F*ck me, nearly killed on the way to work
14 November 2003, 11:00 AM
#1
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So there I am riding to work on my bike (drop bars not m/c). Coming down a hill to a set of lights I'm doing about 25mph there is no cycle lane yet so I'm in the middle of the lane and a car over takes me (not a Scoob I'm glad to say). At the lights the car joins the back of the queue and stops next to the newly formed cycle lane.
As I get to the back of the car the bleeding passenger opens the door into the cycle lane leaving me about a foot to get through. Fully locked up I swerved to avoid it and only just squeezed through without hitting the car or kerb - a seriously close call
I can hardly believe that they overtook me and then opened the door on me. How f'ing stupid are some people
If I'd have hit the car there's little doubt I'd have been getting up... I'm still shaking and it was two hours ago. 
Just a timely reminder to watch out for bike riders please.
As I get to the back of the car the bleeding passenger opens the door into the cycle lane leaving me about a foot to get through. Fully locked up I swerved to avoid it and only just squeezed through without hitting the car or kerb - a seriously close call
I can hardly believe that they overtook me and then opened the door on me. How f'ing stupid are some people
If I'd have hit the car there's little doubt I'd have been getting up... I'm still shaking and it was two hours ago. Just a timely reminder to watch out for bike riders please.
14 November 2003, 12:43 PM
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Glad to hear you are O.K.
On the point of cyclists paying road tax though :
O.k, so lets say that the wear that a vehicle causes to the roads is proprtional to it's weight, and obviously, the distance it travels each year, we'll ignore the differing levels of polution.
Say an average cyclist, who commutes to work is travelling 4 mile each way every day, 5 days a week, 47 weeks a year (holidays), that's 1880 miles in the year. Let's take an average weight of cyclist and bike as 90 kg.
Taking an average car mileage of 12,000 mile per year and a weight of 1250 kg, the car causes 92.6 times more wear to the road (car - 1250 x 12000 = 15000000, bike 90 x 1880 = 162000, 15000000 / 162000 = 92.59)
That would mean that the bike would be due to pay £1.67 in road tax. I'm thinking that would be difficult to collect without making a loss.
[Edited by AvalancheS8 - 11/14/2003 12:43:56 PM]
On the point of cyclists paying road tax though :
O.k, so lets say that the wear that a vehicle causes to the roads is proprtional to it's weight, and obviously, the distance it travels each year, we'll ignore the differing levels of polution.
Say an average cyclist, who commutes to work is travelling 4 mile each way every day, 5 days a week, 47 weeks a year (holidays), that's 1880 miles in the year. Let's take an average weight of cyclist and bike as 90 kg.
Taking an average car mileage of 12,000 mile per year and a weight of 1250 kg, the car causes 92.6 times more wear to the road (car - 1250 x 12000 = 15000000, bike 90 x 1880 = 162000, 15000000 / 162000 = 92.59)
That would mean that the bike would be due to pay £1.67 in road tax. I'm thinking that would be difficult to collect without making a loss.
[Edited by AvalancheS8 - 11/14/2003 12:43:56 PM]
14 November 2003, 12:50 PM
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I would have carried on straight into the passenger slowing enough to stop me from being catapulted over the handle bars. Making sure I aim for the passenger to cushion the crash.
It would make them think twice in future.
Damian.
It would make them think twice in future.
Damian.
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14 November 2003, 01:02 PM
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Friend of mine wasn't so lucky.
He was being a bit naughty though, riding between 2 rows of stationary traffic, at c.10 MPH, as he reached 1 car the driver opened his door on him, and the point of the door hit him in the chest full on! He spent the next 15 minutes on the floor, couldn't even speak.
The driver said that someone had told him his door was open.
He ripped ligaments in his chest, which was a bit of a problem because the next week he went on to do a charity 1,000 mile bike ride!
He still did the ride though and with his team-mates raised a serious amount of money for local kids.
Steve W
He was being a bit naughty though, riding between 2 rows of stationary traffic, at c.10 MPH, as he reached 1 car the driver opened his door on him, and the point of the door hit him in the chest full on! He spent the next 15 minutes on the floor, couldn't even speak.
The driver said that someone had told him his door was open.
He ripped ligaments in his chest, which was a bit of a problem because the next week he went on to do a charity 1,000 mile bike ride!
He still did the ride though and with his team-mates raised a serious amount of money for local kids.
Steve W
14 November 2003, 01:05 PM
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Thanks for your support
jlanng, I'd say you were right, 25mph shouldn't kill, it was more the idea of hitting the top corner of the door as I tried to avoid it. They are a trailing edge on most cars so very sharp and at a height where it could slip between the ribs a treat Not a nice thought.
jlanng, I'd say you were right, 25mph shouldn't kill, it was more the idea of hitting the top corner of the door as I tried to avoid it. They are a trailing edge on most cars so very sharp and at a height where it could slip between the ribs a treat
Not a nice thought.
