Following Wiggo's prang - who else?
Discussion
After reading about our Brad coming to grief, it reminded me of something that happened to me last week.
Cycling along a quiet back road in Winchester on my Mountain bike. As I came towards an exit from Winchester College, going at a fair pace as it was slightly downhill, I see the nose of a car emerge onto the road in front of me.
As soon as I saw the nose, I stopped pedalling and covered the brake levers, as has become instinctive.
As I feared, the car just kept on coming out, with no attempt by the driver to bother slowing or looking left...
I was going too fast to stop dead before meeting the thing, as it had emerged literally right in front of me, from a blind archway, which meant that the first I knew of it was when most of the front wing was in the road in front of me...
I braked and swerved round it, thinking tarmac was imminent. As I met the front of it with the side of my bike, your man finally saw me, and braked to a standstill. Amazingly as I went by, rear wheel locked up, all that happened was my rear quick-release lever snagged on the front number plate of his motor, and tore both that off, and the plastic holder behind, and as I stopped, the bits of his car clattered to the ground.
No harm done to me or the bike, and to be fair, the old git leaped out and was properly mortified - almost in tears actually. He grabbed my arm and gave me a thousand apologies - actually he was way more shaken up than I was.
I didn't have the anger to tear into him, so after he'd stopped blabbing, I just said 'mate, don't sweat it - luckily for you no harm done. But take this as a lesson well learned, please - CONCENTRATE and OPEN YOUR EYES IN FUTURE, OK?!' As I cycled off, he wailed 'I will, I will, I'm so sorry...etc....'
Anyone else had anything like this lately?
Cycling along a quiet back road in Winchester on my Mountain bike. As I came towards an exit from Winchester College, going at a fair pace as it was slightly downhill, I see the nose of a car emerge onto the road in front of me.
As soon as I saw the nose, I stopped pedalling and covered the brake levers, as has become instinctive.
As I feared, the car just kept on coming out, with no attempt by the driver to bother slowing or looking left...
I was going too fast to stop dead before meeting the thing, as it had emerged literally right in front of me, from a blind archway, which meant that the first I knew of it was when most of the front wing was in the road in front of me...
I braked and swerved round it, thinking tarmac was imminent. As I met the front of it with the side of my bike, your man finally saw me, and braked to a standstill. Amazingly as I went by, rear wheel locked up, all that happened was my rear quick-release lever snagged on the front number plate of his motor, and tore both that off, and the plastic holder behind, and as I stopped, the bits of his car clattered to the ground.
No harm done to me or the bike, and to be fair, the old git leaped out and was properly mortified - almost in tears actually. He grabbed my arm and gave me a thousand apologies - actually he was way more shaken up than I was.
I didn't have the anger to tear into him, so after he'd stopped blabbing, I just said 'mate, don't sweat it - luckily for you no harm done. But take this as a lesson well learned, please - CONCENTRATE and OPEN YOUR EYES IN FUTURE, OK?!' As I cycled off, he wailed 'I will, I will, I'm so sorry...etc....'
Anyone else had anything like this lately?
Woman in an Escort decided to squeeze between me and the traffic island last night, gave her window a friendly tap as i filtered past her at the lights...
something happens every single day on my commute whereby I have to take precautionary action to prevent myself from being hit by a car.
on the plus side, I think it makes me more reactive on the bike and a better motorist. On the negative side, its inevitable I will get knocked off the bike one day.
something happens every single day on my commute whereby I have to take precautionary action to prevent myself from being hit by a car.
on the plus side, I think it makes me more reactive on the bike and a better motorist. On the negative side, its inevitable I will get knocked off the bike one day.
I was riding back from work a month back, and a horse and cart where in front of me (about 50m) it was coming into the village and there are cars parked on both sides so i kept my distance. As the horse got closer to the cars it started to get nervous, suddenly it span round and bolted towards me knocking me off, crushing my back wheel.....I f**cking hate horses
I have had the opposite.
Going down a hill with a number of junctions coming off the road on my side. Driver on the opposite lane looking to cut across to turn in.
I am doing 30-32/33 mph maybe (within acceptable margin of error on the speed limit anyway).
Driver, presumably thinking I am only a bike, pulls straight across my path. Brakes slammed on, back wheel locked and stepping out on me - and they just carry on blythly. Leaving me wondering how the hell I had stayed on a delivering a pretty impotent 2 fingered salute to their disappearing rear window.
Also once had some pillock in a Hyundai i10/getz/ perodua piece of Korean hatefulness decide that instead of waiting LITERALLY 3 more seconds (I was tucked RIGHT into the curb - and they would have had all the room in the world to get by immediately after) they just HAD to get passed me by the traffic calming bollard.
