- News
- Reviews
- Bikes
- Accessories
- Accessories - misc
- Computer mounts
- Bags
- Bar ends
- Bike bags & cases
- Bottle cages
- Bottles
- Cameras
- Car racks
- Child seats
- Computers
- Glasses
- GPS units
- Helmets
- Lights - front
- Lights - rear
- Lights - sets
- Locks
- Mirrors
- Mudguards
- Racks
- Pumps & CO2 inflators
- Puncture kits
- Reflectives
- Smart watches
- Stands and racks
- Trailers
- Clothing
- Components
- Bar tape & grips
- Bottom brackets
- Brake & gear cables
- Brake & STI levers
- Brake pads & spares
- Brakes
- Cassettes & freewheels
- Chains
- Chainsets & chainrings
- Derailleurs - front
- Derailleurs - rear
- Forks
- Gear levers & shifters
- Groupsets
- Handlebars & extensions
- Headsets
- Hubs
- Inner tubes
- Pedals
- Quick releases & skewers
- Saddles
- Seatposts
- Stems
- Wheels
- Tyres
- Health, fitness and nutrition
- Tools and workshop
- Miscellaneous
- Buyers Guides
- Features
- Forum
- Recommends
- Podcast
news
Near Miss of the Day 890: Scaffolding truck driver makes very close pass on cyclist
Is there anything worse as a cyclist than being squeezed in the inside of a lorry with railings to your left, so you have no way of getting out of what could very much be a life-threatening situation?
No. It is honestly the most frightening situation you could be in.
And it’s exactly the one that road.cc reader Daniel found himself in one morning while cycling on Crouch Hill in London.
“Scaffolders are rushing to work,” he told us. “In my opinion, the most dangerous lorries on the road.
“Squeezed between the truck and the guardrail, there was no room for escape, there was no room for mistake.
“It was a difficult situation for me. A less experienced cyclist could have been in big trouble,” he added.
“I was frightened. Reported to the police. Email sent to the company with no response so far,” he added.
> 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.
Latest Comments
- kingleo 22 min 29 sec ago
Protesters telling us that a new cycle path will have devastating consequences on wildlife - motor vehicles are already doing that, but no protests...
- George Hill 59 min 22 sec ago
Foxcote Hill in Ilmington - it's steep, it's not too long, and once you get to the top you can see the for miles across the Cotswolds....
- Rendel Harris 1 hour 3 min ago
There are footpaths running alongside all the roads. There is no reason for pedestrians to be walking along the roads and in fact none of them do,...
- stonojnr 1 hour 7 min ago
well at least they didnt go for British Racing Green as well ,as then theyd have two trademark licensing cases up against them....
- Rendel Harris 1 hour 27 min ago
No names, no packdrill, you note!
- ktache 1 hour 35 min ago
Often the first indication of a dog walker I will have is the reflection in the dogs eyes.
- Laz 2 hours 5 min ago
I think the best solution would be to automatically charge every driver who hits a cyclist on the road with attempted murder, and plain murder in...
- David9694 3 hours 18 min ago
Car crashes into front of home in Briggs Mead, Wymondham...
- nowasps 3 hours 30 min ago
I've worked my way through a gifted box of these, and the review tallies exactly with my own experience.
- E6toSE3 4 hours 1 min ago
Quite wrong. The really interesting stuff was good goggles for under £80 - my budget and I was previously limited to Tifosi. Had to ask about...
Add new comment
36 comments
I was very-close-passed a while ago by a van whose rear doors were plastered in ROSPA Gold awards. It being London, I caught up with it 30 seconds later, and asked how his firm reproted near misses when driving and how that affected their ROSPA awards. He called me words and said I shouldn't have been riding in the middle of the road ( strictly speaking, the centre of one of two lanes, and the one he wanted to use, even though the other was empty at the time). It was so nice to see how thoroughly he had empbraced the health and safety culture of his employer.....
I wonder if it's also because they work on the scaffolding all day as well as driving? I did quite a few scaffolding jobs on building sites and filmsets when I was a student, I was young, strong and fit then (halcyon days!) but I would definitely sleep all the way home and wake up aching - after a day of that sort of work one would imagine tiredness plays a significant factor in bad driving.
All the more reason that this should be prosecuted, and more widely the impact of these semi-professional drivers on road safety checked. Pretty sure you're not supposed to drive when impaired in any way.
Absolutely, not excusing them.
A buddy of mine is a scaffolder and as he's a keen road cyclist (and ex BMX racer), I strongly doubt he'd make an overtake like that.
But I know what you mean.
Given the amount of scaffolding lorries on the road in London I'm sure I've had perfectly fine passes from many thousands, as ever it's only the bad 'uns one remembers.
Pages