Was this car in the wrong?

DaveF327

darich wrote: »

Doesn't that mean a driver or cyclist could be stuck in the middle of a junction facing a red light because they've edged forward over the line???

Not if you react correctly, no. If you use that excuse for being one of those who sits astride the stop line through several changes of the traffic lights, then you really need to go back to driving school.

Besides, it's far easier (and a shorter distance) to clear only half the junction from the middle of it than having to traverse the whole junction from too far back. Not only this, but your position well forwards in the junction makes you more visible and obvious to the traffic at the side, so they are less likely to accelerate in haste towards you.

Traffic School Tip: once you have legally passed the stop line, any red light you may subsequently face on the secondary or "repeater" light no longer applies to you, so you must use the traffic light delay to clear the junction ASAFP before the traffic from both sides sees green.

Would you like to be in the middle of a live junction on a push bike with cars driving on all sides?

Wouldn't happen. I'd be long gone before traffic from the sides comes anywhere near me.

Norman_Castle

geri1965 wrote: »

Ever thought about one of those handlebar cameras?

Yes, every time I have to deal with a useless, ignorant driver.

asbokid

geri1965 wrote: »

Thanks everyone - very useful. If this situation occurs again I may well politely tap on the window and inform the driver that what they are doing is wrong.

Although last time I did that I got tailgated and subjected to foul mouthed abuse from the two OAPs in the car for some distance.

many cyclists would get revenge by kicking or scratching the car's body panels, spitting through the driver's open window, snapping off the car aerial, or perhaps cracking the wing mirror with something hard. The opportunities are endless.

geri1965_2

asbokid wrote: »

many cyclists would get revenge by kicking or scratching the car's body panels, spitting through the driver's open window, snapping off the car aerial, or perhaps cracking the wing mirror with something hard. The opportunities are endless.

LOL, not really my style. Shouting and a rude hand gesture is about my limit.

Norman_Castle

Quote:
Originally Posted by geri1965
Thanks everyone - very useful. If this situation occurs again I may well politely tap on the window and inform the driver that what they are doing is wrong.

Although last time I did that I got tailgated and subjected to foul mouthed abuse from the two OAPs in the car for some distance.

many cyclists would get revenge by kicking or scratching the car's body panels, spitting through the driver's open window, snapping off the car aerial, or perhaps cracking the wing mirror with something hard. The opportunities are endless.

As are the opportunities for retaliation

thelawnet

Norman_Castle wrote: »

Yes, every time I have to deal with a useless, ignorant driver.

Just met a real moron just now.

Entered the road here from a mini-roundabout:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=FXkdDwMdOE33_ykdXoyKjNd1SDHK_pjisQZpmA%3BFbwdDwMd9F_3_yl7vYxUitd1SDGp2Eb38upImQ&aq=&sll=51.322164,-0.570924&sspn=0.008207,0.026157&ie=UTF8&ll=51.320387,-0.570527&spn=0.004104,0.013078&t=h&z=17&layer=c&cbll=51.320339,-0.570459&panoid=52ALzVwaAWzaKUu68vSlIA&cbp=12,131.62,,0,15.43

Some sort of old pick-up behind me.

The carriageway has broken white lines along the near edge as a traffic calming measure (traffic goes slower when the lane is narrower). I am cycling along at 20mph in the middle of the lane, or just slightly to the left, there are three cars coming the other way. The pick-up behind beeps his horn at me, I look around, he gestures at me to move over, so I give him the finger - I'm not going to ride in the gutter in order for him to pass too close, he can overtake using the other carriageway - when it's safe, the road is not particularly busy, there'll be a chance soon enough.

I keep going for a few seconds and wonder why he hasn't overtaken me, as there is no longer any traffic coming. I turn around and he's turning left into a side road! So he's sat behind me at 20mph for a grand total of 400 metres (45 seconds) and got distressed by this. If I had endangered myself by riding in the gutter encouraging him to overtake too close, he could have gone at 30mph legally, saving a total of 15 seconds. For the sake of 15 seconds where I haven't got the hell out of his way he's getting angry. The number of bad car drivers around is unbelievable.:mad:

Billy-no-Money

It does often feel as a cyclist that you can't win - drivers (the vocal ones, who unfortunately are often the stupid ones) say they expect us to follow the rules of the road like a vehicle, then when we do they don't treat us like one.

Maybe if we paid road tax drivers would suddenly start behaving better? :rotfl:

That one about not checking behind before passing a parked car - it's good practice but there is no requirement on us to do so - it's not as if the fact we're passing the car should come as a surprise to any driver is it?

Bongles

geri1965 wrote: »

Thanks everyone - very useful. If this situation occurs again I may well politely tap on the window and inform the driver that what they are doing is wrong.

Hand on heart, do you think that's a good idea? If someone's acting that inconsiderately towards you, they're unlikely to be receptive to your opinion of their driving, even if you're right. I think you'd be very likely to be perceived as antagonistic, even if that's not your intention. And that doesn't help anybody's road safety. Not yours (as you found out last time you did it). Not the next cyclist they come across. Not all the other road users (whether pedestrian, cyclist, driver or other) that they aren't paying proper attention to because they're still wound up from their encounter with you.

It's very difficult to make someone's driving better unless they want you to. It's extremely easy to make someone's driving worse.

DCodd

bezzza wrote: »

I have a slightly different take on the situation (although I do agree that the car driver should not have edged right up to the OP as it was clearly inconsiderate to do so) as my interpretation of the situation is that there were 2 lanes with a dedicated right hand turn lane and the OP CHOSE to sit in the MIDDLE of the lane - the OP claimed they move forward so I would assume out of the advance box (again, inconsiderate but this time by the OP as the car driver probably thought you were going to perform a U turn and not turn right) instead of keeping to the left hand side of the right hand turn lane (as they would have and should have been keeping to the left of the road they were turning into, in the gutter). I can see both sides of the argument and would like to add something else from personal experience - why do I as a car driver have to allow for a cyclists mistakes (riding round parked cars without checking for traffic behind, multiple cyclists riding alongside each other on country lanes, not wearing high visibility colours or cycle lights, etc etc etc?)

I cycle to work a lot and mainly using a busy A road link to the M25. I have sympathy with your view. Personally when I turn right off a main road I sit on the left hand side of the lane if it is a filter lane, as it allows other vehicles who are turning right to pass me on the right hand side. This way they never cross my path while I'm turning. If it is a dual purpose lane i.e. right turn and straight on, I would sit on the right hand side of the lane for obvious reasons.

While I don't cycle in the gutter, I do cycle as close to the left kerb as is reasonabley safe to do so to allow other vehicles to pass me safely.

Norman_Castle

That one about not checking behind before passing a parked car - it's good practice but there is no requirement on us to do so

Normally I can hear if there is a car behind me and I am trusting the driver not to overtake as I pass a parked vehicle. How would most car drivers react if they were overtaken while moving out to pass a parked car?