Narrowly avoided being knocked off my bicycle by a dangerous pick-up truck

[bigoliver]

Whilst cycling home from the gym some guy, in silver Mitsubishi pick-up, bullied his way in front of me. I narrowly missed being knocked of my bike!

I was on the cycle section of Bridge Street, Bridlington, East Yorkshire.

The road is plenty wide for the both of us. The road has two lanes and is one way, me and him had the full width of two lanes to ourselves but he chose to endanger me anyway. What was he thinking!?

Here is the footage...

https://youtu.be/gZp7IU285CU?t=20sec

I reported this on Road Driver...

http://www.roaddriver.co.uk/report/view-report/9013

I will be interested to hear what people think about this near miss, that I filmed yesterday.

Cheers

I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my LG-H870DS using hovercraft full of eels.

[gaz]

Welcome to the forum.

Certainly an unpleasant incident.

What was he thinking!?

MGIF.

[Bonefishblues]

By way of constructive feedback, I think you were a little too close to the kerb, which in turn encouraged him to come past, and once past then, as for most passes of all vehicles, you were gone from his mind, sadly.

[old_windbag]

The board sticking over the back isn't very clever either, not sure what rules are on hanging a visible marker on such things are..... Other than common sense.

[MikeF]

The vehicle cuts into the cycle lane once he's past. Seems totally unnecessary to me and more of a deliberate action. Reporting on road driver doesn't seem to result in any action/followup. What's it's purpose? Needs to be reported to the police, but there's probably not a close pass initiative in that area, but nothing lost in doing so.

[gaz]

What's it's purpose?

Good question. The site suggests that drivers can look up their own car registration for "feedback" in the hope that they'll learn from it and improve .

The site has been up and running since April 2011. I've never heard of it before and I'm sure all the other people out there who have never heard of it have not looked up their own car registration.

I'm not sure how many people who are aware of the site would regularly check it for feedback on their driving and I imagine that those who could benefit most are the least likely to use it.

[landsurfer]

From the camera angle you appear to be riding right up against the kerb or on the footpath.
In fact your so close in to the kerb you're riding through the puddles ....
While the pickup is still behind you.
Why would you do that ?
I'm sure you weren't deliberately encouraging close passes to get some good footage for your camera.
As previously mentioned you need to consider your positioning i would agree.
I know that section of Brid very well ... nice chippie on that corner.

Welcome to the Forum.

[bigoliver]

From the camera angle you appear to be riding right up against the kerb or on the footpath.
In fact your so close in to the kerb you're riding through the puddles ....
While the pickup is still behind you.
Why would you do that ?
I'm sure you weren't deliberately encouraging close passes to get some good footage for your camera.
You need to consider your positioning i would suggest.
i know that section of Brid very well ... nice chippie on that corner.

Welcome to the Forum.

Hi Landsurfer,

I don't wear the camera on my head as it looks ridiculous, I attached it to my handle bar just left of the stem. This could have made me look further to the left than I was, though I don't think it looks like I'm riding through the puddles or in the pavement. I certainly don't rude on the pavement.

I do always try to keep as far left as possible, always have, just out of habit. I always thought it was a good habit, though since this happened I now realise it's often better to stay in the centre of your lane.

Often no one person is fully to blame, I'll be more careful in the future not to allow vehicles to pass me whilst keeping the flow of traffic.

The road was changed recently, it is now one way. I genuinely thought he must turning right, but no he was turning left and obviously couldn't do it soon enough.

I always try to keep a gap between me and the vehicle front, I was told "only a fool ignores the (2 or 3) second rule". This guy's broke that when he overtook me without room for overtaking, unless he was using the right lane.

He also breaks right in front of me once he had overtaken me, made me feel like a second class road user.

I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my LG-H870DS using hovercraft full of eels.

[bigoliver]

What's it's purpose?

Good question. The site suggests that drivers can look up their own car registration for "feedback" in the hope that they'll learn from it and improve .

The site has been up and running since April 2011. I've never heard of it before and I'm sure all the other people out there who have never heard of it have not looked up their own car registration.

I'm not sure how many people who are aware of the site would regularly check it for feedback on their driving and I imagine that those who could benefit most are the least likely to use it.

Yeah Road Driver is probably just a waste of time. Made me feel slightly better though.

I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my LG-H870DS using hovercraft full of eels.

[bigoliver]

The board sticking over the back isn't very clever either, not sure what rules are on hanging a visible marker on such things are..... Other than common sense.

Yeah he didn't seem like the most safety conscious driver

I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my LG-H870DS using hovercraft full of eels.

[bigoliver]

By way of constructive feedback, I think you were a little too close to the kerb, which in turn encouraged him to come past, and once past then, as for most passes of all vehicles, you were gone from his mind, sadly.

Yeah, I realise keeping well left isn't the best thing to do now. Lesson learned.

I think I must have been taught to ride by a motorist lol

My camera is to the left of handle bars, which makes me appear even more to the left than I actually was

I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my LG-H870DS using hovercraft full of eels.

[landsurfer]

i do believe the board should have had a warning flag if it extends more than 1 metre from the end of the vehicle ... but is that the bumper, the tailgate or the tow bar i wonder ...

[eileithyia]

Once aware that the vehicle was coming past I would alert to the probability of it cutting in and slowing as he did as clearly there was nowhere to go... if is common poor practise and poor driving skills, it is the usual have to get past with no anticipation of the consequences.

Rather than this site you have used, I would report it to the police along with your footage as evidence of the poor driving.

[landsurfer]

Rather than this site you have used, I would report it to the police along with your footage as evidence of the poor driving.

And i am sure that once they get through todays crop of drug offences, murders, domestic abuse, child safeguarding, burglary, fatal RTA's they will give it their full attention .....
I think as a group in society, as cyclists, we should come to terms with how non events are dealt with by the Police .... nearly hit means wasn't hit..... almost knocked over means wasn't knocked over ....
Unless your carted away in bits by a blue flashing light they have "better" things to do with their resource.

Reduced budgets mean they have to triage demands upon them and we have to understand that .... I am sure most of us do ....
Of course we could just agree to pay more tax, end health care for those not entitled, imprison anyone that voluntarily stands for public office, stop giving huge amounts of foreign aid to countries with space programmes and nuclear weapons. et al ..

We as a family have had an inordinate amount of contact and support from South Yorks Police over the last 3 months. If that support had been diverted because a fellow cyclist "had nearly had an accident" .... And exposed my daughter and her 3 children to the death threats they faced, how would that have been fair or reasonable ....

[atlas_shrugged]

The truck was a bad driver who was going for an overtaking gap that was not there. Had a similar incident with a Cambridge bus driver and he really cut in on me. When I suggested he should not cut in on me he suggested I should not speed up (was following a bus from a traffic light like you were). This is summarised as the motorists sense of entitlement.

The road markings do not help either because the cycle lane peters out at zebra crossings (why?). The cycle lane really needs a continuous solid white line and even then it does not guarantee safety.