117 replies to this topic

[Kenilworth Tiger]

I was because I was pulling away, same as everyone, and he just pulled in front of me. Had I been going faster, which in my car isn't possible, then there is every chance I would have hit him. And it was a him, incidentally.

Here's another one for you. Today I was driving out of town on the dual carriageway arterial road. It was packed with vehicles as roadworks were causing mayhem further down the road. A cyclist did what motorcyclists often do and scooted between the lines of traffic. I saw him (another him) coming because I had been sitting waiting for the sun to shine in the queue gazing in my rear view mirror watching him pass between an articulated lorry and a car on a bend while said lorry was nicely articulating towards him, thinking 'what a plank'. However, because we then started to move forward I was so focused on him that I didn't see the cyclist coming past me on my left at the same time as he came past me on my right. Fortunately, I didn't move over to the left to make way for the cyclist scooting between the traffic. Had I done so I might have knocked the cyclist who was obeying the rules of the road off his bike.

Have any car drivers done anything wrong while you drive or is it just cyclists love?

[Saintslass]

as a way of preventing idiotic over-aggressive drivers flooring it at the lights and putting the cyclist in danger.

I'd love to have the chance of being one of those. Would be great. But with a 16 year old Citroen ZX the chances are slim I'm afraid. 0-60 in about the time it takes me to get home (half an hour with traffic not too bad).

Of course I'm a poor driver. Yup. I'm a poor driver because ...? I brake rather than hit a dumbass cyclist who can't even be bothered sticking out his arm to tell me he's shoving himself right in front of my (albeit chugging) killer machine? If that makes me a poor driver then I'm fine with it.

[Saintslass]

Have any car drivers done anything wrong while you drive or is it just cyclists love?

Well, sweet cheeks, if you look back at my posts you'll see that I include other road users. I'm sure I get on the nerves of other people on the road as well. Part of life.

[Kenilworth Tiger]

Well, sweet cheeks, if you look back at my posts you'll see that I include other road users. I'm sure I get on the nerves of other people on the road as well. Part of life.

and off the road love, don't forget off the road

[AndyMW]

Sound advice Garvers, give two-wheelers plenty of room.

[Severus]

I was because I was pulling away, same as everyone, and he just pulled in front of me. Had I been going faster, which in my car isn't possible, then there is every chance I would have hit him. And it was a him, incidentally.

So you were accelerating in a lane with a cyclist in it. You already said you weren't overtaking him, what were you going to do, plow into the back of him?

Here's another one for you. Today I was driving out of town on the dual carriageway arterial road. It was packed with vehicles as roadworks were causing mayhem further down the road. A cyclist did what motorcyclists often do and scooted between the lines of traffic. I saw him (another him) coming because I had been sitting waiting for the sun to shine in the queue gazing in my rear view mirror watching him pass between an articulated lorry and a car on a bend while said lorry was nicely articulating towards him, thinking 'what a plank'. However, because we then started to move forward I was so focused on him that I didn't see the cyclist coming past me on my left at the same time as he came past me on my right. Fortunately, I didn't move over to the left to make way for the cyclist scooting between the traffic. Had I done so I might have knocked the cyclist who was obeying the rules of the road off his bike.

So you weren't being observant (which may be a major fault on a driving test, would have to ask guess who) and checking your mirrors then? Are you sure you should be on the road? Also I don't see what the gender of the cyclist has to do with it.

Edited by Severus, 22 October 2012 - 08:22 PM.

[Saintslass]

and off the road love, don't forget off the road

Indeed. I have aimed at you in particular.

Edited by Saintslass, 22 October 2012 - 08:32 PM.

[Saintslass]

So you were accelerating in a lane with a cyclist in it. You already said you weren't overtaking him, what were you going to do, plow into the back of him?

Ok. Imagine a set of traffic lights on a three lane roundabout which also acts as a route on to the M62. At this set of traffic lights where I usually have to stop just a few yards ahead are some give way style markings on the road. Cyclists usually go through the red light and stop at the give way style markings, presumably to put themselves ahead of the game so to speak. This is what happened on the occasion I'm speaking about and indeed on a number of occasions I am not speaking about. So the cyclist was ahead of me, further on in the same lane as me. The lights change to green. All occupants of the three lanes waiting at said lights start to move forward, as does the cyclist ahead of me. He stays to the left of his lane for a little while as me and my fellow motorised vehicle travellers all start to move forward, some faster than others, car and inclination depending. Then, without warning, said cyclist pulls out into the middle of the lane in which I am travelling and he has thus far been cycling sensibly and I have to brake. I don't have to slam on into an emergency stop because I wasn't going very fast. But I wasn't expecting him to do that when there is a lot of traffic all moving on a three lane roundabout. I'd say he was an idiot. I'd say he was also fortunate to have me in that lane because some people pull away from traffic lights really fast and he could have been squished cyclist had one of those drivers been in the lane.

Does that explain things nice and simply?

So you weren't being observant (which may be a major fault on a driving test, would have to ask guess who) and checking your mirrors then? Are you sure you should be on the road? Also I don't see what the gender of the cyclist has to do with it.

I don't have two eyes that move independently of one another, do you? I don't know of any human who can look in opposite directions simultaneously. But perhaps you're just weird. The guy on my right was a ######. The person on my left was the sensible cyclist and I was just glad that I had taken my usual approach to people who drive between lanes of cars, namely: stay put.

