To be done with cyclists (as a car driver).

[bluegardenflowers]

Have cycled in the past but now only drive.

I'm a considerate driver and always allow plenty of room when overtaking and am patient in following the cyclist when it's unsafe to overtake and leave a big gap. I take care when left turning. They are more vulnerable on the road.

Yet I've been sworn at be a cyclist and it's pissing me off.

Yesterday on a busy road I saw the cyclist and was busy scanning ahead to make sure I could give him half a carriageways room to overtake. I started my overtake as he was wafting his arm around and looking back. It wasn't a clear right turn signal more a 30 degree flap around before swerving into the part of the road I was on, and swearing at me.

Ffs. If you want to turn right, stick your bloody arm out fully and make a clear signal. No wonder drivers and cyclists hate each other.

I bloody hope you're a pisstake, especially with the username, hard to know on this thread 😂

Yes, the one who rode into the front of my car.

I saw him cycling toward me, he had headphones in and on wrong side of the road (country lane)
I stopped and sounded my horn, he just carried on.. BANG!

He was ok and no damage done but yes he was in the wrong.

Driving is also about anticipation, the OP, whatever the weakness of the hand signal, failed to anticipate and carried on regardless with her dangerous over take.

is there any situation where a cyclist could ever possibly be in the wrong in your eyes or is the other road user always to blame?
Mmmm, I only said that there are bad cyclists too a few posts ago....

My interpretation of what happened, and what COULD have happened.

This should be on one of the Naughty Driver courses (yes, I have done one, despite my Advanced Driving bragging....)

Assume everyone is a bad driver

Fine for cyclists to ride two a breast, ride mid carriageway, get to the right hand side of the lane to turn right etc.

Behaving like a car and taking up the full amount of the lane - fine. Even though there are cycle lanes in the road where I live.

What I don’t find fine is weaving through traffic - whether it is stationary or slow - by cyclists and motorcyclists alike. This is really dangerous, and you might not be visible all the time/ drivers might not anticipate you’re going to be there. Please carry on regarding yourself as a car and wait in the traffic!

Whats also not fine, is drivers behind you (as another driver) tailgating you (so another car) and pressuring you to overtake a cyclist when you need to turn left in a minute and are signalling. So what, you want me to cut in front of a cyclist to turn left so that you aren’t waiting half a minute?

Or drivers pressuring other drivers to overtake a cycle when it’s not safe to do so.

(NB I’ve got 27 years driving experience, in London, countryside and abroad and have never hit a cyclist or any other vehicle ever. Or been hit. Nor am I hesitant. I just know how to drive)

Filtering is in the highway code though

I absolutely think there are situations where cyclists are in the wrong - running red lights, not having lights at night and cycling on the pavement are all examples. But on the whole most cyclists are just trying to get from A to B safely and are constantly put at risk by drivers. Road users have a special duty to consider more vulnerable users but many motorists unfortunately do not do this towards cyclists. My DP has had to change his route to work half a dozen times due to near misses and one accident where he was cycling downhill in the cycle lane and a car passed him and immediately turned left, and doing an emergency stop resulted in various injuries from which he still has scars. The driver didn’t even stop. I stopped cycling myself after that and just walk everywhere now and still see incidences of dangerous driving and drivers not following the Highway Code every day.

What I don’t find fine is weaving through traffic - whether it is stationary or slow - by cyclists and motorcyclists alike. This is really dangerous, and you might not be visible all the time/ drivers might not anticipate you’re going to be there. Please carry on regarding yourself as a car and wait in the traffic!

It doesn't matter if you don't like it, it's legal and encouraged. Drivers in slow or stationary traffic should be aware of this and pay attention to their surroundings.

@vivainsomnia she wasn’t to close to the front pack - the pack behind her cycled up to her car and banged on her car. She was giving enough distance to the pack infront as she came to the bottom of the hill and a tight corner the pack that sped down. We have video footage.

Youve right there put the blame immediately at the driver - when in this case it wasn’t.

I love these people "I've been completely wrong for more than 25 years, on every type of road"

PS with regard to the actual Op, I agree you shouldn’t over take in the approach to a junction. In case someone is turning right. You wouldn’t over take a car there so don’t overtake a cyclist.

(similar to my point about when I want to turn left, although different)

It doesn't matter if you don't like it, it's legal and encouraged. Drivers in slow or stationary traffic should be aware of this and pay attention to their surroundings.

Im not saying it’s currently illegal, I’m saying it makes no sense and is dangerous. I’m very aware of my surroundings- I’ve never had any type of accident - I don’t think it should be allowed as I’m sure others are less aware.

Cyclists are pretty silent, and if they’re in people blind spot it is dangerous. Also see earlier posts re junctions - near me there are junctions all along the road, so in weaving they are overtaking and they do this even when someone is indicating to turn. (But this is a specific example of the more general point I was making before)

I love these people "I've been completely wrong for more than 25 years, on every type of road

You’d better not be talking about me as I have at no point been doing anything wrong - I am just commenting on something I don’t think should be allowed.

When driving, I indicate when I pull out to overtake another car, cyclist or a (parked or moving) motor vehicle. Is that now "wrong" ?

@bluegardenflowers I've seen male and female cyclists swear at drivers of all types of vehicles.

The funniest was when a male cyclist clearly going to work started swearing at at HGV. It was funny because the cyclist was in the wrong. He knew the HGV was there but didn't seem to understand that you give them plenty of room as they have loads of blind spots.

A cyclist has never endangered me.

a car driver on the other hand….

No, you should indicate when overtaking anything or when moving across. Always mirror, signal, manoeuvre.

Nah, sorry, I'm going to continue to filter through stationary traffic and save 20minutes + on my journey and you just need to use those shiny things on your car to see if there are any hazards around you before moving off.

Everyone wins.

@AppleBottomRats - I would argue that most road users are just trying to get from A to B safely. I’ve probably come across as many bad cyclists putting me as a pedestrian at risk, as you have bad drivers. I too see cyclists behaving like idiots every single day. I don’t however assume they are always in the wrong or take criticism of pedestrians or drivers (I do occasionally) so personally.

@CapMarvel oh my gosh you don’t think cars - and lorries - have blind spots where they can’t see!

I don’t know how many times I have to post that I have never had any kind of accident - I’m talking about in general terms and keeping everyone safe.

@CapMarvel - that’s really worrying that you think car mirrors show everything. I thought it was common knowledge that you stay out of blind spots whether you are a cyclists or another motorist.

Ok you win on the best diagram, but not on the interpretation. Re the junction. It's an industrial estate and no trees, shrubs or anything. It was completely clear and no one was waiting. The HC says do not overtake if it might impede other road user. The only road user in my vicinity was the cyclist. In your diagram I started my move to overtake far sooner to ensure a very wide gap between him and me. , to not impede him and give a safe zone. Therefore I saw no hand signal until I was a few feet behind him and way over to his right. Even though he saw me as he looked back, hand flapped and moved simultaneously he continued on his right turn course. He put himself in danger and risked my car. When I saw the hand flap, should I have slammed on my brakes? Even if I had slowed (and I was doing under 30 at the time) he still hadn't left room and I would have hit him, as it was he turned safely behind my car. Then just had to mouth off at me which is what annoys me.

😂😂😂. I didn't plough into anybody. He passed behind my car. I didn't move into a right turning place I moved into a hatched area to give him a wide berth, because it was the safest at the time. I don't normally go into hatched areas, but as there were no nearby vehicles except dickhead, it was safe.