Road rage incident this morning - advice?

In article , Colin Reed wrote:
wrote in message
...
On Apr 1, 12:02 pm, Phil Armstrong wrote:

FWIW it's he
http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/tmp/1238485519501.jpg
But as I say it's a crap photo - my excuse is I was pretty shaken.

Someone needs to develop a mobile phone with a flash.
--
Simon Mason

You mean something like
http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/prod...0i?lc=en&cc=sg

Plenty of mobile phones have flashes, but I haven't seen one which would
have been useful at the range of the car in Simon's photo. And I don't
blame him for not wanting to get closer to take it.

"Daniel Barlow" wrote in message
...
"mileburner" writes:

None, centre of lane is standard, if you want to be courteous pull over
to
the left to allow others to pass. If not, do what everyone else does and
stay in the middle.

I wish this were true, but in my experience most drivers align the
right hand side of their cars with the lane markings, and the wider
the lane the more clear space there is on the inside. I don't know
why they do this unless it's an attempt to block filtering
motorcyclists.

On the A47 near Peterborough there is an E X T R E M E L Y wide stretch of
single carriage way road. So wide in fact that there is room for three lanes
easily. Of course the cagers are now totally screwed because they don't know
where to go. If they align to the right there'll be enough room for an HGV
to pass on the left. If the take the centre they will be hogging the lane
(y'know, like cyclists do, and if they drive on the left, someone might
overtake. So because they do not know what to do, they end up all over the
place. Its a bit like the start of a grand prix :-)

Daniel Barlow wrote:
"mileburner" writes:

None, centre of lane is standard, if you want to be courteous pull over to
the left to allow others to pass. If not, do what everyone else does and
stay in the middle.

I wish this were true, but in my experience most drivers align the
right hand side of their cars with the lane markings, and the wider
the lane the more clear space there is on the inside. I don't know
why they do this unless it's an attempt to block filtering
motorcyclists.

I'd guess because it's much easier to judge where the right hand side of
the vehicle is from a right hand driver's seat.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

"Peter Clinch" wrote in message
...
Daniel Barlow wrote:
"mileburner" writes:

None, centre of lane is standard, if you want to be courteous pull over
to
the left to allow others to pass. If not, do what everyone else does and
stay in the middle.

I wish this were true, but in my experience most drivers align the
right hand side of their cars with the lane markings, and the wider
the lane the more clear space there is on the inside. I don't know
why they do this unless it's an attempt to block filtering
motorcyclists.

I'd guess because it's much easier to judge where the right hand side of
the vehicle is from a right hand driver's seat.

And they wonder why we want space on their left...

On Wed, 01 Apr 2009 14:41:27 +0100, Martin
said in :

* keep to the left, unless road signs or markings indicate otherwise.
The exceptions are when you want to overtake, turn right or pass parked
vehicles or pedestrians in the road [Not "when you want to block
following traffic"]

I understood this to mean, keep to the left hand carriage way, and the
left hand most lane when possible. It does not mean ride in the left
hand gutter. How many motorists do you see driving in the gutter when
the road is wide enough not to?

And indeed how many do you see using the left lane when it is empty
on multi-lane roads?

But surely you must be aware that all rules in the Highway Code are
there merely as a stick with which to beat those inferior road users
who fail to GET OUT OF MY WAY. Traffic consists only of /other/
drivers, after all. Never mind all the advice which says you must
drive carefully, courteously and with due consideration for others,
all that matters are the GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!! rules. Those are the
*only* ones that count.

Guy
--
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk/urc

"To every complex problem there is a solution which is
simple, neat and wrong" - HL Mencken

Contents packed by intellectual weight and may settle
after posting. May contain traces of irony.

mileburner wrote:

And they wonder why we want space on their left...

"They"?, "We"?

I'm about to go to the garage on the folding bike and pick up the car
from its MOT...

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Daniel Barlow twisted the electrons to say:
I wish this were true, but in my experience most drivers align the
right hand side of their cars with the lane markings, and the wider
the lane the more clear space there is on the inside. I don't know
why they do this unless it's an attempt to block filtering
motorcyclists.

Except of course when they do a sudden swerve to the left to attempt to
block filtering bicycles ...
--
These opinions might not even be mine ...
Let alone connected with my employer ...

Martin wrote:
_ wrote:
Simon Brooke wrote:
On 31 Mar, 23:03, TheMgt wrote:
Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:

The thing is, though, that those guys are probably cowards and
almost certainly
well aware that you've reported them to plod.
Well no, that's tabloid journo reasoning that is. They obviously have a
horrible temper and poor impulse control though, and are of course
desperately in need of being charged with assault and having their
driving license taken away.
Sadly, he wasn't the driver, so even if the police do find him I doubt
his license is in danger. I do think he's the perfect exemplar of
people who should not be allowed to hold one.
Based on a single side of the story, and a patently implausible one at
that? Personally, I'd rather people like him were allowed licences (even
if the account WAS accurate) than people like you were allowed to
prevent him.

Implausible?

Having been assaulted twice in the past six months or so, I quite
believe it. Both times with me were passing parked cars, and the second
time I was too close too the cars anyway.

I suggested it was implausible that the car occupant waited for a mile
before pulling over - I quite believe that car drivers/passengers get
angry with bikes seemingly deliberately impeding them, but I'd imagine
that this flash of anger would have dissipated over the couple of
minutes it took the car to travel a mile and the further few minutes
before the bike caught up. It does to be fair seem more likely that the
driver pulled over for unrelated reasons and that the CYCLIST
reinstated the confrontation once he'd caught up.

"mileburner" writes:

And they wonder why we want space on their left...

Who "we"? I'd far rather overtake on the right than on the left.
Other road users expect it, plus less chance of getting doored by a
passenger or collecting a pedestrian who steps off the kerb


-dan

On Apr 1, 1:04*pm, "Mr Benn" %%%@%.%% wrote:
"Simon Brooke" wrote in message

...

So - advice? What would you do?

I realise that many drivers pass cyclists too closely - there is little that
can be other than campaigning to educate drivers better. *I've been on a
bike myself and have had it happen.

Cycling in the "primary position" which I assume you mean just to the left
of the centre of the road will only antagonise other road users as you are
making it more difficult if not impossible for them to pass so I would
always recommend cycling on the nearside rather than risk the unfortunate
and unjustified confrontation you describe.

Frankly I'd rather be hit in the face occasionally by outraged idiots
than be hit from behind by a car trying to squeeze past at 60mph where
there isn't room. If you ride in primary, the occasional idiot gets
irritated. If you ride in secondary on national speed limit roads, you
tend to end up dead. Good drivers - the overwhelming majority - behave
courteously if you're in primary position. But many otherwise good
drivers do not leave anything like enough room to a rider in secondary
position.