Very close police car overtake...

[BentMikey]

You're conveniently ignoring how much space there was to the right of the police car - miles from the oncoming traffic, you could have fit a bus and a half in there. It was 'kin stupid to come that close, inexcusable driving that is all. The other cars managed to overtake just fine. It was close enough to make me jink and lean a little more left as he passed and caused me to cack myself, well figuratively anyway.

You lot who are arguing that the overtake was fine are displaying p1$$ poor empathy. If someone did that to your nearest and dearest, you wouldn't be playing devils advocate that's for sure.

All he had to do was place his offside wheels near the dotted line like the other cars did, and it would have been a perfectly fine overtake, no risks from the oncoming traffic, and no risk to me either.

 

[CopperBrompton]

There was space to the right if the oncoming traffic behaved.

As I say, I'd have been happy if it had happened to me, but you clearly aren't happy that it happened to you, so in that case I would bring it to the attention of the police force concerned.

 

[BentMikey]

There was space to the right if the oncoming traffic behaved.

As I say, I'd have been happy if it had happened to me, but you clearly aren't happy that it happened to you, so in that case I would bring it to the attention of the police force concerned.

Rubbish. There was *LOADS* of space to the right - he wouldn't have had to go anywhere near the oncoming traffic to give me enough room. It didn't even matter where in their lane the oncoming traffic was, there was so much room. Wait till you see the other cars in the new upload, and then you'll realise you're talking tosh here.

Also rubbish on you being OK with that overtake - if you'd been there you too would have shat yourself. You can see me flinch left in the video.

The new version is uploading at the moment, btw. It'll take a while, as the only way I got around the problem is to render it as DVI.

 

[CopperBrompton]

Well, we'll agree to disagree on my own feelings about it, I think. :-)

 

[MacB]

BM, I think you have one distinct problem with your video. There's a total lack of high pitched, squeaky voiced, terror. Perhaps if you were to edit that in you might get taken more seriously by the authorities. It seems to have worked for another camera cam man.

 

[BentMikey]

OK, new video is up:

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXnH8hjjgbw



Ben, I'll prove you're talking rubbish. I want, in all seriousness, for you to meet me with your wife/kids/mother, and get them to stand in the road in same the position my bike was in. Let me then drive past with exactly the same clearance as that police car at the same guestimated 45mph. If you're not willing to do this for real, with a CC'er videoing their and your expressions, then it's obvious you're talking b0ll0cks.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

i have to say that us in manchester are used to them sort of gaps as they are part n parcel of our daily commutes. sure it was close, but bendy buses get that close all the time. if however you are not used to that type of passing, i can see how it would make you nervous.

 

[BentMikey]

Oh come on, this is London, I'm sure the driving is far more pressured here than in Manchester. I get an overtake that close less than once every 50-100 commutes, so at a rough guess that's a 1 in many thousands event.

 

[TWBNK]

I would complain or perhaps see if the police would take a copy of the video for training purposes. Personally I would have passed you with a lot more space, but then I only drive the big yellow things. It seems there was plenty of room for a safer overtake.

 

[dondare]

Much too close.

 

[lit]

Much too close.

+1 Even more so at the speed he was doing and the special training he will have recieved.

The fact the lady passing looked backed speaks volumes too (though she could have just been looking at your recumbent, not sure).

 

[TWBNK]

What I saw from the video was an alert cyclist with excellent road-sense spotting the police car in his mirrors a long way ahead, choosing a very sensible place to stop (a long way before the island) and leaning a considerable distance in the direction of the pavement. My assessment of that would be that the likelihood of him falling away from his direction of lean into the road was vanishingly close to zero, while the chances of the oncoming traffic doing something unpredictable was considerably more likely.

If the cyclist wasn't a hazard and the oncoming traffic was more of a hazard then perhaps the best place for the police car to be positioned would be further out, allowing emerging traffic from the junction an earlier view, and maybe influencing their decision of whether or not to pull out.

 

[Vikeonabike]

PM Sent BM

 

[hackbike 666]

i have to say that us in manchester are used to them sort of gaps as they are part n parcel of our daily commutes. sure it was close, but bendy buses get that close all the time. if however you are not used to that type of passing, i can see how it would make you nervous.

Bendy Buses are like slugs on wheels...the biggest worry with them is when they pull in.

 

[CopperBrompton]

Let me then drive past with exactly the same clearance as that police car at the same guestimated 45mph.

Are you a Class 1 police driver, as I imagine your driver was? If so, you're on.