14 November 2003, 01:11 PM
#11
i hate cyclists,
they get all these lanes made for them round my way, dual carriage ways reduced to one lane so a 2 foot wide lane is used on the other lane. so traffic is now twice as bad in the mornings for these lanes made for c***s who dont even pay road tax.
they ignore traffic lights and come straight out in front of you even tho their road is on Red light.
and at night they ride without any lights so they scare the **** outa ya as they come out of a side road.
<rant over>
still doesnt mean they had to do that to you tho, glad ur ok
they get all these lanes made for them round my way, dual carriage ways reduced to one lane so a 2 foot wide lane is used on the other lane. so traffic is now twice as bad in the mornings for these lanes made for c***s who dont even pay road tax.
they ignore traffic lights and come straight out in front of you even tho their road is on Red light.
and at night they ride without any lights so they scare the **** outa ya as they come out of a side road.
<rant over>
still doesnt mean they had to do that to you tho, glad ur ok
14 November 2003, 01:12 PM
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A friend of my brothers has had a car squeeze him out as he was approaching a parked car, with the result that he was unable to avoid the parked car and went into the back of it - literally INTO. The owner of the parked car found him about 15 minutes later when they came out to leave for work, he was lying unconcious in the back seat of the car. The car that had caused him to crash didn't stop.
14 November 2003, 01:15 PM
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they ignore traffic lights and come straight out in front of you even tho their road is on Red light.
and at night they ride without any lights so they scare the **** outa ya as they come out of a side road
and at night they ride without any lights so they scare the **** outa ya as they come out of a side road
14 November 2003, 01:48 PM
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Read the Highway code and I think you'll find you were just
as much in the wrong as that passenger, you're supposed to be able to stop or avoid opening car doors when passing stationary vehicles. Another point I'd make is that Undertaking another vehicle at 25 mph really is asking for it. When I'm filtering on my Suzuki I try and keep the speed difference between me and the cars to about 15mph, that way it's much easier and safer to stop or swerve.
While I'm on, your using the slowest vehicle there is, Why not wait at the back of traffic light queues? That way you don't hold everybody up when the lights change, simple good manners.
as much in the wrong as that passenger, you're supposed to be able to stop or avoid opening car doors when passing stationary vehicles. Another point I'd make is that Undertaking another vehicle at 25 mph really is asking for it. When I'm filtering on my Suzuki I try and keep the speed difference between me and the cars to about 15mph, that way it's much easier and safer to stop or swerve.
While I'm on, your using the slowest vehicle there is, Why not wait at the back of traffic light queues? That way you don't hold everybody up when the lights change, simple good manners.
14 November 2003, 01:52 PM
#15
Sorry some idiot almost killed you. That was most ignorant (arrogant?) of the twit.
To be honest though I also hate [city] cyclists due to their total lack of respect for other road and pavement users. Over here you can expect 50% to ride without lights and almost all to ignore traffic lights. Expecting them to indicate would be an exercise in futility too. ******* idiots.
Suresh
P.S. I am also an occasional cyclist, but have some road manners!
To be honest though I also hate [city] cyclists due to their total lack of respect for other road and pavement users. Over here you can expect 50% to ride without lights and almost all to ignore traffic lights. Expecting them to indicate would be an exercise in futility too. ******* idiots.
Suresh
P.S. I am also an occasional cyclist, but have some road manners!
14 November 2003, 02:03 PM
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While I'm on, your using the slowest vehicle there is, Why not wait at the back of traffic light queues? That way you don't hold everybody up when the lights change, simple good manners
14 November 2003, 02:35 PM
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I walked out of a shop the other day to be confronted by a goon of a dispatch rider on a mountain bike tanking along the pavement looking to his side at the building numbers and not looking where he was going. I just saw him in time and stepped back an thus avoided a broken arm and just as he was level with me (he hadn't seen me) I screemed into his earas loudly as I could!!
He was so shocked that he swerved around for a few meters and then came to halt and had a go at me! I walked up to him, pointed at the pavement and said "pavement - pedestrians" and then pointed at the road and said "road - cyclists" and then walked off. I felt a lot better after that!
In London, cyclists are generally a f*cking pain whether you are a pedestrian or a driver - glad you were ok though.
He was so shocked that he swerved around for a few meters and then came to halt and had a go at me! I walked up to him, pointed at the pavement and said "pavement - pedestrians" and then pointed at the road and said "road - cyclists" and then walked off. I felt a lot better after that!
In London, cyclists are generally a f*cking pain whether you are a pedestrian or a driver - glad you were ok though.
