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Near Miss of the Day 546: A series of close passes in Richmond Park
Following a week in which there have been calls to ban motor traffic from Royal Parks for good - today's near miss video is a series of close passes in Richmond.
Youtuber, Changethetraffic, who posted the video, said: "I used to cycle regularly through Richmond Park.
"After lockdown though, for some odd reason, the traffic has become a nightmare. It feels busier and drivers are much more aggressive.
"The concept of leaving distance when passing cyclists seems to not even exist for a lot of them.
"For the first time, I recall having a whole series of close passes; three to four cars in a row passing me, and sometimes my family, within touching distance.
"This worsening of traffic and dangerous driving seems to be common throughout London.
"I’m experiencing two or three times more dangerous incidents than before lockdown, including more abuse.
"Always while riding legally and considerately."
On Thursday, a cyclist was taken to hospital after a shocking crash in Richmond Park which left the rider with facial injuries.
The incident led to calls from the London Cycling Campaign and many others on social media for through traffic to be banned from the park.
> 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.(link is external)
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.
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18 comments
I'm sorry but more than half of these aren't close passes.
Ride in the middle of the road. Problem solved.
""After lockdown though, for some odd reason, the traffic has become a nightmare. It feels busier and drivers are much more aggressive. "
This has been my experience in the West Midlands too. Drivers' mentality appear to be that they can drive faster and more dangerous because there's less cars around.
We're all familiar with the worry about close passing when there are oncoming vehicles, and you know the b******s coming up behind will decide to come closer to you than to the other vehicles. It seems that on this route, there are always oncoming vehicles!
First thing in the morning recently I've actually found the park quite pleasant in terms of traffic volume, although I did get very close passed by a car going up Sawyer's Hill on Friday (I waved indignantly as they went past, for what good it does). The roads just aren't wide enough for a driver to safely overtake a cyclist if there's anything coming the other way and so few drivers have the patience to wait until the other way is clear of other cars AND bikes.
My main hope at the moment is that when they respond to the consultation on the parks movement strategy that we don't get movement back towards the pre-pandemic situation of all roads open all the time. If we end up with what we have now permanently, it's better than what we had a year ago. If we have any more reduction in motor vehicle access, even better, but I'm not holding out any hope.
HC RULE 153:
Maintain a reduced speed along the whole of the stretch of road within the calming measures. Give way to oncoming road users if directed to do so by signs. You should not overtake other moving road users while in these areas.
With a 20 mph limit, take primary.
None of these drivers can be in a hurry to get anywhere in lockdown.
would that stick though, or just lead to even closer passes ? I mean most of those look like MGIF passes, and drivers like that rarely take the hint from your road positioning not to overtake regardless
The roads don't look that wide (and I haven't been that way for a few years) but it was a squeeze in secondary. Would a driver try and force another driver off the road or risk a scratch if you take the lane?
agreed I doubt most would be daft enough to try that, but what I notice in those situations is drivers will more often then try and force a gap through a riskier overtake, often by speeding up, and its clear no-ones bothered about keeping to the limit based on that video, and the result for the rider is you still get passed, its just alot more uncomfortable for you.
But using Primary will give you more escape space to the left if required. Not great I know but it is one of the reasons Primary is advocated.
yep and I do ride primary myself when I feel its needed, but Im wary of treating it like a silver bullet cure, Ive had enough close passes when Ive been riding in primary to know there are plenty of drivers out there still, the must get in fronts especially, who are just going to come through regardless of the position you hold on the road.
I suspect that the result of riding primary would be a lot more horn abuse and some good citizen, frustrated at the line of traffic, taking it into their own hands to run the cyclist off the road for the public good.
The proper solution is surely to control the number of cars using this narrow road. Maybe introducing a 1 way system for motor traffic? An outright ban on oversize vehicles at peak hours or maybe even some sort of policing to ensure that everyone plays nicely.
Any particular number in mind? I've got a nice round number that would work beautifully....
Is it Badger shaped?
I've been riding primary at 20 mph behind cars and had some numpty overtake on the left and then swerve through between me and the car in front to then overtake the car (into oncoign traffic)! Gotta get infront mentality!
I think on the flat and descent I'd agree. Keeping left on the uphills I'm unsure, if I'm putting effort in and close to 20 then I ride primary. If I'm taking it easier I prefer to let the car pass by being secondary, BUT they need to pass safely.
Richmond Park at busy times is bascially a great big traffic jam of bikes and cars.
The funny thing is that so many people repeat the myth that it's cyclists who are arrogant and entitled. As well as dangerous passing, most of those drivers appeared to be breaking the speed limit.
Either it's a through route or it's a park; time the park authorities worked out which it is.
What part of 'stay at home, essential journeys only' don't Londoner's understand.
Maybe Derbyshire's police have the right approach to lockdown.
Sorry, who are you criticising, the cyclist or the drivers? If the former, permitted exercise (or maybe they're a commuter to a keyworker job), if the latter, the Park is still a heavily used commuter route (it'd be great if it wasn't but at the moment it still is), how do you know those cars aren't driven by nurses, doctors, coppers, teachers, firefighters, social workers, supermarket workers et al? You wouldn't have become unjustifiably judgmental just so you could have a pop at Londoners, would you?