Rear ended this morning - but all ok! Warning, I swore a bit

[Keith Oates]

The main thing is that you and the bike are OK, the driver does seem to want to hide something though!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[2Loose]

Lucky! Glad you're ok.

 

[PBancroft]

Blimey, not nice. Glad you are ok. Something not right about that guys response is there?

Like, any of it? The guy is rude, unapologetic, evasive and downright dickish.

Pity you couldn't remember the numberplate DF, but in the heat of the moment its difficult. Well done for not lumping him one.

 

[betty swollocks]

What a plonker BUT it very much sounds like you lost it (a little).......understandably in the circumstances.
Formulate a plan now, for if/when it happens next........ At least have your camera/phone to hand to record all details. You'll feel much better about it after too - the fact that you kept your calm and acted constructively, instead of just berating the tosser.
Hope you and bike are ok.
Kind regards

 

[downfader]

Cheers for the sympathy everyone. I have no idea if he was illegal in some way (Southampton has a rep for illegal immigrant workers and uninsured drivers) and tbh I couldnt care less. I'm not the plod. Neither was I going to call them for something that ended up as a lucky escape for me once I'd checked everything over.

TBH I'm now even beginning to question the longevity of my cycle commuting. Either I'm noticing the bad road use more or its actually getting worse around here. Personally I feel this city is perfect for cycling, its just all the nonsense that stops people... Maybe it will change, I know a lot of people are quite hard up around here and a lot of bikes have been sold in a few of the shops.

Hmm.. Is it legal to rollerblade on a pavement?

What a plonker BUT it very much sounds like you lost it (a little).......understandably in the circumstances.
Formulate a plan now, for if/when it happens next........ At least have your camera/phone to hand to record all details. You'll feel much better about it after too - the fact that you kept your calm and acted constructively, instead of just berating the tosser.
Hope you and bike are ok.
Kind regards

Oh I definately lost my rag with him, but managed to restrain myself from being physical - the fact is I dont particularly want a criminal record. It was the fact it was so easily avoidable, if he had even said sorry and showed concern from the moment it happened (like the driver in 2008 who put me in the ambulance) I'd have been civil.

I've worked out a plan to keep the camera to hand on the bike. I bought a camera bag for compacts with the compartments, so I can keep the tools, phone, wallet etc all in one place, plus whack the lights in there when off the bike.

 

[tdr1nka]

DF, are there any CCTV cameras in that area?
It would be worth following this up with the Police if there is footage of the incident.

Glad you're ok and I'd probably get the rim looked at just in case.

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

They (drivers) don't like to say "sorry"

Whether its ingrained from the "never apologise, you're admitting liability" thing or just an innate stubborness. Like the bus driver who pulled out this morning forcing me onto the wrong side of the road. When I said "you should look more carefully then" to his response of "didn't see you" he said "yes". Not, yes, I'm sorry". Just "yes". Nevermind, so long as he does look more carefully that will be better for all concerned in the future.

 

[downfader]

DF, are there any CCTV cameras in that area?
It would be worth following this up with the Police if there is footage of the incident.

Glad you're ok and I'd probably get the rim looked at just in case.

Sadly not. I know the area well and I was actually hit over the other side of the very same bridge in 2008 when attempting to exit a rab. The Police told me at the time there was no CCTV in the area.

I do usually use a video cam, but its become such a faff with the cables and card that I'd been looking at just getting a HD Contour instead now its getting lighter out.

 

[arallsopp]

Glad you're ok. Could have escalated very quickly into something quite nasty.

 

[wafflycat]

Glad you're ok. As with others, my thoughts about the driver were: t0$$3r, uninsured, unlicenced...

 

[downfader]

Trouble is I think its easy to assume a lot about licence and insurance.. I have personally known several drivers who I know are fully legal but would do all kinds of naughty things. I also think now in retrospect that many people may have come from countries where they may not encounter bicycles all that often. I wonder if this contributed to his reaction.

Whats the scenario for legit foreign workers thesedays? I had a workmate from China called Hainan and he told me he had to take a full UK test before being allowed to drive here. Something to do with non-EU countries I thought he once said.

 

[Crankarm]

Trouble is I think its easy to assume a lot about licence and insurance.. I have personally known several drivers who I know are fully legal but would do all kinds of naughty things. I also think now in retrospect that many people may have come from countries where they may not encounter bicycles all that often. I wonder if this contributed to his reaction.

Whats the scenario for legit foreign workers thesedays? I had a workmate from China called Hainan and he told me he had to take a full UK test before being allowed to drive here. Something to do with non-EU countries I thought he once said.

You're not making exuses for him/them are you? Crikey! I don't have a shred of sympathy for to$$ers such as this. I would have shopped him.

 

[downfader]

You're not making exuses for him/them are you? Crikey! I don't have a shred of sympathy for to$$ers such as this. I would have shopped him.

Certainly not excusing them, just being realistic.

 

[Dan B]

Hmm.. Is it legal to rollerblade on a pavement?

Short answer: nobody knows

There is as yet no statute law and no case law (that I know of) to say whether inline skates are classified as vehicles or not. If not, they're allowed anywhere pedestrians are (i.e. both footway and carriageway) and almost no traffic law applies to them; if they are, then obviously they have to comply with the rules of the road. This could potentially get quite silly in terms of e.g. vehicle lighting at night (among other things, lights have to be on the vehicle not the rider, etc etc). But the latest I've seen from the DfT is that they don't know.

Of course, this doesn't stop the police from making shoot up as they go along.

 

[jimboalee]

They (drivers) don't like to say "sorry"

Whether its ingrained from the "never apologise, you're admitting liability" thing or just an innate stubborness. Like the bus driver who pulled out this morning forcing me onto the wrong side of the road. When I said "you should look more carefully then" to his response of "didn't see you" he said "yes". Not, yes, I'm sorry". Just "yes". Nevermind, so long as he does look more carefully that will be better for all concerned in the future.

SMIDSY = Shite mate, I didn't see you.