Near Miss of the Day 443: Impatient driver makes close pass through roadworks ... to save a few seconds

The most striking thing about that video is the perfect overtake from the HGV before the lights and then from the white BMW after them. 

Just like to say well done to the lorry driver for a brilliant overtake. Loads of room given. The blue car was, needlessly, a lot closer. If the car had done the same as the lorry I would definitely have stayed behind it in the queue.

I think we have to work with potential consequences as well as intentions:

Cyclist inadvisedly filters back at low speed past a stationary car - perhaps as tit-for-tat, and subordinately pulls up against the kerb. 100% no chance of harm to anyone else.

Car driver re-overtakes moving cyclist through a single lane ( and a bit ) in a much-heavier mode of transport which can be intimidating and is much more likely to cause harm. ( not that this is the worst pass ever seen ). Should have known better.

Driver of potentially highly dangerous HGV appears to drive patiently and considerately throughout.

I would definitely rank the car driver at the bottom here. It's not an arms race just because the cyclist was possibly impertinent. Let it go car driver, remain mindful that you are in a relatively far-more-dangerous vehicle. You need to be big enough to not use it for what seems to be petty points-scoring ( by both parties ). It's a road.

A nice video example showing that there are idiots out on the roads driving cars, and there are idiots on the roads riding bikes. Okay perhaps 'idiots' is an overly harsh label in this case, but regardless I feel this was an unnessecary encounter that would not have happened if the rider has not felt the need to carry out the ultimately futile undertake. There was a textbook pass from the HGV (much appreciated, thank you!) and then a perfectly adequate pass from the car, at which point the car was then safely established on the road ahead of the rider. Filtering through heavy stationary traffic is one thing, but this really wasn't a wise move under these circumstances. Obviously the driver should not have then made the subsequent close pass, but the rider 'invited' the opportunity.

Alternative title "Impatient cyclist barges past motorist in queue at roadworks ... to save a few seconds"

The car had overtaken, yet the cyclist chose to pass him on the inside. Yes the car was wrong to overtake the way he did in the roadworks, but if the cyclist had stopped behind the blue car like any other road user would have done, then the motorist wouldn't have got wound up, you can inagine them thinking 'look at what that stupid bloke on the bike has just done' and the whole situation just wouldn't have happened.

Our roads are busy places and it takes two to tango.

Roadworks? I don't see any roadworks. I see traffic lights and cones left out after roadworks or put up ahead of roadworks, or just there for the convenience of workers off the side of the road.

There's far too many lights left operational when roadworks finish on a friday and not removed until the following week.

Councils need to get a grip on this.

filtering can save time, but only if it means you go through the lights earlier than otherwise. If I can see I go through the lights in the same phase either way then I just join the back of the queue and take the lane. I have learned never to stop to the left in queing traffic as a driver will always pull up beside you and I do not want to be starting off with a car close on my right. Doing this reinforces that cyclists are traffic, while squeezing up the inside tells drivers you are not part of the traffic, and many consider the gap you leave while passing them is ok for them while passing you. Which is nonsense of course as I have never seen a stationay car move laterally like a moving cyclist can.

They will even do this when they know they will be turning left.

Yes the driver overtakes approaching the lights, but at what point did they see them given they were following the lorry. You gain nothing from this filter, and the risk of a close pass is high. 

I would have waited behind the blue car at the lights. 

Whatever the rights and wrongs leading up to the incident- take the primary position when going through roadworks like that!

MGIF works both ways. Though I reckon if I was the driver of the blue car I would not have bothered with the first overtake given that you can see the roadworks and the lorry stopping.

Logical outcome.

The blue car had passed you already.

I can`t see why you cut in front when stopped, and don't see why you posted this other than as a warning of what not to do at lights. Sit behind the car in the traffic and control the lane till you are through the roadworks then any traffic behind you can pass at a safe distance like they did before.

Every so often the comments section surprises me.  This is one of them in that the comments are (currently) critical. 

I too wouldnt have done that filter.  It may be allowed, but you wouldnt do it to the Lorry so why do it to the Car?

Er yeah I'd not have passed the car like that. Or if I had I would have waved it through. There was only the one car. You could see what would happen.

It's crappy driving but you should expect that. Plan for the worst and hope for the best.

When I saw that filter, I was like, oh, no need to guess what happens next. Not that it justifies a close pass, but it's going to rile the most tolerant of motorist. It can't have saved you more than a fraction of a second.

Best option with short rural roadworks is to hang back. If I'm waiting at a red light and a couple of cars turn up, I'll wave them through first on green and tag on at the back taking primary (or even ride in the coned off area if it looks ok to do so). Less stressful than having a queue of baying drivers on your tail.

Who knows how long the lorry driver had patiently waited behind you before executing a perfect pass clear on the other side. The motorist had patience forced upon them by the lorry, but even they executed a reasonable overtake. In return you repass the motorist to gain what?

So you berate the motorist for chasing a few seconds gain, doubtless driven by frustration. What were you gaining by filtering past the car at the traffic lights? How many seconds would it have cost you to remain behind? It was obvious the motorist would only want to get straight past you again, and not well disposed towards you either.

Yes the blue Toyota overtook approaching the roadworks (not a particularly close pass) but personally I would not have undertook in response. In the majority of cases that would antagonise the driver (doesn't take much).

If I'm waiting at roadworks riding solo or in a group, especially on a road with little traffic I usually let traffic behind past, then follow on through after. 

It looks like a 'fast' road so traffic's going to move quite quickly.

Sure, it's legal to filter.  But for crying-out-loud why filter in this situation?  Dick move, in my opinion and as necessary as the car passing in consruction zone.  Two dick moves.