View Full Version : Car Door of the Day
It is probably the temperature (the last time it was this hot for this long I cycled through a red
light at a pedestrian crossing) but it might just be one of those things.
There is a car pull-in that looks like a bus stop just outside the row of shops (a wedding cake
shop, a grocer, a plant-pot shop...) where the currently favourite LBS is, and a green kryptonite
cycle lane running straight past it. As I was easing off to stop at the bike stands at the other end
of the pull-in, the offside rear door of one of the parked cars opened out across the kryptonite
just in front of me, and a scantily clad woman in her mid-twenties emerged.
As I said, I was easing off and managed to come to a stop before I hit her, but she walked round the
back of the car leaving the door ajar in my path. Since there was a considerable amount of rapid
traffic on my right, I took exception to this. Now I know I was being unreasonable, but.
OK, OK, I admit it, I closed the door. The driver was so intimidated that he climbed out through the
front nearside door. Perhaps I closed it a bit forcefully.
I blame the road markings, myself. I honestly believe that she thought the green stripe was a
footpath for car grubs temporarily forced to emerge from their cocoons. Where the bus (and taxi and
bike) lanes cross side roads round here there is often an advisory cycle lane (sometimes uncoloured)
across the opening of the cycle lane and a considerable amount of traffic emerging from the side
roads, including some cycles, treat the far side of the cycle lane as an advanced give way line.
"Geraint Jones" <Geraint.Jones@wolfson.oxford.ac-spam.uk.invalid> wrote in message
news:beud7t$dsj$1@daedalus.wolf.ox.ac.uk...
> ... There is a car pull-in that looks like a bus stop just outside the row of shops (a wedding
> cake shop, a grocer, a plant-pot shop...) where the currently favourite LBS is, and a green
> kryptonite cycle lane running straight past it. As I was easing off to stop at the bike stands at
> the other end of the pull-in, the offside rear door of one of the parked cars opened out across
> the kryptonite just in front of me, and a scantily clad woman in her mid-twenties emerged.
>
> As I said, I was easing off and managed to come to a stop before I hit her, but she walked round
> the back of the car leaving the door ajar in my path. Since there was a considerable amount of
> rapid traffic on my right, I took exception to this. Now I know I was being unreasonable, but.....
If cycling anywhere apart from the road itself (and this includes kerbside cycle lanes, which I
would not *really* class as part of the road and never use them myself on principle except in
gridlocked streets) then expect at all times to have to stop and give way, even if you technically
have right of way.
"Adrian Boliston" <adrian@boliston.co.uk> wrote: ( If cycling anywhere apart from the road itself
(and this ) includes kerbside cycle ( lanes, which I would not *really* class as part of the ) road
and never use them ( myself on principle except in gridlocked streets) then ) expect at all times to
have ( to stop and give way, even if you technically have right of way.
If cycling anywhere, and this includes the road itself, expect at all times to have to stop
and give way.
In article <beud7t$dsj$1@daedalus.wolf.ox.ac.uk>,
Geraint.Jones@wolfson.oxford.ac-spam.uk.invalid says...
> There is a car pull-in that looks like a bus stop just outside the row of shops (a wedding cake
> shop, a grocer, a plant-pot shop...) where the currently favourite LBS is,
That sounds like Warlands...what is that plant pot shop called?
Colin
Colin Blackburn <colin.blackburn@durham.ac.uk> wrote: (
Geraint.Jones@wolfson.oxford.ac-spam.uk.invalid says... ) > There is a car pull-in that looks like a
bus stop just ( > outside the row of shops (a wedding cake shop, a grocer, ) > a plant-pot shop...)
where the currently favourite LBS ( > is, ) ( That sounds like Warlands...what is that plant pot
shop called?
Yus. "Pots Direct" apparently:
http://www.touchoxford.com/comdir/cditem.cfm?NID=37575
I once wandered in there in an idle moment. It was odd; never again.
In news:beuer4$du3$1@daedalus.wolf.ox.ac.uk, Geraint Jones
<Geraint.Jones@wolfson.oxford.ac-spam.uk.invalid> typed:
> "Adrian Boliston" <adrian@boliston.co.uk> wrote: ( If cycling anywhere apart from the road itself
> (and this ) includes kerbside cycle ( lanes, which I would not *really* class as part of the )
> road and never use them ( myself on principle except in gridlocked streets) then ) expect at all
> times to have ( to stop and give way, even if you technically have right of way.
>
> If cycling anywhere, and this includes the road itself, expect at all times to have to stop and
> give way.
