Near Misses Volume 2 (So close you can feel it)

"I even had a flashing front light under the Garmin"

I don't think they actually work unless you're wearing a builders vest.

Suns out, Mums out.

What's the best way to deal with what I'll euphemistically call "inconsiderate" driving when cycling?

I think the best response is to ignore it as best as possible.

When someone recklessly overtakes you, brushes past and stamps on the brakes at traffic a few hundred metres ahead of you down the road - trying to engage them is only going to be met with anger - maybe a "f*ck off" at best and then you having to watch your back as they repeatedly approach you again and again in traffic.

In the last year, the sense of menace on the roads has really increased. As a driver, every second car behind tailgates now when doing the speed limit - used to be one in ten. If you increase, the size, height, power, weight, acceleration, safety (for occupants only) of vehicles - not good for an urban environment.

The right answer is to channel your inner yogi. Its tough though.

The most I'll do where someone has done something particularly inconsiderate, like block a cycle lane, pull out of a junction when they see you coming etc, is give an exasperated look and hand signal. They haven't harmed me (usually due to my own attention and anticipation) so the adrenalin rush experienced by near accident incidents doesn't kick in, and I know that roaring abuse won't undo the situation, will unlikely change their behaviour for the better, and could instead trigger a confrontation.

I'm not a saint though, either on the bike or in the car (shout out to the few cars who decided to tear down the hard shoulder to skip the queue in a 1 hour tailback on the N11 yesterday evening while everyone else sucked it up and sat bumper-to-bumper due to a RTA) and do occasionally give a certain hand gesture to impatient asshats who drive a couple of feet behind you, close pass, punishment overtake etc. I know its counterproductive though - I'm just feeding their negative energy, giving them the reaction they want. Those drivers aren't for changing.

But I do consciously try to remind myself that most people are decent and that mistakes will be made. Even where you have drivers who consistently practice bad driving, most of the time they've no idea why its bad. I only need to think of my own parents here. Individuals - whether other drivers or cyclists - aren't going to educate them on the go. They're just not. Even if they know why I'm roaring at them, they're just as likely to double down on what they do out of a 'them-v-us' attitude. It all comes back, as always, to proper education, proper training, proper legislation and proper enforcement.

I find my spins, even commutes, much more enjoyable these days than years ago when I had zero tolerance of bad driving. I'll also make a point of thanking drivers who do show a conscious level of consideration - think of the driver exiting a petrol station who sees you coming and reverses back a few feet away from the cycle lane… they may only be doing what they should be doing, but its nice to acknowledge that kind of gesture. Everyone feels a bit better for it. And if you get into the habit of doing it you'll probably find that you had cause to thank as many drivers on your spin as you had cause to curse at. Which probably just sums up humanity.

Kudos to that bike rider. For the most part shows what good road craft and bike handling skills looks like. And an accurate snapshot of the sort of idiocy and selfishness you get from every type of road user.

EDIT: LOL… looks like I've a different way of seeing that to some people here 😂 I do think the camera footage makes some of the near misses more severe than they were. He made a pretty good job of avoiding zombie pedestrians while at the same time demonstrating what a danger they can be.