Cyclists V motorists Vpedestrians part 638

eDWaRD WooDWaRD wrote:

My reaction would either have been to persuade/prevent my mate to confront the thugs, or, alternatively, to collectively back him up. I think it was the dithering by the fellow cyclists that encouraged these coward wannabe thugs to attack in the first place.

Agreed.

This incident has been discussed at length on Facebook. The car is unregistered and uninsured...
I can understand the guys hanging back. After all who wants a knife stuck in them..?

Meanwhile, in Bristol:

Zoe wrote:

I don't hate cars, I just need to not speed for another two years and am finding it a challenge as almost all car drivers speed. I hadn't realised quite how much until I was forced to stop speeding and realised that speeding happens constantly and we are all so used to it we don't even notice anymore (I know I keep saying this, but I am totally amazed by it and how little I realised previously). I recall the teacher on the speed awareness course I attended said that most drivers speed all the time and all the drivers present strongly objected, but I have realised he is totally right. It wouldn't be so bad, but some car drivers are also aggressive nob heads and get very pushy when I stick to thirty.
I actually realise how appalling car drivers are much more as a driver than I ever do as a cyclist, where I find most drivers are very pleasant. Oddly though, I don't generalise and say all drivers are to blame for the aggressiveness of some, just as I don't say all cyclists are to blame. I would upset if I was expected to answer for those who behave badly in cars and I am unclear why some are posting aggressively to demand all cyclists apologise for those who behave badly.

I sympathise, I am right there with you, I have way more trouble with drivers when I drive than I do when I cycle and I have some possibly helpful driving advice.

Many years ago, I was doing a driving refresher course as I had not driven for a few years and was feeling rusty and had a job involving driving coming up. It was a short course I paid for, BSM I think, and the instructor was great.

One of the issues I had that I asked him about was tailgating because I'd had trouble with this when observing correct speed limits. And I am the first person to pull over to let the pushy buggers past where humanly possible. But it bothered me which is why I asked.

This is what the instructor told me. It is REALLY GOOD!

If the guy behind you is driving unsafely by sitting right on your bumper in a situation where you are respecting the speed limit and it is impossible for you to pull in to let him past (even though he will be exceeding the speed limit to do so) then you must slow right down.
Doesn't matter if he's beeping and flashing lights, ignore the idiot (unless its a police car in which case pull over) otherwise ignore the idiot and slow right down.

I was told by the instructor that if the driver behind you will not respect the sensible stopping distance and you can't switch to a left lane to let him past, then you have to slow right down so that the limited stopping distance he does leave through stupid driving will not allow him to hit you if you have to brake no matter how big an idiot he is. Although under law if you ARE hit from behind it is the driver behinds fault and responsibility and there are scams out there to exploit this law so watch out for that one too but that's another story involving drivers behaving strangely from in front.

Do NOT allow tailgaters to rile you, just slow right down so that if you have to brake suddenly they have some chance of not hitting you.

It is correct road usage and it drives the stupid idiots nuts. Be safe, do not be bullied.
I paid money to learn this and it has stood me in good stead since.

Don't let them bully you no matter what. Safe driving.

JazzyQ wrote:

Just crossing the Boulevard de Beaux Freres de Pinot Noir (or Blackfriars Road) from Colombo Street into Burrell Street and astonished to see a cyclist on a Boris bike going fast southbound along the pavement, no helmet, no regard for the safety of pedestrians.
This is not the first time, but she was going too fast for me to politely ask her to dismount and use the road.

Tourists?

Lots and lots of French people wobbling around on Boris bikes on Christmas day, it was a nightmare. I couldn't remember the phrase for "keep left" never mind "don't ride on the pavement and don't "bing" the pedestrians while cycling illegally on the pavement", and I was cycling at the time which is how I was aware of it.

"Restez a gauche" maybe??

"Tenez a gauche"

Davies, I take my hat off to you, that really is the way to handle someone tailgating!

paulie wrote:

"Tenez a gauche"

In another life, a gazillion years back, when I was punching 38 ton trucks from London to Aubange, Belgium, on the Luxembourg border, (prior to doing the knowledge), as I drove off the ferry at Dover I'd see signs saying, Keep Left, Links Fahren, and Tenez la Gauche.

Tom Pepper wrote:

paulie wrote:

"Tenez a gauche"

In another life, a gazillion years back, when I was punching 38 ton trucks from London to Aubange, Belgium, on the Luxembourg border, (prior to doing the knowledge), as I drove off the ferry at Dover I'd see signs saying, Keep Left, Links Fahren, and Tenez la Gauche.

This evening, around 17.10, I said to my wife that I was going to walk to Albion Street SE16 from our house near Rotherhithe Tunnel to pick up some dry cleaning.
She said, "Take my car please, and go to Tesco for some mushrooms and garlic bread."
I left the cleaners in Albion Street, got in her car, started the engine and put the lights on, checked the o/s mirror, nothing there, indicated right to pull around a parked car, then slowly stroked the gas on her automatic Fiat.
I immediately heard a loud "OY, look out!"
There was a guy on a bicycle next to the car, dressed all in black, no lights whatsoever on him or the bike.
Being an ex black cab driver, and prior to that an ex truck driver, I told him his fortune in no uncertain terms, using words that you won't read in the bible.
He still insisted that I was wrong, and he was right.
I opened the door of the car to try and explain to him the error of his ways, but he jumped back on the bike and disappeared the way that he'd come.
I had no intention of confronting him, I'm too old for that, but I think he misread my intentions.