This mornings delightful gentleman...

[magnatom]

....Ok, perhaps not so delightful.


[media]

]View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyqZe5iRPWo[/media]


I am genuinely fascinated with why drivers feel such contempt for cyclists. For this 'chap' it is the fact that we hold him up, all be it for a few seconds in this case. He cannot see that the option of hanging back for a few seconds is the safest, less stressful option, for everyone.


He also feels that cyclists cause havoc on the roads, and that the fact that he has to cross the white line to overtake me risks his life. Mmmm. Perhaps it is his lack of any identifiable driving skills that risks his, and everyone else's life. But don't whatever you do suggest this to him. That would be road rage......

 

[4F]

LOL what a bufoon

 

[e-rider]

it didn't seem to be that close from the camera shot - difficult to know without being there. 5cm? 20cm? 75cm? 1m?

 

[magnatom]

it didn't seem to be that close from the camera shot - difficult to know without being there. 5cm? 20cm? 75cm? 1m?

Uuugh! You want it in metric!?

I reckon I could have touched his car as it passed. So that probably means about 50cm from my handlebars?

What made it worse was the fact that it was next to the parked cars, which at that time in the morning people do get out of.

Also his attitude at the end suggests that he did have a problem with my road position.

 

[magnatom]

I should add, I was probably cruising along at 25mph here, and the limit is 30mph.

 

[magnatom]

Actually, looking at the video I may move left slightly as he passes. I do seem closer to the cars than before he passed. I can't remember from the actual incident intending to move left though....

 

[4F]

What made it worse was the fact that it was next to the parked cars, which at that time in the morning people do get out of.

"Thats the gamble you take"

 

[magnatom]

"Thats the gamble you take"

Aye indeed!

 

[Bollo]

"Thats the gamble you take"

*Chuckle*

 

[Jezston]

"I don't give a ****"

I think that sums him up.

 

[Spinney]

This business of perceived distances is interesting. This happened to MrS a couple of weekends ago, I was cycling behind.

Narrow road - wide enough (just) for two vehicles to pass, but they have to slow right down to do it. Easily wide enough for a vehicle to pass a bike with enough space.

Bimbling along, I get overtaken with plenty of space by a minbus towing a long trailer with canoes on it.

Same minibus starts to overtake MrS in front of me when a small car comes the other way. Minibus pulls in in front of MrS to avoid the car, with the back end of the trailer coming EXTREMELY close. Difficult for me to tell how much the minibus driver could see ahead, but he shouldn't have been overtaking a bicycle if he couldn't see if the road ahead was clear.

I email the organisation whose name was on the minibus. Their reply included:
- we are cyclists ourselves so we are aware of cyclists needs
- we always keep at least the mandatory 1.5 m from cyclists when overtaking (which they did when they overtook me).

Fair enough...

But then:
- we were always a safe distance from the cyclist (i.e. MrS) (subtext, I am making a fuss about nothing)

Rubbish - they are saying that his judgement (actually being the cyclist) and mine (with a clear view ahead) was wrong, and that their judgement was right, when they would have had to judge the distance between him and the trailer by looking in the mirror, and when they were extremely unlikely to be looking in the mirror anyway because of the approaching car which they were trying to avoid.

So, even though they are supposedly cyclists themselves, the actual cyclist is still wrong...

 

[Blackandblue]

That was a good one. It's no surprise that he doesn't get the irony of stopping to discuss how you were holding him up. There's no reasoning with people like that.

 

[upsidedown]

Sums up the British public's attitude to cyclist and motorists beautifully.

'get a motor'

 

[courtenay]

What a delightful chappie he seems, didnt notice wether u got his number plate in the vid but if you did i would email the vid to the local police, simply down to his abusive nature.

 

[magnatom]

What a delightful chappie he seems, didnt notice wether u got his number plate in the vid but if you did i would email the vid to the local police, simply down to his abusive nature.

I did get the reg (it is tagged on youtube), and in some ways I would love to have someone have a word with him, but the police probably do have other things to do with their time, and whilst it would be worthwhile, it's best not to 'cry wolf' too much to the police.