Whacked a car window yesterday ... with my ring finger!

[fenlandpsychocyclist]

Cycling along at about 16mph on a mountain bike, with slicks.
Several road-width sleeping policemen to cross, not a problem on a "heavier bike" and can
maintain my speed without risk of loosing control,etc.

Just approaching 1st bump, with a woman in a peugoet starting to pass.
She slows for the bump, so doesn't get past me.
After the bump she speeds up and just as she's starting to pass again... another bump arrives and
she has to slow.
And again!
And again!

Ok, no big deal until the 5th bump, when there's a car coming the other way.
So she starts squeezing me into the kerb!!
*Whack* with the ring on my finger onto her glass ... THAT woke her up.

Have people lost the ability to accelerate when passing another road user?
When i took my driving lessons 23 years ago the instructor would always insist i imagined
cyclists were as wide as a car and give them the same passing space ... also whilst passing
he would say "and accelerate".
If that dozy woman had accelerated, there would not have been a problem.

It beggers belief how many people nowadays seem to want to pass 1 meter from my shoulder at
16.5mph when they could shift waay over to the opposite lane *as if they were overtaking a parked car*
and then safely accelerate away?

 

[byegad]

Yes I'm afraid they have lost the ability to judge speed and relative speeds. It's a common occurrence on the road leading to my house with cushions placed in relation to drain covers that mean a cyclist, or in my case trike rider, needs to use the gap in the outer wheel track of a motor vehicle to avoid a huge bump and/or bad slope and/or drain cover set 2"lower than the road surface. I tend to take a strong line and wave them on when it is safe. Older drivers of both sexes and young women seem to be the main offenders, although other drivers are represented in the bad driver category.

 

[Mushroomgodmat]

Did you smash the window?

By coincidence I had a similar issue last night - Car reeving its engine behind me, tried to overtake, gets parallel with me than has to pull back because of cars in front me leave no space for him to fill. He attempts for a 2nd and 3rd time before he actually commits, when he does hes about 2-3ft from me, I smacked his window on the way past. When he does manage to get in front of me he has to stop at the lights, and I end up infront of him again. Lucly at the lights I go stright and he turned off.

I didnt say anything, but he knew he was being a cock.

Was a shame, Id gone nearly 7months without a single incident.

 

[sabian92]

What happens if you do smash a window though? I assume there'd be a bit of a riot going on about it at the roadside.

Sounds like a tosser though. Maybe we should all get some "pass closely if you're a cock" or "The closer you pass the further in the closet you are" jerseys or stickers printed or something...

 

[Peter Armstrong]

The other day I was being a massive cock doing 30mph+ a taxi overtook but didnt get more than a couple of feet infront, i was sat on his tail to the left in his slip stream and he start to brake, i dove down the inside again. He then started to move over to the curb, I stayied there cos im proper cool and at held onto his car for a rest and we travel another half mile down the road like we was holding hands.

 

[fossyant]

What happens if you do smash a window though?

You'd be in bother. TBH it takes quite alot to smash a car window.

 

[SquareDaff]

What happens if you do smash a window though? I assume there'd be a bit of a riot going on about it at the roadside.

Sounds like a tosser though. Maybe we should all get some "pass closely if you're a cock" or "The closer you pass the further in the closet you are" jerseys or stickers printed or something...

Get a "Baby on Board" or "Small Child on Board" sticker. In Leeds that seems to give you the right to drive like a total A-hole whilst still expecting other road users to drive with consideration to you.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I accidentally smashed a car windscreen with my ring once, and it was the windscreen of the car I was driving. Many many years ago, bloody crappy Vauxhall Nova.

 

[Teuchter]

I've come to expect this on parts of my route which have speed bumps, approaches to roundabouts and traffic islands. These in particular are a cyclist's nightmare. How many drivers seem to think they can overtake (default reaction to anyone on a bicycle regardless of speed) and discover at the last moment that I'm not doing walking pace and am not riding in the gutter to give them *just enough* space to elbow past me so they have to jump on the brakes to get in begind me again.

I normally respond with a despairing shake of my head... normally they sheepishly give me loads of space when they do eventually overtake.

 

[dawesome]

I've come to expect this on parts of my route which have speed bumps, approaches to roundabouts and traffic islands. These in particular are a cyclist's nightmare. How many drivers seem to think they can overtake (default reaction to anyone on a bicycle regardless of speed) and discover at the last moment that I'm not doing walking pace and am not riding in the gutter to give them *just enough* space to elbow past me so they have to jump on the brakes to get in begind me again.

I normally respond with a despairing shake of my head... normally they sheepishly give me loads of space when they do eventually overtake.

This. I've got exactly that on my commute, they commit and I'm alongside shaking me head. "He just materialised!" they must think. Errr, no, I'm doing the same speed as you, you speed up then naturally have to slow for the rb and woah! There I am! Chuffing knobbers.

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

The worst are the idiots who try to race up your outside as you are in primary or secondary and about to pass a central island.
Thankfully, - after several looks over the shoulder - they quickly come to a stop after realising they can't get past without crashing into you.

Always makes me wonder what they would do if you didn't look over your shoulder saying - basically - "Yes, I am a human being"

Similar to yours is when they do accellerate epast you then pull in front and brake hard to... go over the speed hump/stop at the junction/lights.

 

[DCLane]

I got this on Sunday's King of the Pennines, when a Raynet car shoved me towards a ditch as he bailed on a bad overtake.

This morning there were two; is it me?

 

[akb]

When i took my driving lessons 23 years ago the instructor would always insist i imagined
cyclists were as wide as a car and give them the same passing space ... also whilst passing
he would say "and accelerate".

I count myself as a fairly new driver, and unfortunately when I learnt to drive (about 9 yrs ago) cycle passing was not covered. I guess that could be part of the problem with close passes.

 

[gambatte]

What happens if you do smash a window though? I assume there'd be a bit of a riot going on about it at the roadside...

I'd suggest "Look, rather than arguing the toss, lets call out plod and say what he says. We'll just explain how you were overtaking me at speed and that close, that I was able to touch your car"

 

[sabian92]

I count myself as a fairly new driver, and unfortunately when I learnt to drive (about 9 yrs ago) cycle passing was not covered. I guess that could be part of the problem with close passes.

It still isn't now. My instructor never mentioned it once which is a shame because he's otherwise a good instructor.

I'd suggest "Look, rather than arguing the toss, lets call out plod and say what he says. We'll just explain how you were overtaking me at speed and that close, that I was able to touch your car"

I did think that but I wasn't sure.