This mornings idiot

[Cab]

Arrived at edge of Cambridge, light was green, turned left into Magdelene Street.

Immediately around the corner a white van in front of me indicates left to park in an on-pavement loading bay (at least I think thats what you call it - he's straddling the pavement). I continue around him, see a car ahead.

Now... The signs and road markings are clear. Says 'give way to oncoming traffic' where he's sitting. Or, in other words, I have priority the way I'm going.

I didn't fancy the gap between him and the bollards, the room for error is too small, so I did what I consider to be safer; first, I held a hand up to warn him (you can see that in the footage maybe), second, I stopped.

You can't see him scowling at me, nor can you see his scowl turn to a look of bored acceptance and an agreeing nod when I tell him for the second time (after telling him he's going on youtube) that he has to give way there.

I could have stopped and waited for him to come past me, not entering the narrow part, but I had priority, and to just stop there wouldn't necessarily be any safer. I don't claim to have handled this brilliantly, but run-ins with motorists who don't believe that the road signs apply to them when they're only accelerating head first towards cyclists are pretty much normal on that stretch of road.

Footage here:

View: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=fM7WQc9E9Eg

 

[Riding in Circles]

You militant.

 

[beanzontoast]

What it shows is that some motorists don't regard cyclists as traffic. Because many cyclists cycle way over to the left, motorists think there's room to pass them whenever they meet one.

You were pretty forceful in telling him what he'd done wrong - just an observation, not being critical.

 

[spindrift]

There seemed to be a fair amount of room for you, maybe the video distorts.

 

[Cab]

You were pretty forceful in telling him what he'd done wrong - just an observation, not being critical.

Loud but polite, I think. That was the goal. You can't be sure how well the person in the car can hear you, so I aimed for a clear but reasonably polite tone. Did I strike that note?

 

[Cab]

There seemed to be a fair amount of room for you, maybe the video distorts.

Theres room to pass a car like that there with, say, eleven inches to spare on my left (between me and the bollards) and eleven inches on my right (assuming he's practically skimming the bollards on the other side with his wing mirror). There are pedestrian entrances on either side (college gateways and shops), meaning that peds often step right up to the edge of the road with little or no warning, so you cannot responsibly kerb skim on either side. Thats why, maybe eight years ago, the road layout was changed such that there is only one stream of traffic at a time. Or, in other words, there is theoretically space to pass there, but in practical terms it is dangerous to do so. And this priority is clearly signposted.

 

[beanzontoast]

Loud but polite, I think. That was the goal. You can't be sure how well the person in the car can hear you, so I aimed for a clear but reasonably polite tone. Did I strike that note?

I think so. If I'd been the driver, I'd have got the message anyway!

 

[Notsoblue]

Hmm, I don't know if I'm just too used to squeezing round traffic in central London every morning, but it did look like you had alot of space there mate. Perhaps the video distorts, but I don't think I would have found that to be a problem.

 

[spindrift]

I dream of eleven inches.

Errr, hang on, I didn't mean...

If I filter in London I seem unconsciously to know my bar clearance and often get through gaps in (stationary) traffic with much less clearance, or between railings and a vehicle.

 

[mr_cellophane]

As the other cyclist got through OK, I bet he was a bit pissed with you ;-)

 

[HLaB]

I can't see the video (youtube is blocked) but my faith (or lack of faith) in the British wa restored last night. Cycling down Dundas St, Edinburgh (it quite a steep downhill), I'm doing around 25mph + and a muppet decides to pull out of a parking space and pull accross my lane. I was in the primary so I was OK. After a quick check over my sholder I pulled into the outside lane, he then proceeded to do it again.
At the lights a roadie pulled up who had seen the whole thing and he couldn't believe it.

 

[magnatom]

Mmm. It's a tricky one that. You are of course in the right, legally speaking and he should have stopped. You are probably in the right morally speaking as well, i.e. any decent driver who doesn't suffer from save 10 second syndrome, would probably see you coming and wait.

However, from the safety point of view I think the risk to you is very low as the speeds of both yourself and the driver appear to be low. There are occasions where I have cycled that close to oncoming traffic at that sort of speed and felt safe and happy.

THis would have been one of those rare occasions where I might have stared at the driver but not said anything....

 

[Cab]

I dream of eleven inches.

Errr, hang on, I didn't mean...

If I filter in London I seem unconsciously to know my bar clearance and often get through gaps in (stationary) traffic with much less clearance, or between railings and a vehicle.

Between stationary traffic, or even if theres a railing and a slow moving vehicle to my right, then such filtering may be okay... But with an oncoming vehicle and bollards/pedestrians on the left, I'm not happy to filter in that gap there. And the design and labelled use of the road backs me up.

 

[magnatom]

I should add that I have based this on my perception of the space available. You were there cab and the camera does sometimes lie.....

 

[Cab]

However, from the safety point of view I think the risk to you is very low as the speeds of both yourself and the driver appear to be low. There are occasions where I have cycled that close to oncoming traffic at that sort of speed and felt safe and happy.

Remember that the driver had ample time to see me coming, and that I'd held my hand up in front of me with a very obvious 'stop' gesture. Imagine a similar scenario where I've scooted towards the bollards and not gestured to the oncoming motorist to slow down. What happens then is that they're accelerating at a really rather frightening speed, and you're filtering with pedestrians/bollards inches to your left and an accelerating car right at you/inches to your right. Thats why when this happens I choose not to be thus gutterised, instead I'll stop the traffic dead and move down the side of a now static (but oddly angry) motorist.