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Addison Lee Close Pass

Near Miss of the Day 94: Addison Lee driver in close pass

Our regular feature highlighting close passes caught on camera from around the country – today it’s London
by Simon_MacMichael
Sun, Feb 11, 2018 18:10
13

Today's entry in our Near Miss of the Day series is the second we have featured recently by road.cc reader Mitch Spears, and the second one that he reported to the Metropolitan Police.

However, unlike the one we featured last week, this one did not result in the driver being prosecuted.

> Near Miss of the Day 89: Tailgating driver leans on horn before close pass – and gets prosecuted

The latest video shows an Addison Lee driver making a close pass on Mitch on 1 February on Lambeth Road  just by the Imperial War Museum in south London.

The reason cited for the Met deciding to take no action in this case was that it failed to meet "certain evidential criteria" - although police did not explain what those were.

Over the years road.cc has reported on literally hundreds of close passes and near misses involving badly driven vehicles from every corner of the country – so many, in fact, that we’ve decided to turn the phenomenon into a regular feature on the site. One day hopefully we will run out of close passes and near misses to report on, but until that happy day arrives, Near Miss of the Day will keep rolling on.

If you’ve caught on camera a close encounter of the uncomfortable kind with another road user that you’d like to share with the wider cycling community please send it to us at info [at] road.cc or send us a message via the road.cc Facebook page.

If the video is on YouTube, please send us a link, if not we can add any footage you supply to our YouTube channel as an unlisted video (so it won't show up on searches).

Please also let us know whether you contacted the police and if so what their reaction was, as well as the reaction of the vehicle operator if it was a bus, lorry or van with company markings etc.

 

Near Miss of the Day
NMotD London
NMotd Addison Lee
Simon MacMichael

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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13 comments

Avatar
Kendalred | 6 years ago
2 likes

"certain evidential criteria".

IE - You're not dead. Or nearly dead.

Avatar
simonmb | 6 years ago
0 likes

Would be good to hear from Mitch as to why he appears to be taking the whole of the lane whilst sitting at the lights and continues to do so as he rides away. 

This doesn't justify the driver's poor performance (although it might explain it), but if we're going to call out drivers we must be expected to maintain high standards of road-craft ourselves.

Mitch?

Avatar
Argos74 replied to simonmb | 6 years ago
6 likes

simonmb wrote:

why he appears to be taking the whole of the lane

  1. Maintaining a consistent line in front of Yellowsocksman who started slightly ahead of the rider in a secondary position.
  2. To make a clear space from the mum with pushchair at the nearside of the pedestrian crossing, and the parent with 2 kids in hiviz on the nearside pavement further up.
  3. Maintaining a consistent approach line to safely pass the line of coaches parked next to the kerb further ahead.

Coming back into secondary on passing the junction may put the rider veering straight in front of an accellarating Yellowsocksman, close to potential hazards coming out from the pavement, and changing lanes to pass the parked coaches. As the rider is capable of riding at a decent speed in traffic (30kmh+), this is a perfectly good line to take. A slower rider would be better coming back into secondary on passing the junction after letting Yellowsocksman zoom off into the distance.

Avatar
OldRidgeback replied to simonmb | 6 years ago
3 likes

simonmb wrote:

Would be good to hear from Mitch as to why he appears to be taking the whole of the lane whilst sitting at the lights and continues to do so as he rides away. 

This doesn't justify the driver's poor performance (although it might explain it), but if we're going to call out drivers we must be expected to maintain high standards of road-craft ourselves.

Mitch?

You might want to read TfL's information and advice for cyclists on the Tfl website. 

Avatar
brooksby replied to simonmb | 6 years ago
2 likes

simonmb wrote:

Would be good to hear from Mitch as to why he appears to be taking the whole of the lane whilst sitting at the lights and continues to do so as he rides away. 

This doesn't justify the driver's poor performance (although it might explain it), but if we're going to call out drivers we must be expected to maintain high standards of road-craft ourselves.

Mitch?

I would suggest that he's in the middle of the lane at the lights so some stupid @rse doesn't stop their vehicle right next to him and push him against the kerb as they go through the lights.

I would further suggest that he's staying there as he rides away for exactly the same reason, so that he doesn't get run up against the kerb as they pass through the lights/crossing at the other side of the junction.

So: why do you think that the use of correct and recommended road positioning might explain the driver's poor performance? 

Avatar
kevvjj replied to simonmb | 6 years ago
3 likes

simonmb wrote:

Would be good to hear from Mitch as to why he appears to be taking the whole of the lane whilst sitting at the lights and continues to do so as he rides away. 

This doesn't justify the driver's poor performance (although it might explain it), but if we're going to call out drivers we must be expected to maintain high standards of road-craft ourselves.

Mitch?

Because bicycles ARE traffic, and are entitled to use the whole lane. This might mean that other traffic can't travel at the speed LIMIT for a short period... no doubt the van was quickly slowed down/held up by slower automobiles as they queued at the next set of lights, and no doubt the cyclist passed the van again.

When drivers get the idea that 30mph is NOT a target but a max recommended speed we might see fewer examples of this stupid lack of driving skill.

Avatar
Hirsute | 6 years ago
0 likes

Plenty of space left to take evasive action.

Avatar
davel replied to Hirsute | 6 years ago
1 like
hirsute wrote:

Plenty of space left to take evasive action.

Make your point or get off the line, caller.

Avatar
Hirsute replied to davel | 6 years ago
0 likes
davel wrote:
hirsute wrote:

Plenty of space left to take evasive action.

Make your point or get off the line, caller.

http://road.cc/content/news/236632-near-miss-day-88-white-van-driver-mak...
Only a week ago, but maybe too subtle.

Avatar
davel replied to Hirsute | 6 years ago
0 likes
hirsute wrote:
davel wrote:
hirsute wrote:

Plenty of space left to take evasive action.

Make your point or get off the line, caller.

http://road.cc/content/news/236632-near-miss-day-88-white-van-driver-mak...
Only a week ago, but maybe too subtle.

Too subtle for me... touché.

Avatar
brooksby | 6 years ago
2 likes

Addison Lee? I'd forgotten about them: they used to be all over road.cc a couple of years ago, what with their md hating cyclists and the fine quality of their drivers driving 1 I hadn't realised that they were still in business.

Avatar
a1white replied to brooksby | 6 years ago
0 likes

brooksby wrote:

Addison Lee? I'd forgotten about them: they used to be all over road.cc a couple of years ago, what with their md hating cyclists and the fine quality of their drivers driving 1 I hadn't realised that they were still in business.

To be fair to them, they have tried to improve driver standards: https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/fleet-industry-news/2016/11/09/addison-...

Avatar
Russell Orgazoid | 6 years ago
2 likes

In other words, there is no evidence of the cyclist being hit by the law-abiding, tax-paying taxi.

Shame on you, Met.

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