Video: Driver enraged by cyclist riding in middle of lane

Zazaza wrote:

There's no need to ride in the centre of the lane blocking it for cars unless you want to antagonise motorists. If the cyclist rode sensibly instead of hogging the lane then incidents like this wouldn't happen. They're both idiots in my opinion

You bothered registering just to say that?

Did you read any of the rest of this thread?  There are perfectly reasonable reasons why someone might be riding further out into the lane.

Go way, read the rest of the comments, and consider your life choices, m'kay?

Zazaza wrote:

There's no need to ride in the centre of the lane blocking it for cars unless you want to antagonise motorists. If the cyclist rode sensibly instead of hogging the lane then incidents like this wouldn't happen. They're both idiots in my opinion

You are welcome to your opinon, but if you come to a road cycling website, then hopefully you are looking to be informed. Then you will have an informed opinion.

The cyclist in this clip is perfectly positioned:

1. Note pedestrian with dog on long lead. Leaving as wide a margin as possible is sensible. Entirely foreseable that the dog could have bolted into the road after a squirrel* or something that runs out under its nose.

2. Doesn't matter where in the lane the cyclist is positioned, any overtaking car will have to use some of the other lane to make a safe pass. So why not use it all?

No competent driver would struggle with that situation. The only drivers who get antagonised by cyclists are those who lack the skills and patience to share the road with slower moving traffic or who live under the delusion that they have more right to use the publicly funded, public highway on account of paying some pollution related taxes due to their lifestyle choice of owning and running a motor vehicle.

*This site does have a rather nasty squirrel infestation..

Mungecrundle wrote:

...snip...

*This site does have a rather nasty squirrel infestation..

We can fix that: https://www.theguardian.com/food/shortcuts/2019/feb/04/view-to-a-cull-is-grey-squirrel-the-ultimate-sustainable-meat  

Zazaza wrote:

There's no need to ride in the centre of the lane blocking it for cars unless you want to antagonise motorists. If the cyclist rode sensibly instead of hogging the lane then incidents like this wouldn't happen. They're both idiots in my opinion

'rode sensibly' 

And this means what exactly?

FredGTV wrote:

Agree with whoishj and munge... why stop and create an argument?

I've noticed more often lately (whilst driving) that cyclists sometimes take the lane very aggressively to try to prevent an overtake.

We should trust in each other and recognise that car drivers want the same as us; a safe pass. In this instance, the driver passed fully on the opposite side of the road, with a clear view ahead. The return to lane is sharp, but let's be honest, there was no danger to the cyclist here.

We should trust each other ???

You should get on a bike an experience a few close passes and then wonder why with no oncoming traffic, the car is so close.
If you can't work out why a cyclist takes the lane, I suggest you start looking beyond the end of the bonnet.

FredGTV wrote:

I've noticed more often lately (whilst driving) that cyclists sometimes take the lane very aggressively to try to prevent an overtake.

We should trust in each other and recognise that car drivers want the same as us

FredGTV, it's a very interesting choice of words, and I've been pondering on it for a while, how can a cyclist aggresively take a lane?  Surely it cannot be aggression towards the road, the road is very big and solid.  It cannot be aggression towards the impatient massive lump of metal behind, as taking the lane is by it's very definition defensive cyling.  I tend to take the lane to prevent dangerous overtaking when I am aware of something that the following driver may not be, a blind corner for example (on part of my commute a blind corner on a humpbacked bridge, had a few scares there!), an oncoming vehicle, to be out of the door zone or maybe the lane narrows for traffic calming.

I also think that drivers and cyclists want slightly different things, I would like to get where I am going alive and safe, it would seem that the overtaking motorist often wants just to get to the next queue of traffic a few seconds earlier.

Perhaps it isn't the defensive cyclist being aggressive, maybe it's your anger and frustration as a motorist, unable to make use of all of that unneccesary expence, the weight, the power and the size of the motor vehicle.  All because your own incredible important journey has been fractionally slowed, and that you could possibly be delayed by mere moments.

FredGTV wrote:

Agree with whoishj and munge... why stop and create an argument?

I've noticed more often lately (whilst driving) that cyclists sometimes take the lane very aggressively to try to prevent an overtake.

Usually that's because an overtake at that point would be dangerous.

  And the 'aggressively' there is transparantly obvious projection (because it makes no sense in any other way).  That's _your_ aggression you are aware of, not the cyclist beaming it to you via some magic psychic communication.  You feel entitled to overtake whether it is safe or not - a form of aggression on your part.  You then project that feeling onto  the cyclist, percieving your own aggression as coming from them.

whoishJ wrote:

Enraged driver following a cyclist riding in the middle of the lane to avoid a potential dog related incident is pretty par for the course.