Particularly, you should expect to give way to a person who's just waved you passed, especially when
they've magnanamously done it when it was already your right of way.
Geraint Jones deftly scribbled:
> As I said, I was easing off and managed to come to a stop before I hit her,
So nothing really happened then ..
--
Digweed
"Not me, someone else" <notcheckedever@hotmail.com> wrote: ( > ....managed to come to a ) > stop
before I hit her, ( ) So nothing really happened then ..
What a sad world it must be which you inhabit, in which everything that is not a collision with a
pedestrian is nothing.
Geraint Jones deftly scribbled:
> "Not me, someone else" <notcheckedever@hotmail.com> wrote: ( > ....managed to come to a ) > stop
> before I hit her, ( ) So nothing really happened then ..
>
> What a sad world it must be which you inhabit, in which everything that is not a collision with a
> pedestrian is nothing.
Who mentioned a pedestrian ?
You didn't hit either a car, a car door, or a pedestrian, you stopped, so what *really* happened ?
Nothing.
It's like saying 'I stopped at traffic lights'. Nothing untoward happened, you stopped, er,
that's it.
"Now I know I was being unreasonable, but." says it all really .. You took exception to someone
opening a car door, possibly in your way, but not so stupidly that you couldn't stop, or couldn't
anticipate it and move out early to avoid such a heart-stopping manouvre as stopping.
Jeez, you also say you were already slowing so you were hardly inconvenienced. It seems to me that
you have a *very* short temper.
--
Digweed
"Not me, someone else" <notcheckedever@hotmail.com> wrote: ( Who mentioned a pedestrian ?
I did. She walked half way around the car. You stopped quoting my message at that point and I
assumed you were commenting on the bit of the message you were quoting. Silly of me, really.
( "Now I know I was being unreasonable, but." says it all really .. You took ) exception to someone
opening a car door, possibly in your way, but not so ( stupidly that you couldn't stop, or couldn't
anticipate it and move out ) early to avoid such a heart-stopping manouvre as stopping.
No, I resented her leaving the car door wide open across the full width of the lane of the road
which I was attempting to pass along. I realise that English is not my first language, which you may
have no reason to know, and that I mistakenly used the word "ajar" which turns out to mean something
different from what I thought it meant. Sorry about that. (Why does English have to have such a
bloody big vocabulary? Note that if you intend perversely to misinterpret something that was
intended as a rhetorical question, I do already know why it does have such a bloody big vocabulary
but not why it has to.)
( Jeez, you also say you were already slowing so you were hardly ) inconvenienced. It seems to me
that you have a *very* short temper.
I don't recall losing my temper, but then perhaps one doesn't. You seem to post as though you're
permanently disgruntled, though.
Geraint Jones deftly scribbled:
> "Not me, someone else" <notcheckedever@hotmail.com> wrote: ( Who mentioned a pedestrian ?
>
> I did. She walked half way around the car. You stopped quoting my message at that point and I
> assumed you were commenting on the bit of the message you were quoting. Silly of me, really.
And I thought the potential for a collision with the oaf leaving the car door ajar wasn't your real
problem, but the fact that she appears to have made you stop was ..
> ( "Now I know I was being unreasonable, but." says it all really .. You took ) exception to
> someone opening a car door, possibly in your way, but not so ( stupidly that you couldn't stop, or
> couldn't anticipate it and move out ) early to avoid such a heart-stopping manouvre as stopping.
>
> No, I resented her leaving the car door wide open across the full width of the lane of the road
> which I was attempting to pass along. I realise that English is not my first language, which you
> may have no reason to know, and that I mistakenly used the word "ajar" which turns out to mean
> something different from what I thought it meant.
OK, maybe that's where I went wrong and thought you meant she'd just left the door a little open ..
I apologise. Had I known Ithat English wasn't your first language I'd have not been quite so
'picky' .. ;)
> Sorry about that. (Why does English have to have such a bloody big vocabulary? Note that if you
> intend perversely to misinterpret something that was intended as a rhetorical question, I do
> already know why it does have such a bloody big vocabulary but not why it has to.)
>
> ( Jeez, you also say you were already slowing so you were hardly ) inconvenienced. It seems to me
> that you have a *very* short temper.
>
> I don't recall losing my temper, but then perhaps one doesn't. You seem to post as though you're
> permanently disgruntled, though.
LOL, fair comment maybe. I rarely start threads I think, but often feel inclined to comment on
them .. ;)
It seems I've been a tad hasty in my post back to you, for which I *do* apologise, misunderstandings
were made. .
--
Digweed
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