What I saw on my ride this morning...

[OvertheHill]

Not really commuting but I like it in here Did 58 miles around Cheshire and

Nearly got my right leg hairs shaved

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7EanSRVPJ4


Saw a guy riding, carrying his shopping and holding a phone to his ear

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RyNdvQ6o1s


And a mad cat running across the A34

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTFRPjKqXNE




On a different note, the A56, the A34 and the A6 are all shockingly bad road surfaces - a mish-mash patchwork of different surfaces, patches, holes and sunken drains. They all need radical re-surfacing for long stretches

 

[Lurker]

The only mad behaviour I saw was that of the first van driver. That overtake was appalling.

Please do throw the book at that person - at least via www.stop-smidsy.org.uk/report

I'd be inclined also to call the company and ask to speak to the MD.

 

[OvertheHill]

The only mad behaviour I saw was that of the first van driver. That overtake was appalling.

Please do throw the book at that person - at least via www.stop-smidsy.org.uk/report

I'd be inclined also to call the company and ask to speak to the MD.

It was a genuine mistake I think. Yes he should have been more aware but I'm far from perfect myself

 

[thomas]

It was a genuine mistake I think. Yes he should have been more aware but I'm far from perfect myself

The difference is, if you do something silly you're far less likely to seriously hurt someone.

Mistake or not, it is worth contacting the company just to explain that it did give you a shock and that cyclists require more space than a car would, when overtaking them.

I had a similar overtake and wrote an email to the taxi company. The MD got back to me quickly saying he was looking into it. He spoke to the driver who admitted it was a mistake and apologised. The MD apologised too, passed on the driver's remarks and said even though it was a mistake there would be other ramifications (or something like that...probably a note in the driver's file encase it happened again).

Certainly worth doing. I'm sure it wasn't done out of spite, but still worth letting the driver know that it wasn't a good overtake.

 

[BentMikey]

Call the company and ask them to deal with it. Really, that's just totally unacceptable. How would you feel if he does it again to another cyclist and ends up killing them? You can lessen the impact on him by making it a relatively friendly letter, and asking for it not to be put on his record, but just that he needs to understand how to overtake a cyclist more safely than that. Link the video too.

 

[Norm]

Call the company and ask them to deal with it. Really, that's just totally unacceptable.

+1 to that.

Aside from anything else, when the WVM is driving like that, it brings the name of Wilmslow Glass into disrepute - which is instant dismissal in most companies.

 

[OvertheHill]

+1 to that.

Aside from anything else, when the WVM is driving like that, it brings the name of Wilmslow Glass into disrepute - which is instant dismissal in most companies.

Well I'm certainly not interested in somebody losing their livelihood for a mistake.

 

[Norm]

Indeed not, but how about somebody losing their life for a mistake? (see what I did there? )

 

[OvertheHill]

Yes I know what you're saying but I wan't injured and if everybody that made a mistake whilst driving (myself included) lost their job for it then there'd be a hell of a lot more jobless out there.

The ones that irritate me are the ones that do it deliberately. The ones that watch you coming and then pull out in front of you for example

 

[BentMikey]

How would you feel if he does it again to another cyclist and ends up killing them? If you don't give him feedback, you're giving him no chance of improving things. I bet he was totally happy with that close overtake, and would happily do it again, because he thinks there's no problem with that much space.

 

[mr_cellophane]

He shouldn't loose his job for one bad overtake. Without any prior warnings about the standard of his driving, that would be unfair dismissal. If he has been warned before, then he is a habitual dangerous driver and needs to be taken off the road. Report it to the company noting the claim on their web site "We have a very strict policy with regard to attention to customer service"

 

[Browser]

Looking at that vid, I wouldn't call what what he did a 'mistake', he was bloody careless, and carelessness costs lives. As previously stated, if it's a first offence he shouldn't lose his job, if it isn't then he's got a history of bad driving, simple as.

 

[stowie]

Yes, the close pass may have been due to a mistake, he may not have realised that the oncoming car had moved out to overtake another cyclist on the other side of the road, as he was passing you.

But the van driver barrelled past you at quite some speed. He could have rectified his mistake if he had slowed to manoeuvre around you instead of seemingly continuing at speed. It is poor driving and rubbish ability to read the road ahead. After all, you were in clear sight, as were the other cyclist and overtaking car.

Report it to the company - if the driver has a habit of doing this, it should be acted upon.