4WDs and bikes in roundabouts

[SteveA]

Coming home on Sat morning from a lazy 40km ride, I had a stupid woman in a 4WD cut me off in a single lane roundabout so she could beat me out the other side. I took evasive action. I then chased her to the next T intersection where she had to wait for traffic. I got right up beside her drivers window but she hit the electric windows button so I could not have a chat to her about her actions. I must have looked a bit fierce about being cut off as she also hit the central locking button as well. Then she just sat staring straight ahead.

I had a double espresso mid ride and 2 gels full of caffeine during the ride - did this have anything to do with my reaction to this woman, or was I really well controlled considering she deserved to have frame pump prints across the bonnet and cleat marks down her doors ?

SteveA

 

[[email protected]]

>>>>> "SteveA" == SteveA <[email protected]> writes:

SteveA> I had a double espresso mid ride and 2 gels full of caffeine
SteveA> during the ride - did this have anything to do with my
SteveA> reaction to this woman, or was I really well controlled
SteveA> considering she deserved to have frame pump prints across
SteveA> the bonnet and cleat marks down her doors ?

Must be something in the air. Normally I just shrug off rudeness from
motorists but not this evening.

Riding home up Nepean and was at the junction of Bay Road. Lights
changed, took off. Was cycling along the entrance to the car park and a
P plater took umbrage and tooted me.

Normally I let these things go, however it was about 17:45 so figured
I'd have a good chance of catching her in the car park.

Found the car but the driver had already decamped. Was just about to
head off when she came out with her friend who she was obviously picking
up.

Cycled up to car and tapped on her window. She looked at me, realized
who I was and did a passable impression of a startled rabbit caught in
the headlights. I think I gave her a bit of a scare. Told her tooting
cyclists wasn't on and left it at that.

Probably not the right thing to do but man did I leave with a smile on
my face. Her face was a picture.
--
Cheers
Euan

 

[geoffs]

>>>>> "SteveA" == SteveA <[email protected]> writes:

SteveA> I had a double espresso mid ride and 2 gels full of caffeine
SteveA> during the ride - did this have anything to do with my
SteveA> reaction to this woman, or was I really well controlled
SteveA> considering she deserved to have frame pump prints across
SteveA> the bonnet and cleat marks down her doors ?

Must be something in the air. Normally I just shrug off rudeness from
motorists but not this evening.

Riding home up Nepean and was at the junction of Bay Road. Lights
changed, took off. Was cycling along the entrance to the car park and a
P plater took umbrage and tooted me.

Normally I let these things go, however it was about 17:45 so figured
I'd have a good chance of catching her in the car park.

Found the car but the driver had already decamped. Was just about to
head off when she came out with her friend who she was obviously picking
up.

Cycled up to car and tapped on her window. She looked at me, realized
who I was and did a passable impression of a startled rabbit caught in
the headlights. I think I gave her a bit of a scare. Told her tooting
cyclists wasn't on and left it at that.

Probably not the right thing to do but man did I leave with a smile on
my face. Her face was a picture.
--
Cheers
Euan

Spend most of my time on the tandem lately so the most I am allowed to do is swear a bit when wallified. However in days gone by......... did you realise that if you give most cars most cars a thud on the side window with an elbow or a palm strike, they break really easily. Expensive cars have laminated side widows.
I call it a wally fine.

Life doesn't exist before coffee

Cheers

Geoff

 

[Brett]

SteveA <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

>

>
> I had a double espresso mid ride and 2 gels full of caffeine during
> the ride - did this have anything to do with my reaction to this
> woman, or was I really well controlled considering she deserved to
> have frame pump prints across the bonnet and cleat marks down her
> doors ?
>
> SteveA
>


Well controlled I would have said.

Cheers

Brett

 

[Katharine & Paul]

When approaching a roundabout I get in the middle of the lane, so I cant be
cut off.

A bike goes as fast thru a roundabout about as quick as a car anyway (as
long as you dont have to stop or slow right down before entering).

