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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:
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5
Mummyoflittledragon · 03/04/2019 13:58

Doesn’t matter where the cyclist was. You are only allowed to proceed if the road is clear. You should not be cutting corners. The amount of people, who do this is phenomenal.

MotherWol · 03/04/2019 13:59

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.

Seconding this - it's not nice to be on the receiving end of swearing, but there have been times when drivers have put me in serious danger, and your adrenaline goes crazy, because you're scared. The good news is, it's entirely possible to avoid this kind of situation. When you're turning into a side road, slow down a bit, do proper observations (for everything, not just big, car-shaped things), and don't cut the corner.

SciFiScream · 03/04/2019 14:00

@havingtochangeusernameagain I think the OP is moving the cycle posts!

As long as the cyclist was on their side of the road (not over the white lines) then the driver was wrong.
Op says "pretty much on the white line" well what was it?

Middle of road, on the white line or what?

What else was going on in the road? What other road users? What was the condition of the road? Oil? Glass? Speed bumps? Potholes? All of which affect cyclists differently to cars. There is likely to have been a reason the cyclist was that close to the white line. Being in primary position (where a drive in a car would be) is perfectly fine.

When I teach Bikeability level 2 I can guarantee that 8 out of 10 cars will cut corners when turning right. Most drivers are surprised by correctly positioned cyclists.

buzzbobbly · 03/04/2019 14:01

There's a lot of people here who have never known the adrenaline and sheer fucking scariness of what it is like to have a close call with a car/van etc.

It's very different to when you are safely ensconced in a tonne of metal and the worst that can happen is a bumper gets bent.

BlueSkiesLies · 03/04/2019 14:02

Most drivers are surprised by correctly positioned cyclists

^This

OP cut the corner (obviously) or there wouldn't have been any incident would there?! Since the cyclist was on their side of the road, albeit towards the center.

PocaMiseria · 03/04/2019 14:05

Bloody hell, @Grumpyoldpersonwithcats

that dashcam clip is the stuff nightmares are made of.... and the car driver is clearly and completely in the wrong.
I am a careful driver who ALWAYS swings right over to be on the correct side of the road when turning but I have lost count of the number of near misses I've had with car drivers cutting the corner like that.

On the other hand I am really pissed off by the cyclists who go the wrong way up a one way street with a "blind exit"... hence it being a one way street - you are not supposed to come out of it, only turn down it (and the next street along, a mere 150m down the road is two-way, so it's sheer laziness on their part). One side of the road has cars parked on it so I am obliged to turn onto the side where no one is parked - "safe" in the knowledge that it's a one-way street....but I've had too many near misses there too, so am even more cautious than normal.
FFS respect the highway code people: it's there for a reason!

OohYeBelter47 · 03/04/2019 14:07

Crustaceans
He’ll be in the next street along by the time we fill the thread

Ha ha I was just thinking that!

OP YABU

SciFiScream · 03/04/2019 14:09

Some one way streets are two way for cyclists though! There's one in my small town and at least one in the big town next to me.
If it's a one way for all vehicles fine. And I teach my Bikeability students the difference in signage so they know.

That video is terrifying - the cyclist was completely in the correct position and the car cut the corner! Argh. Stuff of nightmares. Ruined body, ruined bike.

itsinchicago · 03/04/2019 14:10

The cyclist was too far over. Yes they do go towards the middle of the road when turning right, but only their side of the road. They shouldn't literally be straddling the middle of the white line, which it looks as if they were in this case.

buzzbobbly · 03/04/2019 14:10

On the other hand I am really pissed off by the cyclists who go the wrong way up a one way street with a "blind exit"... hence it being a one way street

Some one way streets have a permitted cycle contraflow.

Luglio · 03/04/2019 14:10

There's a lot of people here who have never known the adrenaline and sheer fucking scariness of what it is like to have a close call with a car/van

The last car driver who almost killed me when I was out on my bike was most surprised when I chased and caught him when he parked up the road. I opened his car door and shouted in his face so hard you could see his ears flapping back. I may have called him a 'fucking blind cunt' at 10000 decibels.

Not my finest hour - but there's nothing like seeing your whole life flashing in front of your eyes to get the adrenalin flowing.

buzzbobbly · 03/04/2019 14:12

I'm interested to see how people will blame the cyclist for that dash cam footage (because that will be the case!)

Broad daylight.
Cyclist wearing a nice bright top.
Had helmet on.
Lights on his bike.
Correctly positioned.

buzzbobbly · 03/04/2019 14:13

Brava Luglio!

Crustaceans · 03/04/2019 14:14

He’s not cowering in the gutter and he overtook to get to the front of the lane. Oh, and he’s s cyclist, so automatically in the wrong for existing. That presumably is how the rabid anti cyclists would spin that.

floribunda18 · 03/04/2019 14:14

N.B BLACK CAB AND MINI CAB DRIVERS

You also aren't allowed to run over pedestrians who have started crossing the road and are still in the road when you zoomed up and turned the corner on to wheels, cutting the corner off at the junction.

Highway code says clearly that you must look into the road you are turning into for any obstructions or pedestrians crossing the road. A cyclist shouldn't be on the wrong side of the road but he can be up to the middle line on his side to turn right, and if you don't cut the corner off when you turn in there ought not to be a collision.

floribunda18 · 03/04/2019 14:15

Two wheels not to wheels.

buzzbobbly · 03/04/2019 14:16

Sadly I think think you are spot on Crustaceans.

SciFiScream · 03/04/2019 14:16

I haven't been out on my tandem with my DD since our last close pass. Too scary. I was overtaking a parked car so avoiding the door zone as is correct. A car turning right into our road, didn't even see us, was busy waving good bye to people and was so close my feet touched his car.

Terrifying. Totally and utterly terrifying.

Apart from anything else - I had right of way!

redwoodmazza · 03/04/2019 14:17

It doesn't really matter that the cyclist 'may have' been on the 'wrong' side of his road - as a car driver you need to ensure the road is clear in front of you. In this case you clearly didn't check sufficiently.
Anything could have been there....

floribunda18 · 03/04/2019 14:18

Oh god, what an ocean-going twat in the oncoming car in the video. He was on the wrong side of the road! He nearly hit the other car as well as the bike.

I do see dangerous cycling on a regular basis but that is not it.

ItsBloodyFreezingg · 03/04/2019 14:19

*On the other hand I am really pissed off by the cyclists who go the wrong way up a one way street with a "blind exit"... hence it being a one way street

Some one way streets have a permitted cycle contraflow*

Surely it isn't safe for two way cycle traffic to be permitted on a one way street with a blind exit?

Not argumentative, genuinely curious.

I think it should he compulsory to retake your theory test every so many years. People pass at 17 (or whenever) and then the highway code isn't thought about again it seems.

HappyLife21 · 03/04/2019 14:19

You were at fault.

DGRossetti · 03/04/2019 14:21

Oh god, what an ocean-going twat

(adds to MN dictionary, along with "cockwomble" and "twatbadger" Grin)

BlueSkiesLies · 03/04/2019 14:23

Fucking hell just watched that dash cam footage - the cyclist was stationary! Fucking cunting imbecile driver should be shot through both knee caps and both elbows to prevent them ever getting into a car again.