When will I clump my first car driver?

[fossyant]

Might be worth investing in one of these........

http://airforcegolf.com/

 

[cd365]

I do try to keep calm, but it seems to be getting more and more frequent now

 

[John the Monkey]

Just chill.

I used to get terribly exercised about this sort of stuff, and realised eventually that doing the whole road warrior bit simply isn't worth it. You will get close passes. You will get people lecturing you on the highway code who (apparently) have a secret version no one else has seen (or are just making it up). That's Britain for you, it seems.

 

[adds21]

I don't understand these posts I see about bad drivers. Maybe it's the area I live, but I've been cycling for 6 months now, done over 1,500 miles, and I've never had a problem with a car driver. About half of that 1,500 miles has been commuting in and out of Bristol at rush hour, so it's not as if I spend my time pottering along country lanes (although, I would given the chance!).

I also drive cars and a ride a motorbike, so it's possible I either read the road better than some, or I'm simply more relaxed about the types of incidents that wind some people up. Sure, I've had a few (but literally, only three or four) "close" passes, but only in one case did I feel the need to chase after the driver and give her a piece of my mind (and that was only because she was a driving a coach, and should therefore know better, and I was already in a bad mood!).

For example, this morning the following happened:

• One car waited for me while I was travelling towards them down a very narrow country lane.
• One car didn't wait for me further down the same lane, but pulled close into the side when we met.
• I got a friendly "peep" from a car after I singled he could pass me while going down a narrow lane.
• A couple of cars pulled in a bit while I was filtering on the outside of few miles of virtually stationary vehicles.

And this really was a typical morning commute.

Go placidly,
A.

 

[siadwell]

Go placidly

Nice choice of phrase!

Main Entry: plac·id
Pronunciation: ˈpla-səd
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin placidus, from placēre to please — more at please
Date: 1626
: serenely free of interruption or disturbance
​

 

[Lazy-Commuter]

Welcome to the forums, cd. Just to echo the others: don't let it get to you and head over to the Commuting forum to vent your rage. The trouble with squaring up for a fight is that no matter how well you can handle yourself, the person you're looking to fight is sat in a ton and a half of metal. And you're not. And there have been cases of people using their car as a weapon.

I know it ain't easy, and I certainly don't always heed my own advice here but it's best to keep it to yourself. Then come on here and type a long rant.

 

[Banjo]

I did a 60 mile ride yesterday with 2 friends ,it took in a variety of roads from city center to Fast dual carriageway and quiet country lanes. Looking back I cant remember any really bad driving from the vehicles around us.On a narrow road a HGV followed us for about 1/4 mile at 15 mph until we came to a place we could pull over and let him go by safely.

I do get annoyed and swear at the odd car driver that does something stupid/dangerous but I think if its happening to you constantly perhaps you should consider if your style of riding is contributing to the situation.

 

[John the Monkey]

I don't understand these posts I see about bad drivers. Maybe it's the area I live, but I've been cycling for 6 months now, done over 1,500 miles, and I've never had a problem with a car driver. About half of that 1,500 miles has been commuting in and out of Bristol at rush hour, so it's not as if I spend my time pottering along country lanes (although, I would given the chance!).

I routinely get close passes (closer than the image of rule 163). I get about 1 or 2 a day that make me wince.

I've been yelled at (probably about three or four times a year).

I get beeped probably once or twice a month (usually going over roundabouts without cowering over on the left, and occasionally while passing parked vehicles wider than the following vehicle would like).

I get people that simply aren't paying attention at least once or twice every day, every so often one makes me brake. I've been hit twice in three years, once by a bus, once by a car - both caused by driver impatience.

I've had one serious incident (about a year ago, I said "Thank you" to someone who didn't pull out from a side road - he thought I'd said "f* you", chased me, and got out of his car threatening to hit me. I don't thank people at side roads any more.

It's not *terrible*, but you cycle in places like France and Belgium, and quickly realise that its not great either. The enormous irony of all this indifference, impatience and hostility in most places is that it gets the drivers nowhere at all. They arrive at the next queue of traffic slightly ahead of you. They get to the shopping centre before you, and then spend ten minutes trying to find a place to park.

