Near misses - mod warning 22/04 - see OP/post 822

magicbastarder

i know it's against the gist of the thread, but while driving and entering a roundabout in the left lane (to proceed straight on), it's rather *ahem* bracing when you realise the guy in the artic on your right has decided to take the exit on your left.

What Username Guidelines

Got a reply by post today from Dublin bus about the near miss I posted a video of last week. It follows the usual template but my favourite part was:

“Let me apologise to you on behalf of Dublin bus for the poor customer service you experienced whilst using our service”

Lambay island

On my way home yesterday evening minding my own business. I think i may have mentioned on this thread before but Ive almost become indifferent to all sorts on the road now as in I try hard not to get worked up as it was doing me no good.

Anyway not a near miss, but I spotted bout 50 yards ahead a car parked on path and door opening right into cycle lane. There was 2 lanes of traffic outside of this with cars moving in both. As I got closer she was still getting out of car with door wide open so i was doing constant shoulder checks to get out to nearest lane. Fair play to one driver who had spotted this and held back and let me out to get past. As i was tucking back in, the young woman shouts at me " I have to able to get out of my car Like FFS" in a lovely d4 accent. I had not said anything to her and didnt even glance at her but she was instantly in defence mode. I simply looked at her and gave a wry smile as didn't want to waste energy on her, as felt she purposely left door open longer to try and instigate confrontation.

Ray Bloody Purchase

What Username Guidelines wrote: »

Got a reply by post today from Dublin bus about the near miss I posted a video of last week. It follows the usual template but my favourite part was:

“Let me apologise to you on behalf of Dublin bus for the poor customer service you experienced whilst using our service”

I didn't know being plastered up against the side of a bus was known as 'using our service.'

I better start paying fares now. :mad:

sy_flembeck

Tried yesterday but the videos wouldn't work.

Yesterday morning the only blot on a very enjoyable spin in north wicklow. Encountered this beaut as I entered as one lane roundabout just north of Ashford:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z57oKowkTt8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHmFI-opbQw

check_six

Ray Bloody Purchase wrote: »

I didn't know being plastered up against the side of a bus was known as 'using our service.'

I better start paying fares now. :mad:

The bus may have passed close enough to tag on the Leap card!

amcalester

I love roundabouts.

Approached a roundabout this morning to take third exit. Arm out as I entered the roundabout, cars at first exit stopped and just as I was about to signal (after I had passed the second exit) to take my exit the car that had been stopped waiting to enter at the second entrance decided that was his moment to go and pulled out very very slowly in front of me, he seemed to stop and start twice before finally stopping half in and half off the roundabout.

Internet Friend

Travelling along here this morning, there's no way anyone can see around the bend cause of the ditch so no way of telling if there's approaching traffic. I hear a jeep gun it from a good distance back and knew he was going for it. Next thing a car comes around the corner heading the opposite way, just as I'm in the bend and just as the jeep meets me. Talking cm's here, he was doing about 80km/h and turns out they had a wide flat bed trailer too. Didn't scare me as I'd anticipated it but if I'd a chance to confront him I would have lost the plot completely.

Looking up cameras now...sick of this sh!t.

Vel

This bloody junction at the top of Camden Street, opposite the Bleeding Horse. Well I don't blame the junction, I blame the drivers.

https://www.google.ie/maps/place/24+Camden+Street+Upper,+Saint+Kevin's,+Dublin/@53.3337284,-6.2650266,3a,75y,90h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sO4hwdvVeBRPB4GLvVR7ZhQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!4m5!3m4!1s0x48670ea00e48ea43:0x18f4b338b48a49ab!8m2!3d53.3335335!4d-6.2648479

Once you go through this junction it splits into 4 lanes, two going left towards Harcourt Street and two going right, around by the Odeon beside the luas tracks. I take the outside right lane as once I continue on past the Odeon I am going left up towards Charlemont.

Usually the lights are red when I approach them so I get myself in front of the traffic and indicate that I am going right as I take off. I pop myself in the lane and pretty much 9 times out of 10 the car behind me, instead of waiting behind me (and generally we are just heading up to a set of red lights) will undertake me at speed and closely. I've lost count of the amount of times it happens.

I generally ignore now as any time I've tried to engage it's been pointless. I had one woman just drift in towards me slowly one day, on purpose as I was 'in the wrong lane' apparently. The car behind her beeped as she was so close to hitting me and checked I was ok after. I can't lie, she had her window down and I stuck my head in and roared at her, froathing at the mouth I was so shook!

Oh and of the cars that do this, a big proportion have been our 'professional' taxi drivers!

accensi0n

It would probably improve things if the lane markings started further back.

check_six

amcalester wrote: »

I love roundabouts.

