Never Assume!

[Hip Priest]

I made my worst ever cycling error this morning.

I was sat at a t-junction waiting to turn right. The left was clear, and approaching from the right was a bus, with his left indicator on. Assuming he was turning left down my road, I pulled out...but he was going straight on.

Thankfully, the driver saw me in good time to stop. He yelled something at me, to which I responded 'But you had your indicator on!' but deep down I knew it was my own fault for being complacent and putting too much faith in a motorist's indicators.

Won't be doing that again!

 

[baldycyclist]

name rank and number of him/her required I think

 

[fossyant]

ASSUME

Makes an ASS of U and ME

Got taught this be a shitty QS in a previous job. They lost (in the end).

But the statement stands, and I use it..

 

[gambatte]

name rank and number of him/her required I think

Judgement call, but I'd say no. We don't know what was yelled. Could even have been 'sorry'? Although HP might have a better idea...
As hip priest says, we should take lights as advisory

 

[Hip Priest]

It wasn't sorry, but nor was it a foul-mouthed tirade. It was something along the lines of 'What are you doing?' I don't think he realised he was indicating left. It's an easy mistake to make, which is why I resolved to avoid relying solely on indicators in future!

 

[Matthew_T]

I made a bit of a woopsie on Monday. I was cycling along a long country road and approaching a roundabout. A car overtook me just before the roundabout (nothing obnormal) and stopped at the roundabout, waiting for a gap in the traffic. He was in the left lane and I thought he wanted to turn left. I wanted to go straight on and went in the right lane.
As we set off, he carried on going around the roundabout, causing me to have to dart in behind him to go straight on as if I had gone right, I would have been on a very fast and very dangerous single lane road (full of HGV's and people flooring it).

Something I learnt from it: Dont go in the right lane to go straight on, and dont presume that people on your inside are going to do what you think they/want them to do.

 

[BSRU]

I made a bit of a woopsie on Monday. I was cycling along a long country road and approaching a roundabout. A car overtook me just before the roundabout (nothing obnormal) and stopped at the roundabout, waiting for a gap in the traffic. He was in the left lane and I thought he wanted to turn left. I wanted to go straight on and went in the right lane.
As we set off, he carried on going around the roundabout, causing me to have to dart in behind him to go straight on as if I had gone right, I would have been on a very fast and very dangerous single lane road (full of HGV's and people flooring it).

Something I learnt from it: Dont go in the right lane to go straight on, and dont presume that people on your inside are going to do what you think they/want them to do.

You should avoid the magic roundabout then, since on one approach both lanes have ahead only arrows but you can only go left or right, to confuse things even more you can left from both lanes and you can go right from both lanes

 

[dave2041]

Assume everyone on the road is trying to kill you.

 

[freewheelwilly]

I wait until i'm certain that any other motorist that is approaching my direction and indicating to make a turn does just that and hasn't realised he's got his indicators on before making a move out of a junction. Bus drivers in my opinion do this a lot so they always get a wide berth from me.

 

[Matthew_T]

Assume everyone on the road is trying to kill you.

I used to do that. But I learnt that saying "WTF are you doing?" To every single car that did anything minor wasnt the way to lead a healthy lifestyle.

 

[HLaB]

I assume all the time, I assume that folk might do the unpredictable and my automatic response to this assumption is to behave cautiously; sometimes you are pleasantly delighted but its better to be safe than sorry IMO.

 

[dave2041]

I used to do that. But I learnt that saying "WTF are you doing?" To every single car that did anything minor wasnt the way to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Hmm maybe! I find myself having one or two instances of saying "WTF are you doing?" each day, possibly less... What really bothers me is seeing the same people getting in the wrong lanes everyday and queuing to get into the right one... EVERY DAY. There is a stretch of road in Salford that is notorious for this...

 

[GrasB]

I used to do that. But I learnt that saying "WTF are you doing?" To every single car that did anything minor wasnt the way to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Then you're not understanding why you're assuming they're out to kill you. When you're assuming they're out to kill you what should happen is that you plan for multipul low-risk escape routes depending on what muppet like behaviour they proceed with. Saying "WTF are you doing?" means you failed to plan well enough, put your self in a bad road position or improperly observed your surroundings.

 

[Matthew_T]

Then you're not understanding why you're assuming they're out to kill you. When you're assuming they're out to kill you what should happen is that you plan for multipul low-risk escape routes depending on what muppet like behaviour they proceed with. Saying "WTF are you doing?" means you failed to plan well enough, put your self in a bad road position or improperly observed your surroundings.

Actually, I normally just say "WTF are you doing?" as a comment on everything, even though in most cases i know exactly what has happened and I am in no real danger. I am startinbg to just use a sarcastic "Thank you" or "Well done" instead now. It doesnt seemm too confrontational.

 

[GrasB]

Fair enough I usually give them the 'the look'