'Really' close pass

[Mr Pig]

I've had lots of close passes but this one today is right up there with the best of them.

Took my thirteen-year-old son a run around the back roads, about nine miles, and going along one of the roads was passed by an artic. Normally I keep behind him so that I can watch his back and give him instructions but it's a very quiet road this one so I'd rolled off about twenty feet in front of him.

It's not a very wide road so when I saw the truck coming up I hugged the verge. I nearly jumped out of my skin when it passed it was so close, and to make it worse he made the typical 'long vehicle' mistake of cutting back in too early so his trailer swung in towards me! If I hadn't went right to the edge of the tarmac I would've been hit.

After he passed I shook my fist at him, in the absence of anything else I could do :0( Idiot.

 

[PaulB]

I've had lots of close passes but this one today is right up there with the best of them.

Took my thirteen-year-old son a run around the back roads, about nine miles, and going along one of the roads was passed by an artic. Normally I keep behind him so that I can watch his back and give him instructions but it's a very quiet road this one so I'd rolled off about twenty feet in front of him.

It's not a very wide road so when I saw the truck coming up I hugged the verge. I nearly jumped out of my skin when it passed it was so close, and to make it worse he made the typical 'long vehicle' mistake of cutting back in too early so his trailer swung in towards me! If I hadn't went right to the edge of the tarmac I would've been hit.

After he passed I shook my fist at him, in the absence of anything else I could do :0( Idiot.

Should have taken his registration number and reported him to the company. Might not do any good but whenever I've done this and called the transport manager of the company direct, I've never had a problem with them not caring/dismissive attitude/abuse. They can't upset a potential customer of whatever goods are being transported and even if they don't do anything about it but try to appease the annoyed caller, I get the impression they do take these things on board. After all, you might be the fourth person that month to have a complaint against that particular driver. Try it, it can work.

 

[Mr Pig]

There weren't any markings on the trailer and to be honest it was too close for me to be able to read them if there had been! I'm hopeless at remembering numbers too, I would have forgotten it in minutes, seconds even.

Sadly, I'm used to this kind of thing and accept it. Depressing really.

 

[peloquin]

that was a rly close call mr pig ~ can only imaging what went thru ur mind when that trailer was coming at you!!! glad u ok tho!

 

[Mr Pig]

These things happen so fast don't they? You don't get a chance to think of much. One minute you're happily riding along, the next second 'S***!!!!'. And by the time you've got your head together it's a mile down the road.

Actually, a friend and I had a nice experience with a couple of tipper trucks last week. We were riding up a very narrow country road, single lane just wide enough for the tippers to fit on, and we saw the first truck coming over the hill. To my amazement the truck pulled right over onto the verge and stopped to let my mate cycle past! We were going up hill and it would've been a lot easier for us to stop and get out of the way for the truck.

Then, the next minute, another tipper comes along and the driver does exactly the same thing! I was so pleased that as he approached me and started slowing down I jumped off, dragged my bike right onto the verge and waved him on. Gave him a nice cheery wave as he passed.

I didn't think about it at the time but I wonder if it was the Hoy effect? Whatever it was I liked it :0)