Nearly taken out by a HGV!

[thomas]

Cycling to my part time summer job (now winter job) for my first day of work for winter. Lorrys always take this road and they can never fit. A lorry driver today, overtakes with no space with oncoming traffic. I had to go to the kerb and brake to avoid being hit.

View: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=sovpdIg5bqA


Pause the video and you can see how he gives about 2 feet for the rear of the trailer. This really did shake me up.

BMW drivers were very good on the journy though, giving a good distance (one even over took on the other side of a very wide road! - about 2/3 car widths).

Way home in the dark was particulary fun. Car didn't look behind a car turning right at a junction and nearly came straight out into me. She stopped (2 feet past the junction) when I used my hairzound and yelled. Not sure if I'll cycle tomorrow yet or not. The way there's okay, just the dark on the way back isn't the nicest.

 

[Tynan]

not nice at all, that's death a knocking and no mistake, I suppose some might say you shold be further from the curb but I understand why you might not on a road that narrow, a truck like that shouldn;t be on a road like that

what's the speed limit?

 

[BentMikey]

Holy crap that's terrible. That's a without a doubt report to the police. Did you get his registration?

If I'm on a road like that and a large vehicle is behind me, I'll go well out in the lane. Can't be risking getting an overtake like this one. Shocking.

 

[summerdays]

That was a very scary overtake!!! I can imagine how shaken I would be. There isnt a numberplate at the back as he says on the vid.

You could take it to the police and see if there are any CCTV cameras on the route either behind or infront of you (though it doesn't look like that sort of road).

 

[just jim]

That looked horrible.

 

[BentMikey]

Oh, didn't hear that, sound was turned low.

 

[HLaB]

That was a very scary overtake!!! I can imagine how shaken I would be. There isnt a numberplate at the back as he says on the vid.

You could take it to the police and see if there are any CCTV cameras on the route either behind or infront of you (though it doesn't look like that sort of road).

The fact that there wasn't a number plate sounds very dodgy, the driving was worse than that , as folk say take it too the polis

 

[thomas]

I suppose some might say you shold be further from the curb but I understand why you might not on a road that narrow, a truck like that shouldn;t be on a road like that

what's the speed limit?

At that point it's a 40, at the bottom of the road (when i stop swearing) it goes into a 30. I knew the truck was going to do it, but couldn't get further into the road to stop him without being shunted (as I felt at the time). On the way home I was in the middle of the road, all the way. This was more because it was pitch black out all the way home.

I do agree if i'd been in the middle of the road it would have stopped him but I think you have to be reasonable with people. I'm usually far enough out to stop things like that, but it's not so far out that people think you're taking the piss. I was probably further out that some cyclists and someone who drives that lorry shouldn't be so careless.

Holy crap that's terrible. That's a without a doubt report to the police. Did you get his registration?

That was a very scary overtake!!! I can imagine how shaken I would be. There isnt a numberplate at the back as he says on the vid.

As I said on the video, I couldn't see one. However, when watching the footage at work I do catch a numberplate on the front cabin's wheel arch. However when I paused it it went all blury and I didn't really have time to freeze frame every slide to try and catch the number plate.

The lorry didn't even have branding on the side to get the company. It was just red and massive.

I've got my new memory card today so I can bring the morning's footage home tomorrow and have a better look. If I do catch anything I might report it to the police but I'm not sure I can be bothered. I've reported things before (in norwich) and it never gets anywhere. I had to give a statement which lasted about 2 hours and I don't want to be mucked around.

 

[Crackle]

F&ck me! Had a few like that over the years, damn scary and the cams always make it look further away than it actualy is, so that was close.

Further out if it's 40 into 30, it might not stop 'em all but it will certainly help and be a lot cheaper in underpants too.

 

[HF2300]

Looking at the width of the road and the driving I think however far out you were you wouldn't have stopped him, though you'd have more space to move away from him as he passed.

I get passed like that every day on the last section of my commute, and I haven't found a real solution to it yet. Worst one recently was an AA truck that waited until there was plenty of space to move over, then passed within a foot or two anyway!

I'm

 

[tdr1nka]

You get this a lot in London, drivers who overtake correctly leaving lots of room only to then pull in sharply right in front of you.

I notice right at the end the small white van only just makes it back to your side of the road before meeting the oncoming car!

With reference to the HGV in the vid, this is exactly the kind of driving I see by 'bendy' buses, where they start to pull in while they are still overtaking.

 

[BentMikey]

With reference to the HGV in the vid, this is exactly the kind of driving I see by 'bendy' buses, where they start to pull in while they are still overtaking.

This sort of thing is exactly why we need more cyclists with helmet cameras, and a concerted campaign to report drivers responsible, and to embarass the bus companies.

In fairness though, I almost never get bad driving like this from bus drivers.

 

[tdr1nka]

In fairness though, I almost never get bad driving like this from bus drivers.

*talk among yourselves, London speak*

To be fair it does appear to be the 453's that have the worst drivers and these are the ones I encounter more often than not.
The 436 and the 12 seem to be much better.

 

[ianrauk]

Yegod, that is a terrifying video..

And as for buses.. the ones that head for Bromley Common Bus Garage are some of the worse.. the A21 is not the widest of roads so some bus drivers see cyclists as fair game for close overtaking.

 

[goo_mason]

That was terrifyingly close !!! Hopefully you can get some numberplate details off a few frames and get this idiot visited by the local constabulary.

Makes me even more appreciative of the ADM Milling lorry drivers here in Leith, who are exemplary drivers when passing me every day. They even indicate left before they begin pulling back in after passing me !!