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Near Miss of the Day 115: 'Oblivious' driver in close pass

Our regular feature highlighting close passes caught on camera from around the country – today it’s Cambrdge

You'd think that drivers in Cambridge would be used to sharing the road with cyclists - after all, it's the only UK city with cycling levels anywhere near those in Denmark or the Netherlands.

But as our latest near miss of the day video shows, even in  a city that is pretty much synonymous with bicycles, cyclsts may as well be invisible to some road users.

It was sent in by road.cc user Simon, who told us: "This happened on my daily commute home on Queen's Road, Cambridge. Wednesday 21 March 2018. The driver, was a middle aged woman who was totally oblivious of other road users. "

> Near Miss of the Day turns 100 - Why do we do the feature and what have we learnt from it?

Over the years road.cc has reported on literally hundreds of close passes and near misses involving badly driven vehicles from every corner of the country – so many, in fact, that we’ve decided to turn the phenomenon into a regular feature on the site. One day hopefully we will run out of close passes and near misses to report on, but until that happy day arrives, Near Miss of the Day will keep rolling on.

If you’ve caught on camera a close encounter of the uncomfortable kind with another road user that you’d like to share with the wider cycling community please send it to us at info [at] road.cc or send us a message via the road.cc Facebook page.

If the video is on YouTube, please send us a link, if not we can add any footage you supply to our YouTube channel as an unlisted video (so it won't show up on searches).

Please also let us know whether you contacted the police and if so what their reaction was, as well as the reaction of the vehicle operator if it was a bus, lorry or van with company markings etc.

> What to do if you capture a near miss or close pass (or worse) on camera while cycling

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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20 comments

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nniff | 5 years ago
0 likes

Jonathan Swift - Gulliver's Travels, Volume 2

Ch 1 Travels among the Close-Passing People,

Ch 2 In the Land of the Road Ragers,

Ch 3 Travels among the Close Pass, Chase You Down, Jump out of the Pick-up truck and try and punch you Hoof-W*anking-Bungle-C*nts.

A summary of Wednesday night.  What I need is a directed energy weapon that will fry an engine control unit.  Switch on, switch off.

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WillRod | 5 years ago
0 likes

Cambridge is a nightmare, and not a cycling nirvana.

 

Parking is expensive so people park wherever they can. Where cycling infrastructure runs out, drivers close pass, some cycle lanes are just too narrow or used as short stay parking by shoppers and taxis.

When I lived in Suffolk I had never seen a fellow cyclist live up to the Daily Heil stereotype, but within a few hours of moving there I had to dodge a cyclist riding the wrong way down a one way street at night, with no lights and wearing black clothes. I have now realised it’s a nightly occcurence, and other dodgy cyclists ride like idiots during the day too.

 

When I finally cycled into town, the bike racks were overflowing with nowhere left to lock a bike, except to other bikes. I gave up looking in town and parked my bike further out of town.

 

Im hoping I get a job back in Suffolk so I can enjoy cycling and driving again!

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KINGHORN replied to WillRod | 5 years ago
1 like

WillRod wrote:

Cambridge is a nightmare, and not a cycling nirvana.

 

Parking is expensive so people park wherever they can. Where cycling infrastructure runs out, drivers close pass, some cycle lanes are just too narrow or used as short stay parking by shoppers and taxis.

When I lived in Suffolk I had never seen a fellow cyclist live up to the Daily Heil stereotype, but within a few hours of moving there I had to dodge a cyclist riding the wrong way down a one way street at night, with no lights and wearing black clothes. I have now realised it’s a nightly occcurence, and other dodgy cyclists ride like idiots during the day too.

 

When I finally cycled into town, the bike racks were overflowing with nowhere left to lock a bike, except to other bikes. I gave up looking in town and parked my bike further out of town.

 

Im hoping I get a job back in Suffolk so I can enjoy cycling and driving again!

 

use the secure cycle parking at Rutland cycles, in the city center.

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WillRod replied to KINGHORN | 5 years ago
0 likes

KINGHORN wrote:

use the secure cycle parking at Rutland cycles, in the city center.

 

Thanks.

I will give it a try, although my GF lives close to town anyway which is handy!

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grumpyoldcyclist | 5 years ago
1 like

Please report this, they should hand their licence in.

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Crashboy | 5 years ago
0 likes

Not excusing the driver - clearly bad driving -  but I don't think it was a wilful swerve.  

(I think the road bends gently and it gives the illusion of the driver swinging in...)

Looks like the driver misjudged (wilfully or not, I've no idea)the timing with the central island approaching and instead of hanging back for a couple of seconds went to get past.  A couple of MPH difference in speed and they might have met in the narrow part next to the central island, so yes: bad driving / judgement.

