Was I right to blow my top?

"Just zis Guy, you know?" wrote in message
...
On 9 Mar 2004 06:03:57 -0800, (Dave Kahn) wrote
in message :

My point was that if they get alongside you in spite of your taking
the line, ie. they are partly or wholly on the wrong side of the road,
and they look likely to crash unless you move over, either into you or
something else, that is the point at which you should probably move
over and brake hard.

I am so accustomed to people pulling in when only halfway past that I
always cover the brakes anyway :-)

--
Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

This is no help with a private motorist, but whenever I'm cut-up / sworn at
by a commercial vehicle I get the reg number (if possible) and the name of
the company and then ring their head office. Although I didn't get the
number of a BOC truck that forced me to take to the gutter, I had several
managers of that organisation running around trying to trace vehicle logs
etc to find the culprit. I made it clear that I wasn't after a sacking,
just a quiet word, to all the drivers if necessary, to remind them that we
cyclists exist. A Swindon Council Worker who was unwise enough to swear at
me after he'd gone through a red pedestrian light found himself in a
re-training programme (I got the number and his description that time).

With private cars I've caught up with them at the lights and mentioned what
they've just done, and usually had apologies.

I was somewhat shaken the other night when, waiting to turn left at at a
roundabout in my car (there, admitted it), I looked left, saw that it was
all clear, moved off and hit the brakes hard as a guy on a touring bike shot
past the front of my bonnet. I reckon we missed each other by only a metre
or so. He was going at 25mph-ish, and had come from my right, so had right
of way. I hadn't seen him! I couldn't believe what I'd done. I drove
after him and overtook him to see what lighting he had. I was disappointed
to see that he was well lit, albeit wearing dark clothing, so my fault. I
don't think he know how close I'd been, as he probably didn't hear me pull
forward, nor the sound of me crapping myself in my car.

I gave him the opportunity to stop beside me at the next roundabout, but he
went through without kicking my car, so probably hadn't noticed. (if this
sounds like a "moron-in-a-blue-citroen-pulled-out
at-a-Chippenham-roundabout-and-nearly-T-boned-me" to you, you have my
sincere apologies.) Oh boy, do I check REALLY carefully now.

How did I miss him? Having re-enacted the crime, I can only think that the
car was angled well to the left as I was waiting, and he had done a wide
sweep around the roundabout so was hidden behind my door pillar. Or maybe I
was just half-asleep! I nearly had to say the dreaded "SMIDSY".

Peter

On Thu, 11 Mar 2004 13:17:43 +0000 (UTC), al_Mossah
wrote:

This is no help with a private motorist, but whenever I'm cut-up / sworn
at
by a commercial vehicle I get the reg number (if possible) and the name
of
the company and then ring their head office. Although I didn't get the
number of a BOC truck that forced me to take to the gutter, I had several
managers of that organisation running around trying to trace vehicle logs
etc to find the culprit. I made it clear that I wasn't after a sacking,
just a quiet word, to all the drivers if necessary, to remind them that
we
cyclists exist. A Swindon Council Worker who was unwise enough to swear
at
me after he'd gone through a red pedestrian light found himself in a
re-training programme (I got the number and his description that time).

Ditto. When in Oxford I reported more than one bus driver with vary
degrees of effect. In Newcastle I have reported a Hanson's driver to
Hanson's. It's then you discover that the driver is self-employed, he
subcontracts for a haulage company that in turn subcontracts for Hanson's.
Though Hanson't still took it very seriously, they did track down the
driver and he claimed not to have seen me---which was evident from his
behaviour---but he was told to take more care in the future.

Colin
--

On Sat, 6 Mar 2004 19:32:08 -0000, "Wavering" None wrote:

My Saturday morning ride ended in a bit of road rage today. Did I do the
right thing?


Yes & no - and I think that about sums it up.

You didn't hit him - so that's good. You didn't take it out on anyone
else - good you just feel guilty about it.

Just ride more assertively, taking up more road space in future. Don't
give them the space to take advantage of you.
--
Comm again, Mike.