Cyclist gesticulating wildly at me

[FrankyGoesToBollywood]

On the school run this morning which involves driving down a narrow winding lane which is always very busy at school run time. The lane is wide enough for two cars but it’s tight. There are three schools on this route and at school drop off and pick ups times it’s busy and congested. It’s 30mph. This morning I was driving along at about 25mph and a man dressed in serious looking cycling gear was cycling. I overtook him with quite a bit of space, definitely more than the 1.5m minimum, and as I was overtaking I could see a car coming towards me so nipped in in front of him- again definitely more than 1.5m from him. My windows were closed but I could then hear him shouting wildly “what the F was that!!” Over and over again and gesticulating. I didn’t indicate. I’m worried he will report me he was going wild, I genuinely thought I was driving quite considerately until I saw his reaction!

I’m now second guessing how close I was to him when I pulled in in front of him, and thinking he will report me and upload footage. If so how likely is it I will hear about it or be prosecuted?

Except that anyone pulling out of side road into the path of a cyclist would be breaking the law, wouldn't they. The highway code makes it very clear that road users should not take action that forces other road users to take evasive action, and that includes braking.
If you want to overtake or pull into a road, you have to wait till it's safe.
So yes the cyclist in your example would be sensible to avoid a collision, but if they send headcam footage to the police, the driver might find themselves wishing they'd had a bit more patience.

Don’t be daft. Drivers in cars with ABS can stamp on the brakes as hard as they like and stop safely from any speed. A cyclist who brakes too hard will go sailing over the handlebars.

As a cyclist, I would like to know what a 'serious looking cyclist' is and what the driver equivalent is?

You unsafely overtook another vehicle. You were wrong.

I am also wondering when the OP was last on a bike - because if someone pulled in on me after a dodgy overtake into oncoming traffic with 1.5m or so space, I too would be somewhat peeved....

Cyclist cannot stop quicker and safer than a car. A car driving at 25 mph can do an emergency stop no problem. A cyclist going at 25mpg cannot do an emergency stop without going over the handlebars and breaking bones. It is very dangerous.

How stupid are people who think cyclists going at speed can stop faster and safer than a car going at speed?

F*ing ell, someone's seriously rattled your cage haven't they. You were on here most of yesterday as well!

This thread just highlights how ignorant some people are. I'm ok in my big (getting bigger every year) metal box and screw the rest of society for having a slightly different way of travelling or caring about the environment.

Some rather nasty people comment on anything that involves bicycles which surprises me as most children spend so much time on bikes and you would expect at some point they too would ride on a road.

I don't cycle myself but I know how vulnerable I feel walking on narrow pavements when cars are going past at 30 mph. So I can only imagine how scary it must be if you are on a bike. I think all these dickheads who love to slate cyclists relentlessly should have a go at cycling along a busy road sometime.

This is a reason why I’m a big fan of 20mph zones, especially on residental streets. When the relative speeds of all road users is brought closer it just makes the environment more pleasant and calm.

I’ve adopted my own changes by driving slower on residential streets despite what the limit is.

I’m in Wales. Almost nobody is doing 20 in the 20, nor are they sitting behind those that pootle along at 1/2-2/3 of the indicated limits.

Perhaps part of a driving test should include spending x hours on a bike in amongst rush hour traffic. Some drivers don't have a clue how to drive safely and it can be terrifying.

Aai, the draw of rushing to get home straight on SM is too great

And we are off!! Shall we have the road tax/insurance/number plate drivel trotted out? The op overtook the cyclist but an oncoming car caused the op to move in. I don't know the distance to the cyclist but why not just wait until it's safe to overtake? I commute at peak times. Am I being told I can't go out? Perhaps motorists should be regulated to certain times of day or certain days when they can use their cars

My experience while walking to work this morning was that most cars go through red lights (amber apparently means nothing) and many don't indicate. Anecdotal but happens on a regular basis while I'm waiting to cross.

Not actually true. It depends what is ahead of you and at what distance. A car travelling at 50mph behind a vehicle 10 metres ahead is not going to stop safely. Stopping distance increases exponentially with speed, road conditions, brake and tyre conditions and the reaction time of the driver

I was referring to the sort of speeds at which bicycles travel. At 20mph, an ABS- equipped car can stop on a dime, regardless of driver skill. It has four nice, wide tyres, and no chance of skidding, so the car can brake right at the very limits of the tyres’ adhesion. A cyclist can’t hope to do this and remain in the saddle. Under hard braking, a car can decelerate at around 1.0 G; a cyclist, less than half that.

Sorry to disappoint you. Your abs equipped car won't stop on a dime. Physics applies. A car has greater mass and higher velocity. Try stopping on a gravel road and your brakes may actually not work v.well. A car travelling at 30mph takes generally 23 metres or 75 feet to stop. That increases significantly in wet conditions and in snow or ice your brakes may be useless. At 20mph its 40 feet.

Highway code was updated.

Cyclists have more rights than cars. You must give way to them.

Pedestrian have the most rights overall.

Just be more careful, wait and give more space than you would to a car . The cyclists wants to get home to his family too.

Yes, I mentioned the physics: 1.0 G versus around 0.4 G. Assuming a firm surface, like most metalled roads, the car can exploit the much larger contact patches of its four wide tyres. A cyclist decelerating that quickly will go over the handlebars.

Well, on my commute this morning the 200+ cars I overtook were in my way on a bike. They were all sat in a queue of, checks notes, other cars and had decided to take a drive at a busy part of the day, slowing all us cyclists down. They were even sat two abreast - often with no-one in the second seat - so making it harder to get past them.
How selfish, antisocial, noisy, polluting and arrogant of all those drivers heading onto the road at rush hour!

So basically your journey is more important than his? If time is such an issue, leave home earlier

He sounds fun. 🫢

More fun than getting killed