Paul


"SteveA" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Coming home on Sat morning from a lazy 40km ride, I had a stupid woman
> in a 4WD cut me off in a single lane roundabout so she could beat me
> out the other side. I took evasive action. I then chased her to the
> next T intersection where she had to wait for traffic. I got right up
> beside her drivers window but she hit the electric windows button so I
> could not have a chat to her about her actions. I must have looked a
> bit fierce about being cut off as she also hit the central locking
> button as well. Then she just sat staring straight ahead.
>
> I had a double espresso mid ride and 2 gels full of caffeine during the
> ride - did this have anything to do with my reaction to this woman, or
> was I really well controlled considering she deserved to have frame
> pump prints across the bonnet and cleat marks down her doors ?
>
> SteveA
>
>
> --
> SteveA
>

 

[John Tserkezis]

geoffs wrote:

> ...did you realise that if you give most cars most cars a thud on the side
> window with an elbow or a palm strike, they break really easily.
> Expensive cars have laminated side widows.
> I call it a wally fine.

I smashed a rear car window with my elbow. Can't tell you how much it hurt
at the time, because I was knocked unconcious (with short term memory loss),
but my elbow bloody hurt for a week afterwards... Not as much as my head though...
--
Linux Registered User # 302622 <http://counter.li.org>

 

[TimC]

On Mon, 11 Apr 2005 at 11:03 GMT, Katharine & Paul (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
> When approaching a roundabout I get in the middle of the lane, so I cant be
> cut off.
>
> A bike goes as fast thru a roundabout about as quick as a car anyway (as
> long as you dont have to stop or slow right down before entering).

Pffft. I go much faster than cars, as long as I can gauge the safety
of doing so. Therefore, I learn to cross into the middle well before
the rounbdabout, or I end up just waiting for the idiot who just
passed me. (Similarly for turning left at intersections. There is a
whole lane free, yet everyone seems so reluctant to use it to turn
into. There's no risk of crashing, because there are no idiots on the
road who don't use their indicators 30m before changing lanes (as
required by law), are there?)

I also accelarate much quicker out the roundabout (and off traffic
lights, as long as my feet are in the clips) than any car, so the
"unless stopping or slowing right down before entering" phrase doesn't
become relevant.


Quick question: What bite sized sound bite could I come up with for
motorists who get upset at me sitting in the middle of the road with
right arm outstretched waiting to turn right? Would they be as upset
with me if I was in a car and blocking the entire lane instead of just
the right 1 foot of it?


--
TimC -- http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/staff/tconnors/
And for the important things in life:
"If you teach a child to read, he or her can pass a literacy test"
-- George "Dubya" Boosh - president of the Yoonited States.

 

[flyingdutch]

Coming home on Sat morning from a lazy 40km ride, I had a stupid woman in a 4WD cut me off in a single lane roundabout so she could beat me out the other side. I took evasive action. I then chased her to the next T intersection where she had to wait for traffic. I got right up beside her drivers window but she hit the electric windows button so I could not have a chat to her about her actions. I must have looked a bit fierce about being cut off as she also hit the central locking button as well. Then she just sat staring straight ahead.

I had a double espresso mid ride and 2 gels full of caffeine during the ride - did this have anything to do with my reaction to this woman, or was I really well controlled considering she deserved to have frame pump prints across the bonnet and cleat marks down her doors ?

SteveA

think you did well considering. moving into the middle of lane to 'take ownership' of the entry is definelty the way to go, and yes as per TimC i also go thru far faster than cars can/do. of course it challenges their tiny bits nd they HAVE to accelerate past.

Riding home tonight a saw a guy blabbing on mobby about to puul out of sidestreet. I rode past him mimmicking him by holding up my hand with thumb/little out, frowning at him as i blabbed on my 'phone'. He pulled out behind me, blaired horn at me as he zoomed past.
****, Im thinkun...
Next set of lights he's waiting at em. hmmm what to do?
Pull up next to him on driver's side and just stare at him, totally expressionless.
He is lookin REAL nervous. I start mouthng at him as if Im speakin.
Of course he cant hear me (cos Im not actually making any noise).
so he winds window down carefully.
I keep mouthing at him silently. He's gettin real confused now and blurts
"what are you talkin about?"
I smile and quickly tap him on the arm.
"You're it!" and i ride off. hahahahahahaha
I look back and he's smilin.
Put one down for the Dutch

F"Tiggy-Bandit"Dutch

 

[aeek]

When approaching a roundabout I get in the middle of the lane, so I cant be cut off.

A bike goes as fast thru a roundabout about as quick as a car anyway (as
long as you dont have to stop or slow right down before entering).

I got rear-ended when I was doing that and then had to give way.
Fortunately it was right outside an open bikeshop.

That roundabout a bike turning right was about twice as fast as a car.

