Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Back to news
news
Crime & Legal
Near Miss of the Day 164: Superdrug lorry driver in super-close passSuperdrug lorry driver in super-closer pass.JPG

Near Miss of the Day 164: Superdrug lorry driver in super-close pass

Our regular feature highlighting close passes caught on camera from around the country – today it’s Devon
by Simon_MacMichael
Wed, Aug 01, 2018 13:36
9

The latest video in our Near Miss of the Day series shows the driver of a Superdrug lorry making a super-close pass on a cyclist.

It happened in Plymouth to road.cc reader Paul, who posted the footage to Facebook.

He said: "My 'Superdrug experience; as they call it, this morning -.nothing like a 50 ton articulated lorry close passing you to wake you up in the morning.

"Hit the pavement and emergency stop as I ran out of road, Email sent to Superdrug and will be contacting the police."

> Near Miss of the Day turns 100 - Why do we do the feature and what have we learnt from it?

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.

> What to do if you capture a near miss or close pass (or worse) on camera while cycling

Near Miss of the Day
NMotD Devon
NMotD lorry
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.

Add new comment

9 comments

Avatar
ChrisB200SX | 6 years ago
0 likes

SNAFU indeed. Doesn't appear there is any obligation for cyclist to leave the carriageway there. Shit infra and worse driving.
I've had buses and trucks veer into the cycle lane every other day the last couple of weeks, forcing me to stop in the same manner. I've also had yo perform at least 3 emegency stops for zombie pedestrians this week.

Avatar
devoid99 | 6 years ago
0 likes

That sucks but if they knew the road layout should have taken the lane not be off the edge.... positioning let the lorry make the decision to push past rather than wait or move out.

Avatar
Paul_C replied to devoid99 | 6 years ago
1 like

devoid99 wrote:

That sucks but if they knew the road layout should have taken the lane not be off the edge.... positioning let the lorry make the decision to push past rather than wait or move out.

 

ah yes, 'vehicular' cycling... really likely to encourage the more timid to get on their bikes...

Avatar
BehindTheBikesheds | 6 years ago
1 like

SNAFU.

Avatar
HarrogateSpa | 6 years ago
4 likes

I speculate it may have been a punishment pass for a perceived failure to use the crap and illogical 'cycle infrastructure'. 'If I kill him with my truck, that'll learn 'im.'

Avatar
burtthebike | 6 years ago
3 likes

Badly designed cycle "facilities" far too narrow, not continuous and disappear exactly where you need them, with a dangerous driver in a huge truck.  Not a comfortable combination.

Well done for reporting it and I hope the driver will be prosecuted and disciplined.

Avatar
brooksby | 6 years ago
3 likes

That's a weird road marking at 0.34 - is the intention that cyclists leaving the cycle lane have to give way to the main road traffic?  I can see the almost worn off "please hop up here out of the way of the real vehicles" signage for what I presume is - or used to be - a shared use path.  Looked like a horrendously close pass, mind.  I hope something comes of the complaints.

Avatar
burtthebike replied to brooksby | 6 years ago
1 like

brooksby wrote:

That's a weird road marking at 0.34 - is the intention that cyclists leaving the cycle lane have to give way to the main road traffic?  I can see the almost worn off "please hop up here out of the way of the real vehicles" signage for what I presume is - or used to be - a shared use path.  Looked like a horrendously close pass, mind.  I hope something comes of the complaints.

Thanks for pointing that out; actually it is 0:26, but yes, it appears that cyclists are directed onto the footpath to avoid the dangerous bend, so it is possible that this was a punishment pass because the cyclist didn't use it.  Actually, the cab of the vehicle had passed the cyclist at this point, and if the driver assumed that the cyclist was going to use the pavement, as directed by the signs, his driving is understandable.

Avatar
brooksby replied to burtthebike | 6 years ago
1 like

burtthebike wrote:

brooksby wrote:

That's a weird road marking at 0.34 - is the intention that cyclists leaving the cycle lane have to give way to the main road traffic?  I can see the almost worn off "please hop up here out of the way of the real vehicles" signage for what I presume is - or used to be - a shared use path.  Looked like a horrendously close pass, mind.  I hope something comes of the complaints.

Thanks for pointing that out; actually it is 0:26, but yes, it appears that cyclists are directed onto the footpath to avoid the dangerous bend, so it is possible that this was a punishment pass because the cyclist didn't use it.  Actually, the cab of the vehicle had passed the cyclist at this point, and if the driver assumed that the cyclist was going to use the pavement, as directed by the signs, his driving is understandable.

You're right on that timing: sorry.  I wonder to whom it seems reasonable that on a main road, with a bend like that, the most sensible thing to do is to have to hop up over a dropped kerb that you hope is dropped enough...?  Also, re your devils advocating, I wonder how many of the NMOTD incidents on here have been unintentional and merely due to "...but I thought he was going to..."? (before anyone gets all ranty, I know that's not a defence!  )

Latest Comments