First incident in ages

I was overtaken twice by a guy in a green Beemer this morning, first
time a bit close, second time far too close (me at about 20mph). I
wasn't too happy about this and shouted at him, causing him to speed
off. He wasn't quite quick enough though and I got a chance to
suggest to him a few hundred metres later that he should get some
training because barely missing my elbow with his wing mirror is "too
****ing close". He was half awake and just said "Ah, I suppose,
yeah".

Otherwise the last few weeks of commuting have been really good. It's
getting a lot easier going up the hill just before the office and I
don't always get overtaken by the people I can go much faster than on
the flat.

Chris
--
Chris Eilbeck

Chris Eilbeck wrote on 20/09/2006 18:46 +0100:
I was overtaken twice by a guy in a green Beemer this morning, first
time a bit close, second time far too close (me at about 20mph). I
wasn't too happy about this and shouted at him, causing him to speed
off. He wasn't quite quick enough though and I got a chance to
suggest to him a few hundred metres later that he should get some
training because barely missing my elbow with his wing mirror is "too
****ing close". He was half awake and just said "Ah, I suppose,
yeah".

Otherwise the last few weeks of commuting have been really good. It's
getting a lot easier going up the hill just before the office and I
don't always get overtaken by the people I can go much faster than on
the flat.


It's interesting. I was just thinking I am unhappy is a car zips close
to me but I am quite happy zipping along just as close between queued
stationary cars. The difference must be the level of trust I have in
the person in control.

--
Tony

"Anyone who conducts an argument by appealing to authority is not using
his intelligence; he is just using his memory."
- Leonardo da Vinci

Response to Tony Raven:
It's interesting. I was just thinking I am unhappy is a car zips close
to me but I am quite happy zipping along just as close between queued
stationary cars. The difference must be the level of trust I have in
the person in control.


The question came up in a x-posted thread a while back, and someone said
it was like the difference between shaving and having a stranger wave a
razor in your face.



--
Mark, UK
"If you believe the doctors, nothing is wholesome;
if you believe the theologians, nothing is innocent;
if you believe the military, nothing is safe."

On Wed, 20 Sep 2006 18:55:11 +0100,
Tony Raven wrote:
Chris Eilbeck wrote on 20/09/2006 18:46 +0100:
I was overtaken twice by a guy in a green Beemer this morning, first
time a bit close, second time far too close (me at about 20mph). I
wasn't too happy about this and shouted at him, causing him to speed
off. He wasn't quite quick enough though and I got a chance to
suggest to him a few hundred metres later that he should get some
training because barely missing my elbow with his wing mirror is "too
****ing close". He was half awake and just said "Ah, I suppose,
yeah".

Otherwise the last few weeks of commuting have been really good. It's
getting a lot easier going up the hill just before the office and I
don't always get overtaken by the people I can go much faster than on
the flat.


It's interesting. I was just thinking I am unhappy is a car zips close
to me but I am quite happy zipping along just as close between queued
stationary cars. The difference must be the level of trust I have in
the person in control.

Well I'll sometimes filter down a narrow gap between cars and the kerb
at up to about 10kph when the cars are stationary. Assuming a car weighs
about 10x my weight (probably more like 16 times but...) then for a
similar energy difference, a car passing me when I'm stationary would
have to be doing about 3kph if it passed me that closely.

If I'm passing a stationary queue of cars at 30kph then I'm more that a
doors width away from the cars.

If I'm crawling up a very steep hill at about 10kph then for a car to
pass me just a doors width away (same energy difference calc again) then
it would have to be doing no more than about 10kph (i.e. it wouldn't be
overtaking)


Tim.

--
God said, "div D = rho, div B = 0, curl E = - @B/@t, curl H = J + @D/@t,"
and there was light.

http://tjw.hn.org/ http://www.locofungus.btinternet.co.uk/

Tony Raven wrote:

It's interesting. I was just thinking I am unhappy is a car zips close
to me but I am quite happy zipping along just as close between queued
stationary cars. The difference must be the level of trust I have in
the person in control.


Yes but in both cases it is the cyclist who will get hurt if things go
tits up. I pass between queuing traffic no more than 10 mph. A vehicle
passing me with a speed differential of 20 or 30 mph has more of a duty
of care as the consequences of an accident are more serious and he or
she is endangering someone else if they make a mistake.

Iain.

On 20/09/2006 20:25, said,

A vehicle
passing me with a speed differential of 20 or 30 mph has more of a duty
of care...

"Duty of care". There's a novel concept :-) Shame they don't seem to
teach that then reinforce it at annual intervals!

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

And why is it 'always' BMW's? New or old, they seem to attract / bring
out the complete twunt in most individuals, in my experience

squeaker wrote:
And why is it 'always' BMW's? New or old, they seem to attract / bring
out the complete twunt in most individuals, in my experience

IRTA BMX's AISMS.


It's a self-filfulling thing. Idiots see others with them, so think it'd
be cool to have one.

Marcus Red wrote:
squeaker wrote:
And why is it 'always' BMW's? New or old, they seem to attract / bring
out the complete twunt in most individuals, in my experience

IRTA BMX's AISMS.


It's a self-filfulling thing. Idiots see others with them, so think it'd
be cool to have one.

I have the imprssion that (no numbers) I find Audi drivers
put me in most danger on the road when I am driving
my scooter. BMW a close second with X9 top of that.
Black is the worst colour. A Black Audi is death on wheels.

On the pushbike, possibly due to the nature or the
routes I use it is London Bus drivers who are clearly
and unquestionably bottom of the heap.

On 20/09/2006 20:25, said,
Paul Boyd said:
A vehicle
passing me with a speed differential of 20 or 30 mph has more of a duty
of care...

"Duty of care". There's a novel concept :-) Shame they don't seem to
teach that then reinforce it at annual intervals!


Thing is that there is no such duty in practise. The
criminal justice system has no interest is investigating
road incidents unless someone is dead and then
the attention paid seems to depend on the status of those dead.

Most important - Rail passengers
In between - ...... various road users
Oh good, 4 more out the way - Cyclists


Now at last it seems that people who
stand in the street and shout "Death to xxx" or publish
similar material are being investigated and jailed.
It is intesting to me that a certain TV personality is
being spared such treatment when he recommends
publically the offering of death to anyone who a motorist
finds is impeding their right to have fun their on the
public highway at their own convenience.

Perhaps being woken up at 4am by the clatter
of boots would help re-align that view towards
a more sustainable approach?
I am certainly terrorised by the recommendations made.

"squeaker" writes:

And why is it 'always' BMW's? New or old, they seem to attract / bring
out the complete twunt in most individuals, in my experience

I dunno. I drive one myself and really like it but I don't think I'm
typical - it's not a status thing and I'm not an aggressive driver at
all.

Chris
--
Chris Eilbeck