 

[TimC]

On Mon, 11 Apr 2005 at 12:34 GMT, flyingdutch (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
> Riding home tonight a saw a guy blabbing on mobby about to puul out of
> sidestreet. I rode past him mimmicking him by holding up my hand with
> thumb/little out, frowning at him as i blabbed on my 'phone'. He pulled
> out behind me, blaired horn at me as he zoomed past.
> ****, Im thinkun...
> Next set of lights he's waiting at em. hmmm what to do?
> Pull up next to him on driver's side and just stare at him, totally
> expressionless.
> He is lookin REAL nervous. I start mouthng at him as if Im speakin.
> Of course he cant hear me (cos Im not actually making any noise).
> so he winds window down carefully.
> I keep mouthing at him silently. He's gettin real confused now and
> blurts
> "what are you talkin about?"
> I smile and quickly tap him on the arm.
> "You're it!" and i ride off. hahahahahahaha

We so want your drugs

That was great.

--
TimC -- http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/staff/tconnors/
Black holes are where God divided by zero. -- Steven Wright

 

[Gags]

"flyingdutch" <[email protected]> wrote in
message news:[email protected]...
>
> SteveA Wrote:
> > Coming home on Sat morning from a lazy 40km ride, I had a stupid woman
> > in a 4WD cut me off in a single lane roundabout so she could beat me
> > out the other side. I took evasive action. I then chased her to the
> > next T intersection where she had to wait for traffic. I got right up
> > beside her drivers window but she hit the electric windows button so I
> > could not have a chat to her about her actions. I must have looked a
> > bit fierce about being cut off as she also hit the central locking
> > button as well. Then she just sat staring straight ahead.
> >
> > I had a double espresso mid ride and 2 gels full of caffeine during the
> > ride - did this have anything to do with my reaction to this woman, or
> > was I really well controlled considering she deserved to have frame
> > pump prints across the bonnet and cleat marks down her doors ?
> >
> > SteveA
> think you did well considering. moving into the middle of lane to
> 'take ownership' of the entry is definelty the way to go, and yes as
> per TimC i also go thru far faster than cars can/do. of course it
> challenges their tiny bits nd they HAVE to accelerate past.
>
> Riding home tonight a saw a guy blabbing on mobby about to puul out of
> sidestreet. I rode past him mimmicking him by holding up my hand with
> thumb/little out, frowning at him as i blabbed on my 'phone'. He pulled
> out behind me, blaired horn at me as he zoomed past.
> ****, Im thinkun...
> Next set of lights he's waiting at em. hmmm what to do?
> Pull up next to him on driver's side and just stare at him, totally
> expressionless.
> He is lookin REAL nervous. I start mouthng at him as if Im speakin.
> Of course he cant hear me (cos Im not actually making any noise).
> so he winds window down carefully.
> I keep mouthing at him silently. He's gettin real confused now and
> blurts
> "what are you talkin about?"
> I smile and quickly tap him on the arm.
> "You're it!" and i ride off. hahahahahahaha
> I look back and he's smilin.
> Put one down for the Dutch
>
> F"Tiggy-Bandit"Dutch
>
> --
> flyingdutch
>
hehehehe....nice one dutch........will have to add that one to the memory
banks!!!

I don't know what it is lately but I have had quite a few near misses.....

The other morning I had a bit of a rear wheel slide happening at about 45
km/h (pretty scary) as I was going over some of those red ripple strip
thingos in the wet (the ones at the bottom of the hill near the reserve at
Heidelberg that the BR goes on just before Burgundy St). Later on the same
ride I was Southbound on Wellington St (near the Clifton Hill end) and
riding in the bike lane when a garbage truck (industrial bin type) came from
one of the side streets on the left and stopped just before the bike
lane......trouble was, he still had his two steel prong bizzos lowered and
so they pretty well went right across the bike lane. I was doing between 30
and 35kph and had fark all time to react. There was no way I was going to
stop and so I swerved right and hoped like hell that nothing was coming up
behind me (there was one guy but thankfully he gave me some room).

Another day last week, I was riding Northbound on Wellington St in the arvo
and coming up to the lights at Alexandra when a car door in the parking lane
suddenly flung open and a girl lurched out into the bike lane. It was a two
door hatch and so the door was pretty wide, and then the chick sorta
stumbled as she came out and ended up right in the middle of the bike lane.
The traffic was already stopped for the lights and so I had nowhere to go to
the right and I did an emergency stop (back wheel came off the ground a bit)
and at the same time said pretty loudly "fckin idiot". I stopped probably a
foot or so before this chick who then (along with her three friends) had the
nerve to have a go at me. I basically told them in no uncertain terms to
step into the room of mirrors and have a good hard look at themselves and
then kept riding.........morons.

