Told off by a Transit van driver....

[Sheffield_Tiger]

Well, there I am minding my own business whern down comes the window and the van driver shouts across at me...

Heading round the Inner Ring Road here I always move into the outside lane in plenty of time, before the sweeping bend so as to maximise both my view behind before moving out and also maximise my visibility, before moving into the bus/cycle filter lane a little ahead

It's a slight downhill and usuually sheltered or wind slightly in favour so it's not too bad, though being a D/C most drivers assume incorrectly a 40mph limit (or drive at 40 because "it ought to be")

As I pull into the filter lane after the bend and slow for the lights the van pulls alongside me

"You were speeding at 32!" he mock-chastises, with a grin on his face.

"Nice one" I reply and it cheered me up from the usual routine of being close-undertook as teaching me a lesson for not being in the cycle lane on the left gutter, so it inspired me to put the hammer down a bit for the rest of the ride home.

Why can't all interactions between van drivers and cyclists be like that, eh?

 

[gaz]

Only the other day i was told by a passenger in a van that i should 'get out of the f***ing road' when i was keeping up with the traffic in front of me.
Unfortunately it seems that the intelligence of most of the van occupants are around the same as a monkey.

 

[BlackPanther]

Only the other day i was told by a passenger in a van that i should 'get out of the f***ing road' when i was keeping up with the traffic in front of me.

You may have been keeping up, but all people think is "I see a bike in front....I must get around him". They don't look any further and see the slow traffic in front. I wish I had a £1 for every time someone overtook me, just for me to over take them within 10 seconds. Same applies when I'm in the lorry. They go into 'Mustn't be late, mustn't be late.' mode.

 

[szygy]

It is important to remember that stereotypes are shortcuts thinking about other people. A few months ago, a red convertible BMW pulled up next to me and the guy shouted 'your rear skewer's not done up', and drove off responsibly. Thanks BMW man. Drivers are people and come in all shades and flavours.

 

[dellzeqq]

Only the other day i was told by a passenger in a van that i should 'get out of the f***ing road' when i was keeping up with the traffic in front of me.
Unfortunately it seems that the intelligence of most of the van occupants are around the same as a monkey.

was this your place or mine?

 

[gaz]

was this your place or mine?

mine.

 

[Bird Brain]

mine.

What red flasher are you using on the back?

something i really hate, and i still cant believe they are legal.

bloody flashing front and back cycle lights, there bloody anoying and distracting. how the front light is supposed to provide the cyclist adiquite lighting to see is beyound me.


Strange comment.

 

[gaz]

What red flasher are you using on the back?

something i really hate, and i still cant believe they are legal.

bloody flashing front and back cycle lights, there bloody anoying and distracting. how the front light is supposed to provide the cyclist adiquite lighting to see is beyound me.


Strange comment.

Magicshine MJ-818. I only use it on flash if it's going to be bad lighting conditions, rain/snow/fog.

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

Well, I thought it was nice to have a bit of good-natured banter with a van driver, and both of us make our way onwards smiling.

You lot can discuss the merits of flashing lights all you lik

I just appreciate the rarity of a maligned breed (Transit driver) having a laugh with me and making the end of what was a stressful day, that much nicer.

 

[gaz]

I had one van driver shout something about my camera, and i shouted something back in jest. We both had a good chuckle.
It's nice when you can have a laugh with the other road users.

 

[skudupnorth]

I had a "Go on lad" as i rode in the snow,small things like that do make the ride worthwhile

 

[semislickstick]

Magicshine MJ-818. I only use it on flash if it's going to be bad lighting conditions, rain/snow/fog.

But don't you have a video of you pulling over because someone behind has a powerful flashing light?
I think the more powerful ones are getting anti social.

 

[gaz]

But don't you have a video of you pulling over because someone behind has a powerful flashing light?
I think the more powerful ones are getting anti social.

There where two reasons why i pulled over in that case.

1. His light was pointing up, not down or horizontal. So every time i turned around i had his light shining straight in my eye.

2. The flashing pattern was awful, a strobe effect, this meant that you could see nothing at all between the flashes.

Where as my light (a rear one compared to his forward one)

1. Points down at the ground behind me, the main beam of focused light is aimed several meters behind my rear wheel, so that it doesn't shine in anyone's eyes but it makes a big impact on the road.

2. I rarely use it on flashing, mostly on steady. When it is on flashing the pattern rotates. It does around 30 seconds of a flash every second (about that) and then does about 30 seconds where it does 3 bursts over about a second with a second pause. Due to it aiming at the ground this shouldn't blind anyone.

 

[johnr]

Well, I thought it was nice to have a bit of good-natured banter with a van driver, and both of us make our way onwards smiling.

You lot can discuss the merits of flashing lights all you lik

I just appreciate the rarity of a maligned breed (Transit driver) having a laugh with me and making the end of what was a stressful day, that much nicer.

I'm with you on that. A lot of the white vans on my commute come out in the top third of polite drivers. I've noticed that a lot of drivers have stopped trying to overtake me on the windy downhill bit of my commute - they've no doubt been following you and expect those speeds from all cyclists.

It's nice to be nice (as the psychotic, mass murdering character in an Elmore Leonard book used to say)