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Mea Culpa

Started by Martin Bulmer · · Last activity · 17 posts · 1,095 views

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Original section
UK and Europe
Published
13 May 2004
Last activity
17 May 2004
Original author
Martin Bulmer
Posts
17
Discussion status
Public discussion
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  1. You see, I wanted to turn right, but I didn't stick my arm
    out, so it's my fault. There was no-one else on the road, so
    I crossed into the centre lane, you know, the one marked out
    in the middle of the road, with a big bent arrow pointing
    right. Anyway, as I drew nearer to the turn, a car appeared
    from the right hand road that I was about to turn into, and
    drove out in front of me, and stopped directly in my path. I
    managed to swerve round behind him, and continued my
    manoeuvre thinking, rather generously as it turned out, that
    the driver hadn't seen me. Anyway, no harm done. Then the
    shout came from behind "Why don't you f****ing indicate!!?"
    Well, he was right, I wasn't indicating. Just as well
    really, as I needed both hands on the bars. But then the
    implications started to sink in.
    1: He HAD seen me.
    2: Having seen me, he had driven out into my path and
    stopped.
    3: He had done this because he assumed from my lack of
    signal that I intended to continue straight ahead even
    though in the right-turn lane.

    This would, of course, lead to a collision necessitating a
    new door skin at least. Had I been indicating, naturally he
    wouldn't have bothered pulling out. So that's why he was
    angry. He'd missed me. I have learned that unconventional
    hand signals are frowned upon in this group, so I ignored
    him and continued, duly chastened, upon my way.

    --

    Martin Bulmer

    Pie Conservation Threat

  2. mae <[email hidden]> wedi ysgrifennu:

    Quoted message said:

    Then the shout came from behind "Why don't you f****ing
    indicate!!?"

    I've occasionally used the (accurate) reply "Because
    I'd rather keep my hands near my brakes with tw*ts like
    you about".

    --
    Rob

    Please keep conversations in the newsgroup so that all may
    contribute and benefit.

  3. Martin Bulmer said:


    that the driver hadn't seen me. Anyway, no harm done. Then
    the shout came from behind "Why don't you f****ing
    indicate!!?"


    I was always taught when learning to drive to look for
    indicators on cars, but never to assume that the car will
    perform the turn. Wait till the car has made the move before
    you do. For example, if a car is coming along a straight
    road and you are waiting on a side road (on bike or in car)
    never assume that a car indicating left will turn indicator
    will turn into the side road. Car could have indicator on
    for another reason. Let the car start the turn before you
    cross the give way line.

    Same as this 'right hand turn' lane. The driver should not
    assume you will make the turn. That's not to say though you
    should not assume that the car will stay out of your way.
    Anticipate, which you did correctly.

  4. "Martin Bulmer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    You see, I wanted to turn right, but I didn't stick my arm
    out, so it's my fault. There was no-one else on the road,
    so I crossed into the centre lane, you know, the one
    marked out in the middle of the road, with a big bent
    arrow pointing right. Anyway, as I drew nearer to the
    turn, a car appeared from the right hand road that I was
    about to turn into, and drove out in front


    of

    Quoted message said:

    me, and stopped directly in my path. I managed to swerve
    round behind him, and continued my manoeuvre thinking,
    rather generously as it turned out, that the driver hadn't
    seen me. Anyway, no harm done. Then the shout came from
    behind "Why don't you f****ing indicate!!?"

    ...er....because you'd lost them in a previous accident
    with a w*nker driving with about as much care and attention
    as him and can now only get out and enjoy cycling by having
    the prosthetic replacements tied to your handlebars,
    enabling a certain amount of control over your steering
    (luckily ;-) Dave.

  5. Martin Bulmer said:

    There was no-one else on the road, so I crossed into the
    centre lane, you know, the one marked out in the middle of
    the road, with a big bent arrow pointing right. Anyway, as
    I drew nearer to the turn, a car appeared from the right
    hand road that I was about to turn into, and drove out in
    front of me, and stopped directly in my path. I managed to
    swerve round behind him, and continued my manoeuvre
    thinking, rather generously as it turned out, that the
    driver hadn't seen me. Anyway, no harm done. Then the shout
    came from behind "Why don't you f****ing indicate!!?"

