SMIDSY on CS3: ouch

[jefmcg]

I was heading home from East London along CS3, somewhere along here, around 8pm. A guy on a mountain bike is coming towards me at a reasonable pace, in the middle of the lane, in fact more on my side than his.


As he gets closer, despite visibility being very good, he hasn't seen me. Away with the birds, but moving at a fair pace. At this stage, I'm nearly stopped and I've got nowhere to go: I'm not dropping off the kerb on 16 inch wheels and it makes no sense to move onto his side of the path as I am hoping he will do so himself. So I make the loudest noise I can - turns out that is a scream! - and he finally shakes himself awake looks startled and takes evasive action, not quite in time.

His handlebar hits my knuckle, with is sore, but definitely not broken. He was moving fast enough that when I turned around he was still braking and 20 plus yards away. I waved to indicate I was ok. To be honest, I had little interest in his health at that point.

So, genuine SMIDSY, and if we had collided he would have been worse off than me - unless I cushioned his fall as he flew over his handlebar. I was wearing a hi-viz vest, a decent light (moon power 500 light on low) and visibility was excellent anyway from street lighting. Of course, it's different cycling without due care and attention.

 

[JamesAC]

I was heading home from East London along CS3, somewhere along here, around 8pm. A guy on a mountain bike is coming towards me at a reasonable pace, in the middle of the lane, in fact more on my side than his.


As he gets closer, despite visibility being very good, he hasn't seen me. Away with the birds, but moving at a fair pace. At this stage, I'm nearly stopped and I've got nowhere to go: I'm not dropping off the kerb on 16 inch wheels and it makes no sense to move onto his side of the path as I am hoping he will do so himself. So I make the loudest noise I can - turns out that is a scream! - and he finally shakes himself awake looks startled and takes evasive action, not quite in time.

His handlebar hits my knuckle, with is sore, but definitely not broken. He was moving fast enough that when I turned around he was still braking and 20 plus yards away. I waved to indicate I was ok. To be honest, I had little interest in his health at that point.

So, genuine SMIDSY, and if we had collided he would have been worse off than me - unless I cushioned his fall as he flew over his handlebar. I was wearing a hi-viz vest, a decent light (moon power 500 light on low) and visibility was excellent anyway from street lighting. Of course, it's different cycling without due care and attention.

I find that the greatest hazard to my cycle commuting is other cyclists, esp on CS3. There is a type of lycra-clad urban warrior, dressed in black, no lights, cycling hell-for leather (or lycra). I'm pootling along at a steady 10-15 mph, and every few seconds there's a whoosh! to the left, or a whoosh! to the right, and a blur of bicycle zooming passed me. The worst bit is trying to turn right off CS3 into a side road. The ordinary cars I can cope with; it's the bloody cyclists who are a nightmare!!

 

[mr_cellophane]

That's why I stopped using Cable Street during the week.

 

[fossyant]

That's why us serious cyclists use the road.

 

[jefmcg]

Hey! I resent that! I'm not sure what a serious cyclist is, but I'm currently leading the CC endomondo leader board <quickly visits endomondo to see if that is still true>

 

[Twizit]

Nah that's me .... or at least it was first thing this morning, and might be again once I've commuted home!

I echo the points about other cyclists. Been fine with motorised road users so far whilst commuting but got taken out by another cyclist the other day whilst just about stationary cutting through Vauxhall cross bus station ealier this week. Other guy piled into me from behind, quote "errr I didn't see you I was looking at my gears".... enough said

 

[swampyseifer]

Other guy piled into me from behind, quote "errr I didn't see you I was looking at my gears".... enough said

a SLAG then? Sorry, Looking At Gears!

 

[MissTillyFlop]

I had a near miss last night outside Borough station last night. An apparently blind or suicidal pedestrian decided to cross 3 seconds after the lights had changed and the traffic had started moving from the other side of the cross roads.

It was too late for any cyclists to do anything, other than try not to hit her and by some miracle of fate, no-one did, but we all nearly piled into each other, whilst going around her.

I had to get off, I was quite shaken up.

 

[Tynan]

HC says move away when the road is clear

I don;t understand the OP, is this a cycle path thing, I avoid them like th eplague for the reason it's a almost always a narrow path with either oncoming cyclists or peds, not safe imho