UK and Europe · Public discussion

Near death experience.

Colin Blackburn · 2003-11-17T15:12:47+00:00

I was in a car the other day (yes we have one) pootling along to Hexham. The road to Hexham is a typical north Pennine road, NSL, wide enough to have a line down the middle but not much more, lots of hidden dips and blind brows. As we come up towards a brow we are faced with the quite disturbing prospect of a car coming the other way at speed on our side of the road. My other half, who was driving, had the reactions and ability to brake hard and veer as much to the left as possible. The oncoming car swung sharply back to its left as did another car that was tailgating the first car. The reason the car was where it shouldn't have been? Well, the kind considerate driver was overtaking a cyclist with as much room as possible. It didn't seem to occur to him that to overtake anything at that spot was bloody dangerous. Luckily the experienced-looking roadie coped with two cars veering back in towards him and brushing past at the sort of clearance the driver seemed keen to avoid. Colin

Started by Colin Blackburn · 17 November 2003 · Last activity 6 December 2003 · 18 posts · 959 views

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01 / Original postNear death experience.Colin Blackburn · 17 Nov 2003 02 / This pagePosts 1–18Page 1 of 1 · chronological order 03 / Latest replyPost #18Colin Blackburn · 6 Dec 2003

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Original section: UK and Europe
Published: 17 November 2003
Last activity: 6 December 2003
Original author: Colin Blackburn
Posts: 18
Discussion status: Public discussion
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Original post
Colin Blackburn
Archived post

17 November 2003, 15:12 UTC #1

I was in a car the other day (yes we have one) pootling along to Hexham. The road to Hexham is a
typical north Pennine road, NSL, wide enough to have a line down the middle but not much more,
lots of hidden dips and blind brows. As we come up towards a brow we are faced with the quite
disturbing prospect of a car coming the other way at speed on our side of the road. My other half,
who was driving, had the reactions and ability to brake hard and veer as much to the left as
possible. The oncoming car swung sharply back to its left as did another car that was tailgating
the first car. The reason the car was where it shouldn't have been? Well, the kind considerate
driver was overtaking a cyclist with as much room as possible. It didn't seem to occur to him that
to overtake anything at that spot was bloody dangerous. Luckily the experienced-looking roadie
coped with two cars veering back in towards him and brushing past at the sort of clearance the
driver seemed keen to avoid.
Colin

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Dave Kahn
Archived post

17 November 2003, 20:27 UTC #2

Colin Blackburn <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...
Quoted message said:
The reason the car was where it shouldn't have been? Well, the kind considerate driver was
overtaking a cyclist with as much room as possible. It didn't seem to occur to him that to
overtake anything at that spot was bloody dangerous.
You're not suggesting that a motorist wait until it's safe before overtaking a cyclist are you? All
cyclists must instantly be overtaken, even when they are keeping up with traffic. To prove you are a
safe driver you may leave an extra big gap and move over to the extreme right, especially if a)
there is another car, or even better another cyclist, coming the other way, or b) there is a double
white line in the centre of the road.
--
Dave...

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Sue
Archived post

17 November 2003, 20:28 UTC #3

In message <[email hidden]>, "Just zis Guy, you know?"
<[email hidden]> writes
Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
The reason the car was where it shouldn't have been? Well, the kind considerate driver was
overtaking a cyclist with as much room as possible. It didn't seem to occur to him that to
overtake anything at

that
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
spot was bloody dangerous.
Quoted message said:
You're not suggesting that a motorist wait until it's safe before overtaking a cyclist are you?
And I bet you a pound I know who the driver would have blamed if there had been a crash.

Well, I've done that - on one of the narrow bits of your favourite
A4155.I signalled and moved out a reasonable distance, the offside of my car was along the centre
white line, I'd started to overtake when a car came the other way fast, also brushing the
white line but with nothing on his inside. If he'd just moved over a bit there'd have been no
problem, but he didn't.
I had time to pass the cyclist, but then had to aim for the space between him and the oncoming car;
but it was dark and the cyclist was unlit (on the A4155!) so once I was past him I couldn't see him.
I missed both car and cyclist, but I get my thrills on my MTB, I prefer motoring to be boring.
I think the reason the other car didn't move over was that he couldn't see the unlit cyclist next to
the glare of my headlights.
I'll be more cautious in future, but I wish the cyclist would too!
--
Sue ];(🙂