    It is an entirely reasonable scenario that you *had*
    signalled, and were in the turning phase when he approached.
    The correct sequence of events is Mirror - Signal -
    Manouvre. It is not mirror-signal-carry-on-signalling-in-case-some-[censored]-pulls-
    up-at-a-side-road.

    --
    Young Musician of the Year 2004 was a fiddle

  6. "Martin Bulmer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    You see, I wanted to turn right, but I didn't stick my arm
    out, so it's my fault. There was no-one else on the road,
    so I crossed into the centre lane, you know, the one
    marked out in the middle of the road, with a big bent
    arrow pointing right. Anyway, as I drew nearer to the
    turn, a car appeared from the right hand road that I was
    about to turn into, and drove out in front of me, and
    stopped directly in my path......

    Eh? Even if you *had* been going straight ahead the car
    would still have needed to give way to you, so it should not
    have pulled out anyway!

  7. John Hearns <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

    Quoted message said:

    Same as this 'right hand turn' lane. The driver should not
    assume you will make the turn. That's not to say though
    you should not assume that the car will stay out of your
    way. Anticipate, which you did correctly.

    My interpretation of Martin's post was that the driver was
    implying that he would not have cut Martin up if he had been
    signalling. He pulled out because he assumed Martin was
    going straight on and he was intending to use the British
    Standard right-turn-in-front-of-cyclist technique. Namely
    drive along on the wrong side of the road for a bit and then
    if not sufficiently far ahead simply force the cyclist into
    the gutter. Perfectly normal motorist behaviour.

    --
    Dave...

  8. "Adrian Boliston" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

    Quoted message said:

    Eh? Even if you *had* been going straight ahead the car
    would still have needed to give way to you, so it should
    not have pulled out anyway!

    Not if using the British Standard driving technique. :-( See
    my other post.

    --
    Dave...

  9. "Martin Bulmer" <[email hidden]> wrote in
    :"]news:[email hidden]:

    Quoted message said:

    Then the shout came from behind "Why don't you f****ing
    indicate!!?"

    I had the same question thrown at me a few weeks ago,
    riding home from work. I'd ridden up Hanover Street, long
    straight road, rush-hour traffic moving at not much more
    than 10mph. A long, straight road, followed by a left turn
    into a one-way system - everyone turns left, no other way
    to go. Just after I got round the corner, Mrs School-Run
    pulls up alongside me in her huge 4-wheel-drive, blacked-
    out windows wound down, kids in the back (far too close as
    well, nearly caught my elbow on the mirror) and goes off
    into a torrent of f-worded abuse about me not signalling
    and being a menace on the road and holding all the traffic
    up (you're holding me up, love, and all the people behind
    us) blah de blah de blah....

    What can you do?! Pathetic.

  10. Iain Jones <[email hidden]> said:

    *snip*

    Quoted message said:

    a torrent of f-worded abuse about me not signalling and
    being a menace on the road and holding all the traffic up
    (you're holding me up, love, and all the people behind us)
    blah de blah de blah....

    What can you do?! Pathetic.

    Smile indulgently and cheerily wave goodbye as you filter
    ahead... 🙂

    Regards,

    -david

  11. Martin Bulmer said:

    You see, I wanted to turn right, but I didn't stick my arm
    out, so it's my fault. There was no-one else on the road,
    so I crossed into the centre lane, you know, the one
    marked out in the middle of the road, with a big bent
    arrow pointing right. Anyway, as I drew nearer to the
    turn, a car appeared from the right hand road that I was
    about to turn into, and drove out in front of me, and
    stopped directly in my path. I managed to swerve round
    behind him, and continued my manoeuvre thinking, rather
    generously as it turned out, that the driver hadn't seen
    me. Anyway, no harm done. Then the shout came from behind
    "Why don't you f****ing indicate!!?" Well, he was right, I
    wasn't indicating. Just as well really, as I needed both
    hands on the bars. But then the implications started to
    sink in.
    1: He HAD seen me.
    2: Having seen me, he had driven out into my path and
    stopped.
    3: He had done this because he assumed from my lack of
    signal that I intended to continue straight ahead even
    though in the right-turn lane.

