a hair's breadth.....

"Dave" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

He'd obviously computed that there was no danger from his right and was already computing the
speed / direction he would need to travel in order to avoid the traffic on the opposite side of
the road. Without giving the pelican crossing a chance to react or even so much as a cursory
glance right, out he strode, straight into me. I managed to lean

my

Quoted message said:

bike to the right and myself to the left, allowing him to fill the space

I'd

Quoted message said:

have been in if I'd been riding upright, whispering (very loudly ;-) in

his

Quoted message said:

ear as I went by, exactly what I thought of his pedestrian abilities....something along the lines
of "NNnnyyyaaargghhHH...git!!...."

I always, always expect peds to walk in between traffic, from the blind spot of buses and lorries
etc etc. Taking this into account, I'd have left enough decision time and space for the ped. Okay,
they're pretty dumb sometimes, but I anticipate they're ALL as thick as ****. If he'd just caught
a glimpse of you in his peripheral vision and paniced, it'd have been a smash. Could you have
stopped in time?

Quoted message said:

As I pride myself on riding defensively / aggresively and being able to anticipate most potential
accidents, I can only presume that I'm failing

and

Quoted message said:

losing my previous high levels of concentration....Ah well, it can only be

a

Quoted message said:

matter of time now before 'they' get me !!

They never 'get' us. We're generally travelling faster, therefore it is our responsibility to be
able to stop.

"Dave" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

So there I was returning from (giving) a cycling proficiency lesson when I had my first experience
of pavement lemminginism <s?>... As usual, total gridlock due to the school run. I'm making my way
up the inside of the traffic,

There is your first mistake. The outside is safer.

Quoted message said:

fully clad in fluorescent gear, on me racer. Hey,

And the second -- wearing clothing that renders you completely invisible.

Quoted message said:

what's the point of being on a bike if you can't make quicker progress

than

Quoted message said:

a car in gridlock??...

Indeed

Quoted message said:

anyway, spotted this pavement lemming, having observed the stationary traffic on my side of
the road, pushing the button on the pelican crossing whilst looking at the traffic that was
moving on the

other

Quoted message said:

side of the road. He'd obviously computed that there was no danger from

his

Quoted message said:

right and was already computing the speed / direction he would need to travel in order to
avoid the traffic on the opposite side of the road. Without giving the pelican crossing a
chance to react or even so much as a cursory glance right, out he strode, straight into me. I
managed to lean

my

Quoted message said:

bike to the right and myself to the left,

Very impressive.

Quoted message said:

allowing him to fill the space I'd have been in if I'd been riding upright, whispering (very
loudly ;-) in

his

Quoted message said:

ear as I went by, exactly what I thought of his pedestrian abilities....something along the lines
of "NNnnyyyaaargghhHH...git!!...."

So expressive.

Quoted message said:

As I pride myself on riding defensively / aggresively

Assertive -- I hope you mean.

Quoted message said:

and being able to anticipate most potential accidents, I can only presume that I'm failing

and

Quoted message said:

losing my previous high levels of concentration....Ah well, it can only be

a

Quoted message said:

matter of time now before 'they' get me !!

:~)

"elyob" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Dave" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

He'd obviously computed that there was no danger from his right and was already computing the
speed / direction he would need to travel in order to avoid the traffic on the opposite side of
the road. Without giving the pelican crossing a chance to react or even so much as

a

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

cursory glance right, out he strode, straight into me. I managed to lean

my

Quoted message said:

bike to the right and myself to the left, allowing him to fill the space

I'd

Quoted message said:

have been in if I'd been riding upright, whispering (very loudly ;-) in

his

Quoted message said:

ear as I went by, exactly what I thought of his pedestrian abilities....something along the
lines of

"NNnnyyyaaargghhHH...git!!...."

Quoted message said:

I always, always expect peds to walk in between traffic, from the blind

spot

Quoted message said:

of buses and lorries etc etc.

Me too 8-D

Taking this into account, I'd have left enough

Quoted message said:

decision time and space for the ped. Okay, they're pretty dumb sometimes, but I anticipate they're
ALL as thick as ****. If he'd just caught a

glimpse

Quoted message said:

of you in his peripheral vision and paniced, it'd have been a smash. Could you have stopped
in time?

