[Steve K]

I thought it might be nice – just for a change – to have a place to report positive interactions with drivers.  A couple of nice, but strange ones, from me in recent weeks.

As I may have mentioned before, I’m a Crystal Palace fan.  We won the FA Cup earlier this month.  During the week after, I was cycling through Aldgate wearing a Palace shirt.  I stopped in the ASL box at lights, and a taxi driver drove into the box next to me.  I was all ready to ask why he’d driven into the box, when it turned out he just wanted to talk about the final, which he’d also been to.

And then early on Sunday I was riding between Ewell and Epsom. The road was pretty empty, but a car pulled alongside me in the other lane and the driver shouted something to me out of the window.  At first I couldn’t work out what he was saying (and was trying to work out what he could possibly think I’d done wrong!) and he repeated himself to say I was doing 25mph.  Again, I was wondering what was wrong, until it transpired he was just really impressed I was riding that quickly!  (To be clear, I’m no Nigel here – I’d built up speed on a short sharp descent.) 

Topic

[andystow]

Switch left and right in this

Switch left and right in this story for UK readers.

Last night was our monthly night ride. We do a slow roll on mostly neighborhood streets for about an hour. We had at least a dozen people show up. Lights are required, so we are really visible.

As we approached a stop sign where we intended to turn left onto a road with through traffic, the first two got there early and were able to go. I was next, and I stopped as there was a car approaching from my right. The driver stopped short of the intersection even though they had priority, and waved us through. I would have preferred if they had just gone and got it over with, but I wasn’t going to argue, and the rest of us made our left turn.

Positive interaction, right?

As the vehicle passed us, the driver shouted out of their window, “you suck!”

[jaymack]

Sunday 1st June approaching
Sunday 1st June approaching an uphill junction on my left, a Tesco’s lorry positioned to turn left. The driver gestured that I should carry on which I did knowing he’d soon be close behind. His overtaking manoeuvre was everything it should have been, textbook stuff. So much so I emailed Tesco later that day with the lorry’s details so they could pass on my thanks. I’ve yet to have a response but that’s not the point, positive feedback reenforcing good behaviour is important. I suspect too few people are willing to commend good driving when it happens.

[w61]

Got caught out in the dark

Got caught out in the dark and rain in Northumberland and was using a pretty poor set of lights.

Nearing home, a pickup turned across the road in front of me, causing me to lock up the rear wheel and only just slide round the back of him. I shouted and gestured and rode on. As the adrenaline started to drop, I heard a diesel engine behind and then pulling alongside me. Assuming I was going to be killed and buried in a field, I was very relieved when he profusely apologised for not spotting me. I went home and bought better lights.

[Rendel Harris]

120 km in Loch Ness and

120 km in Loch Ness and environs last Sunday week, maybe four close passes and three of them from rented campervans. Literally every other driver passing completely in the opposite lane. Special mention to a) the driver for whom I started to pull over on a singletrack road on a steep hill who shouted out “Nah, keep goin’ big mon, I can wait ’til the top” and b) the guy who stopped as I waited for Mrs H after a rollercoaster road along the loch side, “Are ye waitin’ for the wee lassie wi’the pink jacket?” Oh God, what’s happened, yes I am… “She’s aboot a mile back, she’s going slow but steady, she’s doin’ grand.” I used to like the Scots, I think I love ’em a bit now.

[chrisonabike]

A devilish new tactic!  They

A devilish new tactic!  They’re really messing with our heads now!

I had 4 trips by bike today – two “there and backs”.  And apart from one slightly over-friendly driver everyone respected my personal space very nicely – including one person who not only didn’t overtaken then immediately turn left, but hung back for a good 30 seconds behind me until I’d cleared their turn.  Nicely done!

Albeit this was mostly more “streets” and the few “roads” I was on are really wide (almost a comfy dual-carriageway wide).  But still – this is an area with lots of buses, folks in vans, people doing low-paid deliveries…

[LeadenSkies]

Approaching a longish drag of
Approaching a longish drag of a hill (at least for SE England) with two cars in front of me, line of cars parked on my side of the road and white transit coming the other way. The two cars carry on, me wanting a bit of a breather before starting up the hill, pull in before the parked cars and allow the transit through. White van man gets level with me, winds down his window and I am expecting some unwarranted abuse or maybe a comment about lycra but he makes my day by thanking me and telling me how cyclists have better road manners than drivers. I was so shocked, all I could do was smile and laugh.

[biking59boomer]

Good to read

Good to read

[Author]

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