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.

You clearly didn't approach your overtaking manouevre at a junction cautiously enough because you narrowly avoided causing an accident when you tried to overtake. You need to be more cautious and careful at junctions before you cause another accident. You also need to be a little less reactionary - there are loads of annoying or aggressive road users out there and if you get as worked up over each and every one of them as you have done, you are going to end up with very high blood pressure.

Which he wasn't doing...as my diagram shows. It was a half arsed signal given way too late and as clear as mud

You overtook the cyclist as he was signalling to turn right at a junction!

Its not about the quality of signal, its about the fact that he did signal, you saw him and you were going too fast to do anything about it so continued to overtake as he was signalling to turn right.

I actually had a car do this to me once, when I was attempting to turn right into my own driveway. I was in a car too, indicating right and instead of pulling in behind me, the car behind sped up and roared past!

Its a crazy thing to do. Make all the excuses you like, but you were at fault as you were the one behind. Its like when a car runs into the back of another car. The presumption is that the car behind is at fault because they should have left a bigger gap/been more aware.

@AchatAVendre What makes you say I narrowly avoided an accident? I was nowhere near him and he could see me in plenty of time and cross (exactly as he would have done if alone on the road) behind me. I was 2 m in front of him when he passed behind me.

You seem to be missing the point. It was his shouting at me that pissed me off, not the mechanics of anyone's actually driving, least of all mine.

I should imagine that being overtaken when you're signalling to turn right would cause most people to shout!

If you insist on overtaking people who are turning right, you are narrowly avoiding an accident.

Just don't overtake until its safe to do so. The fact that there was a junction there and the cyclist indicated with his right arm would be enough for most people to realise it wasn't safe to overtake.

You need to drive at a slower speed to avoid this sort of situation and overtake more carefully. It sounds like a narrow miss and I honestly hope the cyclist had a head cam and reports you to the police for dangerous driving because you seem to think that you know better than anyone else and you are scaring me when reading about your driving, never mind encountering you on the roads!

@AchatAVendre But he wasn't manoeuvring or signalling when I started to overtake him! You seem to be missing this point. He began his excuse for a signal simultaneously with looking back (against what the HC says he should do) as I was in the overtaking position, and essentially overtaking him. It was his own shit cycling that was the issue. No checking behind him. An excuse for a signal and turning into my path without even checking to see if a car was there. Fortunately for him I had taken my 'path' well away from him, leaving him a whole carriageway to get his shit together.

I generally find that people who swear to make their points and use phrases such as "I'm done with" aren't necessarily the best arbiters of situations...

@AchatAVendre If cyclists are as opaque as you in not even being able to read..I WAS NOT OVERTAKING AS HE WAS SIGNALLING, it's no wonder they cause so much grief in the roads. Do I need to say it again?

The male sense of entitlement in some of these replies is breathtaking.

You literally said you started the overtake as he was signalling in your OP.

@AchatAVendre In case my reply is deleted. I will say it politely for the hundredth time. I was already overtaking (I commenced my overtake a long way back to ensure he had a lot of safe space) when he gave an unconvincing signal (I had a double take as I wasn't sure it wasn't a lazy arse scratch) and simultaneously looked back and swerved his bike right, fortunately passing behind my car with no danger at all of a collision.

But he wasn't manoeuvring or signalling when I started to overtake him!

From your OP:

I started my overtake as he was wafting his arm around and looking back.

You're changing your story to suit your agenda.

@Lockheart Well he wasn't because if he had been doing a real signal I would have dropped back and allowed his turn. As I have a dash cam I've looked it over and there was nothing as I started to overtake. Tried to post it but the file is too big.

I commenced my overtake a long way back to ensure he had a lot of safe space

So if this is also true:

I started my overtake as he was wafting his arm around and looking back.

Then you had ages to see his indication and slow down and stop the overtake.

So either you're lying or you're admitting to making a conscious choice to drive dangerously.

@Lockheart I started to manoeuvre out 10m from the junction when I saw him and it was only when I reached a point just behind him (aka overtaking) he started his hand wafting. My diagram shows I pulled out long before I got near him.

One thing he MAY be wrong for doing, is not taking a more central position in the lane. That way, your ill-advised attempt to overtake would have needed to be much more considered. Whilstever he was in front of you, he did actually have the right of way, on the same way as a car. There wasn't much wrong with his signal really.
I came up some very very windy and steep country roads the other day, into a more built up area. Just ahead was a cyclist who had come onto the road from junction on the left. A car ahead of me passed him way too close, just as he needed to move further out to pass parked cars. He was cross too, and probably swore; he certainly gesticulated in some manner.

I came along, starting to pass - indicating, as there were cars behind me, and a pub entrance some way ahead on the right, and totally filled the other lane, as the bike was still passing parked cars. It was very much a judgement call.

If I had driven like a careless person, I would have expected a reaction - it's just sometimes what people do (reference my earlier post about my "friend" with her untrained horse....). I have also called someone a "t**t, when they tried to crush me between themselves and parked cars - on the double-parked road I mentioned in my previous post; and this was a man, who slammed the brakes on then and challenged me, a lady on a bike. So, it will happen. I pretended that I had said, "You could have waited..." (The general rule on that road is, if you turn onto it and there is someone else already on it, you wait..... of course, it is unwritten, and SOME people don't follow it. I can be obnoxious and ride my bike right down the middle, but I know it is dicing with death sometimes.)

I am also seeing some very dangerous driving by young ladies, which surprises an worries me. I don't know WHO is teaching them to drive.

@Lockheart maybe concentrate on the fact he abused a woman?
Maybe concentrate on his driving rather than mine?
Maybe concentrate on his breaking multiple HC rules.

Maybe you're a man and condone this behaviour then?

10 metres isn't far (not mentioning that you still should not have been overtaking close to the junction) - and the important thing is that he was also moving.

He "abused" a woman because the woman nearly ran him over. In the circumstances I think he can be excused for the crime of swearing.

He wasn't driving a car.

You have broken multiple Highway Code rules as has been repeatedly pointed out to you on this thread.

@LoveMyPiano He should have looked behind around 10 m from his turn off. (HC). He should have put his arm fully out (HC). He should have moved more to the centre of the road, then made his turn (HC). As a driver I would have understood what he was doing and pulled back. Simple. Unfortunately I don't do mind reading

You couldn’t just say your piece and
move on, oh no like a typical mumsnetter you had to put a stinger on the end,because I don’t agree with the pack mentallity here. Well done you for making the grade to be a proper mumsnetter.

Why on earth would your reply be deleted?

Your own OP literally states I started my overtake as he was wafting his arm around and looking back

Why not stop overtaking when the cyclist in front of you indicated to turn right at the junction?

I would have waited until the junction was past to overtake anyway.

@Lockheart Omg. You are hilarious! I nearly ran him over? Do you want another diagram Mr Lycra Clad cyclist?

Which he wasn't doing...as my diagram shows. It was a half arsed signal given way too late and as clear as mud
To you! Most drivers would have known what it meant or at best, if not sure, held behind.

You are starting to tell different stories now to suit your narrative. One post he is in front of you, turns back to check and makes a arm signal. Next he only does the two after you were already overtaking which is totally laughable as for one, if he managed to turn back and then put his hand out and you saw both, you were not looking ahead and clearly going much too slowly passing him. And then if course, why would he look behind rather than to his side since you said there was noone behind you.

@vivainsomnia Your post makes no sense at all

YABU