Approached a roundabout this morning to take third exit. Arm out as I entered the roundabout, cars at first exit stopped and just as I was about to signal (after I had passed the second exit) to take my exit the car that had been stopped waiting to enter at the second entrance decided that was his moment to go and pulled out very very slowly in front of me, he seemed to stop and start twice before finally stopping half in and half off the roundabout.

Hate this kind of thing. You're incredibly vulnerable when you are circulating past the entrances to a roundabout. If the motorist at the next entrance is not stopped you have to slow to make sure that they are going to stop. If they start to creep forward you have to slow even more and eventually you end up nearly at a standstill staring in at these eejits to see if they have worked out what their mistake is.

Had a dude yesterday who was stopped but started accelerating onto the roundabout before I had cleared his entrance. Very unnerving as you can't tell if they are able to judge it "just right", or haven't a clue what they are doing.

hesker

check_six wrote: »

Hate this kind of thing. You're incredibly vulnerable when you are circulating past the entrances to a roundabout. If the motorist at the next entrance is not stopped you have to slow to make sure that they are going to stop. If they start to creep forward you have to slow even more and eventually you end up nearly at a standstill staring in at these eejits to see if they have worked out what their mistake is.

Had a dude yesterday who was stopped but started accelerating onto the roundabout before I had cleared his entrance. Very unnerving as you can't tell if they are able to judge it "just right", or haven't a clue what they are doing.

+1

Do you recall the thread last year by the female driver complaining about a cyclist on a roundabout intimidating her by staring at her as she continued to not stop on approaching and entering across him. The mind boggles

PaulieC

I was driving north across the east-link at the weekend, a woman on a bike in front of us. There was an artic truck coming in the opposite direction, from the port, and he entered the roundabout indicating to turn on the quay. The woman in front of us proceeded onto the roundabout, heading northwards. She held her arm out to the truck to stop him, even though she was completely in the wrong when she entered the roundabout. I was full sure he was going to hit her, but he slammed on and stopped just in time. Lucky woman.

average_runner

magicbastarder wrote: »

i know it's against the gist of the thread, but while driving and entering a roundabout in the left lane (to proceed straight on), it's rather *ahem* bracing when you realise the guy in the artic on your right has decided to take the exit on your left.

This is all too common. Its amazing the number of people that use roundabouts don't know how to use them, indicate(car) or even signal when on a bike!!

check_six

hesker wrote: »

+1

Do you recall the thread last year by the female driver complaining about a cyclist on a roundabout intimidating her by staring at her as she continued to not stop on approaching and entering across him. The mind boggles

Sounds bonkers. I've prepared a stunned look of incomprehension just in case someone is able to send me a link to this thread.

average_runner wrote: »

This is all too common. Its amazing the number of people that use roundabouts don't know how to use them, indicate(car) or even signal when on a bike!!

Have a look at the roundabout threads that appear from time to time on boards. They're kind of disturbing in that there is no kind of consensus on the correct way to navigate a roundabout.
It's all about individual interpretation!

Slightly unpredictable road design doesn't help either it has to be said.

magicbastarder

i think it came up on the commuting and transport forum that the legislation governing roundabouts is rather thin - i think they're mentioned twice in the road traffic acts?

Rechuchote

Cycling through Cork and Tipp yesterday I was amazed by two things - the beeyoootiful roads - perfect surfaces, not a bump or a pothole to be seen - and the courtesy of ordinary drivers.

The same, unfortunately, wasn't true of truckers, either in artics or in builders' lorries, who went booting along through the countryside as if they were alone on the roads, and gave perhaps two metres space to pass, which sounds like a lot but is not a lot when the vehicle is so big.

Same with the tractors towing slurry tanks - the speed of the things - utterly terrifying. Both on main roads and on little country lanes.

Type 17

PaulieC wrote: »

...The woman in front of us proceeded onto the roundabout, heading northwards. She held her arm out to the truck to stop him, even though she was completely in the wrong when she entered the roundabout. I was full sure he was going to hit her, but he slammed on and stopped just in time. Lucky woman.

The "magic wand" theory* in action :pac:

*"My arm is a magic wand that suspends the laws of physics and gives me right of way over all other traffic".

sy_flembeck

Always expect the unexpected. It did give me 1.5m I suppose:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VMRgRSFwQ0

site_owner

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10211768370027592&id=1319113564

site_owner

Hope the Facebook link is ok, it's public and on most of the cycling groups now

BoardsMember

Drove to work today, could quite easily/conceivably have knocked down tow cyclists had I not been alert.

