Tosspots on my Travels

[Nigel-YZ1]

My last ride on the roadie: Dead straight 60 limit downhill going 30mph, two cars coming up towards me.
Car behind pulls out to overtake head-on to me, probably going 70+. He goes underneath my waving arm 12 inches from my bars.

Road bike has been in the shed since. It's not worth it.

 

[Bromptonaut]

Yesterday, local village. I'm in the car and there's a cyclist in front of me. Road bike and all the kit, good position and doing 25mph on a downgrade. Thirty limit.

Ahead, over next quarter mile, there is a chicane, parked cars by pub then church and two ninety degree bends the second of which leads onto a narrow bridge over the Nene. It's a no-brainer to stay behind the cyclist until after river when road opens out.

No, Mr Quashqi behind has to drive inches from my bumper and the minute we're over the bridge indicate to overtake. At that point of course I can safely pass the now climbing cyclist so floor it and leave Quashqi Man standing.

Utter Twonk.

 

[freewheelwilly]

Yesterday, local village. I'm in the car and there's a cyclist in front of me. Road bike and all the kit, good position and doing 25mph on a downgrade. Thirty limit.

Ahead, over next quarter mile, there is a chicane, parked cars by pub then church and two ninety degree bends the second of which leads onto a narrow bridge over the Nene. It's a no-brainer to stay behind the cyclist until after river when road opens out.

No, Mr Quashqi behind has to drive inches from my bumper and the minute we're over the bridge indicate to overtake. At that point of course I can safely pass the now climbing cyclist so floor it and leave Quashqi Man standing.

Utter Twonk.

Crikey! and on a Brompton!!!!

 

[sabian92]

My last ride on the roadie: Dead straight 60 limit downhill going 30mph, two cars coming up towards me.
Car behind pulls out to overtake head-on to me, probably going 70+. He goes underneath my waving arm 12 inches from my bars.

Road bike has been in the shed since. It's not worth it.

Good Lord, that sounds terrifying. People don't see what is there, only what they want to see (which is a nice empty road).

Did you report him to the Police?

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

Good Lord, that sounds terrifying. People don't see what is there, only what they want to see (which is a nice empty road).

Did you report him to the Police?

Wish I could, but I couldn't even think of the make of car, registration or anything.

 

[sabian92]

Wish I could, but I couldn't even think of the make of car, registration or anything.

Shame, people like him should be banned for life. It doesn't warrant thinking about if he hit you head on.

 

[dhd.evans]

Also add: The rude cyclist.

There is a chap on my route that i pass coming toward me every morning. Middle-aged guy on a mountain bike, stomps at the pedals with his knees out at angles, lycra-clad and kitted out. I make a point of saying 'good morning' to everyone on my route because i see them every morning. It's just pleasant.

I used to say hello to this guy but he would just look at me and never respond. Not even a nod of the head to acknowledge that, yes, there are other people who cycle on this route. Nope.

So, yes. The Rude Cyclist.

Also, in other news, got clipped by a WVM this morning. Parked cars on his side of road i was already halfway past the line of vehicles he pulls out and drives right down the road. Hand on wing mirror, hand on rear of van. Positively atrocious driving but managed to stay upright. I love my commute sometimes

 

[Electric_Andy]

I feel quite lucky, as most of my "encounters" are annoying rather than ddangerous, but of course there is a very fine line between these.
Latest one: it was raining and i was turning right behind a car who was doing the same. A woman with a large hood up looked to her left, assumed there was nothing esle behind the car (probably blind-spotted by her giant hood) and stepped right out in front of me. Luckily I saw what was coming and slowed a bit beforehand.
Last week: Riding in primary, Plymouth city bus barges through with about 12 inches to spare, then cuts in far too quickly becasue they want to pull into the bus stop 20 YARDS AHEAD! I slow up and talk/shout in the drivers window but they aren;t listening, so i ride off. The driver then shouts at me somehting like "I didn't hear what you said". They then overtake me again leaving a gap of around 8 miles, so obviously felt guilty about their previous maneuvre.
Having cycled to and from work 5 days/week for the last 6 months, I'm starting to enjoy it less and less due to the idiocy and uncaring nature of other road users.

 

[Arjimlad]

The things one sees when one is without one's rocket-propelled grenade !

I'm fortunate to be able to choose a semi-rural commute, less traffic etc. The worst I seem to get is the occasional close pass.

