Cyclist made to feel like a “second-rate road user” after “out of order” driver mounts car on pavement to overtake oncoming rider on the wrong side of road

A cyclist said that he was made to feel like a second-rate road user after a stand-off situation on the road, in which a motorist decided to follow the car ahead to overtake ignoring the oncoming cyclist, and then when asked by the cyclist to go back, decided to mount the pavement and pass him on his left.

The incident took place last week on Watts Road in Thames Ditton, Surrey as the cyclist known by his username on Twitter ChaponaBike was making his way through a road which had cars parked on the right-hand side.

After managing to get past a number of other motorists, he was forced to come to a stop. The driver of a white Alfa Romeo decided to follow the driver in front, who had made their way across and rejoined their lane safely, to make the overtake on the parked car. But they failed to do so despite seeing the oncoming cyclist approach and were forced to brake even before they had inched ahead of the parked car.

The cyclist instructed them to go back, however other drivers had already lined up behind. Then suddenly, the driver decided to mount the pavement and overtake the cyclist on the left-hand side.

One for the weekend. There's always someone in a metal box that will try and chance it.

After all, it's only a cyclist, they can just get out the way, as are second rate road users and shouldn't be there anyway. pic.twitter.com/MWvPWY2BDI

— Chapona Bike (@ChaponaBike123) September 27, 2024

The cyclist told road.cc: “Driving like this just makes me feel like a second-rate road user, as motorists try and barge me out the way to get through.”

According to the cyclist, the driver broke three rules from the Highway Code, namely Rule 127, 162 and 163, which state:

Rule 127: A broken white line. This marks the centre of the road. When this line lengthens and the gaps shorten, it means that there is a hazard ahead. Do not cross it unless you can see the road is clear and wish to overtake or turn off.

Rule 162: Before overtaking you should make sure

• the road is sufficiently clear ahead
• road users are not beginning to overtake you
• there is a suitable gap in front of the road user you plan to overtake.

Rule 163: Overtake only when it is safe and legal to do so. You should

• not get too close to the vehicle you intend to overtake
• use your mirrors, signal when it is safe to do so, take a quick sideways glance if necessary into the blind spot area and then start to move out
• not assume that you can simply follow a vehicle ahead which is overtaking; there may only be enough room for one vehicle
• move quickly past the vehicle you are overtaking, once you have started to overtake. Allow plenty of room. Move back to the left as soon as you can but do not cut in
• take extra care at night and in poor visibility when it is harder to judge speed and distance
• give way to oncoming vehicles before passing parked vehicles or other obstructions on your side of the road
• only overtake on the left if the vehicle in front is signalling to turn right, and there is room to do so
• stay in your lane if traffic is moving slowly in queues. If the queue on your right is moving more slowly than you are, you may pass on the left. Cyclists may pass slower moving or stationary traffic on their right or left and should proceed with caution as the driver may not be able to see you. Be careful about doing so, particularly on the approach to junctions, and especially when deciding whether it is safe to pass lorries or other large vehicles.

The cyclist said: “Before committing to a manoeuvre, all road users MUST make sure their intended path is clear, and not assume that just because a car in front has started to overtake, that it’s okay just to follow them through and hope for the best. It’s not.

“The driver of the white Alfa Romeo was completely out of order, and decided to mount the pavement and pass me on my left. They didn’t want to wait a few more seconds for a resolution, which would have been me dismounting and walking along the pavement myself.”

He added that some of the comments on his post sharing the video seemed to think that “motorists have right of way and can just do what they want”.

> “This gives errant drivers carte blanche to do what they like”: Police tell camera cyclists they are “unable to deal” with motorists driving in bike lanes or the wrong way down one-way streets, while warning cyclists to “not confront” dangerous drivers

However, other cyclists joined in to criticise the driver. Mark Hodson, cyclist and retired traffic officer at West Midlands Police, said: “They've all just driven on the wrong side of the road directly at a vulnerable user causing fear and distress #S3RTA1988 all day, they all should have given way , all would fail a driving test , all below the standard expected of a safe and competent driver. You’ll be fine.”

Hodson referred to Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act, 1988, which states: “If a person drives a mechanically propelled vehicle on a road or other public place without due care and attention, or without reasonable consideration for other persons using the road or place, he is guilty of an offence.”

The cyclist was recently subject of criticism on social media last week after he posted a video of a taxi driver moving into a cycle lane to allow an emergency vehicle to pass, calling the taxi driver a “f****** lunatic” for doing so — which resulted in camera cyclist CyclingMikey as well as cyclist and Sky Sports broadcaster Sanny Rudravajhala weighing in and defending the cabbie.

> "I don't think the cab driver did anything wrong": CyclingMikey weighs in on widely shared video of cyclist frustrated by taxi driver pulling into cycle lane to let fire engine pass

The cyclist ChaponaBike also criticised the Met Police’s latest guidance issued to road users submitting footage of careless or dangerous driving to the Metropolitan Police, which notes that officers are “unable to deal” with instances of motorists driving in cycle or bus lanes, or the wrong way down one-way streets.

He said: “I fear this just gives errant drivers carte blanche to do what they like, without fear of prosecution. I understand there has been a huge increase in journey cam footage being submitted, as road users get sick and tired of witnessing bad driving, and decide to take matters into their own hands, video it, and submit the footage to the Met Police.

“It’s clear they’re lacking capacity to deal with it, as the number of positive actions I’ve received following journey cam footage submission has dwindled since the start of 2024.

“We understand the police have got far more serious matters to deal with, but whilst the government pumps money into road infrastructure projects, to the tune of £8bn a year, why can’t some of that budget be used to fund better enforcement and encourage more road safety initiatives?”