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Just Zis Guy
Archived post

17 November 2003, 20:28 UTC #4

"Dave Kahn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
The reason the car was where it shouldn't have been? Well, the kind considerate driver was
overtaking a cyclist with as much room as possible. It didn't seem to occur to him that to
overtake anything at

that
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
spot was bloody dangerous.
Quoted message said:
You're not suggesting that a motorist wait until it's safe before overtaking a cyclist are you?
Laughable idea.
And I bet you a pound I know who the driver would have blamed if there had been a crash.
--
Guy
===
WARNING: may contain traces of irony. Contents may settle after posting.
chapmancentral.demon.co.ukchapmancentral.demon.co.uk

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Colin Blackburn
Archived post

5 December 2003, 22:05 UTC #5

I was reading the Hexham Courant at the weekend (cracking read) and it had a piece about a motorist
being done for causing a collision which resulted in serious injuries to at least two people. He was
overtaking a car at the brow of a hill when a car came the other way. He was on the wrong side of
the road. The woman coming the other way braked and veered and ended up in a ditch. It happened at
exactly the spot where me and my beter half had our near death experience in very similar
circumstances.
The motorists "defence" - 'she appeared suddenly out of a dip.'
His punishment - fine plus 7 points.
Bringing his total to 13, yeah disqualification! No, he is a rural window cleaner and so he needs
his licence, therefore he gets to keep it as this was a once in a lifetime accident!
So, look out for manic window cleaners on the Hexham roads. Otherwise they are great roads
for cycling.
Colin
--

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Dave Kahn
Archived post

5 December 2003, 22:10 UTC #6

Colin Blackburn <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...
Quoted message said:
Bringing his total to 13, yeah disqualification! No, he is a rural window cleaner and so he needs
his licence, therefore he gets to keep it as this was a once in a lifetime accident!
Very nearly, by the sound of it.
Quoted message said:
So, look out for manic window cleaners on the Hexham roads. Otherwise they are great roads for
cycling.
It's dangerous to generalise, and I'm sure there are many window cleaners who are careful and
considerate drivers, but over the years I have learned to be extremely wary of any vehicle with a
ladder on the roof.
--
Dave...

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Dave Larrington
Archived post

5 December 2003, 22:10 UTC #7

Colin Blackburn said:
Bringing his total to 13, yeah disqualification! No, he is a rural window cleaner and so he needs
his licence, therefore he gets to keep it as this was a once in a lifetime accident!
Somewhere I have an (extremely poor) photograph of Mr. A. Pegg, window-cleaner and nutcase, going
about his business with ladder, bucket etc. carefully stowed aboard his Windcheetah...
Dave Larrington - legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uklegslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
bhpc.org.ukbhpc.org.uk
===========================================================

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Robert McDonald
Archived post

5 December 2003, 22:11 UTC #8

Quoted message said:
All cyclists must instantly be overtaken, even when they are keeping up with traffic. To prove you
are a safe driver you may leave an extra big gap and move over to the extreme right, especially if
a) there is another car, or even better another cyclist, coming the other way, or b) there is a
double white line in the centre of the road.
...........or even whizz past a cyclist reeeeeal close while signalling right THEN (and only then)
pull over to the other side. Why????????????????????????????????? Happens to me every day.
Robert

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Tony W
Archived post

5 December 2003, 22:14 UTC #9

"Dave Larrington" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Somewhere I have an (extremely poor) photograph of Mr. A. Pegg, window-cleaner and nutcase, going
about his business with ladder, bucket etc. carefully stowed aboard his Windcheetah...
Our windowcleaner in East London in the early 60's happily arrived on his bike, demounted his (heavy
wooden) ladders, cleaned the windows, put ladders & buckets back on the bike and cycled off to his
next client.
T

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Just Zis Guy
Archived post

5 December 2003, 22:14 UTC #10

Dave Larrington said:
Somewhere I have an (extremely poor) photograph of Mr. A. Pegg, window-cleaner and nutcase, going
about his business with ladder, bucket etc. carefully stowed aboard his Windcheetah...
JPEG!
--
Guy chapmancentral.demon.co.ukchapmancentral.demon.co.uk "Sic hoc adfixum in obice legere potes, et liberaliter
educatus et nimis propinquus ades"

