CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Commuting

Shunted...

(29 posts)

  1. Dave
    Member

    With apologies to those of you who read one of the other forums I frequent.. I thought I would follow up on Anth's dramatic crash video with a short snippet from one of this week's commutes, in which a lady of dubious patience and/or spacial awareness first tries to undertake up the bus lane, and then when I slow down, forgets to stop in time...

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    It's not actually all that dramatic but I thought I managed to be rather nice about the whole affair (rather like Anth's car driver) and so I thought a reciprocal post might be of interest...

    So, I can now add the rear-end to the right hook (and cycle path head-on) in my trophy cabinet of cycling accidents ;)

    Posted 14 years ago #

  2. Min
    Member

    Yikes. I don't really understand why you stopped though? I normally just ignore folk who blast their horn at me.

    I think I have seen you a few times since I ride that way too and have seen a bloke on a recumbant. Was it damaged?

    Posted 14 years ago #

  3. Dave
    Member

    Quite often I ignore horns too, but sometimes it is good to stop and see what all the fuss is about! I guess I'm not that good at seeking out the easy life...

    I'm pretty sure it must be me you see, as I never see any other recumbents in town. It was just my tyre that went into her numberplate, not the box (otherwise I really would have been upset).

    Posted 14 years ago #

  4. Min
    Member

    "sometimes it is good to stop and see what all the fuss is about"

    Not if they then run you down!

    Still, at least neither you nor bike are hurt and perhaps she will not be so quick to bestow aggressive and baffling behaviour on other cyclists who have dared to go round a bus rather than into the back of it!

    (we're going in opposite directions but I'll say hello if I'm ever going the same way)

    Posted 14 years ago #

  5. Kim
    Member

    You should know better, cyclists are to stay in the gutter and keep out of the way of more important people in cars, where is the irony emoticon?

    Posted 14 years ago #

  6. chdot
    Admin

    http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Irony_mark

    Posted 14 years ago #

  7. gembo
    Member

    admirably calm

    Posted 14 years ago #

  8. LaidBack
    Member

    Yes it's odd how they can see you well enough to toot at you and then run into you. 3 points on license for that I'd say!

    You have lights on the bike and you are travelling at same speed (and faster) than traffic. Would she have done that to anything else? Say you had been in a low car? Bet she was surprised when you stood up and spoke to her.

    I was waiting for the 'you should have had a flag - argument'! ie The 'I can see you but as I don't think you are safe, I don't like what you are riding, I'll teach you a lesson by using my car as a weapon'.

    What age was the culprit?

    Posted 14 years ago #

  9. steveo
    Member

    Had to laugh at the end there "Go on then" :)

    Not sure i would have stopped tbh, probably would have just ignored her, cursed to my self for another idiot on the road carried on my way.

    The head cam level view on a 'bent is bloody scary if you don't mind me saying, way too much above me for my liking.

    Posted 14 years ago #

  10. gembo
    Member

    I quite enjoyed the footage before the shunt, reminded me of the (quite tense) film Run Lola Run. Maybe we could get Franke Potente on a recumbent and make a sequel Bike Lola Bike?

    Posted 14 years ago #

  11. Cyclingmollie
    Member

    Pretty cool under the circumstances. You managed to avoid the "okay I nearly knocked you off but there's no need to use that language" reply from the driver.

    Posted 14 years ago #

  12. Dave
    Member

    @David - she was probably about 30 I reckon, hard to tell. I don't know, I tend to find that a certain class of older men/women are more belligerent when you catch them doing something wrong, than the younger set (who know but just don't care).

    @steveo - it's much better than you'd think. Honestly after six months with a low-racer, I feel uncomfortable in traffic on my *normal* bike!

    If you can stand something a little more 'fruity' in the language department (possible not for your kids) then I had an interesting time leaving the flat the other day. You know what they say about short bald men ;-)

    [+] Embed the video | Video DownloadGet the Flash Videos

    Posted 14 years ago #

  13. gembo
    Member

    dave - do you think you get more abuse because you are on the Low Rider? You are very good at the de-escalation technique of staying at the same voice level - alas it didn't seem to work with the nice gentleman in the car

    Posted 14 years ago #

  14. Min
    Member

    I am just going to have to stare at that post with my mouth open.

    I definately get more aggression on my folding bike. I had kind of forgotten as I haven't ridden it for a bit but it is very noticeable.

    Posted 14 years ago #

  15. Kim
    Member

    There seam to be some drivers that get up set by the sight of a cyclist on the road. There is not much we can do about it, just hope that social attitudes will change over time.