Why on earth did the cyclist stop in the road for a chat (and possibly present a problem for oncoming traffic)? Either sail past the cars and sit in the bike box at the lights (which appeared to be empty) or pause briefly behind the car.

 

I understand the rationale behind bike cameras, but sometimes I do wonder if these folk go out seeking to engage with arseholes instead of just ignoring them the way most of us probablt should.

Why would  you ignore them?  If you do nothing, they carry on thinking their behaviour is acceptable.  If you try to engage them, they might stop and think about it.  Or someone they care about may tell them to stop being a twat.

Daveyraveygravey wrote:

whoishJ wrote:

Enraged driver following a cyclist riding in the middle of the lane to avoid a potential dog related incident is pretty par for the course.

Why on earth did the cyclist stop in the road for a chat (and possibly present a problem for oncoming traffic)? Either sail past the cars and sit in the bike box at the lights (which appeared to be empty) or pause briefly behind the car.

 

I understand the rationale behind bike cameras, but sometimes I do wonder if these folk go out seeking to engage with arseholes instead of just ignoring them the way most of us probablt should.

 

Why would  you ignore them?  If you do nothing, they carry on thinking their behaviour is acceptable.  If you try to engage them, they might stop and think about it.  Or someone they care about may tell them to stop being a twat.

"Never try to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time, and it annoys the pig."

1973 Robert A Heinlein

Mungecrundle wrote:

"Never try to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time, and it annoys the pig."

1973 Robert A Heinlein

But annoying gammon is surely every thinking person's duty.

Mungecrundle wrote:

My take on this kind of behaviour is that something like 90% (common figure bandied about on t'internet) of drivers rate themselves as being better than average. Apparently 1/3 rate themselves as being safer than average whilst texting and using their phones!

 I think you are referring to the Dunning Kruger effect.

And another one on the way home...

Road works closed near side lane of short stretch of dual carriageway and footpath, so riding in middle of outside lane, as I should be.

Car behind starts beeping at me to move over, but no idea where they think I should move to.

First opportunity, they come past (using the right turn lane at some lights), with the passenger screaming "you f*****g pr!ck" at me out of the window.

Gave them a cheery wave as I sailed past them stuck in traffic further up the road.

LastBoyScout wrote:

Cycling to work this morning - taking the lane for a while to prevent close passes due to traffic queue the other way. Doing nothing wrong.

Road widens a bit and I get close-passed by a driver right before a pedestrian refuge, causing him to cut in front of me (fortunately for me, the guy attempting to follow him backed off at last second!).

A bit later, I see same driver stuck in traffic - as I go past, he winds his window down and helpfully shouts that cyclists don't own the road!

Shame I didn't have the camera on this morning (no bracket on that bike).

Cyclists do own the roads - they are public roads, paid for by all taxpayers.

smalltalk80 wrote:

I had a tailgating driver who overtook me, stopped his car and punched me.  Police report filed with Cycliq footage from front and back...  his first words when approaching me were "do you think you're a f*ing car?"  (I was primary position in a single lane road due to vehicles parked in bus lane, and keeping pace with traffic, lights on, clear signalling etc..)  I would submit footage to close pass, but don't want to interfere with the ongoing police investigation.

Hope he gets what he deserves. Good luck.

smalltalk80 wrote:

I had a tailgating driver who overtook me, stopped his car and punched me.  Police report filed with Cycliq footage from front and back...  his first words when approaching me were "do you think you're a f*ing car?"  (I was primary position in a single lane road due to vehicles parked in bus lane, and keeping pace with traffic, lights on, clear signalling etc..)  I would submit footage to close pass, but don't want to interfere with the ongoing police investigation.

If that’d been me I’d have punched him back much harder and repeatedly. Wouldn’t necessarily be doing myself any favours though. 

smalltalk80 wrote:

I had a tailgating driver who overtook me, stopped his car and punched me.  Police report filed with Cycliq footage from front and back...  his first words when approaching me were "do you think you're a f*ing car?"  (I was primary position in a single lane road due to vehicles parked in bus lane, and keeping pace with traffic, lights on, clear signalling etc..)  I would submit footage to close pass, but don't want to interfere with the ongoing police investigation.

Illustrates the central weakness of 'vehicular cycling'.  Forester apparently never encountered this guy.

FluffyKittenofTindalos wrote:

smalltalk80 wrote:

I had a tailgating driver who overtook me, stopped his car and punched me.  Police report filed with Cycliq footage from front and back...  his first words when approaching me were "do you think you're a f*ing car?"  (I was primary position in a single lane road due to vehicles parked in bus lane, and keeping pace with traffic, lights on, clear signalling etc..)  I would submit footage to close pass, but don't want to interfere with the ongoing police investigation.

Illustrates the central weakness of 'vehicular cycling'.  Forester apparently never encountered this guy.

The fault is not in vehicular cycling, it is in the entitled twattery of the driver.