Did I do the right thing?

[princeperch]

Cycling to work today down the Clerkenwell road, wearing my high viz vest/helmet as usual.

I filtered past a line of traffic and got to the front (in front of a prius no less). Left about a metre between his bumper and where I came to a stop.

I know the traffic lights are about to change so get ready to go – the next thing I know I’m on the ground with a pruis bumper hovering over my head.

Now to say I was annoyed was an understatement. So I eventually got up off the floor and asked the driver whether it was his intention to kill me or not.

The guy winds his window down, and I am faced with a 50 year old smart arse who accuses me of causing the incident. There was, it has to be said, no rationale to this accusation and he claimed that I was cycling like an idiot – which I wasn’t as I was clearly stationary with a high vizability jacket on.

I can only assume he forgot I was there when he moved off, or he knew I was there and misjudged how close we were.

To compound matters, all the cyclists and pedestrians buggered off and the pruis driver started laughing and saying how I "clearly want to die". I suggested that if he finds the incident so funny we should go to the police statement to give witness statements over the matter and see if they find the incident funny. I also pointed out that several shops/businesses have CCTV and there are a line of cars behind that saw what happened.

I made him wait there for a few minutes whilst I checked the bike over for damage, I gave him a few choice words of advice about looking where he is going, and we went our separate ways.

On reflection I think I should have called the Police. He didn’t apologise or accept that he was in the wrong, and then started to laugh about it. The guy didn’t even ask me if I/the bike was ok, and he didn’t get out of the car when he hit me.

On reflecting on this incident my only worry is that if he found it so funny he isn’t concerned possibly doing it again, so perhaps I should have taken steps to ruin his day.

Hind sight is a wonderful thing isn’t it? Thank Christ he didn’t finish the job. I would like to think that if my ticket out is via getting run over, it would be by something a bit more PH than a pruis.

[princeperch]

Thanks for your thoughts guys.

I have a well timed routine to get to work with only 5 mins to spare.

He is lucky in someways that I am a creature of habit...

Still noone got hurt so lets hope the verbal rocket I put up his backside makes him pay attention when he drives to work tomorrow.