https://youtu.be/XeeTi2opr5M
This happened to me on the way to work yesterday. Close pass was a female driver with a child in the passenger seat. Near miss was an old dear. Not highlighting gender as a relevant factor. Just merely showing that it's 'decent' folk (as oppose to yobs) who just aren't paying attention / don't care.
I was livid, particularly after the latter incident. Contemplating reporting it to the police. Obviously didn't see me and maybe shouldn't be even driving if that's the case.
Think it'll go anywhere if I report it?
Sorry if the link doesn't work properly - first time posting with a clip attached.
Close pass then a close call.
Re: Close pass then a close call.
The link certainly goes to a video which includes a close pass around the 4 seconds mark. It would have made far more sense for the driver to wait until they could use the other lane to overtake.
If the "near miss" is the incident at the traffic lights I'm struggling to understand why you squeezed down the inside to the front of the queue. That does not excuse the left hook that followed, you should have been seen.
There does not appear to have been any gap to move into between the lead car and the stop line. I'd have stopped earlier, probably behind the whole queue, certainly behind the lead car. IMO if I can't get through on the inside of a stationary vehicle with both feet on the pedals it probably isn't worth it.
If the "near miss" is the incident at the traffic lights I'm struggling to understand why you squeezed down the inside to the front of the queue. That does not excuse the left hook that followed, you should have been seen.
There does not appear to have been any gap to move into between the lead car and the stop line. I'd have stopped earlier, probably behind the whole queue, certainly behind the lead car. IMO if I can't get through on the inside of a stationary vehicle with both feet on the pedals it probably isn't worth it.
-
Elizabethsdad
- Posts: 1158
- Joined: 15 Jan 2011, 7:09pm
Re: Close pass then a close call.
I had a close call today as a tipper truck passed me a bit close for comfort and then pulled before the trail he was towing had passed - would have wiped me out I had been any closer to the kerb, as it was I had just enough escape room. Caught up with the driver a minute later and politely requested he remember that he was towing trailer and not to pull back so soon the next time. Got a vague grunt in acknowledgement while staring fixedly ahead. Not sure if that was embarrassment or total indifference.
-
thirdcrank
- Posts: 36740
- Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 2:44pm
Re: Close pass then a close call.
Re the close pass: I get the impression that the parked car was part of the problem. Easier to say than do, but on a road with traffic moving at that speed, you might be safer further out and much sooner.
Re the traffic lights and in addition to what gaz says:
It's never possible to be certain based just on a vid but the front car at the lights appears to be right up to the stop line. There's no advanced stop line and I get the impression you were perhaps half a bike beyond it. I'm then not sure why you just looked at right angles across the road. We don't see the lights change so the assumption is that neither did you. (See edit below) The traffic sets off and we don't know exactly at what point that was in the sequence, though it does seem to be before you did. Rightly or wrongly, the driver may have assumed you intended stopping there.
While there may be safety advantages in being ahead of traffic stationary at traffic lights, filtering down the nearside of a queue of vehicles when some are indicating a left turn needs caution to the extent it might be safer not to try it. Safer or not, crossing the STOP line at lights when the signals are at red is likely to be an offence. That's not something the police pay much attention to these days but it's hardly the basis for a prosecution of another road user.
PS I was wrong about the lights: there's a set visible at the extreme left of the shot. Having looked at this several times, I'm still not sure if the close-overtaker was one of the vehicles stopped at the lights.
Here's a streetview for anybody who likes that sort of thing. As I'm unfamiliar with the junction I had a look.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.45097 ... 56!6m1!1e1
Re the traffic lights and in addition to what gaz says:
It's never possible to be certain based just on a vid but the front car at the lights appears to be right up to the stop line. There's no advanced stop line and I get the impression you were perhaps half a bike beyond it. I'm then not sure why you just looked at right angles across the road. We don't see the lights change so the assumption is that neither did you. (See edit below) The traffic sets off and we don't know exactly at what point that was in the sequence, though it does seem to be before you did. Rightly or wrongly, the driver may have assumed you intended stopping there.
While there may be safety advantages in being ahead of traffic stationary at traffic lights, filtering down the nearside of a queue of vehicles when some are indicating a left turn needs caution to the extent it might be safer not to try it. Safer or not, crossing the STOP line at lights when the signals are at red is likely to be an offence. That's not something the police pay much attention to these days but it's hardly the basis for a prosecution of another road user.