I am seriously considering bypassing this road as it is the same one that I
was cleaned up on a couple of years ago and I am getting too many near
misses for comfort.

Ride On,

Gags

 

[BrettS]

SteveA wrote:

> Coming home on Sat morning from a lazy 40km ride, I had a stupid woman
> in a 4WD cut me off in a single lane roundabout so she could beat me
> out the other side. I took evasive action. I then chased her to the
> next T intersection where she had to wait for traffic. I got right up
> beside her drivers window but she hit the electric windows button so I
> could not have a chat to her about her actions. I must have looked a
> bit fierce about being cut off as she also hit the central locking
> button as well. Then she just sat staring straight ahead.

Did she see you coming or were you yelling?

> I had a double espresso mid ride and 2 gels full of caffeine during the
> ride -

Holy cow! 4 shots of caffeine for a lazy 40km ride? What do you need
to get you through a fast one? ;-)

> did this have anything to do with my reaction to this woman, or
> was I really well controlled considering she deserved to have frame
> pump prints across the bonnet and cleat marks down her doors ?

No, I sometimes have the same reaction without the elevated caffeine
levels. In fact, I'd dosed up on coffee before my race yesterday and
was surprisingly calm after being shunted off the road...

You also have to weigh up the risk of bending your pump... I know the
feeling when a cager invades your space - the heart rate jumps and you
just want to chase them down and beat them over the head with a clue
stick. Well done for showing restraint.

--
BrettS

 

[aeek]

Next set of lights he's waiting at em. hmmm what to do?
Pull up next to him on driver's side and just stare at him, totally expressionless.
He is lookin REAL nervous. I start mouthng at him as if Im speakin.
Of course he cant hear me (cos Im not actually making any noise).
so he winds window down carefully.
I keep mouthing at him silently. He's gettin real confused now and blurts
"what are you talkin about?"
I smile and quickly tap him on the arm.
"You're it!" and i ride off. hahahahahahaha
I look back and he's smilin.

Fantastic that you left him smiling, maybe even converted to cyclists being people.
Good one!

 

[TimC]

On Mon, 11 Apr 2005 at 13:42 GMT, Gags (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
> The other morning I had a bit of a rear wheel slide happening at about 45
> km/h (pretty scary) as I was going over some of those red ripple strip
> thingos in the wet (the ones at the bottom of the hill near the reserve at
> Heidelberg that the BR goes on just before Burgundy St).

What the hell is the go with those?

> Later on the same ride I was Southbound on Wellington St (near the
> Clifton Hill end) and riding in the bike lane when a garbage truck
> (industrial bin type) came from one of the side streets on the left
> and stopped just before the bike lane......trouble was, he still had
> his two steel prong bizzos lowered and so they pretty well went
> right across the bike lane.

In Melbourne, something happens I have never seen before. It is
universal that people wait at an intersection hanging well over the
line into the left-most lane. I guess it's just an extension of
Melbourne drivers disbeleif in the concept of a "lane"?

They come up to the instersection at a rate that would be impossible
to stop behind the line, even if they did see a truck coming at the
last moment. They'll be busy looking the other way, and won't even
notice that they parked their front out into the path of a B-double
until it is too late. Alas, that never happens, but they do park
their front in the path of *me* before looking.

--
TimC -- http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/staff/tconnors/
Bus error -- driver executed.

 

[TimC]

On Mon, 11 Apr 2005 at 13:49 GMT, BrettS (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
> You also have to weigh up the risk of bending your pump... I know the
> feeling when a cager invades your space - the heart rate jumps and you
> just want to chase them down and beat them over the head with a clue
> stick.

Hmmm. How's a vistalight for this purpose? I've been given the
go-ahead to put a bike light on mum's credit card for my upcoming
b'day

--
TimC -- http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/staff/tconnors/
Modus Ponens in action:
- Nothing is better than world peace.
- A turkey sandwich is better than nothing.
==> Ergo, a turkey sandwich is better than world peace. --unknown

 

[Marty]

