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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:
Jbck · 15/04/2011 16:33

If you don't post next week what happens when you see her again I will have a face like that too Smile

Pet hate of mine. I am always much slower manouvering if someone is annoying me whilst I do it.

headfairy · 15/04/2011 16:33

and now so have I :o

I want to be in a flash mob!!!

kerala · 15/04/2011 16:32

I got beeped up the other day. For stopping when a chap on an ipod crossed the road without looking. Assume the driver behind meant me to drive over the pedestrian Confused admittedly the crossee was being rather dim but didnt quite deserve that!

headfairy · 15/04/2011 16:32

Just by posting you've marked it!

BringBackGoingForGold · 15/04/2011 16:29

Can I ask how to mark your place in a thread, please? Can't find any help on it on the site itself but am probably just thick

MrsKwazii · 15/04/2011 16:26

Blatant place marking - can't wait to hear how this goes Grin

I can't bear inconsiderate drivers. We have a lot of horses on the roads where I live and it's amazing the number of people who drive inconsiderately. Fecking eejits.

Original poster
TandB · 15/04/2011 16:12

I LOVE the zombies idea!

I don't think I will be meeting her tonight somehow. I just went out to speak to a neighbour and the road was nose to tail with cars, including a police car. Apparently there was an accident on the main road which is about 2 miles away so the police had the spectacularly good idea of diverting all traffic through the village without closing the road in the opposite direction. The result was predictable - 2 miles of traffic queuing one way, 1/2 mile of traffic queuing the other way - meeting in the middle of the village entirely unable to move or reverse. Me standing in the middle wailing "but I've got to get to nuuuuuuuursery" surrounded by elderly neighbours thoroughly enjoying the excitement. One even had tea and biscuits.

We had just decided that I would dig out my bike and bike seat and cycle to nursery with the car-seat strapped to my back and find somewhere to hang around with DS ,and that neighbour would come and get us later, when fortunately someone closed another road and got all the cars to start reversing back so that the bulk of the traffic could move.

Think I am going to set off now though, just in case.

Hope she is sitting in the traffic with a face like this..Angry

OP posts:
BringBackGoingForGold · 15/04/2011 16:11

Bugger the sign, just take a flask and a blanket and books/radio/audiobooks and camp out there Grin.

She sounds like a mare.

dexifehatz · 15/04/2011 16:09

Quennelle- are you thinking of 'Duel'? I love that movie,scares the crap out of me everytime and I ddon't even drive!

JaneS · 15/04/2011 16:08

Hazel - I have a tiny car and tend to back automatically as I know I can, but I don't assume having a small car means I have to give way - never heard that before! Very silly round where I learned to drive, too - it's all single-track country lanes with high hedges, and often the person who backs is the one who's highest up and can see best.

nickelbaalamb · 15/04/2011 16:05

no, Hazel, I think in Germany, it's one of those "assumed" ROWs Grin

here, it's whoever is nearest the passing place. full stop.

nickelbaalamb · 15/04/2011 16:04

bloody hell flump Shock

HazeltheMcWitch · 15/04/2011 16:03

I am loving this thread too, but just want to add that size ISN"T everything. Lots of posters here saying that have stood their ground in 4x4. Well, I am here to tell you that you CAN do it in a little car too. I have.

(NB I WILL move if the other car has nowhere to go / is towing something / looks nervous / has L-plates etc). But I won't automatically assume that as I am the smaller car I don't have the right of way. (is that I known thing? I am 100% bumpkin and have never known that!). For me it is common sense and common courtesy that lead the way.

The one thing that will ensure my brakes are slammed on is the other car being rude to me. I have never thought of making a sign (although feel that maybe I should, for next time!), but I WILL NT MOVE AND WILL STARE YOU OUT IF YOU PISS ME OFF. I am like a slightly angrier Paddington Bear.

nickelbaalamb · 15/04/2011 16:02

I was on a single track road once, and met a woman coming the other way.
I didn't know where the passing places were, but I knew there must be one, so I started to reverse.
I found a grass bit I thought might be big enough, so I moved into it, but it wasn't quite wide enough. I was about to pull out and try again, when the other woman (who had been basically on my bumper as I moved, which makes me nervous at the best of times!) made a face like thunder and reveresed herself - quite a long way, of course, cos the passing places were few and far between.
I refused to be upset, so wound down my window and tried to explain that I didn't know where the passing places were and that one hadn't been wide enough.
I got as far as "oo, sorry about that, i didn't know where the pas---- " when she yelled at me, that I shouldn't be driving up the road then!
I was that close to getting out and screaming abuse at her, but she pulled off so quickly she made lots of dust.
Fucking Bitch.
Still mad about it now.
Angry

Mumofaflump · 15/04/2011 15:57

There are LOADS of single track roads round here. I always take them really slowly after I saw the following:

In my mums car years ago, mum driving slowly down a lane. An executive car speeds up behind us and starts bullying. Mum pulled over in a passing place to let him past and he drives past and picks up speed.

A few miles further on we came across an accident. The executive car had driven round a corner and headfirst into the spikes of a hay-baler tractor. The bonnet was crumpled and a spike had gone straight through his chest...

MillsAndDoom · 15/04/2011 15:55

Grin at MN zombies

nickelbaalamb · 15/04/2011 15:51

nijinsky - In GB, the person going up hill has the right of way.

empirestateofmind · 15/04/2011 15:50

Shameless lurker here marking place. Good luck Panda!

ExitPursuedByALamb · 15/04/2011 15:49

I could bring my big Toyota with my horse trailer behind. No bloody chance of me reversing then Grin

BarbiesBeaver · 15/04/2011 15:41

I'm volunteering my services to dress up as a zombie and jump out of the bushes if you like. You could sit there with a horrified look on your face and pointing behind her car while hundreds of zombified MNer's pop out of the bushes covered in gore to chase her down the lane.

HerHissyness · 15/04/2011 15:40

Oh and I do have a freelander.... It takes up quite a lot of room....

HerHissyness · 15/04/2011 15:39

I have 2 flasks, and can do either tea or coffee. I've got a blanket and can make Ginger nuts. If I have enough time I may even do custard tarts.

PM us all your postcode and let us know when and there will be HEDGEFULS of us.

We are the Hedgefiends! Defenders of the Right NOT to Reverse!

ChippingInMistressSteamMop · 15/04/2011 15:31

We used to live in a village like that too - it drove me insane.

If it made sense I'd reverse to where we could pass each other - I'm a good driver (so reversing isn't some mystery skill to me Grin) and knew the road well, so would happily reverse a good distance to a 'passing place' if I knew they weren't near one, but if I knew they had one right behind then I wouldn't. I'd just wait with a bored look, raised eyebrow and slight shake of my head. Mind you, it helps if you're driving a fuckoffsized 4x4 when you do this

Original poster
TandB · 15/04/2011 15:29

[snort]

OP posts:
Quenelle · 15/04/2011 15:29

A flask mob.