Road Rage – what’s your angle?

[Tony]

A helmet cam is a good idea - but a bit of a 'passive' deterent. Given the stories under this thread and recent media coverage of violent crime, can we not ensure that at least one person in each group on the Saturday ride carries a piece? It's the only way to ensure a reasonable level of safety.

[-Adam-]

I think Kevin's taxi story is one of the best, I remember him telling me it one time before. Classic.

So folding in mirrors is in my arsenal, somebody also told me to carry a golf ball. As after it strikes the rear screen of the offending vehicle it apparantly bounces off so fast its no where to be seen. Just as well Sainsburys have a good deal on lake balls right now... Quite a fan of squirting water at people through windows too, never had the chance to do it though. Although I hope the day I do, i have a particularly highly concentrated energy drink in my bidon, man that stuff is sticky.

I believe Marco has a story involving critical mass, a lary white van, a courier, and the vans keys ending up in the Thames!?

Did have a funny incident on the way home from the CR last Saturday. So you know when a car is so far up your arse you either turn round and wave them away, or if it becomes clear, you wave for them to pass you. Well, that I did, quite politely I thought. Anyhow, the lady in the passenger seat obviously took offence and gestured that I must be a fiddle. Well, I thought, aren't we all!? Anyhow, low and behold I then caught up with them at the next junction. So I tapped on her window and asked her if she had anything else to say, apparently not. I didn't think she would. (shame she didn't open her window so I could squirt her, goddamit!) Moving off I sat in front of them riding slow, but then I thought whats the point, Im holding up loads of people behind them who overtook me quite sensibly. So I moved over, but then, ironically they were heading the same way as me. So I got in their draft and sat a few inches off their bumper. As we got to the usual Epsom bound traffic I moved round and simply mouthed, ''didn't get you there any faster did it?''. Still, whether she learnt anything or not is debateable, but it did put a smile on my face. Albeit until the next guy comes along and tries to kill me.

But as somebody pointed out before, the majority of drivers are actually quite sensible. So its not fair to swear at every car that does you wrong. Im sure many of us are car drivers also. Myself included, the only thing I would say, is that even when in a rush, I wouldn't take risks that might endanger someone's life. And I think thats the trouble, many drivers just show a blatent disregard for everyone, not just cyclists, but everyone else who uses the roads. Thats life I guess? Shame really.

[huw williams]

[quote="-Adam-"]

I believe Marco has a story involving critical mass, a lary white van, a courier, and the vans keys ending up in the Thames!?

[George]

I had a similar one back when I was a big fat angry motorcycle courier on my Suzuki DR350 trail bike with mega loud exhaust pipe.

Riding through the back streets of Sutton a car pulled straight out in front of me as I was doing 30 or 40 mph, I pulled the front brake lever in so hard the bike endo'ed up on the front wheel at 30mph and slowed with the back wheel only touching down when I had come to a stop.

I was so fuming mad and so angry that I decided to chase the vehicle and its 2 teenage delinquant passengers.
Now my bike was LOUD and I was MAD I was a BIG ANGRY BIKER in full LEATHERS and there was no way they were gonnna outrun me.

They absoloutly sh1t themselves so much the car turned sharply into a residential road and quickly pulled into a driveway up the side of some flats, they both got out th ecar and legged it thinking I was gonna beat them up they left the engine still running and both doors open.

I saw they had just hidden behind the bush in the next house so I turned the engine of the car off, then kicked the key breaking it off still well stuck in the lock so it couldn't be of use and plopped the bunch of keys down the nearest drain just up the road.

That was very satisfying indeed.

[mrP(Boonen)VT]

I was there as well......the keys didn't end up in the Thames, but they might as well have done.

