That Cyclist are Nice, Motorists are Mean...

Not Responding said:

then I stand a cat's chance that the maths will mean the combined
wreckage doesn't land on top of me in a ditch. Unless vectors are
involved, of course.

Tricky things, vectors. They can diverge and curl and all that
nonsense, wrigglesome things that they are.

Why not get a video camera and a friend to cycle round this corner a few
times (getting the video camera to cycle is tricky, I know) and present
the evidence of the overtakerers to your local plod?

R.

Not Responding said:

That Cyclist[1] are Nice, Motorists[2] are Mean was once again
confirmed to me on my commute home this evening.

Trudging up The Hill I watched two children, about 8-ish, in the
distance waiting to cross the road. By the time I reached them, they
were obviously getting frustrated and cold; despite some cars turning
off at junctions just past them, no one had stopped to let them cross.
So I did. Took the primary position and said "take your time". For my
troubles and as they began to cross, the car behind overtook and damn
near flattened them. Meanwhile another driver was hooting away in
complaint at, oh, 30 seconds delay. THIS SORT OF THING MAKES ME CROSS.

Always unwise to stop and gesture any pedestrian, but especially kids,
across whether you are on bike or in car. Not only does it put them at risk
from someone behind, unable to see any obstruction or signal from you
warning of a hazard ( ? ) and passing a stationary vehicle but also from
traffic coming the other way, as the kids having been given an instruction
from an adult ( you ) to cross often assume that you have checked traffic
coming the other way and do not look themselves.

Solution: Stop, get off/out and guide them across the road

btw did you indicate to the car behind other than by your road position?

pk

Not Responding said:

Shortly afterwards, I come to my blind bend. Unlit country lane, no
pavements, narrow and bending to the right. EVERY BLOODY DAY, I will be
overtaken on this bend by someone who cannot have an inkling as to what
is round the corner or coming round the corner. Today, I thought "sod
this, I'll ride as far out as I dare". I left barely enough room for
whatever may be coming round the corner and felt a little nervous. BUT
SOME [censored] STILL OVERTOOK ME.

Well well, and there was me thinking the only drivers with x-ray vision
lived in rural Perthshire. I find it incredible that drivers pull out
and pass me on blind bend after blind bend. Ok, there's less traffic
here than many other parts of the country, but that only reduces the
odds slightly on a head-on at the crown of the bend.

--
Brian G

Brian G said:

Well well, and there was me thinking the only drivers with x-ray vision
lived in rural Perthshire. I find it incredible that drivers pull out
and pass me on blind bend after blind bend. Ok, there's less traffic
here than many other parts of the country, but that only reduces the
odds slightly on a head-on at the crown of the bend.

I didn't recount that one on the hell ride..

There I am, pounding away trying to keep the pace up. I come round a
gentle bend. Picture the scene, typical rural road where there is a
raised verge crowned by hedges, drystone walls and the odd tree or two.

So I have just come round this bend about 30-40m ahead of my companion.
A car is coming the other way at a typical rural Perthshire speed.
Suddenly it locks all the wheels and slides into the verge as another
car overtakes Andrew on the bend. Seems fairly typical to me, and only
just missed a prang.

When will they ever learn?

...d

Not Responding said:

Shortly afterwards, I come to my blind bend. Unlit country lane, no
pavements, narrow and bending to the right. EVERY BLOODY DAY, I will be
overtaken on this bend by someone who cannot have an inkling as to what
is round the corner or coming round the corner. Today, I thought "sod
this, I'll ride as far out as I dare". I left barely enough room for
whatever may be coming round the corner and felt a little nervous. BUT
SOME [censored] STILL OVERTOOK ME.

I do this every day. 90+% will wait for a straight bit to overtake

"Not Responding" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Shortly afterwards, I come to my blind bend. Unlit country lane, no
pavements, narrow and bending to the right. EVERY BLOODY DAY, I will be
overtaken on this bend by someone who cannot have an inkling as to what is
round the corner or coming round the corner. Today, I thought "sod this,
I'll ride as far out as I dare". I left barely enough room for whatever
may be coming round the corner and felt a little nervous. BUT SOME [censored]
STILL OVERTOOK ME.

