Does this annoy anyone or just me?

[Tangled Metal]

Riding at night with no lights isn't dangerous? Overtaking large vehicles up the inside on the approach to junctions isn't dangerous? Plenty of people sadly end up as strawberry jam because of their own foolish behaviour on 2 wheels.

And?

If people want to kill themselves that's up to them. When they kill others then I have a problem with it.
There's no comparison between idiots on a bicycle and idiots in a car/bus/van/lorry.

The day a dangerous cyclist can take out a large truck and carry on dragging it behind it for several miles is the day I will agree there is parity between dangerous cyclists and dangerous motor vehicle drivers.

My personal worst scary moment was as a motorist when an aggregate lorry was driving in the opposite direction somewhere on a narrow road near Manchester airport. There was just enough room for us to pass each other but not if the truck kept on weaving right across the two lanes and back again repeatedly. I still remember how I had nowhere to go at all. Security fence I could not drive through and a drop on his side of the road. I drove towards him at a slow speed a far over my side as I dare and then I shut my eyes. Seriously didn't want to see it driving over me. Fortunately the truck moved over last minute and I live to this day. I was in a car but it would not have saved me. As I result I firmly believe that the bigger and more dangerous the vehicle the higher the responsibility and quality of the driving that is needed of the person behind the wheel.

As for the OP I saw a guy overtake a cyclist yesterday coming the opposite way to me along a narrow road. I was amazed at how he saw me, hesitated then sped onwards such that I moved over as close to the kerb as I dared. I felt for the cyclists because he must have been riding inches from the kerb with the car practically brushing his outside shoulder. I was actually dumbstruck or I'd have used my horn early on to stop him. There was no way he could overtake before meeting me and there was no space for all three road users. Why? Why do drivers do that? I am a driver and a cyclist. I have no issue with either group and accept both have their lunatics but the majority are safe most of the time. Whilst most drivers or most cyclist are responsible and safe but we only ever remember the lunatics who are dangerous. Like the aggregate truck in my case or the OP's example or my other example from this weekend of the car overtaking cyclist without space to do so. How many cyclists have I seen being overtaken with plenty of space this weekend? I can not remember but Easter in the Peak District is full of cyclists so a lot more than the one bad example.

[old_windbag]

On narrow country lanes I've had some very close encounters with the wing mirrors of 7.5 tonne flatbed lorries. The sort of builders/plumbers merchant trucks. There's virtually no room for even truck and bike so if I get advance warning ( i.e on a nice straight section and see them approaching ) then I'll stop and step onto verge. This is always met with a thumbs up or wave. Unfortunately I've had some travelling fast and blind towards me and it's cringe time as a huge wing/door mirror comes inches from you. I had a transit van do similar a few weeks ago and he went into the verge with a very shocked look on his face.

Rural roads... expect the unexpected. Actually there's a good public information film of a man riding a ducati and encountering all the hazards we're away of as cyclists. It's pretty good but unfortunately only shown at around 1am? It should be on at 8pm. Another sillier one just shows tracks in rain water with the narrative "if its raining THINK". More effort required there.

[karlt]

Had one this very afternoon; brow of a hill, steep in both directions, narrow at the actual brow; white van overtook me even though he could see oncoming traffic, and clearly just expected me to stop when he pulled back in, which of course I did or I'd not be typing this now.

Cretins.

[MikeF]

Some drivers appear to think cyclists have zero width.
Eg Car approaching me at a relatively slow speed on narrow road. Just before we meet car passes a gateway or slightly wider section. We meet and both stop. I, being the cyclist , then have to shuffle around at the edge of the road, so we can pass. All the driver needed to do was slow at the wider part and we would have passed without either of us completely stopping. OTOH other drivers are really good towards cyclists on narrow roads.

[karlt]

Some drivers appear to think cyclists have zero width.

And zero speed

[old_windbag]

Well today I saw yet another example of declining standards. On the loop I did I was travelling along a narrow backroad. The road drops down a short but steep incline into a 90 degree left hand bend. This is totally blind due to the natural environment, tree's and hedges. I was doing around 20mph but braking as I approached the bend, it's blind and the road is disintegrating. I could hear a large car behind me and thought they'll wait it's too dangerous to overtake into a single track blind corner with no visibility. Errr no they went for it....... a police BMW X3 . I despair!

Then on return leg I was passed by a Volvo estate whilst crossing a medium sized roundabout. The car had effectively used the right hand turn lane to do the overtake on me and cut ahead. The back window was down with a 3 or 4yr old child hanging out shouting "get on the cycle path" . Start them young so they can carry on the shout as adult car drivers. So I did go off and use it........ to bypass the queue of cars( including said child ) at the temporary traffic lights. Normally I avoid it as it's a shared walkers, runners, dog owner path and I prefer being on roads for most of my time, it's more efficient in general and we're all going in the same direction.

