Video: Van driver has to swerve to avoid cyclist on wrong side of the road

I think if I was ever in a situation where riding into oncoming traffic on an unsighted bend was the safer option, then I'd get off and walk.

Yet again we see so called "safety experts" and arm chair commentators who have no idea failing to understand how some things are actually safer when not done "legally".

The road is obviously narrow with insufficent space to safely pass cyclists when there's some close passing  jerk in a van & another jerk in a vehicle with a video camera coming the otherway who doesn't think to slow down to allow the van to overtake a bit over the line for safety. What is really safer in such situations - 1/ ride legally but with your back to traffic so you don't know if someone is about to run up your rear end.  or 2/ ride against the traffic like pedestrians are advised to on country roads so that you can see the oncoming hazardous vehicle and if necessary go off the road to avoid it?

I'm in Australia & have often choosen option 2/ when on narrow country roads because it is actually safer! Around town I wouldn't normally do it but there are 1 or 2 situations where it would work well.

This is just another example of where poor driver attitude and lack of attention causes a very significant risk to other road users and means its safer for cyclists not to follow road rules designed only for motor vehicles. It's also yet another example of where too many people poorly judge others & apply peer group pressure without considering what is really best in the circumstances. 

S13SFC, you are a very nice person.

Now let's just presume that the cyclist was on the side of the road travelling with the flow of traffic....is the overtaking manoeuvre by the van driver into oncoming traffic any less dangerous? The cyclist didn't look like she was travelling very fast. Had it been, say a walker with a dog on a lead walking contra flow would the van driver have slowed or possibly stopped and not driven at the car that provided the in car video....

Have to admit, I've done this quite a few times on the continent on holiday. Usually first thing in the morning too. Will hit the road cycling on the 'British' side, see a car on the same side of the road heading straight at me at the first thought is always; "who's this fucking mentalist?".

Me, of course, is the answer...

Strangley enough I saw a cyclist riding the wrong way along the A34 just outside Stafford yesterday evening. 

We stopped and stopped him. He was a very lost, very confussed Eastern European looking for the fruit farm we was working/staying at.  He had the address written down as he'd only arrived on Saturday (the local fruit farms emply loads of them through to about September) and just picked his bike up from the local bike charity shop. 

Not only was the poor bloke scared shitless he was going totally in the wrong direction. We stuck is bike on the roof and took him back to the farm. 

So if this had being a runner going same or even faster then how would this have come across. one person doing zero actual harm, then one in a machine in the hands of a cretinous selfish bastard which we know kills and maims in the tens of thousands.

Police should do the van driver who deliberately drives close to the human being putting them at risk of harm and induce fear but all the focus is on the person not threating anyone. same old BS.

But this was in Scotland and aren't they having a referendum about driving on the right?

Arseholes in car barrelling along narrow road round blind bends:  "oh look, see that cyclist you can see unlike the one that might be around the next bend... they're crazy".  

I know that road very well, the incident is exactly here

There could be a few reasons for this but i know from expereience the sweeping left hand corner she's coming upto is often taken at 50-60mph and is narrow. Cars passing = ok, cars passing + 1 cyclist = not ok

I always felt nervous on that corner and would ride about 2/3 out in my lane so any car coming up behind would see me. If you rode in the gutter the car coming from behind wouldn't see you until the last second where it would take evasive action - unless there was a car coming the other way...

Very helpful of the drivers* to have carried on without bothering to have a word with the cyclist.

* By which I mean the drivers of the car, the van and, presumably, numerous other vehicles that would have passed the cyclist in either direction.

I know that road very well, the incident is exactly here:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/B945,+Tayport+DD6/@56.4109613,-2.8928842,3a,75y,31.92h,70.97t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sXaQ2n_IUbEwJ-tZDnMOmDw!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DXaQ2n_IUbEwJ-tZDnMOmDw%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D117.288734%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656!4m5!3m4!1s0x48865be5ecc3e0f9:0x82df6e90639f1e35!8m2!3d56.421698!4d-2.8893214

There could be a few reasons for this but i know from expereience the sweeping left hand corner she's coming upto is often taken at 50-60mph and is narrow. Cars passing = ok, cars passing + 1 cyclist = not ok

I always felt nervous on that corner and would ride about 2/3 out in my lane so any car coming up behind would see me. If you rode in the gutter the car coming from behind wouldn't see you until the last second where it would take evasive action - unless there was a car coming the other way...

SO WHAT if she was on the other side. The shocker here is the fact that the van driver *chose* to not slow down, to stay in the lane, and to therefore pass her incredibly close at a relatively high speed.

The van driver should have slowed. Her speed was very low, therefore there was little differential closing speed compared with if she had been cycling the other direction. EITHER WAY, the van driver put multiple lives at risk, because they couldn't be arsed backing off the gas. The van driver *has no right* to proceed as they did.

In this case it was a cyclist. It could also have been:

• Wildlife
• Pedestrians
• A broken-down vehicle
• A branch
• Fallen load

It's a sad indictment on UK road culture that in other online comments there is so much instant blame piled on the cyclist and nary a word against the person piloting the lethal heavy weapon with braking and steering controls.

Regardless of this cyclist's mistake, which really wasn't dangerous in itself due to her low speed... the van driver's pass is incredibly dangerous.
Not cycling exactly the way you are expected to does not mean you deserve whatever is done to you.

We saw one doing it Sunday, presumed they were French...

I'm actually starting to feel sorry for Duncan Dollimore, always having to approve or disapprove of all things relating to cycling saftey - I bet he dreams of not giving a flying fuck.

Perhaps she's just a shite cyclist who doesn't give a toss......

it's political correctness gone mad!

Ok... so what is this article, in fact all this covering trying to say?

'see, I told you cyclists deserved it, look at how this one is trying to cause an accident... they are all at it!'

What I see is a person riding a bike, who clearly needs rapid education. Was this person on holiday per chance?

I am sure she was not thinking it was OK to ride on the wrong side of the road as "car drivers can just get the fuck out of my way", she was behaving in ignorance.

What I also see however is a van driver, that with clear vision of the road ahead and the improperly placed cyclist make no adjustment to their speed and the bare minimum adjustment to their line to avoid the cyclist. 

If that had been a pedestrian, that pass would have been highly questionned. However, as it was a cyclist, it was seen as being OK, as though the punishment pass was justifiable. 

It wasn't. 

Yes she was being stupid, ignorant, incompetent... but she didn't need to fear for her life because of that. 

Yes, if that's where you should expect to find pedestrians, should this really be classed as dangerous if she's going as slowly as she obviously was.

I was nearly hit by a coach (German company) on the wrong side of the road - it was early morning, he'd just turned off the A9 - probably an easy mistake to make if you're not properly paying attention. Which is a shit excuse, but apparently acceptable as a reason for killing people if you are a driver, so presumably also is if you're a cyclist not killing people?

I have to confess that I have ridden on the wrong side of the road in Greece. Relaxed and not paying attention. The roads were empty.  I only realised when a car can up the road from behind.