happened to me about two years ago, similar to as you describe: me, cycling
up steep hill approaching sharp blind bend on narrow country road, white van
screaming up hill behind me. As I approach bend, I can see a car coming the
other way, so I held up my right hand to warn the van driver not to
overtake, but he carried on, not quite straight into the car, but both
vehicles seriously damaged, fortunately both drivers ok. This was a very
quiet road, and 999 times out of 1,000 this wouldn't have been a problem,
but this incident does demonstrate that if the repetition of risk, even at
low likelihoods, collisions will occur. Who was the perceptive roads
minister who said that most accidents were the result of low risks being
taken millions of times every day?

in message <[email hidden]>, David Martin

(') said:

Brian G said:

Well well, and there was me thinking the only drivers with x-ray
vision
lived in rural Perthshire. I find it incredible that drivers pull
out and pass me on blind bend after blind bend. Ok, there's less
traffic here than many other parts of the country, but that only
reduces the odds slightly on a head-on at the crown of the bend.

I didn't recount that one on the hell ride..

There I am, pounding away trying to keep the pace up. I come round a
gentle bend. Picture the scene, typical rural road where there is a
raised verge crowned by hedges, drystone walls and the odd tree or
two.

So I have just come round this bend about 30-40m ahead of my
companion. A car is coming the other way at a typical rural Perthshire
speed. Suddenly it locks all the wheels and slides into the verge as
another car overtakes Andrew on the bend. Seems fairly typical to me,
and only just missed a prang.

My partner was similarly riding down a country road a couple of months
ago when one of that nice Mr Wiseman's jolly nice milk tankers overtook
her on a blind bend. Cue much shrieking of brakes as it ground to a
halt about two inches off a head-on with a Range Rover. Cue, slightly
later, one exceeding nasty nastygram to that nice Mr Wiseman.

Quoted message said:

When will they ever learn?

Where have all the flowers gone?

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

Morning had broken, and there was nothing we could do but wait
patiently for the RAC to arrive.

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

<snip various tales of overtaking on blind bends>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

When will they ever learn?

What worries me is that the instinctive reaction for the overtaking
driver, faced with an imminent head-on, may be to forget they're still
beside the cyclist, and yank the steering wheel left.......

--
Colin

On Tue, 15 Mar 2005 18:17:27 +0000, Not Responding <[email hidden]>

wrote in message : said:

I left barely enough room for
whatever may be coming round the corner and felt a little nervous. BUT
SOME [censored] STILL OVERTOOK ME.

Obviously the car was fitted with CageGlass[tm]
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk/web/public.nsf/Documents/Cage_Glass

Guy
--
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

"To every complex problem there is a solution which is
simple, neat and wrong" - HL Mencken

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

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

BUT SOME [censored] STILL OVERTOOK ME.

I do this every day. 90+% will wait for a straight bit to overtake

Maybe Hertfordshire drivers are more sensible. Because, when I lived down
there I had a bend that actually turned up somewhere on most of my routes
that was a blind bend.

About 99.9% waited behind and about 30% cave a polite 'thank you' toot as I
waved them through (as I had sight of the clear or otherwise road well in
advance of them).

Of course Johnny Plonker will have his fun.

T

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Obviously the car was fitted with CageGlass[tm]
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk/web/public.nsf/Documents/Cage_Glass

Sorry, not a spot on a RealMan saddle [1]. In this case, imitation is
beneath contempt.

T

[1] http://sheldonbrown.com/real-man.html

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

Quoted message said:

Tony W said:

About 99.9% waited behind and about 30% cave a polite 'thank you' toot

as I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

waved them through (as I had sight of the clear or otherwise road well

in

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

advance of them).

Er... so you wave them through even if it's not clear? Is that why 70%
don't thank you?

No. Most waited. Of those I waved through (which I did only when the road
was clear and it was safe to do so) about 30% acknowledged with a toot or a
cheery wave.

Colin said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

<snip various tales of overtaking on blind bends>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

When will they ever learn?

What worries me is that the instinctive reaction for the overtaking
driver, faced with an imminent head-on, may be to forget they're still
beside the cyclist, and yank the steering wheel left.......

Forget? Realise it's "only" a cyclist, more like...

James

Muppets! By the way, remember those "motorists hardly ever go through
red lights compared with cyclists" flame wars? I paid attention
yesterday, and I saw one or more cars going through on red at every
single traffic light I passed through on my 6 mile fetch toddler from
nursery trip.

The taxi driver was a pretty decent guy, though. See Chris's taxi
thread.