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news
Near Miss of the Day 326: Flatbed driver undertakes on roundabout
Today’s near miss features a flatbed truck driver who sees an opportunity to pass a cyclist. On the left. On a roundabout.
The incident occurred at the top of Redland Road in Bristol on September 12.
“The flatbed truck driver didn't seem to appreciate me taking the lane as I was turning right, so went into the left lane and undertook me, cutting across in front,” said road.cc reader Rock Almanac.
“He forced me to brake quite hard to avoid being hit and with the wet road caused my back wheel to lock.”
road.cc’s Jack Sexty used to commute along Redland Road. He says he had a few similar experiences and points to the layout of the roundabout as being a contributory factor.
“This is in no way a defence of the driver – who I hope will face charges for this – but the roundabout is a strange one because you need to go into the right-hand lane to go straight on and the left lane is left-turn only.
“I’ve often sensed impatience from drivers who might not have spotted the road markings and thought I was in the right-hand lane for no particular reason.
“A couple of times drivers (incorrectly) used the left lane to pass me on this island to go straight on, or did this and then cut back into the right lane to turn right into Coldharbour Road after the roundabout.
“Once someone even had the audacity to sound their horn at me – I stopped, told her to look at the road markings and she apologised…”
Rock says he’s reported the incident to police, but has no idea what has come of it.
“I got a response saying it had been processed but they won't give any more details. Bristol used to give details, but now all they will say is it's been processed, which is a little frustrating."
> 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.
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
Latest Comments
- stonojnr 3 hours 44 min ago
it feels a conveniant donkey to put the tail on imo, and Im not saying some members didnt quit BC because of the Shell thing, but Im not entirely...
- espressodan 4 hours 20 min ago
I'm never convinced how helmets with built in cameras and lights can be acceptable safe. Sounds like a good way to get a camera embedded in your...
- Rendel Harris 4 hours 28 min ago
Did I mention that it costs £580?
- chrisonabike 4 hours 28 min ago
Yeah - and one of the passengers had the gall to say that the *driver* had taken a wrong turn!...
- chrisonabike 4 hours 45 min ago
Don't worry! They've got plenty of others they can use!...
- Rendel Harris 5 hours 1 min ago
Well what is that way? Are you suggesting that every bend on every descent can be barriered over a 180km mountain stage?
- slappop 9 hours 14 min ago
Hopefully it'll still be allowed for recreational use.
- Bungle_52 10 hours 6 min ago
Well Gloucestershire are getting better. I'm being told whether or not action is to be taken, but not what action, within a few days of each report...
- Surreyrider 12 hours 35 min ago
Churnalism nowadays - mostly clickbait stuff and regurgitation in the local rags/comics and beyond.
- DogOfOB 12 hours 47 min ago
I'm glad the barrier wasn't damaged. Whew, close one there! \s
Add new comment
18 comments
Also agree, riders like Spen must think they're invincible. I'll hold my linbe to a degree to make a point but as soon as they're alongside you may be correct in principle but being hit by a car (or truck) hurts!
That is just blatant MGIF attitude from the van driver. There can be no misrepresentation on the road markings. It is no a complex roundabout, there are 2 lanes and 2 exits therefore lane 1 is for exti 1, lane 2 is for exit 2.
I hope that at worst warrants a warning/visit from the police, or hopefully something more serious than that. However, the most serious thing they can expect for a close pass is a driver awareness course...... well I mean it's not as serious as the horse box incident.
But in general my expectation will be..... not in the public interst to prosecute or some such reasoning like that. Couldn't identify the driver, the driver left the cyclist more than a few mm so they are just over reacting, the driver couldn't see the cyclist, the roundabout appeared out of nowhere, the driver came onto the roundabout faster they obviously had right of way, they are bigger than the cyclist so they have right of way, the cyclist had too many/not enough (delete as appropriate) hi-vis clothing/lights, the cyclist doesn't pay road tax.......think I've covered most of the excuses.
Sriracha and Hawkins Peter - if you consider that to be the correct line around that or any rbt I'm surprised you're still here to post! Going to the extreme right of the lane when going straight on leaves far too much room for someone to think they can try an overtake like that and if you know there's likely to be parked cars CLAIM THE EFFING LANE! If you don't it you who'll be swept up off the road not the driver.
For that specific roundabout, I'd take that line if I want to claim the lane exiting the roundabout, but If I wanted to allow overtakes then I'd stay to the left of that lane. I've never had anyone undertake me like that on that roundabout (the few times that I've used it) but I've had motorists try to overtake on the approach to it.
That's me in the video. I cycle up this road everyday. Like you mentioned If you are left of the straight arrow, the drivers behind will and do overtake, then where do I go? I was well aware the van was behind me, in fact I saw him join the road just after me and thought he was going to try and overtake and force me out of the right lane.
I wouldn't have riden so close to the centre of the roundabout if it wasn't for the flatbed passing me and don't think it would have really mattered what position I was in, he was pretty determined to pass me regardless of the danger he put me in, If I had been more left, he probably would have just hit me.
Hi Toxicchili, I thought you that you were spot on with your line. The driver adjusted their lane regardless.
Was the matter ever reported to the police?
He's not going straight on, he's going right. The exit is past 12 o clock so he's going right. He was in the right hand lane going right. The only way the undertake would have been acceptable is if the cyclist had been going 360 and back the way he'd come.
I had a car the other evening tried to do something similar, but to my left (reversed as in Norway)... Approaching the roundabout, cycle lane to right leads into the right hand exit. First lane (right hand) is a bus lane until 30m from the roundabout, then a bus or right turn lane.
I head left of the right turning traffic to the ahead/swing back around lane (petrol station on the other side of dual carriageway bit).. Guy behind me clearly thought I should have bunny hopped over the car coming around the roundabout... He roared past and gave me such a dirty look.... If looks could kill it might have given me a headache .. ..
It's of note too that the rider wasn't hanging about and was making good progress. You just need to look at how the rider was keeping pace with the car in front. The fact is that the truck driver was impatient and probably, not particularly bright. It's a very poor example of driving. The cyclist did everything fine. I hope the cops take action.
The truck entered the roundabout in the inside land that is clearly marked for left turning traffic only. No excuse for police not to act.
It's Avon and Somerset so the rider can probably expect a visit from PC Plod and a caution for bullying the driver on social media or some other ridiculous response. Assuming that is that the force have got capacity to deal with it in between painting their nails blue in solidarity with the latest woke movement of the day.
More ridiculous anti police rhetoric.
Why was the cyclist that far to the right, on a rbt go for the white line if there is on else the centre of the lane, then drivers can't do that
Not the cyclist's fault that he chose the correct lane and the correct line. The van driver was intent on getting by any way possible and would have been in no doubt as to the cyclist's intention, so not much the cyclist can do to change that. Van driver should be prosecuted.
There's usually some parked cars on that exit of the roundabout, so if the cyclist went a bit more left, they'd probably then have to swing right a bit to avoid the cars. It also goes a bit uphill after that, so you'd most likely want to carry a bit of momentum through the roundabout.
That was a blatent punishment pass. Even if the truck thought the cyclist was turning right, they did not leave enough room and cut into the cyclists lane. Hope the police take action.
I've used that roundabout a few times, but never realised that it's a tricky one. The lanes are quite clearly marked, so there's no excuse for the driver behaving like that.
Now that is a close pass and absolutely no reason for the driver to do that.
Hope the police follow it up.