Near Miss of the Day 607: Driver pulls out on cyclist going downhill

NewBob wrote:

Rear Red Reflectors, Amber reflective Pedals, Front and Rear Lights (not pointing directly into Drivers Pupils if possible), a Hi Vis can still be important on a bright Summers Day as the Sun is bright and creates more darkness (mostly in Mirrors, I may never be able to explain that in detail, also a flash of bright colours in the bulky Frame of a Windscreen in some Cars etc), Flashing Lights were illegal a decade or two ago before being decriminalised (lol), these are just my opinions apart from roughly the first 3 which are in the Highway Code. Traffic Free Cycle Routes are better as you can verbally communicate with Pedestrians, having to raise the voice over Car Engines can be more easily misconstrued as confrontational

Does your browser have a RandOM Capital LeTTers mode?

NewBob wrote:

Rear Red Reflectors, Amber reflective Pedals, Front and Rear Lights (not pointing directly into Drivers Pupils if possible), a Hi Vis can still be important on a bright Summers Day as the Sun is bright and creates more darkness (mostly in Mirrors, I may never be able to explain that in detail, also a flash of bright colours in the bulky Frame of a Windscreen in some Cars etc), Flashing Lights were illegal a decade or two ago before being decriminalised (lol), these are just my opinions apart from roughly the first 3 which are in the Highway Code. Traffic Free Cycle Routes are better as you can verbally communicate with Pedestrians, having to raise the voice over Car Engines can be more easily misconstrued as confrontational

the first three are expressly required by the highway code only when riding at night, reflectors would make no difference in this situation as they require vehicle lights hitting them, clearly the drivers lights would not have hit them.

In very bright sunshine, everything looks black so not sure what hi viz would do. Contrast is more important.

Rendel Harris wrote:

.....

I wish I could claim this was me but it was actually another rider I was behind recently, dressed in head to toe black Castelli (bright sunny day 4pm), being berated by a cabbie (in all all-black London cab, ironically): "You're farking invisible you are, why da fark you wearin' all black, you're farkin' invisible, I literally can't see ya!"

"If I'm invisible, who are you talking to?"

 I can never come up with snappy comebacks off the cuff (no, it's true everyone....). However, as most anti cyclists aren't that original, it's always worthwhile coming up with a response to use in future.

For example, teh other day I couldn't think of anything off the cuff to "there's LITERALLY a cycle path just there" (said frothing driver pointing to a footpath with peds on it) as we're going 20-25 in a 30. Next time  I shall jauntily quip "well get a bike and LITERALLY use it"

Probably. Either that or swear like a meths drinker....

"Literally" seems to be a word commonly misused or misunderstood, nowadays... 

brooksby wrote:

"Literally" seems to be a word commonly misused or misunderstood, nowadays... 

It is too often used as an emphatic, quite literally....

Literally, yes.

brooksby wrote:

"Literally" seems to be a word commonly misused or misunderstood, nowadays... 

I think you're literally spot on with that assessment.

You are a badger. When cornered you should simply bite them in the face, give them TB and run away.

But what if he's one of the 85%+ of badgers tested who do not carry TB?

markieteeee wrote:

But what if he's one of the 85%+ of badgers tested who do not carry TB?

Did they test for TB with a lateral flow or a PCB test?

brooksby wrote:

markieteeee wrote:

But what if he's one of the 85%+ of badgers tested who do not carry TB?

Did they test for TB with a lateral flow or a PCB test?

Is that the banned coolant, or an electronics component? And how do you test for TB with it?

markieteeee wrote:

But what if he's one of the 85%+ of badgers tested who do not carry TB?

As Willy WobbleDagger said "TB or not TB, that is the question."

markieteeee wrote:

But what if he's one of the 85%+ of badgers tested who do not carry TB?

Oh I always carry a vial or two in my back pocket. Never know when you're going to come across a dairy herd that wants infecting.

Mungecrundle wrote:

You are a badger. Literally. When cornered you should simply bite them in the face, give them TB and run away.

FTFY!

Mungecrundle wrote:

You are a badger. When cornered you should simply bite them in the face, give them TB and run away.

I would do, but covid,  social distancing and all that.....

If you can hug a loved one (which might come as a surprise to Jenny Agutter should our paths ever cross) I'm sure it would be OK to bite someone on the face.

Although social distancing no longer needs to be adhered to, the conditions of any restraining orders do still apply.

Mungecrundle wrote:

If you can hug a loved one (which might come as a surprise to Jenny Agutter should our paths ever cross) I'm sure it would be OK to bite someone on the face.

Ewyuch!  No way, don't know what I'd catch....

