car driver vs cyclists?

Feel for you 1gear, used to cycle myself in my younger days. One repost I used in summer time, fill your drinks bottle with Vimto, when someone abuses you catch them at the next lights, and a quick squirt through an open window, then get out the way fast. ;) Stay safe.
 
Harleyrider said:
Feel for you 1gear, used to cycle myself in my younger days. One repost I used in summer time, fill your drinks bottle with Vimto, when someone abuses you catch them at the next lights, and a quick squirt through an open window, then get out the way fast. ;) Stay safe.

I actually used that technique once.There was a spate of muppets weilding big soaker water pistol gun things many years ago, I was cycling a lot then and decided to go through a country park local to where I lived (strathclyde park I am sure the Weegies on board know it) Anyway I was having a rest and a leisurly cycle through said park when a black VW golf with blacked out windows came up alongside me, out the sunroof pops this ned with a huge rifle thing and gives me a big cheesy grin as if to say 'you are getting it' Off came the lid of a drinks bottle and the whole contents got launched at him.Direct hit, all over the little twat and his mate's souped up golf.Quick exit across to Hamilton side and quite a lengthy detour home feeling all pleased with myself lol.
 
Had a knob in a BMW flick a lit fag out which caught in my helmet visor as I was minding my own business behind him... caught him at the next junction, visor down by now, opened his door, shouted "you forgot this!" and threw it randomly in the (empty) passenger foot well, shut the door and left.
 
Back when i was on a cycling forum, there was the idea of using a rape alarm. Someone shouts something/throws something at you. You catch them up, when their window is down pull the magnet out the rape alarm, lob it in the car and go.
Never bothered squirting whats in my bottle, although it would leave a horrible sticky mess all over the car. Its leave that on my bike :roll:
Its useless talking to most of these people, most seem too thick to say anything other then, "i pay road tax, i have a licence, you dont so get off the road"
:roll:
 
The solution is to give cyclists the right of way always. That's not going to happen so I've welded spurs on my hubs Ben Hur style and wear golf shoes. One wave of your spikes and they take a wide birth.
 
I am both a cyclist and a car driver.

I see bad driving/cycling ALL the time. It's absolutely disgraceful, particularly here in London.

I wonder if people even have licenses/insurance.

I sometimes think I'm the only person on the road who is actually obeying the speed limit and highway code. What's with the the Audi/BMW drivers (don't mean to stereotype, but it's true!!) who tailgate you and flash their lights just because you're not overtaking at 100mph...... :x Small penises, obviously....

What riles me even more is I never see police pull people over and give them a bollocking/speeding ticket. What's the point in speed limits if they're not enforced? Speed cameras are useless - people know where they are these days and just slow down when passing them then just speed up again.....

I used to enjoy driving but I just get wound up now.

John
 
Yes there are plenty of bad road users irrespective of their mode of transport. I came as close as I have done to a head on with a transit this morning. On a rural A road I came round a corner to find a white van overtaking I came to a full halt while he pushed back in and waved apologetically. Once passed me he just pulled out again now on the bend, I was totally shaken but clearly he was unphased by the incident.

The road has a 60 limit and I was doing about 45, had I been doing the 60 (or 70 that some do) I would not have been able to stop, that road is on my daily commute and I know that most people drive it faster that I do as I'm usually at the front of the line of cars, but I do 45-55 dependent on conditions. I also know that its notorious for accidents often caused by mud or black ice. A couple of weeks ago I saw 3 vehicles that had come off the road that morning due to ice and people were still trying to overtake.
 
3 people that annoyed me today.
Coming down my road(its a hill) it flattens off, but still a slight down hill. Anyway, some yoooooth in a corsa pulls out from a junction infront of me. Wouldnt be so bad, but he didnt pick up speed and behind me there was no cars.
Went along side him(drivers side ofcourse) tapped on his window and asked him not to do that again.

Then, some women in a blue 206 tried to come past before a mini round about. No chance so she stayed behind. Did a right and you come to a set of lights. The women then goes to come past again. But i thought she was just going in the right lane to turn right. Nope, she quickly cuts to the left infront of me. So, past her on the right and taped the back of her car and still was infront of her. I then do a left at the traffic lights and hear a honking behind me. Its my friend the women. So i did the big and clever thing of sitting just left of the white line, where she had no opportunity to get past, with an arm waving around and me singing along to Bob Marley's 'Get up Stand up' which i dont think impressed her.
She didnt get passed and turned off not long after i started singing.

Then, a women who drives for Spays Ambulances just pulls out from me. I sat to her right hand side, looking in her mirror and waving. She seemed quite surprised to see me when she eventually looked into it.
Not sure if she was surprised to see me, or surprised to see a mirror there, in a sort of "where did that come from" way.

