Was I dangerous? honest opinions please

[creaky]

Hi
I'm new and fairly nervous at cycling. I have just started cycling to the school I work at. As I join a major road the cars are usually all stuck in traffic streching beyond the road I'm coming from because of traffic lights at the cross roads. I usually come off the bike when I get to the traffic queue, walk on the pavement and turn the corner where the crossroads are located and walk to the zebra crossing on the left of the crossroads, just before I got to the crossing today I went back on my bike and crossed the road as the road was clear both ways and the traffic was still waiting for the lights to change. I joined the road ahead where the queing cars were all heading at the same moment the lights changed. I made sure the car in front saw me before entering the road ahead. The cars behind were a bit annoyed because it meant they had to slow down. Anyway it seemed safe imo. when I got further down the road a car stopped , wound down the mirror and a women screamed at me saying that I was going to get myself killed etc. She was one of the parents at the school, it was mortifying. Can anyone tell me whether from my desciption it appeared that I have cycled dangerously? if so can you suggest a safer way of getting passed queing cars at cross roads when you can't join them at the end without backtracking ? Thanks

 

[Hip Priest]

I must admit, I find it hard to follow descriptions of incidents, but I can't see any major red flags that you were excessively dangerous.

 

[growingvegetables]

Any chance of posting the googlemap of the junction? Doesn't read like you did anything daft - but hard to visualise (unlike my vision of parent-car-schoolrun-screaming-idiot )

 

[creaky]

 

[The Brewer]

It sounds like you were okay, but stuff like this happens everyday, just let it pass and not dwell on it to much.....I know easier said than done.

 

[4F]

No I wouldn't say so, she was probably inconvenienced by a nano second and felt she had to vent her fury. Welcome to cycle commuting.

 

[creaky]

This is what the crossroads look like. When the cars were queing at the lights (BOTTOM RIGHT) I came off my bike and went around the corner on the pavement until the zebra crossiing on the high street to the right. The roads were clear so I crossed over to the otherside of the high street I then reached the crossroads again. The lights turned. I believed I had enough time to join wargrave road before the cars crossed over, I did check to see that the car behind saw me before joining wargrave road and he slowed slightly to let me in.

 

[growingvegetables]

Gotcha, I think. Fwiw? If anybody should be mortified, should the the parent/driver for being such an impatient, bad-mannered, intemperate prat, not you.

 

[Miquel In De Rain]

At least you are concerned whether you are dangerous,which probably makes you a good cyclist.

 

[MrJamie]

Sounds fine, maybe she mistakenly thought you forced the car to slow down

 

[Mapster5]

Wouldn't worry about it I got beeped at the other day on a sportive going round a roundabout and it was my right of way motorists (who don't cycle) seem to think they have more right to be on the road

 

[ufkacbln]

Just smile!

I have one at work, who is anti- cyclist, and used to Have a regular dig, particularly about cyclists holding him up at junctions

Then one morning he drove his car past me in the outside lane, cut across the inside lane and cycle lane, through a red light and sped up a clearly marked 10 mph access road without slowing down.

Next time he had a go, I simply crossed to the PC in the staff room, and put the video up, asking for a general opinion of the driving in the video, as it was what cyclists had to put up with every day.

He hasn't uttered a word since!

 

[sidevalve]

The only possible reason is if you set off after the lights had changed, and in effect pulled out into the flow of traffic,from a red light, [vehicular terms but the point is still valid]. As you say the first vehicle allowed you in I suspect the person involved was further down the queue and may have either A - as MrJamie says, thought you forced the first car to slow or B - just ignored a red light. She may simply have been trying to stop you doing what, from her perspective, was a very stupid thing, again, after all, be honest, how clear was it that you wern't going to try and dodge your way across the junction ? It's easy to blame someone else for being an impatient fool, but look in a mirror and try to see how your actions looked. Were you in danger, no, were you stupid, no, did you do anything wrong, not really, could it have seemed that you were doing something very stupid, well possibly. Best just to let it go no point getting wound up over what may have been a simple misunderstanding.

 

[al78]

Just smile!

I have one at work, who is anti- cyclist, and used to Have a regular dig, particularly about cyclists holding him up at junctions

Then one morning he drove his car past me in the outside lane, cut across the inside lane and cycle lane, through a red light and sped up a clearly marked 10 mph access road without slowing down.

Next time he had a go, I simply crossed to the PC in the staff room, and put the video up, asking for a general opinion of the driving in the video, as it was what cyclists had to put up with every day.

He hasn't uttered a word since!

Fantastic! Some of us can only dream of doing putdowns like that.

 

[Sandra6]

I don't know if I'm following but it sounds as though you got back onto the road just as the cars started to drive towards you - which I would consider dangerous. But maybe I read it wrong.
That said, if you never put yourself and your bike between an open road and a car you'd never cycle anywhere.
I turned a corner and onto another road as a car was approaching - absolutely safe distance between us - but the driver still yelled at me. some people just like to yell.