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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think cyclist caused this near miss not me! (diagram included!)

131 replies

ChanandlerBongsLeftShoe · 03/04/2019 13:17

Was driving up the road earlier and made a right turn onto another street.

When I turned into the street, I very nearly hit a cyclist who was riding down the middle of the road (pretty much on the white line).

He got very aggressive throwing his arms up and shouting/ calling me a bitch etc... I went to pull over but he rode off!

I did look before I turned but because of the location of the buildings I hadn't seen him further up the road, riding down towards the junction. By the time I'd turned, he just appeared.

Surely cyclists should not be in the centre of the road?! I would not have nearly hit him if he'd been at the side of the road like normal!

To think cyclist caused this near miss not me! (diagram included!)
OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
ButterMyBiscuit · 03/04/2019 13:18

If almost at a junction he was placing himself appropriately to turn right.

LEDadjacent · 03/04/2019 13:19

If he was turning right he would need to be in the middle of the road. You should be aware that cyclists might be in the middle of the road.

Sirzy · 03/04/2019 13:19

Surely he was positioned ready to turn?

HighOverTheFenceLeapsSunnyJim · 03/04/2019 13:20

He’s correctly placed to turn right, isn’t he?

TirisfalPumpkin · 03/04/2019 13:21

Unless he was positioning to turn soon, yeah, his road position was way off - but equally you shouldn’t have been in a position to nearly hit him. Had he been a kid chasing a ball, a broken-down car etc, you are still responsible for not crashing into other drivers or obstructions when you turn into a road, even if they are in unexpected positions.

That said, his reaction was unpleasant and OTT, must’ve been a shock.

Original poster
ChanandlerBongsLeftShoe · 03/04/2019 13:22

I don't think so, when he rode off he didn't turn right and he was in middle, on the white lines (not just to the right of his lane) meaning he would have very obviously collided with anything else driving in the other lane.

OP posts:
Tensixtysix · 03/04/2019 13:22

Sorry but you are in the wrong. All cyclists position themselves in the middle of the road to turn right.
You need to be more observant. He was lucky that you hadn't clipped the corner.
The amount of people who do that is ridiculous!

NerrSnerr · 03/04/2019 13:22

He was correctly positioned to turn right. You should be looking into the road you're driving into and not cutting the corner like so many people do.

pudcat · 03/04/2019 13:22

But you should not have turned so near the centre of the road. It looks as it you were cutting it too sharp.

moosesormeece · 03/04/2019 13:23

He was getting ready to turn right. When turning into a road you need to turn properly into the side of the road you need to be on, not cut across just because you haven't spotted a car there. The bit of car between your windscreen and side window (sorry I don't know what it's called!) creates a little blind spot approximately the same width as a cyclist/motorbike.

He shouldn't have called you a bitch but honestly I've been in a position where I've been nearly knocked off my bike and seriously injured by someone who wasn't paying attention, and the adrenaline really gets you.

NerrSnerr · 03/04/2019 13:24

Did he go left when he rode off? From that position?

Original poster
ChanandlerBongsLeftShoe · 03/04/2019 13:25

He went straight across to the train station on the other side of the road.

OP posts:
WarpedGalaxy · 03/04/2019 13:25

You were in the middle of the road preparatory to turning right, before you made your turn, right? He was in the middle of the road preparatory to turning right before making his turn too. It’s not difficult, OP. If buildings are obscuring your view of oncoming traffic as you turn then you need to exercise more care and proceed slowly with your turn. YABU.

Crustaceans · 03/04/2019 13:26

You’ll need to look more carefully in future. I think you assumed you were just looking for cars.

Also, you wouldn’t have seen him riding up the centre line at all. Because if you had, you’d have adjusted your turn in time. You saw him at the last minute and we’re going to cut the corner.

He was probably just in the middle (or to the right) of the lane. And he’s entitled to be anywhere in the lane. Cyclists are taught not to ride on the gutter because the roads are a mess there and it’s much less safe. It’s better to be out in the lane where the cars can’t try to overtake really closely while traffic goes the other way (and they do).

WarpedGalaxy · 03/04/2019 13:27

Cross posted. It’s not clear from your diagram that there was somewhere for him to go straight across the road, ie the station, so YABU for drip-feeding now.

Grumpyoldpersonwithcats · 03/04/2019 13:27

This sounds as if you were cutting the corner. You are therefore at fault. See the recent BBC dashcam footage for a similar situation.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-berkshire-47749660/windsor-dashcam-footage-captures-car-hitting-cyclist0

Crustaceans · 03/04/2019 13:28

It may well be that he was towards the right side of the lane going straight forward because experience has taught him that the cars behind you will drive appallingly if you don’t take up space in the lane to prevent scary overtaking.

Original poster
ChanandlerBongsLeftShoe · 03/04/2019 13:29

Okay I'll hold my hands up and say I should have looked longer/harder.

I don't think I did cut the corner but perhaps I did slightly without realising.

He wasn't just to the right of his lane though. He was partly in mine.

OP posts:
acciocat · 03/04/2019 13:30

Technically you are in the wrong because you should be aware of potential obstacles before you make a manoeuvre. But the cyclist sounds like a fucking idiot because even if he was turning right (which he wasn’t) he shouldn’t have been on the white lines. He should have been to the right of his lane. I’m ultra cautious about cyclists all the time now because I’ve seen so many who don’t have a fucking clue how to use roads correctly.

IntentsandPorpoises · 03/04/2019 13:31

But you should have still seen him. If you hit him, he will come off worse.

Original poster
ChanandlerBongsLeftShoe · 03/04/2019 13:31

It's hardly the drip feed of the century... People pointed out it was relevant what direction he went in so I have answered as they are correct.

OP posts:
HoustonBess · 03/04/2019 13:32

100% your fault and he was right to shout at you given that you narrowly avoided injuring or killing him.

If you had been doing proper observations and going at a suitable speed, you would have seen him.

It's not ideal for cyclists to shout abuse at drivers but near misses that could have caused death through someone else's inattention tend to cause an adrenalin rush.

wtftodo · 03/04/2019 13:32

I'm a cyclist. I have to do this turn regularly out of a side road at a major junction with lights. Cars turning right into the side road, and even cars turning left into it, regularly nearly drive into cyclists (and motorbikes) positioned correctly to turn right when the lights changed. I now position myself centre of the lane in front of the cars waiting behind me because I was nearly crushed, along with my toddler, by a fucking bin lorry who took offence to me being on the road - on the correct side of the white line. You are at fault.

pudcat · 03/04/2019 13:32

Haha he moves further over to your side the more you tell it.

Bambamber · 03/04/2019 13:33

First of all he was pretty much on the white lines, then he was on the white line, then he was partly in your lane. Which was it OP?

Or are you just trying to make excuses to make yourself feel better? Can't you just hold up your hands and say you didn't see the cyclist, he wasn't where you expected him to be, next time you will take a second look. Not the end of the world, just learn from it