Was actually a motorist cursing a cyclist this morning :(

[sadjack]

it avoids confusion if we just to stick to the rules.

I'm with snorri on this. In most cases if you stick to the rules on who has priority there is no misunderstanding.

 

[magnatom]

Is what I would usually do, agreed, but I don't know the road or the circumstances - there could be oncoming traffic or not enough space or ...

However, if a car in front of me was indicating left and I could see the driver looking over his shoulder making strange gestures, I'm pretty sure I would stop behind it as well. I would have a great deal of uncertainty about what the driver was actually intending/meaning, enough so that stopping would probably be the safest....

 

[Plague]

Ok - to clarify, you have to remember that this was happening quickly - its I could have turned and that would have caused him to have to stop very suddenly and possibly cause an accident, he was quite close at that point - it was, to me at least anyway, obvious that I had stopped my turn to let him passed. I wasnt just a car sat at a set of lights indicating as though someone who has just dithered and may or may not turn.

By the way, to those that know Lancaster, yes it is the left turn at the Waterstones just before you get to the station. Theres a large cycle lane there as well.

There was no way he couldnt have known that I had a) seen him and stopped so as to avoid causing him to stop was letting him through (the road was empty, so I was happy to wait till he had passed and then turn).

In all probability I wouldnt have swerved in front of him, im not that reckless, though I was absolutely livid, my blood was literally boiling that he could have the audacity to have a go at me when I thought I had acted safely and was being considerate to him. Im not used to receiving abuse in any sense and I will quite happily stand my corner if challenged. Otherwise live and let live.

I will however look out for him again and have some very firm, polite words as to how he can improve himself as a human being and if he ever gets upity with me again, he can expect a retort in kind.

 

[Arch]

In all probability I wouldnt have swerved in front of him, im not that reckless, though I was absolutely livid, my blood was literally boiling that he could have the audacity to have a go at me when I thought I had acted safely and was being considerate to him. Im not used to receiving abuse in any sense and I will quite happily stand my corner if challenged. Otherwise live and let live.

Then you need to calm down a bit. It's not worth getting that annoyed about. I had a guy in a van shout at me yesterday - "get over to the side of the road you muppet" I just sat behind him, a few yards later as we queued behind the same bus at the same traffic lights, and amused myself thinking that he was the muppet, and in fact had a hairstyle to match. I could have cycled up to his window and had a go, but I didn't bother. I could possibly have opened the rear door of his van, but I couldn't be sure of a get out route.

I suspect that if you'd turned, he'd have already been planning to pull out round you. Your change of plan probably upset his plan. You meant well, but this time, it just didn't work out.

 

[Spinney]

By the way, to those that know Lancaster, yes it is the left turn at the Waterstones just before you get to the station. Theres a large cycle lane there as well.

And the main road there is one-way, so there would be no on-coming traffic for him to have to take into account when overtaking. And the road ahead shortly goes downhill, so it's not like he lost a load of momentum just before having to go up a hill!

Sounds like a misunderstanding may have occurred, but there was no reason for abuse.

 

[jonny jeez]

70% cyclist error 30% driver.

Cyclist showed poor observation to be rushing up on the left behind a vehicle that is turning left, he/she should have seen the indicator, been in primary if not out to the right and anticipating a slow left from the driver, so the cyclist would pass by on the right without issue.

Plus, to an observant driver a cyclist rushing towards the rear left of a vehicle, when that vehicle is indicating to turn left would suggest that the cyclist has missed the indicator and is planning to undertake (poor skills either way...undertaking and undertaking on a left junction)

As for the Driver, you did not remain predictable...always remain predictable. Stopping to let people break the rules (however well meant) WILL cause a disaster

Also, How can anyone but you now what YOU are thinking, I would have ignored your hand gestures and "over the shoulder looks" and gone around you regardless

All very easy to say when i have hours to consider a reply, but that's what these lessons give us, the ability not to do the same thing again and react accordingly without having to pause for thought next time.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

I would have been very confused if I had been that cyclist.
Good manners are usually appreciated but on the road it avoids confusion if we just to stick to the rules.

Yep. The OP is a classic case of misplaced courtesy.

 

[Mark_Robson]

The whole incident was a lack of understanding of the others intentions and the cyclist probably thought that you were playing silly buggers. I would accept that your good intentions backfired and move on.

 

[Alien8]

I was absolutely livid, my blood was literally boiling that he could have the audacity to have a go at me when I thought I had acted safely and was being considerate to him.

There is a big difference between acting safety and being considerate.

If you thought, whether misjudged or not, that if you made the turn you could take out the cyclist then stopping was the right thing to do.

If you thought you were being considerate then you were wrong.

I regularly find people being considerate, especially waiting to my right at mini-roundabouts. Waving me on, thinking they are doing me a favour, whilst I've come to a virtual standstill thinking what the 'eck are they up to?

 

[Rhythm Thief]

It does seem very odd to be quite so annoyed about this. SO you got some words mouthed at you by an intemperate cyclist. Hardly blood boiling stuff. you can put me down as another who's a bit concerned that you considered chasing after the bloke and stopping him.

 

[StuartG]

Before you share your advice with the rider PLEASE ASK HIM HOW HE SAW THE INCIDENT.

The assumption from your OP is that he thought you were at fault. You need to understand why he did so. That's more important than whether he was right or wrong. You should be able to explain why you did what you did.

It may be that it is clear misunderstanding. And misunderstandings/ambiguities kill so you are both responsible for that.

If he is a complete tosser - its another matter. But we don't know that. It might have been Crankarm <duck>having a final far flung fling</duck>

 

[Rhythm Thief]

If he is a complete tosser - its another matter. But we don't know that. It might have been Crankarm <duck>having a final far flung fling</duck>

 

[Arch]

We get similar in the works electric vehicle - top speed about 8mph. People oncoming on narrow roads with parked cars will pull in to let us through, when we know we'll take ages to get past, and we'd rather they just carried on. Obviously we don't shout at them, but they think they are doing us a favour, and we can see why they aren't (or why they might start to regret it and get impatient, and change their minds when it's dangerous to do so)

 

[Plague]

Well in any case, lessons learned. The thing that has struck me most however is that if this kind of confusion can happen (and I take the point that when in a car, stop thinking about whats best for the cyclist) at 5am when there's absolutely nothing on the road, its hardly surprising that things go wrong when the roads get busier later into the morning.

Suffice to say I wont be chasing him down - I've had my rant on here and I suppose thats the best place to do it

 

[BentMikey]

It's very easy to feel how another road user should obviously understand what we mean/intend, but in real life it can be surprisingly hard to convey what we mean, even with multiple repeat full sentences of words.

I tend to view my own actions and thought process as a failure when I lose the plot and get angry with another road user. No matter what they did, it's my own fault I allowed myself to get angry.