Captain Badger wrote:

 I can never come up with snappy comebacks off the cuff

Me neither, though I was quite pleased with my surreal effort a couple of months ago: a Beemer driver decided, unprompted, to start berating me for having attached a spare red flashing light to the back of my helmet; he was convinced, for reasons best known to himself, that this was against the law, ending his peculiar rant, "What do you think you are, a bloody police car or summink?" To which I replied, "No, I'm a fire engine but it's my day off."

Rendel Harris wrote:

Captain Badger wrote:

 I can never come up with snappy comebacks off the cuff

Me neither, though I was quite pleased with my surreal effort a couple of months ago: a Beemer driver decided, unprompted, to start berating me for having attached a spare red flashing light to the back of my helmet; he was convinced, for reasons best known to himself, that this was against the law, ending his peculiar rant, "What do you think you are, a bloody police car or summink?" To which I replied, "No, I'm a fire engine but it's my day off."

That's too good.

I can't see why people get so wound this shit. Even if it was illegal by letter of law (wasn't the law clarified to say that a flashing light could be considered to be constant light source a while back?), in practical terms it's crap. Why do they care?

Don't talk to the offenders, or reply to moron drivers who try to talk to you! Film them, report them, follow up the report with a complaint when the police ignore the offence, follow up the response to the complaint. Keep going- it's the only way to defeat the Enemy!

Rendel Harris wrote:

Captain Badger wrote:

Or vulnerable road users (albeit unwisely breaking the HWC and law) who are still visible (or how did you see them?)

I wish I could claim this was me but it was actually another rider I was behind recently, dressed in head to toe black Castelli (bright sunny day 4pm), being berated by a cabbie (in all all-black London cab, ironically): "You're farking invisible you are, why da fark you wearin' all black, you're farkin' invisible, I literally can't see ya!"

"If I'm invisible, who are you talking to?"

Ah: brilliant! 

Rendel Harris wrote:

Captain Badger wrote:

Or vulnerable road users (albeit unwisely breaking the HWC and law) who are still visible (or how did you see them?)

I wish I could claim this was me but it was actually another rider I was behind recently, dressed in head to toe black Castelli (bright sunny day 4pm), being berated by a cabbie (in all all-black London cab, ironically): "You're farking invisible you are, why da fark you wearin' all black, you're farkin' invisible, I literally can't see ya!"

"If I'm invisible, who are you talking to?"

Had a driver kick off at some riding behind me, about wearing black.

We were descending into a town when this guy starts to pull out then stops. he gestures I give a despair gesture rather than an obscene gensture, didn't see/hear what the other rider did that upset him but they had a row.

When he caught me at the lights I asked what it was all about, apparently a complaint we were wearing black. Seems it is OK to drive a black car with no lights, but no ok to wear black clothes and no lights. On a bright sunny afternoon, not in shadow.

The real reason he didn't see is is because the sun was behind us, and he did a quick glance and didn't give time for his eyes to adjust, could have been wearing hi vis, but with the sun behind us it wouldn't have helped (also not riding centrally in the lane may hve been a facotr)

I do, but that wasn't what I was objecting about.

I see more cars than bikes with defective or insufficient lights at night.

Jenova20 wrote:

If it's anywhere like where i ride, you'll no doubt have seen the occasional cyclist at night, without lights on, and dressed head to toe in black clothing...Organ donors on wheels...

You might want to re-read that, Jenova... 

brooksby wrote:

Jenova20 wrote:

If it's anywhere like where i ride, you'll no doubt have seen the occasional cyclist at night, without lights on, and dressed head to toe in black clothing...Organ donors on wheels...

You might want to re-read that, Jenova... 

I stand by that statement. It's a semi-regular occurrence. They'll get themselves injured, or possibly even killed, and all for a lack of £10 of lights.

Jenova20 wrote:

brooksby wrote:

Jenova20 wrote:

If it's anywhere like where i ride, you'll no doubt have seen the occasional cyclist at night, without lights on, and dressed head to toe in black clothing...Organ donors on wheels...

You might want to re-read that, Jenova... 

I stand by that statement. It's a semi-regular occurrence. They'll get themselves injured, or possibly even killed, and all for a lack of £10 of lights.

And yet you always see them...

brooksby wrote:

Jenova20 wrote:

brooksby wrote:

Jenova20 wrote:

If it's anywhere like where i ride, you'll no doubt have seen the occasional cyclist at night, without lights on, and dressed head to toe in black clothing...Organ donors on wheels...

You might want to re-read that, Jenova... 

I stand by that statement. It's a semi-regular occurrence. They'll get themselves injured, or possibly even killed, and all for a lack of £10 of lights.

And yet you always see them...

I didn't claim they weren't visible. They are breaking the law and putting themselves in danger though.