Sh4rkyBloke
Jaffa Cake monster
- Location
- Manchester, UK
What are you trying to say about the bunch of reprobates group of fine, upstanding citizens that inhabit this forum?? 
Official Closest pass video
- Thread starter magnatom
- Start date
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I've been thinking about this Maggers. I've concluded the only thing you did wrong was to pull up on the passenger side of the car. How can you possibly expect to tw$t the driver from that side. Next time pull up on the driver side and as he winds his window down, execute a quick chop to the wind pipe, nick his keys and ride off.
In the interests applying a bit of objectivity to this thread, I took a detour on my commute home today to go through the stretch of road where the problem occurred. Two things struck me very quickly :
1. The first pinch point was surprisingly close to the exit from the roundabout, especially measured from the point where the exit from the roundabout opens into a proper two-way road. Less than 40 yards, I'd say.
2. The nearside edge of the road moves away quite quickly to the left as you come out of the little exit slip road, which means that you very consciously have to work at holding a line that will take you into the pinch point without any major weaving about.
My conclusion is that unless you have a car very close behind, there is absolutely no point in moving over to the left, particularly in the potentially icy conditions that prevailed that day. Mags did say early on in the thread that the taxi was not particularly close as he came off the roundabout, so I don't think he did anything different to what most competent commuter cyclists would have done - though I reckon most of us would have been going a bit quicker
And I reckon I'm owed a pint for the dehydration suffered when a 9-mile commute turned into 20 miles Must drink more in the office in the mornings!
1. The first pinch point was surprisingly close to the exit from the roundabout, especially measured from the point where the exit from the roundabout opens into a proper two-way road. Less than 40 yards, I'd say.
2. The nearside edge of the road moves away quite quickly to the left as you come out of the little exit slip road, which means that you very consciously have to work at holding a line that will take you into the pinch point without any major weaving about.
My conclusion is that unless you have a car very close behind, there is absolutely no point in moving over to the left, particularly in the potentially icy conditions that prevailed that day. Mags did say early on in the thread that the taxi was not particularly close as he came off the roundabout, so I don't think he did anything different to what most competent commuter cyclists would have done - though I reckon most of us would have been going a bit quicker
And I reckon I'm owed a pint for the dehydration suffered when a 9-mile commute turned into 20 miles
Must drink more in the office in the mornings!
swee'pea99
Squire
Objectivity? What in the world...? You'll be cluttering things up with facts 'n stuff next. Pish tush. Also harumph.
tdr1nka
Taking the biscuit
- Location
- SE London, Bandit Country
boydj said:
Thank you. That's saved me a 400 mile detour!
Virtual pint of your usual Sir?
BentMikey
Rider of Seolferwulf
- Location
- South London
Nice one Boyd, thanks for that!
If I recall correctly, Cyclecraft mentions pulling in if the gap between parked cars is 30 yards or more.
If I recall correctly, Cyclecraft mentions pulling in if the gap between parked cars is 30 yards or more.
goo_mason
Champion barbed-wire hurdler
- Location
- Leith, Edinburgh
BentMikey said:
Which, for metric-taught children of the late 70s, is 27.432 metres. Still doesn't help me much though - can anyone say roughly how many car lengths that is ? I'd be more likely to roughly work out if a gap was more than x cars long !
wafflycat
New Member
- Location
- middle of Norfolk
Mid-range car say 4m long... at a rough guess..
goo_mason
Champion barbed-wire hurdler
- Location
- Leith, Edinburgh
User3143 said:
Before we all start debating the distances / widths etc - can Maggers or boydj give us the location on Google Maps so we can look at the satellite images and work out what they might really be ?
Try this link :
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=55.870601,-4.322847&spn=0.001273,0.003337&t=h&z=18
You'll need to unclick 'Show Labels' in the 'Satellite' tab to get the clearest picture. The exit in question is the one at 8 o'clock on the roundabout and it will take another magnification step.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=55.870601,-4.322847&spn=0.001273,0.003337&t=h&z=18
You'll need to unclick 'Show Labels' in the 'Satellite' tab to get the clearest picture. The exit in question is the one at 8 o'clock on the roundabout and it will take another magnification step.
tdr1nka
Taking the biscuit
- Location
- SE London, Bandit Country
wafflycat said:
But this was a close range car...
I make it just over 150 ft from the point of the triangle splitting the exit and entry points to the roundabout to the point where the road narrows again. It's not possible for a car to start to overtake until the opposite lane is available as the exit lane is quite narrow.
Boydj I think that was above and beyond the call of duty! However, it is good to have a second pair of eyes at that section of road. I'd be more than happy to get you that beer (a real one) some time. Just PM me and we could meet for some chat over beers if you like. I should add I would make this offer even if you happend to disagree with me!BM are you seriously suggesting that any figure mentioned in Cyclecraft relates directly to this situation. Remembering that this is not a straight bit of road, it is an exit from a roundabout, the next obstical is a pinch point not a car, it was -3C etc?
I am sure that the figure (if correct, I don't actually have my copy to hand) would probably relate to a straight long road, under normal conditions etc, and I am almost certain that there will be a proviso in there saying that this distance is a guide, depends on the situation, road layout, speed of cyclist (yeah I know!), relative speed of cars etc.
I tell you something, I am starting to understand what it must be like to be a murder suspect, considering the amount of scrutiny I am under at the moment! Of course I would suggest that I'm just a wittness and not the accused!
Carry on folks this thread really is quite fascinating! (for a boring cyclists like me!)