I say this as a cyclist and motorist - so car owners really need some psychological evaluation before getting into one.
Going down a hill with a number of junctions coming off the road on my side. Driver on the opposite lane looking to cut across to turn in.
I am doing 30-32/33 mph maybe (within acceptable margin of error on the speed limit anyway).
Driver, presumably thinking I am only a bike, pulls straight across my path. Brakes slammed on, back wheel locked and stepping out on me - and they just carry on blythly. Leaving me wondering how the hell I had stayed on a delivering a pretty impotent 2 fingered salute to their disappearing rear window.
Also once had some pillock in a Hyundai i10/getz/ perodua piece of Korean hatefulness decide that instead of waiting LITERALLY 3 more seconds (I was tucked RIGHT into the curb - and they would have had all the room in the world to get by immediately after) they just HAD to get passed me by the traffic calming bollard.
I say this as a cyclist and motorist - so car owners really need some psychological evaluation before getting into one.
Edited by Vocal Minority on Thursday 8th November 12:58
In my huge red cargotrike with my boy in the box, riding along in the cycle lane, keeping pace with traffic. Next to me, woman in small silver eurobox is chatting to her daughter. I see her check her mirror, indicate, and start to pull in on us. So she's looked at me on a huge red cargobike when she's looked at her mirror, but she's completely failed to see me. I tapped the window, at which point she saw me.
If you are interested in how "task" affects visual attention, read up on inattentional blindness. Here's the famous selective attention test:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJG698U2Mvo
If you are interested in how "task" affects visual attention, read up on inattentional blindness. Here's the famous selective attention test:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJG698U2Mvo
I once had someone pull out of a car park straight in front of me; like the OP I nearly avoided the car but dragged my pedal across the front bumper putting a reasonable scratch in it.
The woman driving seemed convinced that I was on the pavement which apparently was her form of defence. Once I'd pointed out that regardless if I was on the pavement or the road she pulled out without looking and could quite easily have injured me she began crying. I thought b
ks to that and rode off.
The woman driving seemed convinced that I was on the pavement which apparently was her form of defence. Once I'd pointed out that regardless if I was on the pavement or the road she pulled out without looking and could quite easily have injured me she began crying. I thought b
ks to that and rode off. About 4miles into the big leg of a local tri race. On a flat, straight road going about 26-27mph. Bird in black Astra overtakes me and immediately then turns left into a side road infront of me. I'm down on the tri bars and have no time to get off them and onto the brakes. Manage somehow to lean the bike over and just get around the rear corner of the car without touching. As it was a race I didn't stop to berate her standard of driving. On the up side, it got my adrenaline going and I ended up with a rather a good bike split as a result...
pablo said:
Woman in an Escort decided to squeeze between me and the traffic island last night, gave her window a friendly tap as i filtered past her at the lights...
something happens every single day on my commute whereby I have to take precautionary action to prevent myself from being hit by a car.
on the plus side, I think it makes me more reactive on the bike and a better motorist. On the negative side, its inevitable I will get knocked off the bike one day.
I don't mean this in an inflammatory way, but if it's happening literally every day maybe you should evaluate your riding style?something happens every single day on my commute whereby I have to take precautionary action to prevent myself from being hit by a car.
on the plus side, I think it makes me more reactive on the bike and a better motorist. On the negative side, its inevitable I will get knocked off the bike one day.
My commute takes me through SE London where the standard of driving is pretty ropey, but even then I'd say I've only had to take precautionary action once or twice in the 5+ yrs I've been doing it.
option click said:
I don't mean this in an inflammatory way, but if it's happening literally every day maybe you should evaluate your riding style?
My commute takes me through SE London where the standard of driving is pretty ropey, but even then I'd say I've only had to take precautionary action once or twice in the 5+ yrs I've been doing it.
Wow - I commute from Sidcup into the west end, and like Pablo, probabaly have to take avoiding action a couple of times a week!My commute takes me through SE London where the standard of driving is pretty ropey, but even then I'd say I've only had to take precautionary action once or twice in the 5+ yrs I've been doing it.
Three at uni -
One was a van that pulled out on me riding my DH bike back from the local hill (fat tyres and Hope 6 pots - if stopping was possile, I would have done
) - think I did more damage to his van - guy got out and was apologetic - I said no worries.
Another was a guy who turned across me due to the car behind me flashing - knocked my foot out of the pedal so I followed him into his work carpark and called him every name under the sun in my best Glaswegian before shoving the phone camera in his face and cycling off - not big or clever, but it felt good and he had threatened the nice road bike, so it was the least he deserved.
