Temporary Traffic Lights!

[Chris]

Fortunately, I live in the sticks (Welsh Borders) where confrontations
with motorists are rare. Until now!

Roadworks going into my local town (Monmouth) mean there is a 100m
length of temporary traffic lights. They're at green so onwards I bowl,
when, half way through, them a Toyota Yaris driven by a 60+ y/o lady
starts to drive towards me. I continue onwards, slowing and eventually
have to haul up onto the pavement. As she passes she shouts something
indistinguishable at me and continues on.

Irritated, I turned round, gave chase and caught her up at a ' T '
junction. Politely, I ask her why she didn't wait until I had ridden
through, to which she replied, "you should have pulled over and let me
through" ! When I asked her why she couldn't wait a few seconds more,
she replied, "The light was green, I have the right to drive through"
and repeated that I should have got out of her way.

Still irritated, I rode off, knowing I was never going to get to change
her point of view.

I will be contacting 'whoever' today to get the delay increased.
--
Chris

 

[Tony Raven]

Chris wrote:
> Fortunately, I live in the sticks (Welsh Borders) where confrontations
> with motorists are rare. Until now!
>
> Roadworks going into my local town (Monmouth) mean there is a 100m
> length of temporary traffic lights. They're at green so onwards I bowl,
> when, half way through, them a Toyota Yaris driven by a 60+ y/o lady
> starts to drive towards me. I continue onwards, slowing and eventually
> have to haul up onto the pavement. As she passes she shouts something
> indistinguishable at me and continues on.
>
> Irritated, I turned round, gave chase and caught her up at a ' T '
> junction. Politely, I ask her why she didn't wait until I had ridden
> through, to which she replied, "you should have pulled over and let me
> through" ! When I asked her why she couldn't wait a few seconds more,
> she replied, "The light was green, I have the right to drive through"
> and repeated that I should have got out of her way.
>
> Still irritated, I rode off, knowing I was never going to get to change
> her point of view.
>
> I will be contacting 'whoever' today to get the delay increased.

Probably should have pointed out that the Highway Code says green means
you may go on if the way is clear, not go regardless.

--
Tony

"I did make a mistake once - I thought I'd made a mistake but I hadn't"
Anon

 

[A.C.P. Crawshaw]

Tony Raven wrote:

> Probably should have pointed out that the Highway Code says green means
> you may go on if the way is clear, not go regardless.

And asked if she'd have done the same if you were a truck driver.

Alan

 

[Richard]

Tony Raven wrote:

> Probably should have pointed out that the Highway Code says green means
> you may go on if the way is clear, not go regardless.

I had a similar experience at a conventional set of lights at a
crossroads. I was waiting to go straight over; the woman in the SUV
facing was indicating right. The lights went green; we both started
off, and instead of pausing, she started to turn across my bows. Sudden
stop by everyone. She yells in rightous indignation, "I had a green light!"

R.

 

[dkahn400]

Richard wrote:

> Sudden stop by everyone. She yells in rightous indignation, "I had
> a green light!"

Green light, yes. Clue, no.

--
Dave...

 

[LSMike]

Chris wrote:
> Still irritated, I rode off, knowing I was never going to get to change
> her point of view.
>
> I will be contacting 'whoever' today to get the delay increased.
> --
> Chris

It's so annoying the way many motorists have this blind arrogance and
assumption of superiority, isn't it? No wonder many of us get such
tremendous satisfaction out of passing endless long queues of the
muppets.

 

[Steve Walton]

On 24 Oct 2005 06:20:33 -0700, "LSMike" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Chris wrote:
>> Still irritated, I rode off, knowing I was never going to get to change
>> her point of view.
>>
>> I will be contacting 'whoever' today to get the delay increased.
>> --
>> Chris
>
>It's so annoying the way many motorists have this blind arrogance and
>assumption of superiority, isn't it? No wonder many of us get such
>tremendous satisfaction out of passing endless long queues of the
>muppets.


that hit the spot.

--

Steve

 

[Sue White]

LSMike <[email protected]> whizzed past me shouting
>
>It's so annoying the way many motorists have this blind arrogance and
>assumption of superiority, isn't it? No wonder many of us get such
>tremendous satisfaction out of passing endless long queues of the
>muppets.
>

They assume a motor always has right of way over a cyclist.

Too many cyclists share that assumption, not always consciously.
I always stick to the rules: I'd have stopped in front of the car in the
original post and waited for her to back up (subject to negotiation once
she'd stopped, but there's no way I'd have hauled my bike onto the
footway until she said "please"!)

The other day I saw a young cyclist on a two-lane road with chicane of
parked cars. The cyclist was trying to give way to three cars at once
and caused total gridlock as none of them knew what was going on.
There was enough room for the cyclist on its own side of the road, so it
had a right to keep riding - and if it had done, the cars would've known
what to do about passing each other.
And a cyclist coming the other way would've missed a good laugh!

--
Sue ];)

How Many Roads Must A Man Travel Down before he admits he is lost?

 

[Jim Ley]

On Sun, 30 Oct 2005 23:02:27 +0000, Sue White <[email protected]>
wrote:
>Too many cyclists share that assumption, not always consciously.

Perhaps they're just friendlier, and know in a lot of cases it's
easier for them to move their bike out of the way than the driver to
move their car. Sure in the example at the start of the thread the
woman was not showing the same courtesy, but rude people are just
rude, don't ascribe other motivations to them.

>I always stick to the rules: I'd have stopped in front of the car in the
>original post and waited for her to back up (subject to negotiation once
>she'd stopped, but there's no way I'd have hauled my bike onto the
>footway until she said "please"!)

But that's just as arrogant and unfriendly as the original act. Once
you've got 2 vehicles on a single track road, there is no law over who
gives way, it's pretty much whoever can most easily get to the passing
place, and with a footway, that's gonna be the cyclist.

Stop thinking of laws of the road, and just try and make sure everyone
gets where they want to go with the least trouble, that's the safest
way.

Jim.

 

[Martin Dann]

In message <[email protected]>
Sue White <[email protected]> wrote:

> LSMike <[email protected]> whizzed past me shouting
> >
> >It's so annoying the way many motorists have this blind arrogance and
> >assumption of superiority, isn't it? No wonder many of us get such
> >tremendous satisfaction out of passing endless long queues of the
> >muppets.
> >
>
> They assume a motor always has right of way over a cyclist.
>
> Too many cyclists share that assumption, not always consciously.
> I always stick to the rules: I'd have stopped in front of the car in the
> original post and waited for her to back up

Plus the use of the air zound.

> (subject to negotiation once
> she'd stopped, but there's no way I'd have hauled my bike onto the
> footway until she said "please"!)
>
> The other day I saw a young cyclist on a two-lane road with chicane of
> parked cars. The cyclist was trying to give way to three cars at once
> and caused total gridlock as none of them knew what was going on.
> There was enough room for the cyclist on its own side of the road, so it
> had a right to keep riding - and if it had done, the cars would've known
> what to do about passing each other.
> And a cyclist coming the other way would've missed a good laugh!

I have a car chicane on the way to work, in places it is not wide enough for
a cycle and car to pass each other. I have even had WVM pull in to let
me past. And I often pull in for cars comming the other way. A few weeks
ago I had a car behind me honk at me and wave me to the side so
that he could pass.
When I caught up with him he said that I should have pulled over.
When I told him that there was not enough room for him to pass, he
replied that he cycled to work down that road every day.


Martin.

--
According to the human genome project, humans are 50-60% bananas.
When emailing me, please include the word Banana in the subject line.