Rule no. 1

[BentMikey]

I dunno - not particularly dangerous in this case, though the overtake was both completely unnecessary and across a junction, contrary to highway code advice. Mostly though, IMO it's an excellent video about a particularly stupid bit of driving, and rather funny!!

 

[hydridmatt]

Yikes, that is some bad road sense – by you. He overtook safely (albeit unnecessarily); you then used your horn, not to alert him to your presence, but to make a point about how you thought he should be driving.

So what did you achieve, aside from a a smug sense of one upmanship? Next time he sees a cyclist, all he will think about was that plank on a bike who honked him. Maybe he will be annoyed with bloody cyclists, and be that bit less sensible for his next overtake; on behalf of all cyclists, cheers for that.

I know there are some posters who love to slag the camera brigade for looking for places to get annoyed. Usually I have no truck with that argument, but here…

 

[CopperBrompton]

the overtake was both completely unnecessary and across a junction, contrary to highway code advice.

Well, the cyclist too was overtaking past lots of junctions (in law, a driveway entrance counts as a junction). Any one of the vehicles he overtook with almost zero clearance could have turned right into any of those driveways, and you can guarantee they're not going to check their wing-mirrors before doing so.

 

[thomas]

OK, seriously - please educate a beginner cyclist as to what the problem was here, apart from the little social exchange of a dirty look + some beeping & waving. I've watched the video several times, and don't get it.

Had this happened to me, I honestly don't think I would have been bothered, and I certainly wouldn't have started beeping & gesticulating.

Wait until it happens a lot. On my old commute there were places that some people felt they had to get past, just for me to glide past them as they stopped for the back of a car a couple seconds later.

Though this wasn't dangerous, it just shows bad planning from the driver. If I see a red light on my bike, or car, I don't speed up and try and get to it. I ease off, stop peddaling, etc. Cyclists don't need to be overtaken.

Yikes, that is some bad road sense – by you. He overtook safely (albeit unnecessarily); you then used your horn, not to alert him to your presence, but to make a point about how you thought he should be driving.

I know there are some posters who love to slag the camera brigade for looking for places to get annoyed. Usually I have no truck with that argument, but here…

I'm willing to bet Jon's reaction would of been the same without the camera. Certainly I have a helmet camera which I use a lot...though the other day when I wasn't using it I got overtaken a bit like this and I gave a little "why bother" style palm in the air when I overtook the driver the moment he pulled in.

And, I don't think calling this bad road sense is fair. I also doubt that the driver will be less considerate to cyclist's in the future. Hopefully as Jon made a small point they'll realise what Jon was doing and maybe think twice next time. Though honking like that isn't really what a horn is for, it isn't bad road sense or really worth fussing about. It wasn't used aggressively.

 

[CopperBrompton]

If he'd been in a car and used the horn in that manner, it would have been an offence. I don't think it's any more excusable because he was on a bike.

 

[hydridmatt]

I'm sorry Thomas but that doesn't wash. Whenever anyone uses the horn unnecessarily, the act is always taken as aggressive; always has been, always will be. If a driver beeped at me because he thought I was trying too hard to get to a junction, I would rightly be annoyed at being honked. So all he has done is wind up another road user...

I stand by my original 'bad road sense'.

 

[BentMikey]

Hydridmatt, are you talking to me?

 

[hackbike 666]

Do you think it is ok for me to use the horn when I am disatisfied with the amount a space left for me by passing moton?

 

[hydridmatt]

Hi Bent Mikey, I was responding to the post #19 from Thomas.

Got to work out how to use the blue quote boxes...

 

[zimzum42]

That kind of thing happens so often, I wouldn't bother gesturing, certainly wouldn't horn. The driver likely has no idea of the point the guy was trying to make and now thinks all cyclists are nutters...

 

[BentMikey]

Yikes, that is some bad road sense – by you. He overtook safely (albeit unnecessarily); you then used your horn, not to alert him to your presence, but to make a point about how you thought he should be driving.

So what did you achieve, aside from a a smug sense of one upmanship? Next time he sees a cyclist, all he will think about was that plank on a bike who honked him. Maybe he will be annoyed with bloody cyclists, and be that bit less sensible for his next overtake; on behalf of all cyclists, cheers for that.

I know there are some posters who love to slag the camera brigade for looking for places to get annoyed. Usually I have no truck with that argument, but here…

I'm talking about this post - I assume you realise it's Jonredhornet's video, and not mine?

I don't agree with the cut of your post, although I think you have a valid point on use of the horn, but that's really rather minor compared with the stupid overtake. I'm willing to bet that the driver realises the pointlessness of their overtake, and is far less likely to do something like that again. I often see signs of driver embarassment when they make overtakes like this on me.

Good on Jon for making an effort to educate this driver, without being confrontational.

 

[GrasB]

I'm trying to work out who had the fail here, the motorist on the pointless overtake or the cyclist making an issue out of it while not actually being inconvenienced or given any problematic situation. If the guy wants to waste some fuel let him it's not for the cyclist to decide, thing is the guy's probably just alienated that driver a little bit which means he may well not be so courteous in the future.

 

[BentMikey]

Do you think it is ok for me to use the horn when I am disatisfied with the amount a space left for me by passing moton?

It's probably not best practice according to the highway code. On the other hand I do this also, and add a pushing out motion with my right arm. I think that the educational effect of this far outweighs the less than perfect horn use. In just 6 months of riding from our new place most of the regular drivers have completely changed their overtaking habits as a result of the feedback.

 

[lit]

That kind of thing happens so often, I wouldn't bother gesturing, certainly wouldn't horn. The driver likely has no idea of the point the guy was trying to make and now thinks all cyclists are nutters...

What he said, pretty much.

 

[jonredhornet]

Good grief, this has caused a bit of a stir on here All criticism is welcome as always, although in this case I don't agree.

The overtake by the car driver was fine, it was mindless and a manoeuvre which can cause us problems, but this one was safe nontheless. My actions were also not affected by me wearing a camera, and I don't go looking out for trouble. In my previous vid I state that I hadn't had an incident in a good while and that this was a good thing.

I reacted like I did because I was annoyed at the way the driver reacted inside his car to my presence, especially as he was not aware of the stationary traffic ahead - if it wasn't for that then I would have simply cycled past. Yes, mine was an emotive response but I wasn't aggressive nor did I use my horn aggressively. In hind sight I'd probably not react at all, but at the time I did, and I don't think anybody on this forum can say they have not reacted to another road user due to a negative emotional response rather than pure reason.

Regarding the filtering, it was spot on. Yes you shouldn't overtake another vehicle at a junction (watch the whole vid when I wait at a junction before proceeding), but this does not include driveways. I also see no problem with being close to cars in this situation - obviously I give parked cars a lot of room, but there is little risk here of somebody opening their door and if somebody was going to turn right I fully expect them not to look at all and I was prepared for that. Watching the video again, you can see the oncoming traffic - I maintain my cycling here was safe and thoughtful.

Thanks for the comments though, as I say I like criticism, if I'm doing something which isn't safe then I'd want to know and I'd change my riding to suit