[lorry driver]

must be "just you"! This was, clearly, a "good" driver with all the skill necessary to pull this kind of manoeuvre when a "poor" driver might not have the skill or the will to do it. I always bear in mind a statistic that I read somewhere - about 70% of drivers call themselves "above average".

[Phil Fouracre]

Yeah, I've always thought I must be a very poor driver, cos I don't have their amazing ability to see round blind bends

[Vorpal]

The advantage of driving a police car is that it's always someone else's fault.

[Flinders]

Last week we were up in Cumbria, driving. Two cyclists in front of us.
They were singled up, with a big space in between ( on a road with one wide lane each way, that's far slower to overtake than two abreast, but I know other drivers whinge if people ride two abreast for some weird reason). Overtaking both at once would have been dangerous if not impossible on that road due to their distance apart.

We overtook into the gap, and were driving slowly, well clear of both bikes, staying well back from the one in front to make it clear we weren't hassling, waiting for a long clear space to overtake safely.

Small van comes up behind at speed, overtakes bike behind us seriously close, and roars right up behind us, brakes hard, and blasts on horn.
It must have scared the rider behind us, and I was concerned that the bike in front might think it was us hooting.

I think that what happened was that he came up behind us all at high speed, failed to judge our speed, failed to see the second bike in front of us, thought there was one bike and that we'd only just overtaken it, and assumed we'd then roar off at speed, so blared the to horn to tell us to get a move on as he was unexpectedly having to brake hard because we weren't speeding up.

People just don't observe properly when they drive, and don't approach situations carefully until they have fully assessed them.

He then tailgated us for the next few miles, even after we'd overtaken the bike, but despite opportunities on straight empty roads, didn't overtake us. OH thought that as it was a commercial van and we were doing the road limit, he might have been restrained by his tacho.

[old_windbag]

I'd have to admit that pre-cycling( age 32 ) I was a less considerate driver than now as a cyclist. But another factor has a part, I was in my 20's and lived for the moment. Unfortunately all too often that moment can lead to court and a spell in prison when it all goes awry, and for some it does and a life of regret can ensue. I was slowing down in my late twenties and was reading the IAM drivers book( which I owned a copy ), plus "Roadcraft" the police advised book, then started cycling and that just brought it all home as to consideration for all slower road users and road crossers. It also brings home "average speed" which many car drivers don't appreciate( the bursts of excess speed that gain very little in overall journey time ). I'm not for car culture or using cars to show wealth but I wanted to simply treat driving as a skill to improve on and enjoy. To avoid hard braking because I hadn't read the situation ahead properly, to be aware of potential unexpected hazards etc.
I do feel that everyone should have to experience life on two wheels as part of their driving tuition, plus I think we should all have access at test centres to driving various vehicles, flat bed trucks, artic's, tractors... in a safe environment but to bring it home how it is from their perspective when sharing the road. Driving is a skill that everyone should be encouraged to try and improve without financial penalty. Lets have safer roads and fun places( circuits ) for everyone to enjoy their cars speed safely.

[Cyril Haearn]

[quote="old_windbag"]One problem in small close knit communities is you become "oh you know what that grumbly bloke over there said"

The grumbly bloke is a often a hero. There is a film coming out soon, a"A man called Ove", from Sweden. The blurb says: we all know someone like this who reports parking offences. Unfortunately I do not know anyone like this ;-(

[MikeF]

Then on return leg I was passed by a Volvo estate whilst crossing a medium sized roundabout. The car had effectively used the right hand turn lane to do the overtake on me and cut ahead.

I've had that occur whilst driving a car. But whilst (correctly) cycling around a mini R/A I've had cars go round it in the wrong direction so they can overtake me.

The back window was down with a 3 or 4yr old child hanging out shouting "get on the cycle path" . Start them young so they can carry on the shout as adult car drivers.

But they're probably "cyclists too" . There's plenty of room in a Vovlo to carry bikes to out of the way places!

[old_windbag]

I've had that occur whilst driving a car. But whilst (correctly) cycling around a mini R/A I've had cars go round it in the wrong direction so they can overtake me.

There really are some impatient people on our roads. When I'm in a car and it's done( normally on a dual lane road entry to R/A with a single lane exit on the R/A ) it still triggers my racing instinct to "head em off at the pass" . But most of the time I restrain myself, let them go to hassle someone else.

The amount of close high speed passes and silly manoevres we encounter as cyclists made me think of the famous line on the clip below:-

https://youtu.be/Jmg86CRBBtw

And a great theme tune too.