 

[Nigeyy]

I'm lucky in that a lot of my commute is off road or on very little used side roads. But I'll add (similar to someone posted, but it's not traffic lights for me):

The-must-overtake-cyclists-at-all-costs-driver who somehow thinks they'll save a huge, huge amount of time by trying to overtake you when you're literally within 30 feet or so coming up to a junction with a stop sign. I ride a strong primary to avoid this, but even so, I know there have been drivers who seem quite intent on doing this. I just don't get it: (i) I don't want to get squeezed when they panic after realizing they are on the wrong side of the road coming up to a blind junction, and (ii) I know I'm taking a turn and really don't want to be hooked thank you very much as they breeze through a stop sign after forcing me to the side.

It's almost like all their mental capability is suspended just for those last few feet of a road..... Though I wouldn't do it, I'd love to ask their reasoning for it. I guess I'd just get a blank face back and a monosyllabic "must.... overtake.... cyclists.... at ... all... costs...."

 

[Matthew_T]

Last week: Riding in primary, Plymouth city bus barges through with about 12 inches to spare, then cuts in far too quickly becasue they want to pull into the bus stop 20 YARDS AHEAD! I slow up and talk/shout in the drivers window but they aren;t listening, so i ride off. The driver then shouts at me somehting like "I didn't hear what you said". They then overtake me again leaving a gap of around 8 miles, so obviously felt guilty about their previous maneuvre.

I had an incident like this with a bus driver.

I overtook another cyclist and the bus overtook me at the same time. He obviously misjudged my speed because he was forced to cut in at the pinch point ahead, causing me to brake.
At the next bus stop where he had inevitably stopped, I just glared at him as I passed.

A few miles down the road, he overtook me and even went on the other side of the road (middle was a lane with hatchings on it). I remember saying to myself "That was much better, try and do that the first time eh?" (He didnt hear me and I was behind the bus when I said it).

 

[dhd.evans]

I'm lucky in that a lot of my commute is off road or on very little used side roads. But I'll add (similar to someone posted, but it's not traffic lights for me):

The-must-overtake-cyclists-at-all-costs-driver who somehow thinks they'll save a huge, huge amount of time by trying to overtake you when you're literally within 30 feet or so coming up to a junction with a stop sign. I ride a strong primary to avoid this, but even so, I know there have been drivers who seem quite intent on doing this. I just don't get it: (i) I don't want to get squeezed when they panic after realizing they are on the wrong side of the road coming up to a blind junction, and (ii) I know I'm taking a turn and really don't want to be hooked thank you very much as they breeze through a stop sign after forcing me to the side.

It's almost like all their mental capability is suspended just for those last few feet of a road..... Though I wouldn't do it, I'd love to ask their reasoning for it. I guess I'd just get a blank face back and a monosyllabic "must.... overtake.... cyclists.... at ... all... costs...."

I'd love to start a new cycling campaign: "You wouldn't do it to a motorist... would you?". These incidents stem from a complete lack of respect for cyclists, not other road users (I'd argue). I doubt any of these drivers would do the same to a 12 tonne arctic lorry. So why is it acceptable to do it to a 90 kilo cyclist?

 

[J.Primus]

My worst ever has to be when I was cycling home from work along New North Road just past Old St Roundabout. There is a woman in a car that has just overtaken me so only a small distance between the two of us. Suddenly a policecar turns it's siren on, without checking she immediately swerves to the left and slams her brakes on coming to a complete stop. I hit the bumper, straight of the bike, headfirst into the rear window with the rest of me hitting the car below the window.

She jumps out of the car saying "It's not my fault, I didn't see you!" luckily I'm fine and so's the bike as pretty much all the momentum was tranferred to me when the back of the bike flipped up as I took off. The car however is a right mess as I'm quite a large rugby player type and have smashed the bumper, dented the bodywork where my knee hit it and smashed the rear window.

The really good part is the police car drove past about 90 seconds later as it wasn't even visible or nearby when she did it!

Still makes me nervous when I hear sirens now as you never quite know how motorists are going to react to it.

 

[gambatte]

My last ride on the roadie: Dead straight 60 limit downhill going 30mph, two cars coming up towards me.
Car behind pulls out to overtake head-on to me, probably going 70+. He goes underneath my waving arm 12 inches from my bars.

Road bike has been in the shed since. It's not worth it.

Hmmm.....
Wouldn't have been the main road from Dalton to Doncaster, past the country park?

 

[Leodis]

When passing cyclists coming the oppo way I always give a INR, most times I get one back but the odd times with a nodder you get the blank look of despair in their eyes...

My pet hate are the state of the roads I use.