PS I was wrong about the lights: there's a set visible at the extreme left of the shot. Having looked at this several times, I'm still not sure if the close-overtaker was one of the vehicles stopped at the lights.
Here's a streetview for anybody who likes that sort of thing. As I'm unfamiliar with the junction I had a look.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.45097 ... 56!6m1!1e1
Re: Close pass then a close call.
Thanks for the feedback.
I don't often go down the inside of stationary traffic but was a little preoccupied trying to catch up to the car involved in the close pass. The car from the close pass is the one I'm staring at whilst stopped at the lights (in the far right lane). Guess I was hoping to catch her eye to show her how annoyed I was about the incident.
I take on board the comments about the impression I may have given the driver who pulled in front of me at the lights. She wasn't indicating to turn right - I'd never be sat along side a vehicle at the lights if I thought they would be about to turn across my path.
Ive done some pretty risky things in my life and cycling to work is fast becoming the most dangerous (been hit twice in the last 6 months alone). Both of which were 100% driver error.
Thanks again for the comments.
I don't often go down the inside of stationary traffic but was a little preoccupied trying to catch up to the car involved in the close pass. The car from the close pass is the one I'm staring at whilst stopped at the lights (in the far right lane). Guess I was hoping to catch her eye to show her how annoyed I was about the incident.
I take on board the comments about the impression I may have given the driver who pulled in front of me at the lights. She wasn't indicating to turn right - I'd never be sat along side a vehicle at the lights if I thought they would be about to turn across my path.
Ive done some pretty risky things in my life and cycling to work is fast becoming the most dangerous (been hit twice in the last 6 months alone). Both of which were 100% driver error.
Thanks again for the comments.
Re: Close pass then a close call.
Just added a few more clips of separate close passes and one where I get hit.
Re: Close pass then a close call.
You let your preoccupation with eyeing the first driver get the better of you; the second incident was easily predictable; the driver probably took the view that you shouldn't have slipped in front of the stop line and should be made to wait. Yes, I know, but it's human nature. Try not to give the impression you're extracting the urine. You missed a golden opportunity to position yourself in primary just behind the lead car as the second one had left quite a large gap; that would have been a pretty good position to be in, really, when there's no room at the front.
Eyeing the first driver will have availed you nothing; if she noticed at all she'd probably think you fancied her and were trying to show off your cycling thighs. God only knows what she'd think if you tried to signal "too close"; it looks so much like "too small"....I'll stop there*.
*I stopped giving a "too close" signal to errant drivers when I realised the men amongst them might think I was casting aspersions on their physical endowments. That never, ever, ever improves things.
Eyeing the first driver will have availed you nothing; if she noticed at all she'd probably think you fancied her and were trying to show off your cycling thighs. God only knows what she'd think if you tried to signal "too close"; it looks so much like "too small"....I'll stop there*.
*I stopped giving a "too close" signal to errant drivers when I realised the men amongst them might think I was casting aspersions on their physical endowments. That never, ever, ever improves things.
-
thirdcrank
- Posts: 36740
- Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 2:44pm
Re: Close pass then a close call.
Priceman
On the matter of reporting incidents to the police, we've had various threads about things like the admissibility of evidence, which may be irrelevant if the default position of the police is dismissive which seems to be the general experience. OTOH, some forces eg WMP, do say they have systems for accepting reports and have used them in evidence resulting in successful prosecutions.
If you do decide it's worth reporting incidents, then keeping calm is IMO vital. Something else that's easily said, harder to achieve when fear of serious injury turns to anger.
Here's a well-publicised case of a cyclist's evidence being undermined when a judge ruled he had lost his temper:
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... libel-case
On the matter of reporting incidents to the police, we've had various threads about things like the admissibility of evidence, which may be irrelevant if the default position of the police is dismissive which seems to be the general experience. OTOH, some forces eg WMP, do say they have systems for accepting reports and have used them in evidence resulting in successful prosecutions.
If you do decide it's worth reporting incidents, then keeping calm is IMO vital. Something else that's easily said, harder to achieve when fear of serious injury turns to anger.
Here's a well-publicised case of a cyclist's evidence being undermined when a judge ruled he had lost his temper:The judge said the MP was not in a state of mind that evening either to measure his words carefully or remember precisely what they were. He was satisfied that Mitchell did lose his temper and it was part of common experience of life that a loss of temper could lead both to loss of inhibition in speaking and recollection of what was said. “It follows that his adamant denial of uttering the words alleged is not of itself determinative of the issues.”
(My emphasis.)
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... libel-case