Sprays Ambulances are my enemy. They think because they have Ambulance on the side of their minibus they are the best. Either that or because they are driven by old farts.

This one driver for Sprays(think it was a women, but it could have been a man :? :shock: :eek: ) decided to pass close and cut me up at a mini round about. Knock on the side and a hello. I then am infront again because she/he then waits for me to go back infront.
She/he then sits close behind coming up to the traffic lights. Then passes because i decide to sit behind a bus at a bus stop. Lights on red anyway. She/he then passes me close again(surprised she/he didnt have to reverse so she didnt hit my wheel when she/he came around) to get a bikes length infront of me.
So im at the side of her/his van telling her how pointless of a manoeuvre she just did, and im just going to pass her/him and sit infront of her/him at traffic lights anyway so she/he might aswell of just waited behind. He/she then mumbles something, i cant hear so open up her/his door. The face drops in horror, like the transit van door/window was going to protect them from anything and i just let it go and shake my head.

Come on people. Leave your cars. Come on a bike!!! :roll:
:lol: :lol: :lol:
 
Hmmm, driving in Germany is so much nicer! I had to go from Münster to Herford today for a briefing thing.....ended up using the Boss's Staff Car (New Mondeo) which shifts!! Especially in Germany - 1.5 hour journey only ended up taking me 1 and a bit. can't do that on a bike :lol: ;)

In all seriousness though, don't forget, speed is not the enemy. The enemy is a lack of understanding and observation! Someone can be travelling at a high speed, and be perfectly safe with the correct training, concentration and observation.

You are all right though, there are some absolute terrors on the road (saw one today overtaking on a blind bend, how he missed the oncoming traffic???? Only a few metres in it! He then turned off the road about 500m further on!! Slowing down the car he overtook...AND ME!!!! :lol: )
 
AJP said:
Hmmm, driving in Germany is so much nicer! I had to go from Münster to Herford today for a briefing thing.....ended up using the Boss's Staff Car (New Mondeo) which shifts!! Especially in Germany - 1.5 hour journey only ended up taking me 1 and a bit. can't do that on a bike :lol: ;)

In all seriousness though, don't forget, speed is not the enemy. The enemy is a lack of understanding and observation! Someone can be travelling at a high speed, and be perfectly safe with the correct training, concentration and observation.

You are all right though, there are some absolute terrors on the road (saw one today overtaking on a blind bend, how he missed the oncoming traffic???? Only a few metres in it! He then turned off the road about 500m further on!! Slowing down the car he overtook...AND ME!!!! :lol: )


Ive had a few of them. Someone overtook me on a blind bend. Car coming the other way had to scrub along the curb and i had to took right into the curb.
Then a learner driver, with a driving instructor came passed on a blind bend. I could see the car coming the other way so moved out. He started to come for the over take. I was waving for him to get back in but no.
Car coming the other way had to slam on his brakes to avoid a head on.
But, according to the driving instructor that was my fault :roll:
 
Your'e playing a dangerous game my friend, you are your own worst enemy as you like "engaging" with motorists because they don't or can't anticipate how fast you are travelling, you like to overtake cars at every opportunity because you can not because you should.
That is just poor road craft. Well I hope you are wearing a high vis bib on top of your designer lycra because I'm also assuming your not tootling along at 10-15mph right? So besides your day to day bike usage your also treating the road as a track, you'll have additional bike insurance and not just home cover then?

As you have described occasionally you are going to be in the way by not quite going fast enough to legitimately take up dominant road position as motorbikes can but deliberately obstructing traffic is reckless. You have only caused further resentment and probably made life more difficult for other cyclists. I happen to use all three, bike, motorbike and car so I'm sympathetic but I expect other motorists to drive badly and not make things easy for me when I'm on two wheels, that way if you expect and prepare for the worst you won't be disappointed and I guarantee you'll enjoy the ride a little more.

You're really not invulnerable...skin, bone and lycra just can't compete so as far as other motorists are concerned you are at the bottom of the food chain, that means you have even less not more rights to behave like an ass hole.
 
The key is that you take the dominant road position at pinch points where a car attempting to overtaking you would put you at risk, but as soon as its safe extend the vehicle behind the courtesy of space to overtake you do so. Its how people should behave on the road when they are holding up other vehicles, whether that be on a bike, with a tractor or while towing a caravan. However not everyone is courteous or considerate.
 
antdad said:
but I expect other motorists to drive badly and not make things easy for me when I'm on two wheels...quote]

Well said - in fact it should be when ever you are using the road, not just on 2 wheels too. The fundamental principle of "Defensive Driving". ;)
 
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