To loathe the men in the white van who just shouted at us?

[NorthernLurker]

Ok - I have just cycled to fetch dd2 from a friends house. I have dd1 and dd2 on their own bikes (they are 10 and 7) and dd3 in a bike seat. Friends house is on a narrow one way street with chicanes. There is room to pass a bike but only if the bike is hard in to the kerb, doesn't wobble and the car driver allows considerably less than 3 feet!Despite this some drivers seem to speed down there with scant regard for other road users and so I am always quite cautious - especially with the chicanes as you have to sort of pull out into the road to go round them iyswim.
So tonight we have just started on the short stretch we need to cover before turning off again (about 3 minutes cycling tops) when a white van roars up behind us. I was cycling alongside dd2 and whilst on any other road I would normally try to move over and allow traffic to pass, the speed they were travelling at made me reluctant to do so, especially as dd1 was up ahead about to negotiate the first chicane. Then they started shouting out of the window and swearing at me to get out of the way. Now that obviously didn't fill me with confidence regarding their judgement and skill as a driver so I stayed where I was but signalled left so they could see we would be out of their way in a minute or so. As we turned left they hurled abuse after us! It was horrible and I feel quite shaken up by it. I try so hard to cycle well and teach my daughters to do safely and I really don't think it's unreasonable of us to require a decent amount of road room is it?

[wotulookinat]

I think cyclists and drivers will never see eye-to-eye.

[southeastastra]

they were driving dangerously and completely in the wrong.

to behave like that with children on the road beggars belief, did you get their number?

[wotulookinat]

It is upsetting that they chose to act in such a manner in front of children.

[NorthernLurker]

I didn't get their number - it all happened a bit too quick and I think I spent some time pretending to myself that they weren't shouting at us because I couldn't totally believe anybody would be so unpleasant.

[LittleMyDancing]

Some people seem to think that they have an unalienable right to drive where they want, when they want, at whatever speed they want.

They're tossers. I know how hard it is to stop feeling angry about them, but try and remember that they're tossers.

Were your DCs ok?

[NorthernLurker]

I'm not sure they even noticed - I hope not as the language was foul. They had their helmets on and dd1 - who is the most likely to notice was a few metres ahead so hopefully missed it. Dd2 actually has her head in the crowds a lot of the time - (another reason to keep an extra eye on her on the road)so I supect she may just have processed it as just general shouting.

[MadamAnt]

They were twats. Take solace in the fact that thay must have farking miserable lives if they are so easily angered.

[MadamAnt]

ahem *they

[NorthernLurker]

'they' noted - and can I say that dd2 has her head in the clouds not the crowds!

[LittleMyDancing]

Probably a healthier place to have it

Glad you were all ok - are you feeling a bit less angry/upset?

People like that are not even worth thinking about. They're pigs, and they will continue to be pigs for the rest of their lives. Until someone turns them into bacon.

[idlingabout]

To call them pigs is insulting to pigs.
It is just these sort of incidents which cause parents to advise their children to cycle on pavements and then we get into a whole spiral of problems. The men were totally ignorant and clearly couldn't give a toss for your children's safety.
I hope you are feeling less shaken now.

[Triathlete]

Christ

As soon as I saw your thread title I wondered whether this was a cycling thing.

WVM nearly killed me the other day on the way to work. YANBU, people who yell abuse at each other on the road are ignorant swine.

[Flashman]

I would agree that is shocking - I tried to cycle to work a couple of times - would not do it again seems that you are taking your life in your hands if you do.