Its more like trapped on a roundabout for all the headway to be made
Its more like trapped on a roundabout for all the headway to be made
In all this well I would do this or it was stupid to do that back and forth one simple point has been lost by a lot of people in this thread.
The average bus has a weight around 11,000 kilograms
Whether the driver snapped or not is beside the point, whether the cyclist was a dick is also beside the point.
No matter what got said or done there is never and will never be any valid reason to deliberately mow someone down with a Bus.
And anybody who honestly thinks otherwise seriously has something wrong with them.
That's my final 2p on this subject because I am disgusted that anyone here could honestly think that driver was justified.
Depends on the rate of closure/distance/your TED, I regularly overtake into 'oncoming' traffic, but if its the better part of half/three quarters of a mile away, its not really a problem.
My route to work I often see (coming towards me) cyclist(s) holding up a heap of traffic (its a horrible road, passing places are a nightmare unless you're in something very quick) and I'll pull as far left as possible to allow the oncoming to overtake the bike with more space - not 100% pertinent to this post, but just an example of the consideration I was yapping about before. I don't need to do that, I could stay hard right and make any attempt to pass impossible, but that's just inconsiderate and liable to fuel tensions.
@Larkspeed: I don't think the driver was right. I do hope, however, that some good may come of this as a reinforcing message of how squishy and vulnerable you are on a bike - that hit was deliberate, but it shows how much damage can be done at fairly low speeds no matter the intent. If that had been an accident/blowout/whatever, the outcome would have been largely similar. A valuable reality/physics reminder.
The 3/4 mile was merely to illustrate that 'oncoming' is subjective.
Well as to a given overtake, that depends on a lot. There are probably situations where I'd pass a car but not a lorry, it always depends.
As I say, the slow moving street sweeper is a better example.
Cyclist was an idiot, the bus driver was a ****.
I was pointing out that it really wasn't safe for said cyclist to sit out in the middle like that, I would only overtake a car if the road head was clear and there was no oncoming traffic and it was safe for me to do so.
There would have been plenty of room had he stuck to the left hand side of me and I could have gotten round saud cyclist without harming them or anyone else for that matter.
I'm pretty sure that there is a section in the highway code saying you must not deliberately hold up other road users and I'm almost certain there is a rule about aggression towards other road users too.
I used to work for a company that regular had us re-tested.I think we do need 5-10 year retests for drivers, because most seem completely unaware of what the highway code has to say about cyclists.
Maybe they could introduce a new cyclist proficiency test and test them every 5-10 years too?
Behemoth (18-02-2012)
Yes, but for the bus driver there were other laws for his behaviour too.Absolutely, I think half the time its only theory that is required, just make sure people have read the highway code. But then I think it should also be mandatory to have some form of insurance too. Plenty of cyclists couldn't afford the damage to my car, why should I pay if they were at fault!
I've never said all cyclists are saints, just that there are often very good reasons for cycling in the middle of lane two.
Some people seem to be "oh argh CYCLISTS ERGH!" type mentality. The problem is you can't always think that way as some are different from others.
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While I stand by my original post- that there's no excuse for deliberately causing an accident ever- having watched the BBC news vid linked to by Sputnik, I'm now of the opinion that the cyclist is also an idiot. Watching the 'incident' on the roundabout, the bus driver's intentions are abundantly clear- he's indicating right, presumably he's just served a bus stop prior to entering the roundabout and has to cross a lane of traffic to get into the left of two lanes going across it. All the cyclist had to do was hit the brakes momentarily and pull in behind the bus. The bus was at least 15 yards in front of the bike when he initiated the manouvre, IMO quite smoothly and safely and clearly signalling his intentions. What was he supposed to do- brake quite sharply to a halt in the middle of a busy roundabout because a cyclist wouldn't abort a foolhardy overtaking manouvre?
There's a rule in the highway code which states that you should give way to buses pulling away after serving stops. That applies to cyclists as well as all other motorists.
As an unfit cyclist I'm quite keen on preserving momentum, so yes I run red lights if I've observed that I'm not endangering myself or others by doing so. I don't think I have a god given right to preserve it in defiance of the highway code, and nor do I think I have a right to get where I'm going quicker than bus users, some of whom (the elderly / wheelchair users etc.) may have no other transport options.
I would also say that, while I may be unfit, I can still maintain a decent lick on a bike, and I rarely hold up traffic. I watched a bunch of helmet cam youtube vids and came away pretty unimpressed by the whole proceedings. If I'm doing 20mph+ approaching a junction then I take my place in the middle of the lane. If I'm not I let cars past unless there's no way they can do it safely.
I know exactly how wide my car is and thus whether or not I can pass a cyclist safely. I don't appreciate having that decision made for me by some twunt riding a metre from the kerb when there are no potholes or other obstacles to impede his progress were he to be a foot from the kerb, giving me 2' of clear space (between him and my car) to pass him. Most roads have a good 10' per lane! Plenty of room, in general.
And, of course, it's almost invariably a he- female cyclists tend to get themselves in danger by not being assertive enough!
roachcoach (19-02-2012),Sputnik (19-02-2012)
the moral size wins, give way to larger objects.
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