Unfiltered

You criticised people for idly threatening 'violence' to bike thieves[1]
and yet you take part in wanton valdalism (mirrors) and also intimidate
the elderly.

[1] Which I suspect no one expected to be carried out

 

I've never "attacked" another vehicle, but when they've attempted to
run me off the road I've happily accelerated out the way without
worrying too much about their wing mirror ... does that count?

 

It goes like this: They come alongside you and begin to drift, causing
you to be squeezed between them and the kerb, or the like. You, wanting
to attract their attention, bang on the top of their car. In the
excitement, you leave a dent. As this normally occurs when there is an
imminent risk of them killing you anyway, your concerns are largely
irrelevant.



--
John

SV650
Black it is
and naked

 

Next time answer the fucking points.

I shan't bother discussing them further since you'll twist and turn as
per normal.

Fora.

 

My concerns are largely irrelevant?

 

Odd. In (almost) 23 years of driving and riding in the UK and Europe
(and a little in other places) I've managed to clock up somewhere
between 7 and 800 thousand miles.

In all of that time no one has ever tried to run me off the road when on
a bike, it's happened once (accidentally) and once intentionally when
driving a car.

I must lead a quiet life.

 

That's rathert a large range, Can you be more precise?

 

I commute to work on my bike through rush hour traffic, where this
took place there are two lanes which zip merge down to one. Drivers
get wound up and irate at people going up lane 2 and then trying to
force their way in - they regard it as queue jumping.

I've also had someone try to run me off this road when I've been
driving my car - I was in Lane 1 and the guy in front of me moved
across to block the guy in Lane 2 who was driving up the "outside".
So the "overtaker" decided the best solution was to drive into the
side of my car. Or would have done if I hadn't left myself a bit of
space and pounded the horn.

I guess it depends on where you ride, and when.

Or luck.

800,000 miles. Must be beginners luck

 

Well I think it's about 770,000 miles but I could be wrong.

 

Me too, M4 about 80 miles each day.

I've got that in spades so I guess that's it.

Probably.

 

Your concerns that they might subsequently choose to use their car as
the cause of my demise. These occurrences occured when they were
already using their car as an instrument of my demise, so I had little
to lose.

I'm sure your concerns in a more global sense are very relevant and
important.

--
John

SV650
Black it is
and naked

 

A few weeks ago, on my way home from work one evening, filtered to the front
at some lights; plenty of room but the bod in the car to my left didn't like
it. Sat on my back wheel from the lights all the way to the next roundabout,
at which point because I was taking it easy (damp evening + roundabout =
not my favourite combination) he was able to pull alongside me, window down,
mouth flapping and barely audible abuse falling out (earplugs).

Onto the two-lane dual that followed, and he then 'drifted' across the front
of me, pushing me towards the central barrier - didn't fancy that so I eased
off, prepared to just sit behind him - well behind him - to the next lights,
where I'd just filter carefully past and away from him again.

But no - for his next trick, he decided on the good old faithful brake test.
I was far enough behind him, and sort of half expecting that, so it wasn't
too much of a problem.
But what nearly was a problem was his next trick - into reverse, and flying
back at me - now that *was* a bit unexpected.
Fortunately I got out of the way.
Darted round him and into the safety of the queue for a set of lights not
far in front (where he couldn't get me) and took his reg number.

Got home, phoned plod; disinterested sounding copper took the reg no but
none of my details.
Phoned back a couple of days later and the plod I spoke to couldn't find any
record of it at all, much less tell me if they'd found the bloke/spoken to
him.

But then what was I doing expecting anything else?

I just wish I'd been nutter enough to have had it out with him there and
then, instead of entrusting it to Essex plod only for them to seemingly lose
it in their pile of papers (although I suppose I *could* be doing them a
disservice...).
Fortunately, this nutter is by far the exception to the rule. Most of them
seem to be pretty good.


By the way - while not exactly a newbie on here, I'm up until now pretty
much a lurker, so haven't really introduced myself, so - um - Hello
everyone.
Hope I haven't broken any posting rules in the above, although I'm sure
someone will let me know if I have.
Cheers.

 

Perhaps you don't filter much?
I've found the M1 particularly bad for people quite clearly noticing my
presence and pulling in front of me. It tends to happen when filtering only
slightly faster than the traffic. It never really happened while riding the
Great White Whale which confirms something or other. Filtering at high speed
with no lights on is better in this respect.

 

So a lot more than 7 miles then

 

A fair amount, I'm more often passing other bikes (on my commute) than
passed by them.


I can't think it's 'cos I'm 'laid back' about things either.

Maybe the M4 is relatively civilised?

 

Well I doubt that hitting mirrors off of cars could be viewed as self
defence. How did it defend you?

And the hitting a car roof... wouldn't it have been easier to beep your
horn?

 

There's more space than on urban roads, the speeds are higher so you
have more room to manouvere (if you see what I mean ...) and are
leaving larger gaps, drivers are less likely to deliberately block you
because most of them won't even know you're there, and those that do
aren't wound up by sitting in stationary traffic.

I think of lots of things ...

 

Please give a fuller explanation. I can't picture the scene.

He must have been pretty deaf...

 

Yes and no... there's been roadworks on the M4 for the last 2-3 months.
There is generally a 3 mile section where the speed is between
stationary and 60mph. Plenty of scope for people to get pissy in
this...

But still, thankfully it's not London; I hate London traffic even though
I get to feel really smug in it.

 

<snip>

Fucking hell, that's the best ASCII diagram I've seen in a news group.
You take this debating stuff seriously, don't you...

<snip reason for hitting mirror>.

I'd have banged his window. If the door's in front of you then you've
got access to it. Hitting and damaging a car is likely to get some
drivers going onto full *left* lock...

To hit the mirror you must have been alongside the car. I'd have been
concentrating on getting the **** out of there and would have wanted
both hands on the bike and all of the balance I could muster.

Again, banging on the windscreen or the drivers door window would have
surely been easier?

In both occasions it seems that you've responded to being under threat
by causing damage; In those situations it's the last thing I'd have done
since it could have provoked the driver.

Mind you, when I've been under threat I have on one or two occasions got
off my bike, blocking the car's way and given the driver a rabid piece
of my mind; when I'm angry I would be more than capable of damaging a
car but suspect I'd be more likely to (try) to damage a driver.

I've no other choice really, have I.