    Posted 14 years ago #

  16. Smudge
    Member

    Incredible the way some people react, have you emailed that last vid to Fife Police? I suspect they might want to have a chat about the gentlemans attitude, or even maybe have a safety campaign? They've been pretty good whenever I've dealt with them, and clearly little else is going to get the muppets attention :-(

    Posted 14 years ago #

  17. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    Hey Dave, funnily enough I was just looking through your latest shots last night on YouTube. The shunt is bad enough (you were 'in the way' so that's a justification to shunt you???) but that foul-mouthed bloke in the street is mental. He has BAGS of room, chooses to drive closer to you, with you stationary the whole time, then decides to stop and launch a tirade!!!

    That guy has some issues we don't know about...

    Posted 14 years ago #

  18. Dave
    Member

    @gembo - I think it's the opposite most definitely, I get away with much more on the recumbent than I would on either normal bike. People don't seem to feel that I am 'fair game' in the same way when I'm lying down (and I ride the same commute with just the same road positioning).

    However of course, it doesn't provide a guarantee that people will be nice. I think it only influences those who are 'unwittingly bad' as opposed to genuinely nuts.

    I've never bothered yet to take a video to the police, as I would find it hard to tell which were 'worth it'! So I've been saving that recourse for something important (I would have used it if the shunt driver had given me reason to, however).

    Posted 14 years ago #

  19. LaidBack
    Member

    I've just looked at again... (I can't understand the second one with guy at all. He's clearly got mental issues.)

    With regards the first one I think it showed shockingly bad driving. 3 point offence?

    Entered bus lane (wrong!) Undertake you at speed (wrong!) Prepared to go too close to the other cyclist (wrong!). Where an earth did she think she could go? This would barely be possible on two wheels so how was it going to do happen on four? I know... run you over!!

    Shame the guy on the bike didn't volunteer himself as a witness.

    Glad you weren't hurt BTW. Number plate worth having though if you are able to decode.

    Posted 14 years ago #

  20. Smudge
    Member

    Apologies for the off topic thread hijack(!), but what sort of headcam do you use? I've been thinking about one for a number of tasks but have no knowledge of what's available/good/bad?

    Posted 14 years ago #

  21. gembo
    Member

    smudge - off topic thread hijack's are tolerated on this forum, watch this:-

    Dave, are you a quite tall chap? I have a gentle giant frien Big Davie Whyte, he never causes bother (well a bit cheeky but nothing special) nor does he attract bother - he is six foot three. Actually, he was quite useless the only time I ever needed him in a Portugese disco, they decided to huckle me out of the place due to the unacceptable nature of my dancing (It is very bad), but first they surrounded him smiling and dancing with him and he thought they were just being friendly so that he didn't see me being huckled. Course it all ended quite peacefully as I don't like any aggro and once ejected, asked very politely if I could have my jacket out the cloakroom, this seemed to non-plus them.

    The Muvi brand of cam seems popular but couldn't swear Dave uses such on his 'bent

    Posted 14 years ago #

  22. SRD
    Moderator

    a masterpiece. we will definitely have to have end of year awards.

    Posted 14 years ago #

  23. chdot
    Admin

    "off topic thread hijack's are tolerated on this forum"

    In practice but not in theory....

    Where appropriate better to start a new thread - or refer back to previous ones.

    I bought a Muvi.

    Posted 14 years ago #

  24. chdot
    Admin

    "we will definitely have to have end of year awards"

    Why wait a year?

    Could be a Bike Week event.

    Posted 14 years ago #

  25. SRD
    Moderator

    You may think you control this forum in theory, but in practice... :)

    Posted 14 years ago #

  26. chdot
    Admin

    "You may think you control this forum in theory, but in practice"

    Define "control".

    I am very pleased with the way this forum is working - and that is down to its members' individual and collective interests.

    I have only edited/deleted a couple of posts (for 'legal' reasons - Perthshire, tacks...)

    THIS IS DEFINITELY OFF TOPIC

    Posted 14 years ago #

  27. Smudge
    Member

    Thanks for the link to the other (Muvi) thread, I shall now dutifully get back on topic, erm, cars driven by nutters, scary huh? ;-))

    Posted 14 years ago #

  28. chdot
    Admin

    "I shall now dutifully get back on topic"

    Feel free to start your own anytime.

    Posted 14 years ago #

  29. Dave
    Member

    Sadly I am neither tall, nor very scary looking (well IMO, you can ask those on the board who've met me...)

    Posted 14 years ago #

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