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Selwonk
Archived post

5 December 2003, 22:14 UTC #11

"Robert McDonald" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
All cyclists must instantly be overtaken, even when they are keeping up with traffic. To prove
you are a safe driver you may leave an extra big gap and move over to the extreme right,
especially if a) there is another car, or even better another cyclist, coming the other way, or
b) there is a double white line in the centre of the road.
...........or even whizz past a cyclist reeeeeal close while signalling

right
Quoted message said:
THEN (and only then) pull over to the other side. Why????????????????????????????????? Happens to
me every day.

Something which pisses me off is when people are so focussed on overtaking the cyclist they ignore
the parked lorry or other obstruction 50 yards up the road and have to throw the anchor out to stop
in time, inevitably making me slow down while the orient themselves.

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Colin Blackburn
Archived post

5 December 2003, 22:18 UTC #12

Tony W said:

"Dave Larrington" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Somewhere I have an (extremely poor) photograph of Mr. A. Pegg, window-cleaner and nutcase, going
about his business with ladder, bucket etc. carefully stowed aboard his Windcheetah...
Our windowcleaner in East London in the early 60's happily arrived on his bike, demounted his
(heavy wooden) ladders, cleaned the windows, put ladders & buckets back on the bike and cycled off
to his next client.
The rural window cleaner wouldn't half be putting the miles in though round here. They'd probably do
half a dozen windows a day with some great cycling between jobs.[1]
Colin
[1] Note: This does not mean I appreciate him keeping his licence. I don't buy the necessary car use
arguments for avoid bans.
--

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Simon Brooke
Archived post

5 December 2003, 22:18 UTC #13

Just zis Guy said:
Dave Larrington said:
Somewhere I have an (extremely poor) photograph of Mr. A. Pegg, window-cleaner and nutcase,
going about his business with ladder, bucket etc. carefully stowed aboard his Windcheetah...
JPEG!
No, APegg. Can't you read?
--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) jasmine.org.uk~simon
...but have you *seen* the size of the world wide spider?

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Dave Larrington
Archived post

5 December 2003, 22:18 UTC #14

Just zis Guy said:
JPEG!
Must be in a Newsletter I haven't scanned yet. Sorry.
Dave Larrington - legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uklegslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
bhpc.org.ukbhpc.org.uk
===========================================================

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James Hodson
Archived post

6 December 2003, 00:03 UTC #15

(Dave Kahn) said:
It's dangerous to generalise, and I'm sure there are many window cleaners who are careful and
considerate drivers, but over the years I have learned to be extremely wary of any vehicle with a
ladder on the roof.
OT
About two years ago I and the cyclist a few years in front of me were both almost beheaded by the
ladder on top of a car. I said something along the lines of "that guy should watch where his
ladder's going".
The other cyclist slammed on his brakes and shouted "James!" It was an old mate of mine from ten or
so years previously and he'd recognised my voice.
James
--
"Sorry mate, I didn't see you" is not a satisfactory excuse.

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Just Zis Guy
Archived post

6 December 2003, 00:08 UTC #16

Colin Blackburn said:
The rural window cleaner wouldn't half be putting the miles in though round here. They'd probably
do half a dozen windows a day with some great cycling between jobs.
There must be a downside somewhere, but I can't think of it offhand...
--
Guy chapmancentral.demon.co.ukchapmancentral.demon.co.uk "Sic hoc adfixum in obice legere potes, et liberaliter
educatus et nimis propinquus ades"

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James Hodson
Archived post

6 December 2003, 00:10 UTC #17

Simon Brooke said:
No, APegg. Can't you read?
LOL If I'd had NG access yesterday I'm sure I would have said the exact same thing.
James
--
"Sorry mate, I didn't see you" is not a satisfactory excuse.

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Colin Blackburn
Archived post

6 December 2003, 00:13 UTC #18

you know? said:
Colin Blackburn said:
The rural window cleaner wouldn't half be putting the miles in though round here. They'd probably
do half a dozen windows a day with some great cycling between jobs.
There must be a downside somewhere, but I can't think of it offhand...
The money. If I could charge 20 quid a house I'd do the job missen.
Colin
--

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