 

[PpPete]

Thoroughly bizarre innit? I find French & Italian car drivers are generally much more considerate of cyclists than the Brits - although they often drive as if other motorists were their mortal foes!

 

[Lazy-Commuter]

Thoroughly bizarre innit? I find French & Italian car drivers are generally much more considerate of cyclists than the Brits - although they often drive as if other motorists were their mortal foes!

Weird that innit? Having driven a car and ridden a motorcycle in France I was amazed at how much respect we got on the bike, on the roads and even parked up: a nice lady in a B&B we stayed in moved her car out of the garage so we could put the bike in it.

In the car on the other hand, c'est la guerre.

 

[Spinney]

Might be worth investing in one of these........

http://airforcegolf.com/

I've always fancied having a water pistol filled with paint stripper to fire at them (or maybe filled with something like Swarfega that they might think was paint stripper but wouldn't actually lead to action for damages!). Never got round to getting one, though.

 

[John the Monkey]

I've always fancied having a water pistol filled with paint stripper to fire at them (or maybe filled with something like Swarfega that they might think was paint stripper but wouldn't actually lead to action for damages!). Never got round to getting one, though.

Yeah.

I've heard of one fellow who squirted a water bottle through a passenger window at a car driver who'd endangered his life - the driver ran him down and broke his leg. More recently, there was a case in which a driver had his wing mirror clipped, and ran down and killed a cyclist (although he couldn't be 100% sure it was the same guy who'd clipped his mirror, it emerged in court). When it comes to it, they're holding the cards in any confrontation that ensues, with a half ton or so of fast moving metal at their disposal. I'd be wary of escalation, personally.

 

[Wally]

Some cyclists need to learn some manners as well. I was a passenger in a car a few months ago, my mates girlfriend was driving, and a cyclist in front slowed down to a crawl so she couldn't pass, ( for no reason at all). When she caught him at a set of traffic lights and asked why he had done it, he cleared his throat and spat a load of phlegm in her face and rode off.

 

[beachcaster]

get a grip

Being a new cyclist, over the last couple of months I have seen how bad the British roads are and also how ignorant a lot of car drivers are! A lot seem to believe that cyclists are there to be abused, the number of times I have been shouted at through an open car window is ridiculous, none of it warranted. Some of it seems to be by clowns who think it is funny to shout as they go past a cyclist to try and scare them. Then you get the morons who believe that only cars are allowed on the road and you should get out of the way for them.

Friday night I was riding along about 2 feet from the edge of the road (a very long straight) avoiding the drains when a BMW driver pulls up alongside and shouts something at me through the open passenger window, since my head was down and I was doing about 22MPH I couldn’t hear what he said, but I sat up and put my hand out to which he decided to bang on his brakes, I was in a foul mood so put a sprint on to catch up, jump of the bike (remembering to unclip from the pedals) and give him a clump (or two), he took a good look in his rear-view mirror, gave me the finger and sped off, coward!

I know it won’t be long before some other ignorant moron decides to put my temper to the test. But after being nearly run off the road each time I get on my bike, or so it seems, I am generally not in the best of moods a few miles into my ride!!

Well if you hit him ...........you could go to jail. or be in serious trouble..so learn to control your temper and stop thinking like a yob.

barry

 

[cd365]

A yob lol! I'm almost 40!!
I have driven cars and motorbikes for over 20 years on a regular basis and have never felt the urge to go past a cyclist so fast the wing mirror almost clips their elbow, or slowed down and holler abuse out of the window to them so why should I just accept that as "normal" behaviour?

I do not believe that it is my riding style since I try to keep as close to the kerb as I can, only moving out to avoid drains and pot holes (of which there are many around by me). On a motorbike you learn to look over your shoulder when making any manoeuvres and I try to do the same when I'm cycling.


Some car drivers are very good, give you loads of space when overtaking or only go past when it is safe to give me enough room. I know it's a minority of morons who spoil it.