Nope, hence the cute bodyswerve. I could've stopped, against the lights, just in case some imbecile
pressed the button then immediately chose to ignore the rest of the process and walk out regardless
of traffic flow. However, if I did this as a normal course of action, I might as well stay in the
car and have the advantage of 1.5 tonnes of metal on my side, along with some very nice tunes ;-)

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

As I pride myself on riding defensively / aggresively and being able to anticipate most
potential accidents, I can only presume that I'm failing

and

Quoted message said:

losing my previous high levels of concentration....Ah well, it can only

be

Quoted message said:

a

Quoted message said:

matter of time now before 'they' get me !!

They never 'get' us. We're generally travelling faster, therefore it is

our

Quoted message said:

responsibility to be able to stop.

It was a general, paranoid 'they', hence the ' '....not specifically peds.

;-) Dave.

"Tony W" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Dave" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

So there I was returning from (giving) a cycling proficiency lesson when

I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

had my first experience of pavement lemminginism <s?>... As usual, total gridlock due to the
school run. I'm making my way up the inside of the traffic,

There is your first mistake. The outside is safer.

Funnily enough I'd been doing this earlier as the traffic left no space between vehicles and
kerb..... (ahem! and this guy's teaching cycling to our kids!!!)

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

fully clad in fluorescent gear, on me racer. Hey,

And the second -- wearing clothing that renders you completely invisible.

Must remember to remove cloak of invisibility everytime I get on the bike,,,,trouble is, bike
disappears everytime I do ;-)

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

what's the point of being on a bike if you can't make quicker progress

than

Quoted message said:

a car in gridlock??...

Indeed

Quoted message said:

anyway, spotted this pavement lemming, having observed the stationary traffic on my side of the
road, pushing the button on the pelican crossing whilst looking at the traffic that was moving
on the

other

Quoted message said:

side of the road. He'd obviously computed that there was no danger from

his

Quoted message said:

right and was already computing the speed / direction he would need to travel in order to avoid
the traffic on the opposite side of the road. Without giving the pelican crossing a chance to
react or even so much as

a

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

cursory glance right, out he strode, straight into me. I managed to lean

my

Quoted message said:

bike to the right and myself to the left,

Very impressive.

Thank you!

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

allowing him to fill the space I'd have been in if I'd been riding upright, whispering (very
loudly ;-) in

his

Quoted message said:

ear as I went by, exactly what I thought of his pedestrian abilities....something along the
lines of

"NNnnyyyaaargghhHH...git!!...."

Quoted message said:

So expressive.

I have more, but don't like to use 'em all at once 8-D

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

As I pride myself on riding defensively / aggresively

Assertive -- I hope you mean.

ahem!, thank you, yes...it was the shock you understand.....

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and being able to anticipate most potential accidents, I can only presume that I'm failing

and

Quoted message said:

losing my previous high levels of concentration....Ah well, it can only

be

Quoted message said:

a

Quoted message said:

matter of time now before 'they' get me !!

:~)

"Dave" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

As I pride myself on riding defensively / aggresively

Assertive -- I hope you mean.

ahem!, thank you, yes...it was the shock you understand.....

IIRC

Assertive is where you take no [censored] from the buggers and are willing to face down buses &
juggery-noughts with little more than a scowl and a friendly word.

Aggressive is when you punch the [censored]'s lights out, smash his wing mirrors and kick his door
panels in.

All in all, assertive is better.

T

Tony W said:

Assertive is where you take no [censored] from the buggers and are willing to face down buses &
juggery-noughts with little more than a scowl and a friendly word.

Aggressive is when you punch the [censored]'s lights out, smash his wing mirrors and kick his door
panels in.

All in all, assertive is better.

T

Sometimes Aggressive is tempting.

--
Andy Morris

AndyAtJinkasDotFreeserve.Co.UK

Love this: Put an end to Outlook Express's messy quotes
home.in.tum.deoe quotefixOpen ↗

"Tony W" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Dave" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> As I pride myself on riding defensively / aggresively

Assertive -- I hope you mean.

ahem!, thank you, yes...it was the shock you understand.....

IIRC

Assertive is where you take no [censored] from the buggers and are willing to

face

Quoted message said:

down buses & juggery-noughts with little more than a scowl and a friendly word.

Aggressive is when you punch the [censored]'s lights out, smash his wing mirrors and kick his door
panels in.

All in all, assertive is better.

T

Agreed 8-D

"AndyMorris" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Sometimes Aggressive is tempting.

yep