When the police do act, does anybody know if they show the footage to the drivers?  I'm sure in many cases it would surprise the drivers as much as it scares the cyclists!

Who knows: maybe the driver totally brown trousered themselves in the car after the near miss, felt bad about it all day and vowed to always give cyclists more room in future?  Perhaps as a result of this they were a changed person...perhaps they would be if they saw the footage?

...we live in hope.

 

 

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hennie | 5 years ago
0 likes

Appalling driving...and appalling cables  yes

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HoarseMann | 5 years ago
2 likes

Looks deliberate to me. Swings into kerb towards bike and slows at first traffic island. But keeps a straight line and away from kerb at the second island. 

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alansmurphy | 5 years ago
1 like

King and Pock - it was oblivious by definition, i did check as I thought it meant unaware but it also covers "don't give a shit"...

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pockstone replied to alansmurphy | 5 years ago
0 likes

alansmurphy wrote:

King and Pock - it was oblivious by definition, i did check as I thought it meant unaware but it also covers "don't give a shit"...

True enough!

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pockstone | 5 years ago
7 likes

I don't think this driver is oblivious at all. 

Seems to be pulling in to the kerb and then, once past the bike moves back out into the lane . 

I know it's hard to judge passing distances from a wide angle camera, but the car's position relative to the kerb at  3 sec., 5 sec. and 7 sec. suggests something more sinister than carelessly taking the straightest line through the bend.

I'm with Harrogate Spa on this one...call the cops.

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Grahamd | 5 years ago
0 likes

On their phone perhaps...

 

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HarrogateSpa | 5 years ago
9 likes

It should be reported to the police and acted on. Otherwise the driver concerned will carry on the same way.

Decades of indifference from the authorities have left us in the situation where a percentage of drivers put people riding bikes in danger, and think nothing of it.

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KINGHORN replied to HarrogateSpa | 5 years ago
1 like

HarrogateSpa wrote:

It should be reported to the police and acted on. Otherwise the driver concerned will carry on the same way.

Decades of indifference from the authorities have left us in the situation where a percentage of drivers put people riding bikes in danger, and think nothing of it.

 

Wasn't oblivious, she didn't want to drive into the central island! Ive seen a lot worse in Cambridge and this happens everyday if you don't take the lane. Buses here are will kill someone soon! plus, Cambs police rolled out close pass initative few weeks ago!

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Simboid replied to KINGHORN | 5 years ago
0 likes

KINGHORN wrote:

 Ive seen a lot worse in Cambridge and this happens everyday if you don't take the lane. 

Surely any worse would have to mean actual contact? That car was a couple of inches away, no more.

Either way 'oblivious middle aged women' are the absolute worst and have scared the bejesus out of me no end of times, closely followed by impatient/aggressive men of all ages.

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KINGHORN replied to Simboid | 5 years ago
0 likes

Simboid wrote:

KINGHORN wrote:

 Ive seen a lot worse in Cambridge and this happens everyday if you don't take the lane. 

Surely any worse would have to mean actual contact? That car was a couple of inches away, no more.

Either way 'oblivious middle aged women' are the absolute worst and have scared the bejesus out of me no end of times, closely followed by impatient/aggressive men of all ages.

 

yes pretty much actual contact! mainly large vehicles, was my point though!

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pockstone replied to KINGHORN | 5 years ago
2 likes

KINGHORN wrote:

Wasn't oblivious, she didn't want to drive into the central island! 

Not that easy to see the central island, but took a second look after reading your post . Well spotted. Nonetheless, the car in front doesn't seem to make the same exaggerated pull in to the kerb. Perhaps they have an idea of how wide their car actually is.

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huntswheelers | 5 years ago
1 like

Cambridgeshire.... the County of Cycling.......   HATE....

The Market Towns in the county have the biggest offenders to close passes.... I had 3 in 200 metres on Tuesday this week...all clocked on Camera . Cambridge has a big population of cyclists...which use this method of transport because its cost effective and no parking costs...not because they want to cycle... Don't believe the County Councils Rhetoric...

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KINGHORN replied to huntswheelers | 5 years ago
2 likes

huntswheelers wrote:

Cambridgeshire.... the County of Cycling.......   HATE....

The Market Towns in the county have the biggest offenders to close passes.... I had 3 in 200 metres on Tuesday this week...all clocked on Camera . Cambridge has a big population of cyclists...which use this method of transport because its cost effective and no parking costs...not because they want to cycle... Don't believe the County Councils Rhetoric...

 

I've video reported two in the past years around St Ives, both ended up with a visit from officer and a chat

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alansmurphy | 5 years ago
7 likes

Oblivious:

 

"not aware of or concerned about what is happening around one"

 

Pretty perfect...

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