Well that didn't take long (rant)

[Morrisette]

Second commute of the year and someone tries to take me out overtaking me tight to the curb as I'm going round a corner.

Running a red light to do it I might add, as I went through on amber. Had to slam on the brake while going round a tight corner (into the village so it's not been gritted and could have been icy - Mr I-Can't-Be-Late didn't know if it was ice any more than I did, in fact I doubt he even know's it's winter). My back wheel did that skiddy thing, about 2 inches from his back wheel.

FFS, school's not even back in yet and they're already out in force driving along, eyes closed, on the phone, brain in a little box in the glove compartment.

Happy new year!!

 

[domtyler]

Hate to say it, but were you in primary position?

 

[Tynan]

why would he be in primary position

and you love saying it

no reason to be tight to the curb though, I'll grant that

 

[Morrisette]

I was turning left, from an advanced box thingy. You come off a cycle path onto the road for the turn, so I'm not sure if being in primary (which I take to mean being in the middle of the road) would help that much in this circumstance. It would put you in some hazard to get there from being in the cycle lane.

It wasn't me tight to the curb, it was HIM cutting the corner and forcing me into it. It's a nasty turn, it nearly doubles back on itself, plus it's downhill.

To be honest it probably wasn't that bad, it was just frustrating that it only took 1 day!!! I saw him speeding off through the village cutting up a car driver at a build-out traffic calming thing as well, so I don't think it was personal. He's just an idiot.

 

[BentMikey]

Unlucky, my sympathies! What you describe does sound like a good case for not using that cycle path? Could you put in a google maps link for us to take a look at the junction?

 

[domtyler]

You can't get rid of the idiots but you can do more to stop them doing these types of things. If you had the entire lane taken so that he could not get by, he would have leant on his horn and called you a effin this that and the other, but he would not have almost killed you.

Tynan, I don't love saying, I only repeat it over and over because it is one of the only things that works, sorry correction, it is the only thing that works. Albeit at the expense of a few beeping incidents, which are infinitely favourable to the almost being taken out incidents IMO. Try it, you might like it. In fact the only reason I can think of for cyclists not protecting their own safety on the roads through taking a dominant road position and forcing motorists to acknowledge them is fear of upsetting them. If you would rather risk your health and safety than upset impatient strangers then that is your call mate. Good luck. (You'll need it!!)

 

[Cab]

I was turning left, from an advanced box thingy. You come off a cycle path onto the road for the turn, so I'm not sure if being in primary (which I take to mean being in the middle of the road) would help that much in this circumstance. It would put you in some hazard to get there from being in the cycle lane.

In which case, if I knew there was such a turn to the left coming, I probably wouldn't use the cycle path. At least, on similar stretches of road that I do use, I wouldn't use a cycle path or cyclelane if it was going to put me into a 'left hook' position.

It wasn't me tight to the curb, it was HIM cutting the corner and forcing me into it. It's a nasty turn, it nearly doubles back on itself, plus it's downhill.

To be honest it probably wasn't that bad, it was just frustrating that it only took 1 day!!! I saw him speeding off through the village cutting up a car driver at a build-out traffic calming thing as well, so I don't think it was personal. He's just an idiot.

Sounds like an unpleasant corner!

What kills cyclists is (1) not beign seen, and (2) not being given road space. Primary position at a left turn is essential for both (1) and (2).

Try it.

 

[Terminator]

You can't get rid of the idiots but you can do more to stop them doing these types of things. If you had the entire lane taken so that he could not get by, he would have leant on his horn and called you a effin this that and the other, but he would not have almost killed you.

Tynan, I don't love saying, I only repeat it over and over because it is one of the only things that works, sorry correction, it is the only thing that works. Albeit at the expense of a few beeping incidents, which are infinitely favourable to the almost being taken out incidents IMO. Try it, you might like it. In fact the only reason I can think of for cyclists not protecting their own safety on the roads through taking a dominant road position and forcing motorists to acknowledge them is fear of upsetting them. If you would rather risk your health and safety than upset impatient strangers then that is your call mate. Good luck. (You'll need it!!)

Crap.

 

[Tynan]

calm down Dom, I was idly joking, I do plenty of primary and a strong line the rest of the time, some of that behaviour as a result of this forum and the blesses Cyclecraft

I was in fact in absolute plumb primary when my last smash happened ...

I do get puzzled my people seeming to suggest that they're in primary a lot, I do it when the traffic is my speed, or if there's only room for one vehicle or there's some sort of approaching hazard that makes a dominant position essential

 

[Morrisette]

What have I started, I have to say I have not read Cyclecraft so my 'interpretation' of primary may be wrong anyway!

Here's a map. As you can see not the nicest route for cycling Not used Google maps before so hopefully this will work:
http://tiny.cc/uYyOn

The corner is the left-hand almost-hairpin to the top left of the map, after you come off the roundabout. This is a junction with the A14, the reason I am in the cycle lane. I don't tend to use them very much. In the morning there's a queue of cars coming off the roundabout and up to the junction.

It's the Histon A14 junction for people who know the area!

 

[BentMikey]

Is that the bit that turns south again and goes under the western edge of the roundabout?

 

[Morrisette]

Yes (I think) sorry my description is not very good....nor my sense of direction!

 

[BentMikey]

OK, that looks like a bit of a tough situation to cycle! I think I would want to take the middle of the road around that tight bend, and only fade left into secondary after reaching the straight.

 

[Tynan]

It doesn't excuse the driver at all but I don't think anyone has anything good to say about joining the road, even from a cycle lane

I can't work out where on that map the turn is, is the really sharp left heading north from the big roundabout?

 

[Morrisette]

I can't work out where on that map the turn is, is the really sharp left heading north from the big roundabout?

If you zoom in it's where the lettering of 'bridge road' is. The cycle lane keeps going straight on but to get to the village you veer off left and almost hairpin.