14 November 2003, 02:42 PM
#18
\m/ ^_^ \m/
on the pathetic issue of cyclists paying road tax i pay over 200 pounds a year on road tax for my car & motorbike (like alot of cyclist probably do) i think i'm entitled to ride my bike to work for free 
...and this thing about riding through red lights - it must be just a big city thing because it doesn't happened around here, i ride past the white line and stop a few metres in front of the queue so when the lights change i'm upto speed and not wobbling about infront of cars - it's all common sense but some car drivers are a little narrow minded sometimes
kev
i pay over 200 pounds a year on road tax for my car & motorbike (like alot of cyclist probably do) i think i'm entitled to ride my bike to work for free ...and this thing about riding through red lights - it must be just a big city thing because it doesn't happened around here, i ride past the white line and stop a few metres in front of the queue so when the lights change i'm upto speed and not wobbling about infront of cars - it's all common sense but some car drivers are a little narrow minded sometimes
kev
14 November 2003, 02:49 PM
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i ride past the white line and stop a few metres in front of the queue so when the lights change i'm upto speed and not wobbling about infront of cars - it's all common
14 November 2003, 03:02 PM
#23
\m/ ^_^ \m/
damn right i didn't - would of got to work in record time - coming back would be a whole different story
14 November 2003, 03:07 PM
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"...and this thing about riding through red lights - it must be just a big city thing because it doesn't happened around here, i ride past the white line and stop a few metres in front of the queue"
Err? Red light on, you stop before the white line. That's the law.
Err? Red light on, you stop before the white line. That's the law.
14 November 2003, 03:10 PM
#26
\m/ ^_^ \m/
in fact i think there should be those green cyclist boxes at the front of all traffic lights - no different
14 November 2003, 03:35 PM
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OK, let's look at these quotes again
"...and this thing about riding through red lights - it must be just a big city thing because it doesn't happened around here, i ride past the white line and stop a few metres in front of the queue so when the lights change i'm upto speed and not wobbling about infront of cars - it's all common sense"
and
"i put my safety first"
Can’t see how common sense or your safety applies here. First you suggest that riding through red lights doesn’t happen around here apart from when you do it. You admit to riding out a few metres into a traffic junction to get ahead of other traffic, doesn’t it ever occur to you that you’re just a bit too close to the traffic crossing the other way? By the way you’re kidding yourself if you think you’re not wobbling along in front of the cars. Even if you’re Mr Superfit you’re only going to be doing 20mph by the time you reach the other side of the junction, meanwhile any car has to trundle along behind you slowly until it’s safe to overtake.
As a fellow two wheeler I’d point how stupid it is to rely on the goodwill of car drivers especially when you’ve just deliberately broken the law right in front of them and then set yourself up to impede their progress.
"...and this thing about riding through red lights - it must be just a big city thing because it doesn't happened around here, i ride past the white line and stop a few metres in front of the queue so when the lights change i'm upto speed and not wobbling about infront of cars - it's all common sense"
and
"i put my safety first"
Can’t see how common sense or your safety applies here. First you suggest that riding through red lights doesn’t happen around here apart from when you do it. You admit to riding out a few metres into a traffic junction to get ahead of other traffic, doesn’t it ever occur to you that you’re just a bit too close to the traffic crossing the other way? By the way you’re kidding yourself if you think you’re not wobbling along in front of the cars. Even if you’re Mr Superfit you’re only going to be doing 20mph by the time you reach the other side of the junction, meanwhile any car has to trundle along behind you slowly until it’s safe to overtake.
As a fellow two wheeler I’d point how stupid it is to rely on the goodwill of car drivers especially when you’ve just deliberately broken the law right in front of them and then set yourself up to impede their progress.
14 November 2003, 03:50 PM
#28
\m/ ^_^ \m/
i was talking about blatent riding through red lights and continuing, and i don't put myself in any danger at the junction where i wait, in fact out of the 6 lights i wait at i only cross the white line at one of them, as said before it's a busy junction and i'd rather be on my way and at the other side of it before being overtaken
14 November 2003, 04:02 PM
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I was on my way last week. I was going over a T Junction my right of way. Some stupid ****ing **** takes the bend at 30 didnt even look to see if anything was coming. Must missed me by a matter of seconds. Tried to catch the **** at the lights and kick her ****ing doors in [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img] .
Every day i time in now just incase i see her again smash her ****ing windows if i see her again
Every day i time in now just incase i see her again
smash her ****ing windows if i see her again
14 November 2003, 05:00 PM
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F4
Ok, so you only cross one white line, good for you, definitely safer. Although at all lights you're still prepared to push your way to the front and then HOLD everybody up. Does this not strike you as a pig ignorant kinda thing to do, if I did this at the checkout/bar/taxi rank I'd understand I was risking a smack in the mouth. Just because running somebody over is against the law doesn't mean some nutjob won't do it, bit like riding over white lines at traffic lights........
Ok, so you only cross one white line, good for you, definitely safer. Although at all lights you're still prepared to push your way to the front and then HOLD everybody up. Does this not strike you as a pig ignorant kinda thing to do, if I did this at the checkout/bar/taxi rank I'd understand I was risking a smack in the mouth. Just because running somebody over is against the law doesn't mean some nutjob won't do it, bit like riding over white lines at traffic lights........