[Severus]

Ok. Imagine a set of traffic lights on a three lane roundabout which also acts as a route on to the M62. At this set of traffic lights where I usually have to stop just a few yards ahead are some give way style markings on the road. Cyclists usually go through the red light and stop at the give way style markings, presumably to put themselves ahead of the game so to speak. This is what happened on the occasion I'm speaking about and indeed on a number of occasions I am not speaking about. So the cyclist was ahead of me, further on in the same lane as me. The lights change to green. All occupants of the three lanes waiting at said lights start to move forward, as does the cyclist ahead of me. He stays to the left of his lane for a little while as me and my fellow motorised vehicle travellers all start to move forward, some faster than others, car and inclination depending. Then, without warning, said cyclist pulls out into the middle of the lane in which I am travelling and he has thus far been cycling sensibly and I have to brake. I don't have to slam on into an emergency stop because I wasn't going very fast. But I wasn't expecting him to do that when there is a lot of traffic all moving on a three lane roundabout. I'd say he was an idiot. I'd say he was also fortunate to have me in that lane because some people pull away from traffic lights really fast and he could have been squished cyclist had one of those drivers been in the lane.

Does that explain things nice and simply?

Quite simply you are in the wrong and driving dangerously. If there wasn't room to overtake you shouldn't be accelerating behind the cyclist who is in the lane. Two things cannot occupy the same space. At lights I do what this cyclist has done, take up a position in the middle of the lane to discourage a driver from a dangerous overtaking manoeuvre.

I don't have two eyes that move independently of one another, do you? I don't know of any human who can look in opposite directions simultaneously. But perhaps you're just weird. The guy on my right was a ######. The person on my left was the sensible cyclist and I was just glad that I had taken my usual approach to people who drive between lanes of cars, namely: stay put.

Before moving off, and especially in heavy traffic, I check my mirrors before moving off. This is a simple matter of glancing at my wing mirrors and the rear view mirror.

It seems you have issues regarding your driving. I would recommend that you think about how you drive before you put someone in hospital.

[guess who]

Agree entirely. You should not be able to get even a provisional car licence without first passing cycling test.

So what does a disabled driver, who has to use hand controls to control the car pass that?

[Severus]

So what does a disabled driver, who has to use hand controls to control the car pass that?

Exemption?

[gingerjon]

So what does a disabled driver, who has to use hand controls to control the car pass that?

I'm sure an equivalent test could be found.

[Saintslass]

Quite simply you are in the wrong and driving dangerously. If there wasn't room to overtake you shouldn't be accelerating behind the cyclist who is in the lane.

You can't read. The cyclist was feet ahead of me at the give way style lines. He chose to break the rules by stopping there, which meant he had passed through a red light. I was at the lights, a few feet behind him. So obviously I was behind him in the same lane. I didn't overtake him. Didn't have the chance. He pulled out in front of me. He was a tosser of a cyclist and there are a few around but fortunately there are also some who know how to handle a bike on a road full of killing machines and they save the day.

Before moving off, and especially in heavy traffic, I check my mirrors before moving off. This is a simple matter of glancing at my wing mirrors and the rear view mirror.

See if you can check both wing mirrors simultaneously. Betcha can't. Unless you've taken on the form of a lizard.

Edited by Saintslass, 23 October 2012 - 07:34 PM.

[Severus]

You can't read. The cyclist was feet ahead of me at the give way style lines. He chose to break the rules by stopping there, which meant he had passed through a red light. I was at the lights, a few feet behind him. So obviously I was behind him in the same lane. I didn't overtake him. Didn't have the chance. He pulled out in front of me. He was a tosser of a cyclist and there are a few around but fortunately there are also some who know how to handle a bike on a road full of killing machines and they save the day.

Let us for a minute pretend this cyclist was a car. He is in the lane in front if you, you are keeping a safe distance and not accelerating towards him. Do you need to hit the breaks? The situation here is the same as it is for a car or bicycle being in front of you. The fact that the cyclist needed to swerve into the lane doesn't effect you unless you were overtaking, which you said you were not.

See if you can check both wing mirrors simultaneously. Betcha can't. Unless you've taken on the form of a lizard.

Are you for real? It takes a fraction of a second to glance at the mirrors and assess potential dangers. It is also requirement on the driving test (it was when I took it).

[guess who]

Exemption?

Would that be legal?

[guess who]

I'm sure an equivalent test could be found.

Like?

[gingerjon]

Like?

Like creating the experience in one of those fun simulators BSM used to (still do?) have.

[JohnM]

Like?

Isn't that a mild attempt at reductio ad absurdum The number of people driving with a disability that prevents them for passing a cycling test is , I suggest, very small. In any case, it is not they in my opinion that teararse around our streets knocking cyclists off their bikes.

In 2011 there were 25, 023 people killed or seriously injured on our roads. That is 68 people a day. How much are we prepared to pay to see that carnage drastically reduced? Stiffer driving test? Retest for high-accident groups - every 2 years up to age 25, every 5 years up to 50, every ten years there after? Huge cost. It is my contention that my making everyone pass a bike test, it will ensure a fitter, more alert,more capable more patient and more aware group of drivers. And if you fail? well, that's one more potentially bad drive of the roads!

[gingerjon]

Beautiful piece of road stupidity this morning:

Two SUVs on a narrow road. Both went past their passing place, neither prepared to reverse back, swearing and pointing at each other as they both pushed forward, and both lost their wing mirrors. One stopped then to hurl abuse and the other drove off.

Because they're really smart and considerate people they both left their wing mirrors behind in the middle of the road.

[Ackroman]

Beautiful piece of road stupidity this morning:

Two SUVs on a narrow road. Both went past their passing place, neither prepared to reverse back, swearing and pointing at each other as they both pushed forward, and both lost their wing mirrors. One stopped then to hurl abuse and the other drove off.

Because they're really smart and considerate people they both left their wing mirrors behind in the middle of the road.

They can't look back in anger that way