Near Miss of the Day 161: Cyclist forced onto pavement by passing motorist

I'd suggest that the rider does not submit this video to the police.

What it shows is a cyclist willfully using the pavement at speed (maintains gap with car it was arguably trying to re-overtake by using the pavement), when there are pedestrians on that path. 

Now everyone knows here that this was actually a bit of smart thinking to save an accident, however in the eyes of the law, only one person has categorically broken the law. 

If I was a police person, stressed by mountains of paperwork and unrealistic work loads I'd be seeing this as an easy situation to kill off... just attack the person making the complaint.

Its a sad world we live in.

Maybe I'd edit the footage to just show the number plate of the Range Rover as thats clearly illegal, and submit that. 

It's just standard driver behavious I'm sorry to say. Sat in the little world made safe by billions of pounds of research, safety measures and electronics, it's just way too easy to forget about other road users. I'm a driver and see it all the time, close passes on horses, pedestrians and cyclists, ususally to just save a few seconds on a journey.

More worrying are drivers that do not realise they have done anything wrong. Today I was passed 18 inches from my elbow by a merc travelling at about 60. Ten minutes later I saw the car in town and had a few words with the driver who said she hadn't noticed me. Then, as if it's an excuse, told me her baby was crying so how could she be expected to see a bike. I'm usually pretty polite but I think she might have learnt a few new words this morning.

At the beginning of the video, when the cyclist pulls up to the traffic lights and crosses the ASL into the cyclist reservoir, there is already a car stopped in the reservoir. At the same time, the car in the right lane crosses the ASL into the reservoir on a red light. That car then cuts across the left lane, and turns left.

What happened to the other near miss of the day 161?

https://road.cc/content/news/244897-near-miss-day-161-close-pass-country-lane

Basically a pinch point scenario, especially with the cars parked up on the left ahead.  I have a similar road constricting to single lane near here, and I have started indicating and taking the lane, full on primary.  Just fed up with buses etc squeezing passed with minimal room. 

What is it with 4x4s/SUVs and vanity number plates?!? (I'm guessing the driver of the Range Rover is called Stacey?)

vonhelmet wrote:

Half the battle is not getting into it in the first place. He could have been further out once he saw the parked car up ahead, or before if he could anticipate it if he’s there regularly and it’s often parked up like that.

I’ll probably get slated for victim blaming, but hey, I’ve got myself into this sort of mess myself by riding in the gutter before now.

Trust me, I normally ride further out. The problem is, riding in the centre of the lane on that road, people still squeeze past you where the road is wider (before you reach the parked cars). I've even had people undertake me there. 

WHat you can't see in the video is me looking over my shoulder and getting ready to move over more to the right. However, since that part of the road is at the top of a hill, the cars approaching from behind are going much faster and it's hard to get enough of a gap to safely move over.

What you CAN see if you look carefully is that I've already moved over to my right , not quite to the centre of the lane but about 1/3 of the way across, just before she overtook. She still overtakes, and cuts across to her left, literally pushing me across to my left.

Shocker.

If the police decide not to persue the careless driving, perhaps they'll cite them for the illegal numberplate at least.

Equally, if you don’t block, you might get driven into the back of a parked car.

 In towns and cities, in fact pretty much everywhere, get further out into the road.  1.5 metres from the kerb, be a rolling block.

I agree to an extent. It's hard to judge, though, isn't it?

We all want to get around safely and calmly. There may be situations where it is quite reasonable to block, but you also know that you're likely to provoke an angry or dangerous reaction. You might end up in an argument, when all you really wanted to do is get where you're going stress-free.

In towns and cities, in fact pretty much everywhere, get further out into the road.  1.5 metres from the kerb, be a rolling block. 

The Range rover driver was trying to nip up the inside of another vehicle.  If he had taken a central position, that option wouldnt of been available

Half the battle is not getting into it in the first place. He could have been further out once he saw the parked car up ahead, or before if he could anticipate it if he’s there regularly and it’s often parked up like that.

I’ll probably get slated for victim blaming, but hey, I’ve got myself into this sort of mess myself by riding in the gutter before now.

Every day is a winner isn't it, just this afternoon coming back from fixing a friends brakes an impatient twat barely misses my back wheel as I'm coming around a roundabout as they simply ignore the give way line, through up an arm in annoyance then I get a facefull of chemicals from their windscreen washer after they overtake.

Unluckily for them I saw where they were going, found them in the car park at the shops and confronted them. Reported to police as an assault.

Hellishly expensive to get dents out of one of those things. Just saying...

Multi tool gouge right down the side of that fecker....

Appalling.

Wow, that was appalling driving and a great save by the rider, thank you for sharing. I bet the adrenaline was flowing when you rejoined the road.

My interpretation is that it wasn't a calculated manoeuvre by the driver, but a combination of not looking/seeing/caring plus focussing on merging with traffic from the right. I'd say anyone riding there should be taking primary position to ensure they're seen and taken into account.

Sadly it's usual Range Rover driving. Hopefully results in a charge, preferably a law or road design change, but I won't be holding my breath.

What is it with some people who drive Range Rovers with personalised number plates? 

I know the road. The 'cycle infrastructure' is criminally bad - just a bit of paint when there's space, and stop when it gets difficult. The 'cycle lane' is even more useless when there's a car parked in it.

Very similar thing happened to me when I was 16 and plod then pulled me up for cycling on the pavement. Said I wasn't too old to be taken home I the van I should have accepted his offer of a lift as a way of keeping safe from dangerous drivers.

To me that looked like a deliberate attempt by the Land Rover to force the cyclist into the parked car. The driver even appears to slow down slightly to ensure there will be no escape route on the cyclist's right.

Quick thinking and good skills by the cyclist in avoiding a collision. I hope the driver is prosecuted and convicted.