There were hundreds of people on bikes (I hesitate to use the term cyclists!!), and at a junction, the guy in a white van was getting a bit wound up, and started to nudge forward. he bumped into a rider (who was built like a brick s@@@house with tattoos up his arms. So this guy gets off his bike - by now the van is absolutely surrounded at a very busy junction and has a few words with the van driver (couldn't hear, but was clearly a heated discussion), then he reaches in, turns the van off, removes the keys, and hurls them as far as he could across the other side of the junction.

Everyone cheered and jeered said driver as he got out of his van speechless - never said a word. Lights changed, we moved off. Plod was a few yards down the road, and carried on as if nothing happened.

[mrP(Boonen)VT]

[quote]I was so fuming mad and so angry that I decided to chase the vehicle and its 2 teenage delinquant passengers.
Now my bike was LOUD and I was MAD I was a BIG ANGRY BIKER in full LEATHERS and there was no way they were gonnna outrun me.

[George]

[quote]But the question is ......were you still smiling George

[mrP(Boonen)VT]

Yesterday, was riding downhill quite fast (yes I know I don't usually, but this time.....) and approaching slowing traffic ahead quite quickly even with brakes applied - in fact too quickly - and had to make a split decision to go past the car ahead.

Do I swing out facing oncoming traffic or slip down on the inside

I chose the former with a quick flick of the bars and 10 metres further on the a.......hole turned with NO INDICATION or check of mirrors whatsoever..........LEFT ....Phew, that was a close shave. I slingshot past on the outside, grateful to my instinct for taking the outside line, now for that petrol tanker coming towards me- another story

[Tamar]

Re-dressing the balance a little....I was riding up through Brixton a few months back and the traffic was its usual tight jam. A cyclist in front of me squeezed through a gap that was too small and caught the wing mirror of the large van on his left. The mirror flipped forwards and out of reach of the understandably annoyed driver who, try as she might, could not quite reach it without losing control of the van. At the next gap in the traffic I rode up alongside her, smiled and popped the mirror back into place. It won't stop the psychos from trying to kill us....but I hope has gone some way to making at least one van driver feel slightly less antipthetic to those of us on two wheels.

[Richard (Apples)]

Good for you Tamar

Actions speak louder than words

[George]

[quote]I rode up alongside her, smiled and popped the mirror back into place.

[Sylv]

I went through a traffic light junction this morning in Vauxhall where a car had had an accident with a cyclist of the shopping-bike type, bike was down under the car's wheel,
couldn't help myself from thinking it was probably the cyclist's fault ...

[Tamar]

Was that because of the position of the car and bike Sylv or because it was a shopping type bike?

[Sylv]

More the fact it happened at a traffic light junction unfortunately - you know the score etc.
Shopping bike, well maybe as it seems most of them seem to more or less ignore the lights.
I mentioned the bike was under the car just to show it was a proper accident not just an incident. Cyclist was up on his feet though fortunately.

[Roy Green]

A tale of a goodie and a baddie motorist, at a place we all know well.
A good many years ago, I was approaching the V-junction where the M23 starts. Just before looking back to check it was OK to take right fork in the A23, I was scared by a screech of brakes, then a sharp rear wheel clout which sent me flying. Getting up in a confused state, I was aware of a florid-faced Daimler driver, going on about why I had switched out suddenly. Before I could get out a response, we were joined by another man - a motorist who had ground to a halt and ran back to us. "I saw everything that happened — this cyclist was riding perfectly well, you clearly didn't see him. Unless you give him everything he needs to put his bike back in good shape, I'll back him for any action he wants to take". Completely flustered Daimler Man couldn't give both of us his details quick enough ... I was OK, and just had a wobbly rear wheel, but the fright was worth a nice new pair of wheels to me. D. M sent cheque to cover swiftly.
Understandably, I've been extra cautious up right-forking at this place ever since. I reckon impatient motorists can't wait to stand on the right pedal when they see the motorway sign ... Hopefully we are safer in numbers in our clubrun groups here. And this tale shows that there are just a few Good Samaritans on four wheels.
Roy