One situation was coming into a narrow pat of road in Rathgar, with a cyclist on the footpath on my side of the road. There were pedestrians coming towards the cyclists, so he just bunnyhops off the path as I am just about to drive past. I slammed on and just missed him.

Taking a left up in dundrum later on, a oath is set back a good bit off the road. I happened to notice a cyclist on the path, again cycling in the same direction as me. I take my left, he just continue straight on to the path the other side of the junction. If I hadn't already have seen him I'd have broadsides him. I needed, he didn't even acknowledge me.

I cycle all the time so I know how many bad drivers are out there. These guys had a deathwish, one that will be granted if they keep cycling like that with the crap drivers that are out there. Both were boys in their late teens.

Lambay island

I witnessed a dublin bus driver dangerously beeping, tailgating and intimidating a cyclist at the luas tracks at college green this evening. He basically forced the cyclist to break the ped red light at Westmoreland street as if he didn't he would have been crushed by the bus as he steamrolled through the red right behind him. I caught up with him to see if he was ok. He was a bit shook but said he would be reporting it to the guards.

average_runner

Lambay island wrote: »

I witnessed a dublin bus driver dangerously beeping, tailgating and intimidating a cyclist at the luas tracks at college green this evening. He basically forced the cyclist to break the ped red light at Westmoreland street as if he didn't he would have been crushed by the bus as he steamrolled through the red right behind him. I caught up with him to see if he was ok. He was a bit shook but said he would be reporting it to the guards.

It seems common enough there, the buses and the luas are bullying anyone in their way

Duckjob

Out in rural nth Dublin yesterday. Coming up to a little shop with a little parking area directly outside it. I was doing a decent clip and actually nearly drawing level with the start of the car park when a guy in a white van gunned past me, and immediatly indicated braked and swerved into the car park in front of me so I had to slam on my brakes and continue around him.

Some people just can't help themselves to act the dick as soon as they see a cyclist ahead of them on the road.

bob b

A few weeks ago I had a really close pass by a car - I felt the wing mirror as it went by and if I'd moved more that a few cms I'd have been hit and, given the speed of the car, probably killed. There was an oncoming car, so instead of slowing down the driver decided to go almost through me. I had camera footage and was sufficiently annoyed/shaken I called Traffic watch. The next day I got a call from the Guards and managed to give a statement on Saturday. I showed the footage and the guard's exact words were "sh*t that was close". The preferred option is a FPN and a fine for the driver, but they did say that without the camera footage nothing could be done. I asked them to show the driver the footage, so with the fine and points perhaps in future this driver will take a bit more care.

I was pleasantly surprised by the attitude of the Guards and the ease of using Traffic Watch. So all in all a good ending.

Rechuchote

Lambay island wrote: »

I witnessed a dublin bus driver dangerously beeping, tailgating and intimidating a cyclist at the luas tracks at college green this evening. He basically forced the cyclist to break the ped red light at Westmoreland street as if he didn't he would have been crushed by the bus as he steamrolled through the red right behind him. I caught up with him to see if he was ok. He was a bit shook but said he would be reporting it to the guards.

You should report it too, and to Dublin Bus via their "online form". A witness report will add value to the endangered cyclist's report.

Duckjob wrote: »

Some people just can't help themselves to act the dick as soon as they see a cyclist ahead of them on the road.

What is this "see" of which you speak?

mr spuckler

Rechuchote wrote: »

What is this "see" of which you speak?

yep, I had someone join my lane of traffic in front of me from a side road on my right hand side today. she joined the lane as if I wasn't even there and soon after came to a stop at lights. as I passed by her and made a polite gesture to indicate my presence she remained completely oblivious.

yesterday near the same spot with about 5 cyclists stopped at a red light, the car at the top of the queue repeatedly gunned his engine, can only have been to intimidate us. thought it was hilarious he did.

plodder

Had a scary close pass from a TNT artic on the R108 this morning. Traffic coming opposite direction and I don't know how he thought he could squeeze through safely. Caught up with him at the lights and had a 'conversation' from a distance by sign language. He got the message and waited patiently behind me then and gave about 3 metres when passing.

ewc78

PaulieC wrote: »

I was driving north across the east-link at the weekend, a woman on a bike in front of us. There was an artic truck coming in the opposite direction, from the port, and he entered the roundabout indicating to turn on the quay. The woman in front of us proceeded onto the roundabout, heading northwards. She held her arm out to the truck to stop him, even though she was completely in the wrong when she entered the roundabout. I was full sure he was going to hit her, but he slammed on and stopped just in time. Lucky woman.

Lucky woman but also lucky lorry driver, because if he hits her, and possibly kills her, he will have to live with it for the rest of his life even though as you say she was in the wrong.