Near Miss of the Day 115: 'Oblivious' driver in close pass

Jonathan Swift - Gulliver's Travels, Volume 2

Ch 1 Travels among the Close-Passing People,

Ch 2 In the Land of the Road Ragers,

Ch 3 Travels among the Close Pass, Chase You Down, Jump out of the Pick-up truck and try and punch you Hoof-W*anking-Bungle-C*nts.

A summary of Wednesday night.  What I need is a directed energy weapon that will fry an engine control unit.  Switch on, switch off.

Cambridge is a nightmare, and not a cycling nirvana.

Parking is expensive so people park wherever they can. Where cycling infrastructure runs out, drivers close pass, some cycle lanes are just too narrow or used as short stay parking by shoppers and taxis.

When I lived in Suffolk I had never seen a fellow cyclist live up to the Daily Heil stereotype, but within a few hours of moving there I had to dodge a cyclist riding the wrong way down a one way street at night, with no lights and wearing black clothes. I have now realised it’s a nightly occcurence, and other dodgy cyclists ride like idiots during the day too.

When I finally cycled into town, the bike racks were overflowing with nowhere left to lock a bike, except to other bikes. I gave up looking in town and parked my bike further out of town.

Im hoping I get a job back in Suffolk so I can enjoy cycling and driving again!

Please report this, they should hand their licence in.

Not excusing the driver - clearly bad driving -  but I don't think it was a wilful swerve.  

(I think the road bends gently and it gives the illusion of the driver swinging in...)

Looks like the driver misjudged (wilfully or not, I've no idea)the timing with the central island approaching and instead of hanging back for a couple of seconds went to get past.  A couple of MPH difference in speed and they might have met in the narrow part next to the central island, so yes: bad driving / judgement.

When the police do act, does anybody know if they show the footage to the drivers?  I'm sure in many cases it would surprise the drivers as much as it scares the cyclists!

Who knows: maybe the driver totally brown trousered themselves in the car after the near miss, felt bad about it all day and vowed to always give cyclists more room in future?  Perhaps as a result of this they were a changed person...perhaps they would be if they saw the footage?

...we live in hope.

Appalling driving...and appalling cables  

Looks deliberate to me. Swings into kerb towards bike and slows at first traffic island. But keeps a straight line and away from kerb at the second island. 

King and Pock - it was oblivious by definition, i did check as I thought it meant unaware but it also covers "don't give a shit"...

I don't think this driver is oblivious at all. 

Seems to be pulling in to the kerb and then, once past the bike moves back out into the lane . 

I know it's hard to judge passing distances from a wide angle camera, but the car's position relative to the kerb at  3 sec., 5 sec. and 7 sec. suggests something more sinister than carelessly taking the straightest line through the bend.

I'm with Harrogate Spa on this one...call the cops.

On their phone perhaps...

It should be reported to the police and acted on. Otherwise the driver concerned will carry on the same way.

Decades of indifference from the authorities have left us in the situation where a percentage of drivers put people riding bikes in danger, and think nothing of it.

Cambridgeshire.... the County of Cycling.......   HATE....

The Market Towns in the county have the biggest offenders to close passes.... I had 3 in 200 metres on Tuesday this week...all clocked on Camera . Cambridge has a big population of cyclists...which use this method of transport because its cost effective and no parking costs...not because they want to cycle... Don't believe the County Councils Rhetoric...

Oblivious:

"not aware of or concerned about what is happening around one"

Pretty perfect...