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news
Near Miss of the Day 335: Three close passes in a matter of minutes
The latest video in our Near Miss of the Day series shows a cyclist being subjected to three close passes - one involving a tractor, another an articulated lorry - in the space of a few minutes.
The footage was shot by road.cc reader Debbie, who told us: " I’m afraid by this time I had ceased to take primary position as I was so scared.
"I’ve cycled all my life, including 20 years in London and enjoy urban cycling.
"This is the direct route to town ( three miles away) from my house. The indirect route is seven miles and very hilly. No bus service.
"I won’t be doing this again and am urging Highways England when they upgrade this road shortly that they provide segregated infrastructure for cyclists and walkers."
> 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.
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.
Latest Comments
- Rendel Harris 6 min 31 sec ago
I don't know if you know Richmond Park, the roads are vehicle roads with segregated pedestrian provision usually a metre or two off to the side,...
- quiff 12 min 24 sec ago
Yep. Anyone who thinks the 2 yr max for wanton and furious driving is inadequate should have a look at some of the sentences actually imposed for...
- chrisonabike 52 min 32 sec ago
Awaiting the next feckless driver asking the judge to delay the start of the sentence because "they owe a few more cyclists a proper goodbye"....
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All in the article - road tax.
- chrisonabike 3 hours 24 min ago
Ah, but: in UK, if a motorist drives into you (or simply parks in a cycle lane, forcing you out into the path of another motorist) then the council...
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You're right. I just use the main Long Ashton Rd to get between the A370 and Ashton Court/B3128. Looking at a map, Festival Way doesn't go far...
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- chrisonabike 17 hours 34 min ago
Agree that the moaning comes from a place of priveledge and ultimately "if only there weren't so many other people driving"....
- Simon E 19 hours 19 min ago
Have added some clarification....
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14 comments
Water bottle filled with paint stripper...
Too dangerous, I often need a drink while cycling.
I have thought of this, or putting spray paint in the bottle cage and leaving an idiot mark. My concern is that if caught out you have aggrevated someone who is still in control of a deadly weapon.
Also it limits who you can hold to account - not the fast close passer who is already 50m up the road by the time you have finished swearing. Only really for the MGIF moron who stops 2 second later.
Also it also doesn't really hold the driver to equal risk, just damages their paintwork. I wish the only risk to me was damaged paintwork.
Welcome to every day life in rural Ireland. 80/100 kph roads, heavy, fast traffic. Seems there is only 1 mission in life for motor vehicle (pronounced vayhickle) drivers...get there fast, first and anyone else on the road especially cyclists can get fecked...
Guns; we need guns.
If we are going to equate outcomes, then drivers need to face the same outcomes that cyclists do. We are threatened with death every day, let them face the same threat and see how they like it.
I often find myself thinking this. I am anti-gun, though I did ask a friend who worked at an air riffle range how easy it'd be to get hold of one once - apparently not to difficult but I have yet to act on it. But the point remain how do you restore balance to a situation where motorists are equally at risk for there own bad behaviour.
What I'd really like is a lightsaber - a more elegant weapon for a more civilized road user - alas but a pipe dream.
As others have said, apalling driving standards on display there.
Ask those three drivers to cycle that road whilst you take the keys of their vehicle and drive it past them like that and they'd be crying like babies. I hope that all three events were reported to the police and it might also be interesting to send that footahe to Highways England if you know they are going to 'upgrade' (make faster?) that stretch. Ask what they have put in place in the plans that will reduce the dangers to road users such as yourself, pointing out that no feasible alternative exists.
Take care Debbie
Busy. Speed limit over 80k.No shoulder.
Call me a wimp-I can put up with any one of the above.More than that and I look for an alternate route.
*shudders* this was scary to watch. There's no such thing as bad roads, only bad drivers. Debbie will get fitter when she starts doing the 7 mile hilly route.
"no such thing as bad roads"? Tell that to the people who have been injured by potholes or the families of those who have been killed as a result
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-44820066
Hmm. I won't ride on the road on those three-lane stretches, not on the two-lane side. No way. Ever. Pavement for me. They are evil.
The way they're designed and implemented encourages the absolute worst of DGAF driving. They are "cheap-and-cheerful (?)", to "facilitate" fast traffic. And, my God, do the DGAF speed-merchants take advantage.
Good greif - this is appalling. I do hope this vid goes into the local plod (although from recent NMOTD articles, nothing will happen - but it needs to be done).
The lorry and tractor almost made me duck out of the way in my office chair!
Wankers.
That is indeed very scary. With each of the dodgy overtakes, there's another vehicle as well doing the overtake properly and showing that there was indeed plenty of room to make a safe pass. Some drivers shouldn't be allowed behind the wheel.
Debbie, that was shocking.
It was not as though they didn't have enough room, 2 lanes going in your direction.
I'm hoping that the video was of good enough quality to get number plates and the police might have taken action, especially the professional truck driver.