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news
Near Miss of the Day 453: Punishment pass on two-abreast cyclists
One of the most common complaints against cyclists that you will read on social media or in the comments section of local newspapers is that they are riding two abreast, even though that is perfectly legal - but it does seem to have become embedded among a certain section of the motoring public that it's not allowed, and that riders doing so are breaking the rules.
Which leads us up to this punishment pass by a van driver on a pair of cyclists riding side by side on the A4 between Chippenham and Bath - what's more, one made just as the riders were moving into single file to allow for a safe overtake.
The video was shot by road.cc reader Jody, who said: "We were chatting while keeping a keen eye out for cars behind, ready to drop into single line at the first thought of hindrance to anyone really.
"That wasn’t enough for one Traffic van diver however, who chose to hold their high speed pass with a horn blast throughout, as they skimmed their 2-tonne-at-least vehicle past my shoulder, in - I guess - punishment, for the perceived infraction.
"On the plus side, the view over the hill was beautiful. Angry driver was probably chewing their steering wheel at that point, so may have missed it."
> 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
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.
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25 comments
If a reg plate is discernible, then I would say report:
(i) the possibility of his receiving something unpleasant in the post...
(ii) ... which might make him think twice about acting like a pratt next time.
It might be helpful to note, thinking about two other of this weeks stories, that where driver behaviour is extreme, e.g. physical, this is practised behaviour. The chances of you, some random cyclist, who just has the ill luck to encounter him when he's "gone into one" being the first, or the last victim are pretty small. There are two main identiable sub-types - one where the "rules" are generally consistent - people around them know what words and situations to avoid; the second is where the "rules" are fluid - triggers, behaviour and responses are not predictable: cruelty and ailienation follow.
Yeah, had this recently too. Other side of the road was completely clear too, and I dropped back well before they reached us.
Still decided to skim me ... some people just fundamentally don't believe cyclists should be on the road at all i guess.
https://youtu.be/n_C3owWiUCw
I see you made a friend in sean sean !
Is Sean Sean In the comments Xena's, I mean Socrati's YouTube account?
Xena became rayjay and admitted to taking various drugs which I felt explained their various incoherent posts. I can't imagine them changing style.
Well the drugs seemed about of a given with some of the posts and the conspiracy types. Didn't know ray jay was him though? Socrati's comments about cycling in London without incident was one that seemed familiars thought I would take a punt.
also at least Socrati does make some points and would reply back with a counter rather then Sean Sean who just seems to state the same thing back to any counter. He actually has posted videos disecting other cycling videos very very badly.
Rayjay posted a photo of his bikes at which point ktache said 'oh looks like you stole Xena's bikes'. We then got some waffle about being locked out of the Xena account and having to create a new user.
I just ignore sotwati posts.
Is that so? Explains a lot.
Your memories better than mine, though it would seem I have an eye for bicycles, flooring and tongue and groove wall covering.
I do remember some weird conspiracy stuff...
.
Yeah, I'm thinking he's actually a closeted cyclist tbh. Repressing subliminal desires can do strange things to a person..
I was passed today by a white van, full Hi Viz motorway back doors, the driver actually seemed to wait until there was an oncoming vehicle. Still he gave me more room than either of these two examples.
The van is 2m wide. It makes not a jot of difference whether the cyclists were single file or two abreast, to give 2m clearance (I'm assuming it was over 30mph) puts the van well into the other lane anyway. So the cyclists were if anything making things easier, shortening the distance to overtake, by riding two abreast.
This whole 1.5/2.0m clearance proposed change to the Highway Code will only lead to to more of these punishment passes, since it avoids pursuing the logic of the facts into terms drivers will understand - overtake in the other lane. Drivers conclude that it is the cyclists' choice that the margin is not there and so deserve what they get.
I was stopped on my bike today by an aggressive man saying I couldn't ride up his road, he then got in my face saying he was going to kill me. I punched him in the mouth and the police were called, fair play to them they saw the damage to my bike and said it wouldn't be taken any further. He was crying assault but they told him he doesn't own the road
Please ensure it is reported.
He was in so much of a hurry...
(thanks to brooksby)
Rushing to an urgent construction job!
Car hits building - seems to have become an every day occurrence now - I just don't remember it ever happening like years ago when I was young.
There weren't so many houses back then. Now they are everywhere, it's almost impossible not to hit them. This was probably a punishment pass that went wrong.
Lack of hi viz?
They built 'em proper back then.
Mobile phones?
Yeah, exactly this. The building was on a mobile and not looking where they were going when crossing the road.
(a driver can never be wrong, obviously).
Definite punishment pass. Shouldn't build houses two abreast. Damn them semis
not the drivers fault, the insist on building houses more than two abreast