Took up primary then suffered abuse and threats

[Accy cyclist]

Out on my new bike's maiden ride an hour ago when i decided to take up primary at a small roundabout. The gap is too small to risk letting cars squeeze past me then cut across my path to turn left as some have done in the past. Anyway,as i got myself into the middle of the lane i heard a loud blast, followed by the feel of a vehicle doing its damnedest to get as close as possible to threaten me. It was a Land Rover being driven by some farmer type. He tried to overtake me on the roundabout but i wasn't having it so i kept him at bay while i turned off He then overtook me and blocked my path with his vehicle. Down came the window and the threats started. "I'll effin do you you @#@!!" and so on and so on. All this while a child about 8 year old was sat in the passenger seat. I told him he was an idiot and he should calm down, then the door opened and he made out he was getting out for a set to. I'm not backing down i thought so i just stood there waiting for him to come at me. He must've sensed i wasn't going to run so he closed the door then carried on with the abuse. What a tool! What's wrong with someone to make them act in such a way? All i did was make it safe for myself and all it did to him was delay his journey by about 4 or 5 seconds. I hope he went away thinking "What a knobhead i am"!, but somehow i don't think he will and he'll carry on acting in this manner towards cyclists! Thanks for listening..slight rant over!

 

[Jamieyorky]

Everyone nowadays are in a rush, I see it all the time, I had one yesterday when a guy in a car over took me with about a inch to spare, he'd risk killing me rather than braking a little and waiting about 2 seconds, then last night me and the family were out In our car, I pulled out on a roundabout when clear, then a young lad flew around the roundabout and beeped at me, funny this was I wasn't in his lane or going the same way as him???

I wouldn't let it worry you, I just laugh at them or ifI'm in the car, I beep back :-D

 

[Pale Rider]

Everyone nowadays are in a rush

You got that right.

Possibly because I drive (work) for more hours than I cycle (leisure), I see pointless impatience most often in the car from other motorists.

Increasingly, I let it wash over me.

But there's no doubt being tailgated and nerfed out of the way by another driver is intimidating.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Entirely normal if you ride in primary. You soon get used to it. I work on the basis that said abusers would almost certainly have attempted a "squeeze past" had I not taken primary, and thus would have endangered my safety, and possibly injured me, to boot. Thus their verbal knobjockery is small price to pay for having stayed safe.

In short; feck 'em!

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I come across the impatient ones both on the bike and in the car, I tend to just ignore them. Out in the car this afternoon using small lanes I know well and at one point I was getting tailgated, I was obviously not travelling fast enough for this driver, I just continued as as normal.

 

[kiriyama]

I take primary a lot especialy at junctions/roundabouts. but have suffered more abuse when in secondary. I just smile and wave.

The place i most often get driven at aggressively (when in primary) is my commute into work. There is a relatively long decent and I'm usually at a steady 40mph. I take primary here as I am at the same speed as the traffic, I could go a bit faster but there's are a few roads that join the main road on my left and people constantly pull out into my path. Being in primary gives them a better chance of seeing me. And vice versa. Several times I have had impatient drivers squeeze past me at speed (some horn beeping) after the decent is a fast flat section and at the end a set of traffic lights where I can ride slowly past them, shaking my head In disapproval. then speed off into the distance as they sit stuck in traffic.

 

[screenman]

3 hours into a 4 hour drive the other day I thought I was being tailgated, then I remembered I had the caravan on the back.

 

[fossyant]

Some tool in his Porsche panzer was flashing to pass my wife in the car, in a 40 zone, even before we reached the two lanes. He was at the roundabout at exactly the same time we were a mile later, that was 30 mins ago.

 

[glenn forger]

In other circumstances who knows if you and shouty man couldn't get along just fine? Drink wine in the sun together, reminisce about love and getting your heart broken. It's so sad when people are conditioned to hate by clarkson et al. He's probably not a bad man, just frightened and confused. Get his address and pour rancid prawns in his air intake.

 

[mjr]

Don't tell them they're an idiot. If they aren't, they'll get upset. If they are, they're too stupid to recognise it and will get upset. Just video the nobber and send it to the police. Even Norfolk accepts video evidence of road rage.

Also, if you're feeling brave, rather than stand your ground, when they get out and get far enough from their door but not so far they can stop you, squeeze past on the left and then take primary again and shout to anyone in earshot "help help he's trying to attack me"

Bonus if you can take a cycling-only escape route such as bollards or no entry except.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

I take primary a lot especialy at junctions/roundabouts. but have suffered more abuse when in secondary. I just smile and wave.

The place i most often get driven at aggressively (when in primary) is my commute into work. There is a relatively long decent and I'm usually at a steady 40mph. I take primary here as I am at the same speed as the traffic, I could go a bit faster but there's are a few roads that join the main road on my left and people constantly pull out into my path. Being in primary gives them a better chance of seeing me. And vice versa. Several times I have had impatient drivers squeeze past me at speed (some horn beeping) after the decent is a fast flat section and at the end a set of traffic lights where I can ride slowly past them, shaking my head In disapproval. then speed off into the distance as they sit stuck in traffic.

Always a joy being overtaken in a relatively local 30mph zone, by a flashy, honky, shouty, sweary moron in a 4x4 when I'm doing more than 30mph myself! Descents are great. Smile'n'wave, smile'n'wave.

 

[Arjimlad]

Captain cockwomble in his white BMW overtook me close and fast on a junction today having sat impatiently behind my wife for 75 yards as we rode along a road restricted by other plentiful parked white BMWs & suchlike - even though I had my 5 yr old daughter on the tagalong. He then tailgated a Fiesta for 200 yards before pulling into his drive.

Well done, have a biscuit, you utter Hamster Cock.

 

[Garry A]

There are many idiots in the world, lots of them drive. I try not to get angry because of them.

 

[Apollonius]

Just chill and take it as evidence that you have been seen. That is all that matters.

 

[KneesUp]

I was overtaking parked cars in a narrowish road last week and a Zafira squeezed past and carried on the same line for a short while before pulling out a bit more for the next parked cars meaning the driver gave parked cars more room that parked cars plus me on a bike. Wing mirrors are obviously more valuable than me.