    This would, of course, lead to a collision necessitating a
    new door skin at least. Had I been indicating, naturally
    he wouldn't have bothered pulling out. So that's why he
    was angry. He'd missed me. I have learned that
    unconventional hand signals are frowned upon in this
    group, so I ignored him and continued, duly chastened,
    upon my way.

    I was told when learning to drive that a signal is
    unnecessary if the lane is clearly painted with an arrow
    showing it is left (or right) turn only. If it has a double
    arrow for straight ahead or right, you'd have to signal.

  12. Zog The Undeniable [email hidden] opined the
    following...

    Quoted message said:

    I was told when learning to drive that a signal is
    unnecessary if the lane is clearly painted with an
    arrow showing it is left (or right) turn only. If it
    has a double arrow for straight ahead or right, you'd
    have to signal.

    i.e. Indicate to warn that you are about to move outside of
    the "normal" flow. You don't indicate to go round a
    bend in the road. A filter lane (That you are already
    in) is exactly that.

    Jon

  13. Jon Senior said:

    Zog The Undeniable [email hidden] opined the
    following...

    Quoted message said:

    I was told when learning to drive that a signal is
    unnecessary if the lane is clearly painted with an
    arrow showing it is left (or right) turn only. If it
    has a double arrow for straight ahead or right, you'd
    have to signal.

    i.e. Indicate to warn that you are about to move outside
    of the "normal" flow. You don't indicate to go round
    a bend in the road. A filter lane (That you are
    already in) is exactly that.


    My point is, from the OP's description of the road, he
    needn't have signalled according to the Highway Code.
    Whether it would have been prudent to signal for clarity is
    another matter.

  14. David Nutter said:

    Smile indulgently and cheerily wave goodbye as you filter
    ahead... 🙂

    Or gob onto the passenger seat. I had a cold this week...it
    would have been quite spectacular.

    Don't take this seriously, PLEASE!

  15. Zog The Undeniable [email hidden] opined the
    following...

    Quoted message said:

    My point is, from the OP's description of the road, he
    needn't have signalled according to the Highway Code.
    Whether it would have been prudent to signal for clarity
    is another matter.

    I think we may be violently agreeing with one another here.
    ;-)

    Jon

  16. In "]news:[email hidden],
    Jon Senior <jon_AT_restlesslemon_DOTco_DOT_uk> expounded sagaciously:

    Quoted message said:

    Zog The Undeniable [email hidden] opined the
    following...

    Quoted message said:

    My point is, from the OP's description of the road, he
    needn't have signalled according to the Highway Code.
    Whether it would have been prudent to signal for clarity
    is another matter.

    I think we may be violently agreeing with one another
    here. ;-)

    Jon

    Don't care whether I should or shouldn't, really. I'm just
    trying to figure out the thinking behind the motorist's
    protest, i.e. if I had been signalling right, how would
    that have changed his behaviour, and why was he so miffed
    that I didn't?
    --

    Martin Bulmer

    Pie Conservation Threat

  17. Martin Bulmer [email hidden] opined the
    following...

    Quoted message said:

    Don't care whether I should or shouldn't, really. I'm just
    trying to figure out the thinking behind the motorist's
    protest, i.e. if I had been signalling right, how would
    that have changed his behaviour, and why was he so miffed
    that I didn't?

    You misunderstand his anger. It's not really due to
    signalling (Or lack thereof), it's because you're on a bike.
    And he has to give way. He transfers his anger at a system
    which gives pedal-pushers priority onto you as an individual
    pedal-pusher. Just take comfort in the thought that his high
    level of stress, combined with a (probable) lack of
    exercise, puts him in line for a heart attack!

    Jon

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