more.

 

[Maz]

I've had a few people apologise; notably one guy about ten years ago that came within millimetres of knocking me off. I thought he was talking into a mobile phone and chased after him. Turned out he was shaving with an electric razor!

That was a close shave!

 

[swee'pea99]

wah-wah-waaaaah!

 

[domtyler]

That was a close shave!

Yeah, seeing someone shaving while driving would have me bristling with rage!

 

[Maz]

Yeah, seeing someone shaving while driving would have me bristling with rage!

Best report it to a con-stubble.