Last one was an old biddy who turned across my path then hesitated, then went again - no chance of stopping and it was land on the car or on the tarmac. I took the bonnet and left a nice brakelever scratch (god bless Sora and winter bikes) on her bonnet - another cyclist stopped to check I was ok, the old woman drove off.
One was a van that pulled out on me riding my DH bike back from the local hill (fat tyres and Hope 6 pots - if stopping was possile, I would have done
) - think I did more damage to his van - guy got out and was apologetic - I said no worries.Another was a guy who turned across me due to the car behind me flashing - knocked my foot out of the pedal so I followed him into his work carpark and called him every name under the sun in my best Glaswegian before shoving the phone camera in his face and cycling off - not big or clever, but it felt good and he had threatened the nice road bike, so it was the least he deserved.
Last one was an old biddy who turned across my path then hesitated, then went again - no chance of stopping and it was land on the car or on the tarmac. I took the bonnet and left a nice brakelever scratch (god bless Sora and winter bikes
) on her bonnet - another cyclist stopped to check I was ok, the old woman drove off.option click said:
pablo said:
Woman in an Escort decided to squeeze between me and the traffic island last night, gave her window a friendly tap as i filtered past her at the lights...
something happens every single day on my commute whereby I have to take precautionary action to prevent myself from being hit by a car.
on the plus side, I think it makes me more reactive on the bike and a better motorist. On the negative side, its inevitable I will get knocked off the bike one day.
I don't mean this in an inflammatory way, but if it's happening literally every day maybe you should evaluate your riding style?something happens every single day on my commute whereby I have to take precautionary action to prevent myself from being hit by a car.
on the plus side, I think it makes me more reactive on the bike and a better motorist. On the negative side, its inevitable I will get knocked off the bike one day.
My commute takes me through SE London where the standard of driving is pretty ropey, but even then I'd say I've only had to take precautionary action once or twice in the 5+ yrs I've been doing it.
I dont think motorists in Bristol are as experienced as Londoners when it comes to sharing the road with cyclists either?
I don't commute and do very little riding in built up areas so I avoid problems but I had a very near miss recently. A woman pulled away from the opposite kerb going in my direction and headed to exactly where I was going forcing me to hop onto the pavement. I shouted as I passed her and was chuffed when I looked back to see that she'd stalled and was sat in the middle off the road blocking traffic both ways 
Shane Sutton - GB cycling coach, knocked off his bike in Manchester this morning.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/20255862
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/20255862
I've had a few imcidents, but nothing worthy of writing up.
I'll tell you my story from the driving seat though. About 8 years ago at this time of year (so dark by 18:00) I'd popped out the the shop. There is a pedestrian crossing just before a set of lights. The lights were on red but the crossing on green, so I was just rolling up to the red light in the right hand lane. There was a queue in the left lane and as I rolled past a van on my left a numpty came flying across the crossing (remember he had the little red man) I stamped on the brakes but he ended up on my bonnet, big dent from his elbow/handlebars (not sure exactly) and scratch on the bumper. He got up mumbled a bit (pretty sure he was pissed up) and rode off down the riverside path.
I called the police to report it just in case he was found later slumped at the side of the river path, but never heard any more of it.
I'll tell you my story from the driving seat though. About 8 years ago at this time of year (so dark by 18:00) I'd popped out the the shop. There is a pedestrian crossing just before a set of lights. The lights were on red but the crossing on green, so I was just rolling up to the red light in the right hand lane. There was a queue in the left lane and as I rolled past a van on my left a numpty came flying across the crossing (remember he had the little red man) I stamped on the brakes but he ended up on my bonnet, big dent from his elbow/handlebars (not sure exactly) and scratch on the bumper. He got up mumbled a bit (pretty sure he was pissed up) and rode off down the riverside path.
I called the police to report it just in case he was found later slumped at the side of the river path, but never heard any more of it.
Most of my [nearly] weekly occurences involve cars passing me and then coming up to a set of traffic lights and then they pull in as far as possible to the kerb. For f's sake, you've just overtaken me, and then squeeze me - where do you think I was going to go?
Answer - I was nearly in the passengers lap who had left the window open as, after squeezing me I couldn't 'de-clip' in time and fell towards the car rather than the ditch to the left of me. I think my head, shoulders and most of my torso ended in her window
'twas quite funny, they also thought it was and the driver apologised profusely - they were quite fit too, so all's well that ends well
Answer - I was nearly in the passengers lap who had left the window open as, after squeezing me I couldn't 'de-clip' in time and fell towards the car rather than the ditch to the left of me. I think my head, shoulders and most of my torso ended in her window
'twas quite funny, they also thought it was and the driver apologised profusely - they were quite fit too, so all's well that ends well
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