Yep it's summer and the looneys are out.
It's strange writing this as my commute takes me through Rotherham and Sheffield. I've always agreed with the thought that drivers in Sheffield are better than drivers in Rotherham and that bus drivers are generally OK.
It's been a journey of 2 halves.
I set off from Maltby, and cycled along several miles of mainly dual carriageway. A great experience, no close passes, no pull outs. I rode down towards Meadowhall, taking the lower deck of Tinsley viaduct, under the M1, to head up towards Ecclesfield/Chapeltown, via Blackburn Road.
Thats where it changed. I guess I got the first hint when coming off the RAB onto Blackburn Road, I got a close pass. Noticeable, but in the grand scheme of things I'd have shaken it off after a short while.
A little further on I'm passed by WVM. Thats OK but the p****k in the grey car behind is travelling offset to his left, so shaves me as he passes. I then observe how he fails to see a wagon emerging from the left 100yards infront and decides to overtake WVM. He accelerates forcing WVM to brake to allow him to duck in and avoid a head-on with the wagon.
A bit further a red van, sign written with HTC (thats the crane company you can see from the M1, just north of Meadowhall) I assume just isn't watching what he's doing and buzzes me with a close pass. He can't have changed his position on the road to pass me and it's a straight road with zero oncoming traffic.
Anyway, thats me done with Blackburn Road. A little way on and a 'left/right' I'm onto Ecclesfield road.
And within a short distance I get the closest to a left hook I've ever had. The junction of Butterthwaite Road. Its one of those slightly extended junctions as it doesn't go off at 90 degrees, more like 30-40. Mr (second hand) WVM overtakes me at the start of the junction before moving straight across infront.
That had to be it. Right?
Wrong.
I got into Ecclesfield and sat at the traffic lights outside Morissons as they were on red. I set off and within a couple of hundred yards there are parked cars in my lane. The road layout is single lane in both directions. The road is busy, there is pretty much constant oncoming traffic. I positioned myself central to the lane and was about to pull further right, so as when I was alongside the parked cars I was not in the 'door zone'
Before I actually manouvering I performed a 'lifesaver' look over my shoulder to find a bus was already alongside my rear wheel as I was passing the first vehicle. This was with a row of oncoming traffic. Needless to say the passing distance was well short of that you'd expect from a any, never mind a professional driver. What made this worse was that before a 3rd of the vehicle had passed, he started to move in and reduce the space even further. I had to apply the brakes as there was no way I could ride in the space he was leaving me. An opening car door would have been hit by the bus and I had been forced to also fit into that space.
I might head back through Rotherham....
(BTW, not getting a camera...
yet!)
It's strange writing this as my commute takes me through Rotherham and Sheffield. I've always agreed with the thought that drivers in Sheffield are better than drivers in Rotherham and that bus drivers are generally OK.
It's been a journey of 2 halves.
I set off from Maltby, and cycled along several miles of mainly dual carriageway. A great experience, no close passes, no pull outs. I rode down towards Meadowhall, taking the lower deck of Tinsley viaduct, under the M1, to head up towards Ecclesfield/Chapeltown, via Blackburn Road.
Thats where it changed. I guess I got the first hint when coming off the RAB onto Blackburn Road, I got a close pass. Noticeable, but in the grand scheme of things I'd have shaken it off after a short while.
A little further on I'm passed by WVM. Thats OK but the p****k in the grey car behind is travelling offset to his left, so shaves me as he passes. I then observe how he fails to see a wagon emerging from the left 100yards infront and decides to overtake WVM. He accelerates forcing WVM to brake to allow him to duck in and avoid a head-on with the wagon.
A bit further a red van, sign written with HTC (thats the crane company you can see from the M1, just north of Meadowhall) I assume just isn't watching what he's doing and buzzes me with a close pass. He can't have changed his position on the road to pass me and it's a straight road with zero oncoming traffic.
Anyway, thats me done with Blackburn Road. A little way on and a 'left/right' I'm onto Ecclesfield road.
And within a short distance I get the closest to a left hook I've ever had. The junction of Butterthwaite Road. Its one of those slightly extended junctions as it doesn't go off at 90 degrees, more like 30-40. Mr (second hand) WVM overtakes me at the start of the junction before moving straight across infront.
That had to be it. Right?
Wrong.
I got into Ecclesfield and sat at the traffic lights outside Morissons as they were on red. I set off and within a couple of hundred yards there are parked cars in my lane. The road layout is single lane in both directions. The road is busy, there is pretty much constant oncoming traffic. I positioned myself central to the lane and was about to pull further right, so as when I was alongside the parked cars I was not in the 'door zone'
Before I actually manouvering I performed a 'lifesaver' look over my shoulder to find a bus was already alongside my rear wheel as I was passing the first vehicle. This was with a row of oncoming traffic. Needless to say the passing distance was well short of that you'd expect from a any, never mind a professional driver. What made this worse was that before a 3rd of the vehicle had passed, he started to move in and reduce the space even further. I had to apply the brakes as there was no way I could ride in the space he was leaving me. An opening car door would have been hit by the bus and I had been forced to also fit into that space.
I might head back through Rotherham....
(BTW, not getting a camera...
yet!)
