un-effing-believeable

[nasserblue]

My daily commute has been much reduced recently because of injury, currently doing a mile before and after a tube journey.... And not pushing it, just tootling along.

Last island before turning into work, opens out into a two lane dual carriage way, loads of room, for me in a secondary position and for anyone to over take me. Unless you are a chauffeur driving a Mercedes, in which case you cut the corner to get as close as possible to the cyclist, so close in fact your rear inside tyre brushes against their foot!!!!

Queue a torrent of pointless abuse from me. What I should have been doing was smashing my right hand on his roof and noting his registration.

 

[gavintc]

I often wish that I was quick enough to strike out at the car. But, I am usually stunned with shock and have only regained composure once the car/van etc is now moving rapidly away.

 

[nasserblue]

I'll be ready next time... at the very worst I'll have their registration.

 

[Crankarm]

He's behind you!!!! Look around more frequently which buys you more space. Alternatively get a helmet cam.

 

[jonny jeez]

My daily commute has been much reduced recently because of injury, currently doing a mile before and after a tube journey.... And not pushing it, just tootling along.

are you using a Boris Bike for that?...I'm interested to see if it works for commuters

 

[Tynan]

you can't look at every vehicle that passes you, you can however wobble and zigzag a bit

I'd strongly advise against hitting cars, too many drivers treat that as equivalent to hitting their wife, never mind it might have you off

 

[Debian]

you can't look at every vehicle that passes you, you can however wobble and zigzag a bit

I'd strongly advise against hitting cars, too many drivers treat that as equivalent to hitting their wife, never mind it might have you off

I second this point of view.

 

[PpPete]

Hitting-out only creates noise....

Fending-off, on the other hand, especially if you just happen to have a small square of emery cloth sewn onto a strategic spot of your glove......

Seriously though... get a mirror, take primary, be prepared to move temporarily into secondary if vehicle coming up behind appears to be: too close/ too fast/ too wide/ too german

 

[nasserblue]

You do know it's quite patronising to tell someone to look behind them more often...

Let's see it comes something like this in the space of 100 yards...
Approach ped lights, look either side for peds, look behind see taxi
Cross ped lights, approach blind right hander (all one way), look behind taxi overtakes, see merc
Take right bend, road narrows because of vehicle unloading, prepare for zebra crossing, merc overtakes look behind, clear
Filter down past, merc and taxi, while crossing ped crossing, brake for blind roundabout, look right waiting for impending daylight
Nothing coming enter roundabout, overtaken by taxi, look behind undertaken by taxi entered roundabou...


Oh feck I'm bored now, thousands of hazards, hundreds of things to think about, finally got to the safe bit of dual carriageway and the merc re-takes me cutting the corner of the exit from the roundabout. Short of bunny hoping onto the kerb, I couldn't avoid him...

Sometimes we have to accept that no amount of watchfulness on our part will account for the stupidity of other road users...

 

[gaz]

So you don't like looking back often.
Why don't you cycle on the wrong side of the road? Then all the hazards are ahead of you

 

[Crankarm]

So you don't like looking back often.
Why don't you cycle on the wrong side of the road? Then all the hazards are ahead of you

LoL!!! Tea all over keyboard and computer, came out nose as well ............. yuk.

BTW I have seen quite a few POBSOs doing this, generally at night, dressed in black with no lights.

 

[upsidedown]

'too german' love it porkypete !

 

[Jaguar]

You do know it's quite patronising to tell someone to look behind them more often... Sometimes we have to accept that no amount of watchfulness on our part will account for the stupidity of other road users...

I agree with you.
In traffic, if you're looking behind, you aren't looking ahead at the pedestrians jumping out.

I mostly ride on B roads if I can (there's a few round me) and they are the worst for drivers passing too close. The most effective deterrant I've found, is to put my garden fork across the rear rack

(or a length of dead alexander plant: 5 foot long, weighs nothing, looks sharp and spiky)

 

[Downward]

The guy infront of me got clipped by a vans wing mirror - He was calm, I would have punched the van.

 

[dave coe]

Hitting-out only creates noise....

Fending-off, on the other hand, especially if you just happen to have a small square of emery cloth sewn onto a strategic spot of your glove......

Seriously though... get a mirror, take primary, be prepared to move temporarily into secondary if vehicle coming up behind appears to be: too close/ too fast/ too wide/ too german

how about squeezy bottle with brake fluid?