SteveA wrote:
> Coming home on Sat morning from a lazy 40km ride, I had a stupid woman
> in a 4WD cut me off in a single lane roundabout so she could beat me
> out the other side. I took evasive action. I then chased her to the
> next T intersection where she had to wait for traffic. I got right up
> beside her drivers window but she hit the electric windows button so I
> could not have a chat to her about her actions. I must have looked a
> bit fierce about being cut off as she also hit the central locking
> button as well. Then she just sat staring straight ahead.
>
> I had a double espresso mid ride and 2 gels full of caffeine during the
> ride - did this have anything to do with my reaction to this woman, or
> was I really well controlled considering she deserved to have frame
> pump prints across the bonnet and cleat marks down her doors ?
>
> SteveA
>
>

Reminds me of Phineas from the Furry Freak brothers.
He's riding along on his bike with a heap of amyl nitrate ampules
stuffed down his shirt. Some red necks in a ute abuse him and force off
the road. He falls over breaking all of the ampules, the vapours make
his heartbeat race and he jumps on his bike, catches up to the rednecks
and beats 'em all up. Ya really got to read the cartoon to appreciate it.

For those too young to know who the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers are,
well, that's probably a good thing.

Marty

 

[BrettS]

TimC wrote:

> On Mon, 11 Apr 2005 at 13:49 GMT, BrettS (aka Bruce)
> was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
>
>>You also have to weigh up the risk of bending your pump... I know the
>>feeling when a cager invades your space - the heart rate jumps and you
>>just want to chase them down and beat them over the head with a clue
>>stick.
>
>
> Hmmm. How's a vistalight for this purpose? I've been given the
> go-ahead to put a bike light on mum's credit card for my upcoming
> b'day
>
I dunno, but my SigmaSport lights have a nice Pb-Acid bottle cage
battery that would make a hellava dent...

You can't beat having good lights for winter. Wish more guys on my ride
tonight had lights, then I wouldn't have had to spend so much time at
the front ;-)

--
BrettS

 

[TimC]

On Mon, 11 Apr 2005 at 14:23 GMT, Marty (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
> Reminds me of Phineas from the Furry Freak brothers.
> He's riding along on his bike with a heap of amyl nitrate ampules
> stuffed down his shirt. Some red necks in a ute abuse him and force off
> the road. He falls over breaking all of the ampules, the vapours make
> his heartbeat race and he jumps on his bike, catches up to the rednecks
> and beats 'em all up. Ya really got to read the cartoon to appreciate it.
>
> For those too young to know who the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers are,
> well, that's probably a good thing.

However, if you are too young, then you can go and google "Spike
bike", and get your laughs thataway.

--
TimC -- http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/staff/tconnors/
Experiments must be reproducible; they should all fail in the same way.

 

[Tamyka Bell]

flyingdutch wrote:
>
<snip>
> Riding home tonight a saw a guy blabbing on mobby about to puul out of
> sidestreet. I rode past him mimmicking him by holding up my hand with
> thumb/little out, frowning at him as i blabbed on my 'phone'. He pulled
> out behind me, blaired horn at me as he zoomed past.
> ****, Im thinkun...
> Next set of lights he's waiting at em. hmmm what to do?
> Pull up next to him on driver's side and just stare at him, totally
> expressionless.
> He is lookin REAL nervous. I start mouthng at him as if Im speakin.
> Of course he cant hear me (cos Im not actually making any noise).
> so he winds window down carefully.
> I keep mouthing at him silently. He's gettin real confused now and
> blurts
> "what are you talkin about?"
> I smile and quickly tap him on the arm.
> "You're it!" and i ride off. hahahahahahaha
> I look back and he's smilin.
> Put one down for the Dutch
>
> F"Tiggy-Bandit"Dutch
>
> --
> flyingdutch

pure genius!

 

[SteveA]

Did she see you coming or were you yelling?

I was in stealth mode but I'm a big bloke so I'm hard to miss.



Holy cow! 4 shots of caffeine for a lazy 40km ride? What do you need
to get you through a fast one? ;-)


This was first time back on the bike after 2 weeks off due to illness. And I'm an old bugger so I need something anyway to get the system started first thing in the morning. Rode from Kensington south along the bike path beside the Kwinana Freeway. Sat on 30kph to 35kph for most of the ride.



You also have to weigh up the risk of bending your pump... I know the
feeling when a cager invades your space - the heart rate jumps and you
just want to chase them down and beat them over the head with a clue
stick. Well done for showing restraint.


I think the message got through. I was describing the incident in the office and someone here described how a fellow rider of theirs had been cut off by a bus in a roundabout and had chased the bus and then gone on to take out the rear indicator with his pump, ripped the rear view mirror and one windsceen wiper off and had then put in a complaint about the driver to Transperth. That's one angry cyclist!

SteveA