Rolling car

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brooksby
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Rolling car

Post by brooksby »

Just wanting to vent, here :evil:

I'm cycling to work this morning on a shared-use path, I go to cross a side road (from the left, for any cars coming out of that road).

The road appears clear, but as I reach the kerb a small hatchback type car races up to the give way line, angled slightly to the left and with the driver *only* looking to her right, clearly intending to turn left out onto the main road. Having to change my line at the last minute I go up the side of her and around the back. I'm nearly out of the way when she decides to move forward, but she clearly was holding it on the clutch as she rolls back before catching the car on the clutch bite: her car knocks my back wheel and rack with a crunching sound. She brakes , rolls down her window as I shout, and opens by saying that I've run into her, until I point out that she's rolled back and hit me.

She then shouts that I should have given more space to safely pass behind her, and I point out that I was ready to go out onto the road when she approached it at speed and only looking to her right (at no point did she look to her left), and what if I had been a child?

She gets out of her car, starts to move down the side of her car toward the rear then has to leap back in and put the handbrake on as her car starts rolling backward (!!!). She carefully inspects her rear bumper, tells me off again for passing her too close, how its all my fault and she hopes I've learned my lesson, and then drives off.

Five minutes later I wish I'd laughed at her when her car started rolling away without her in it, and maybe said that it proved my point... :|
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mjr
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Re: Rolling car

Post by mjr »

Sorry but both in the wrong IMO. She shouldn't roll backwards - that's at least a strike in a driving test, possibly a straight fail - and you should not pass so close to cars because they can go backwards without warning, like doors fly open sometimes, even when they shouldn't! Not 50-50, though, because you only put yourself at risk while she put others at risk.

Edit: oh and let's also say the junction designer is at fault for a notoriously rubbish layout, from the sounds of it.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
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Cyril Haearn
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Re: Rolling car

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Indicators are often not used but handbrakes are used even less, - 99

I would have stopped and waited some distance away, not tried to communicate or make eye contact
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mjr
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Re: Rolling car

Post by mjr »

Cyril Haearn wrote:Indicators are often not used but handbrakes are used even less, - 99

I would have stopped and waited some distance away, not tried to communicate or make eye contact

Oh, I'd've gone round the back, but at least a leg's length away. If not enough space between it and the following car, then ride further back along the road.

The best solution is for the highways department to paint a priority crossing with zebra or at least keep-clear markings across it.
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thirdcrank
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Re: Rolling car

Post by thirdcrank »

brooksby wrote: ... driver *only* looking to her right, clearly intending to turn left out onto the main road. ...


A lot of drivers do this now. The worst I've ever seen was somebody who emerged like this into the path of an emergency ambulance coming from their left on its offside, overtaking a line of traffic which had pulled in and stopped to give it a clear run. There'e a junction near me where the side road joins at an angle, facilitating this dangerous manoeuvre. Drivers feel able to emerge at speed, interested only in beating anything approaching from their right, but it's an accident waiting to happen. The other day, an emerging driver nearly shunted - at speed - the last vehicle in a queue on the major road. And nobody in authority could care less.
brooksby
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Re: Rolling car

Post by brooksby »

Thanks for your comments.

I was coming out from behind the pub you can see - https://goo.gl/maps/tejryrhLjcp - crossing from left to right across this streetview picture.

I was about three feet behind her car (OK, maybe two).

The shared-use path was upgraded a couple of years ago and the council announced that they had no intention of making any sort of changes to priorities, as that might hold up the traffic...
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: Rolling car

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Ensure that you report the collision to both the police and the same highwaymen who said they wouldn't mark up priorities.

It's not as if the road looks like a major bottleneck for local traffic.
The farcility is not one I'd be using...

But rolling backwards into someone is a pretty clear cut failure on the drivers part.
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
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mjr
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Re: Rolling car

Post by mjr »

[XAP]Bob wrote:Ensure that you report the collision to both the police and the same highwaymen who said they wouldn't mark up priorities.

^^ This. Remind them of the Sustrans design handbook, seeing as Sustrans's Bristol HQ is so close. It probably won't do any good - North Somerset's cycling officer left long ago and that council is responsible for some of the most nonsensical cycling infrastructure in England, including a cycle track in a central reservation that you have to cross four lanes to reach - but not trying definitely won't do any good.

[XAP]Bob wrote:It's not as if the road looks like a major bottleneck for local traffic.
The farcility is not one I'd be using...

The A369 is effectively the major road between Bristol and the dormitory town of Portishead and its villages. It gets very busy, arguably a major bottleneck. I've ridden the road and a good cycleway would be a real asset there. Sadly, that's mostly a signs+kerbs conversion, not a good cycleway. I would probably still use it at busy times, though.

[XAP]Bob wrote:But rolling backwards into someone is a pretty clear cut failure on the drivers part.

Amen. It's indefensible, a loss of control.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: Rolling car

Post by [XAP]Bob »

The A road might be, the side road - not so much
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
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mjr
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Re: Rolling car

Post by mjr »

[XAP]Bob wrote:The A road might be, the side road - not so much

The OP is travelling along the main road, so I don't understand why low traffic levels on the side road mean you wouldn't use the substandard route.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: Rolling car

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
Mmmm seen it all.

Called the police out to my home.......someone had parked there car on the back of my camper.........touching.
Cop said handbrake, I worked that out too.
Owner turns up and said " what that doing to my car!"............. :twisted:

Gets in and zirpppp..................handbrake.
I did not move my camper but wish I did...........well it would of been irresponsible for me to let car run down the road and might well have mounted pavement.

Today a car pulls out of junction without looking and obviously uses that manoeuvre every day I swerve swear loudly and he completes his "U" turn off to work.

Edited-
My pet hate those who use junctions to do a 180 turn by reversing out onto the major road.
If I am on my bike (this is a junction near shops) and I follow the car into junction, I wait for them blocking their reverse to move on down the junction and turn elsewhere.
Last edited by NATURAL ANKLING on 11 Sep 2018, 3:13pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Cyril Haearn
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Re: Rolling car

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Maybe vehicles could be equipped with chocks to put behind the wheels :?

I understand some modern vehicles do have a device to stop them slipping back

Is it too much to expect people driving in a hilly city to use the handbrake?
Stupid question, yes that would be too much to expect :(

Not sure if using the handbrake is even taught to new drivers now
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: Rolling car

Post by [XAP]Bob »

mjr wrote:
[XAP]Bob wrote:The A road might be, the side road - not so much

The OP is travelling along the main road, so I don't understand why low traffic levels on the side road mean you wouldn't use the substandard route.


It was response to this:
The shared-use path was upgraded a couple of years ago and the council announced that they had no intention of making any sort of changes to priorities, as that might hold up the traffic...
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: Rolling car

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
Past my car test late in life in 85 or so, one lesson then pass.
I was taught to NOT use handbrake coming out of junctions, but engage 1st and quick look move on do not stop :?

As you can imagine I stop and use handbrake after passing, that's what I would always have to on a m/cycle, if you don't put you foot down at junctions, track stands are precarious, stalling will end you up on the deck often.
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Cyril Haearn
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Re: Rolling car

Post by Cyril Haearn »

85? May one drive at that age? :wink:

Not sure what I was taught but one should use the handbrake anytime one stops for more than a moment, going uphill one should always use it

I think I was taught to use it doing seven-point turns, I do not use it for that now :?
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