I was waiting to turn right out of a sidestreet this morning when this driver waiting behind me basically lost patience and revved the nuts off his engine, driving forwards and trying to force his way past me to make te same manoeuvre as me.
He lives very locally to me and I will see him again, but I can't let this pass without comment. What do you think of my note ?
21st February 2013
Dear Sir,
I wanted to have a friendly & polite word with you about how your actions made me feel this morning, but you wouldn’t speak to me when we were stopped at the lights, so I thought it best to write you this note instead.
I hadn’t been waiting long to join the Bristol Road when you revved your engine, and made to push me out of the way. That’s how it felt to me with you behind me. I felt your driving to be aggressive and impatient. I was concerned that you were going to force me out of the way.
During the minute or less that I was waiting to pull onto the Bristol Road, I didn’t see one gap in traffic which would have been sensible to take in a car or on a bike.
I don’t think you could have pulled out any earlier if you had been cycling, or driving your car. There was a vehicle turning into Court Road from the left, with a fairly steady stream of traffic coming from the right. Other vehicles were also approaching from the left. The car turning in from the left did not stop and beckon me out, as often happens with considerate drivers.
Your actions made me feel forced to pull out into a smaller gap than I was comfortable to take just to get away from you – which is not a pleasant feeling especially when you’re not surrounded by steel and airbags.
I am sure that the 4x4 which was approaching from Winterbourne had to brake to accommodate me pulling out.
I can pull away quite fast from Court Road, but I need to bear in mind that oncoming traffic (which is usually doing at least 30 mph or more) shouldn’t have to brake to avoid me.
In future I would be very grateful if you could drive more patiently and considerately around more vulnerable road users. As a local person, I cycle to work about four times a week along Court Road and beyond, and I also cycle along your road with my children. Thankfully it is extremely rare that I encounter driving which makes me feel I need to protest.
When I see you again I will be friendly and polite, but if I experience you driving like that again, I will refer to this letter and take appropriate action.
I try to share the road politely and sympathetically whether I am driving or cycling, and I would respectfully ask that you extend me the same courtesy.
Yours sincerely
Another local road user
