Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Mumsnet classics

Relive the funniest, most unforgettable threads. For a daily dose of Mumsnet’s best bits, sign up for Mumsnet's daily newsletter.

Original poster

to make a little sign for this woman?

862 replies

TandB · 15/04/2011 09:00

I have ranted on a previous occasion about the morning rat-run through our village so very quick summary:

Single track roads - short-cut to city - I am apparently only person who needs to go opposite direction during rush-hour - majority of people coming the other way clearly think I am unreasonable for driving through my own village and glare and head-shake at me - I am cross.

Obviously it is the holidays now, so the school run traffic is missing which makes life much easier. However, there is one woman who I see every single time. She drives very fast on a narrow, twisty road with several blind bends so I finish up crawling around corners in case she comes hurtling the other way. She flatly refuses to back up even a couple of feet to the nearest passing space, and she makes no attempt to move over so that both cars can pass without scraping through the hedge. So I finish up reversing to the next passing space with her driving about 6 inches off my front bumper with a face like thunder, and then as soon as the road widens at all, she squeezes past, glaring at me all the time and shaking her head.

Bearing in mind the following:

  1. I live here and have as much right to leave the village as she does to cut through it.

  2. I drive a very small car which causes minimal obstruction.

  3. I don't drive dangerously fast.

  4. I am the one reversing and getting off the road.

would I be unreasonable to make a little sign saying "The next time you shake your head at me will be the last time I reverse for you. I can sit here all day - how about you?"

Would probably be unreasonable to add "cowbag" at the end, I suppose.

OP posts:
lljkk · 15/04/2011 18:23

I bet "she" is the same Alpha Mum who mustered the petition to ban a specific hybrid car from parking near the school gates... whaddya reckon?

Dlamis · 15/04/2011 18:21

marks place on thread :)

ChaoticAngelofchocolateeggs · 15/04/2011 17:49

OP you don't need mners in the hedge. You need mners in cars behind you...lots of cars behind you Wink That way, not only does she have to back up, she also has to wait while car after car after car after...well you get the message goes past her making her wait even longer Grin

JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar · 15/04/2011 17:40

C&P from the horse box thread:

I held back the other day at a traffic calming pinch point thingy to let a girl on a horse come through. Oncoming traffic had priority but I'd have held back anyway. The horse was moving too slowly for the woman in the car behind her so she overtook the horse, with only a few inches between her car and me and one side, horse on the other. I was completely Shock

Oh, and I turned my (rather loud) music off too - was that the right thing to do?

Kungfu maybe she was the cah currently ruining your life! I shall keep an eye out for her Grin

ExitPursuedByALamb · 15/04/2011 17:29

Hurrah - Horses have hijacked the thread.....

Back to road manners shall we?

ilovesprouts · 15/04/2011 17:26

.

JaneS · 15/04/2011 17:22

Grin Sorry, exit I came across judgy there - it's just something that really scares me. I grew up in the country with lots of horses, mostly good riders and a few horrible twats. A girl I knew ended up blind in one eye because some fool's horse spooked and came crashing down on her car. Horse had to be put down too. Sad

olderyetwider · 15/04/2011 17:22

Hi Nigella, the other advice is if the horse starts leaping around stay put, don't do what some twat did to my DH when his horse was scared by a muckspreader, and try to overtake the car in front and the going sideways horse, at speed!

discobeaver · 15/04/2011 17:21

Pretty much any horse except a police horse wil spook if paper billows out of nowhere though LRD.

I generally hate riding on the roads and can't get on to a bridleway quick enough!

Sidge · 15/04/2011 17:20

I like this thread.

It's like Trafficgate. Grin

I agree that taking a flask, some scones and a very large newspaper that you can slowly unfold across the windscreen is the way to go. She'll soon get the message.

ExitPursuedByALamb · 15/04/2011 17:19

LRD - quite probably not!

discobeaver · 15/04/2011 17:18

"refuse to reverse for riff raff like him" made me laugh, GentleOtter!

Think your horsey advice is about right Nigella. I sometimes stop completely if they are coming towards me, or if they are travelling the same direction and I can see there is a gateway/drive ahead, wait a distance behind to give them a chance to pull their horse in.

I always will try and duck into a drive or passing place if I am riding, the lanes are narrow and it can be quite unnerving being passed with a few inches to spare, even if it is slow!

Once had a horse jump about four feet up a vertical bank to avoid a fuck knuckle in a white van who came tearing round the corner. Thank God my horse jumped the right way or I wouldn't be typing this now!

JaneS · 15/04/2011 17:17

Should you be riding a horse that spooks like that on a road with cars? Shock

ExitPursuedByALamb · 15/04/2011 17:15

Hi Nigella - Most drivers are lovely around horses. Yes pass wide and slow, but do pass, some drivers dither behind you which only makes it worse.

Also, I tend to look out for things that might make the horse shy - someone mentioned silage bales earlier, but I once had a nasty near miss when riding my horse down a road and a load of discarded newspapers suddenly started billowing up the pavement towards her. She leapt about 8ft upwards and 6ft sideways, very narrowly missing a car. No ones fault (except the litter lout's) but as a driver and rider I would probably have anticpated the horse's reaction.

Too big an ask?

NigellaTufnel · 15/04/2011 17:10

I can't believe that people are aggressive to folk on horses.
But help please, I'm a relatively inexperienced driver but have been told to slow down, pass slowly, and do not acceletrate until you are well past them. Any other advice from our equestrian loving folk?

I shook my fist the other day at some boy racer twat. I had let cars coming in the other direction pass, was just about to pull out, had the indicators on, and he tried to overtake me.

Kiss my Audi I yelled, as I left his Peugot 10wank for dust. ( I am not normally a snob, but sometimes...)

HazeltheMcWitch · 15/04/2011 17:07

A flask mob - love it!!!

BringBackGoingForGold · 15/04/2011 16:59

headfairy, thanks, I see now!!

WhereYouLeftIt · 15/04/2011 16:56

I quite fancy the idea of a flaskh mob!

ensure · 15/04/2011 16:48

Ha the zombie idea is good.

GentleOtter · 15/04/2011 16:47

Oh, this makes me seethe with rage for you.

I have had a similar run in with the horrible laird who owns everything here.
Narrow, one car road and I only had about 200 yards to go. Arse of a laird in a Range Rover decides because it was his road that I should back up.
Well, I am hopeless at reversing and refuse to reverse for riff raff like him so I sat while he inched past me.

It took him ages and the staff in the vehicle behind were shaking their heads.

OP, please live near me so I can join the protest with the big tractor and plough or even better, the combine. Everyone backs up for a combine. Grin
I will bring some cows instead of a flask and biscuits.

HopeForTheBest · 15/04/2011 16:45

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ on request of its author.

dolldaggabuzzbuzz · 15/04/2011 16:41

YANBU I look forward to the footage! (I am a bit childish)

theworstmumintheworld · 15/04/2011 16:41

I suggest you stop, wait 5 minutes then switch off engine and tell women your terribly sorry but the car over heats if it stands for more than 5 min and it will be 10 min until it cools enough to restart. Suggest she pushes you back to next passing place since she is unable to reverse. I am sure after a few times she will back up.

strandedbear · 15/04/2011 16:36

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Flower1000 · 15/04/2011 16:35

Sod the sign, I'd just sit there and make her back up :o