12:10pm on a bright Tuesday lunchtime. Heading south on the Pleck Road in Walsall, Crossing the Bridgman Street Junction by new hospital. I was positioned to go straight on at the oncoming green light and was doing about 20-25mph. I head an engine revving behind me, and a young Asian lady driving a silver Volkswagen Golf – Y239JSG – overtakes me suddenly on the right, and immediately cuts in front of me. I brake, sharply and prepare for the crunch. Luckily, she just misses my bars. I try to catch her up and stop her, but she just blanks me (I’m shouting at her to stop). She had a large, elderly female passenger and was wearing a grey headscarf.
I incorrectly state in the video title that the car is a Polo. It’s not, it’s a Golf.
This is certainly the worst incident I’ve experienced in 10 years, and I genuinely feared for my life. This lady is clearly dangerous to other road users and needs to understand the fear and terror she caused. The sound is edited. I actually shout ‘Idiot!’ several times, but oddly, don’t swear.
This is not a typical incident, please don’t let it put you off cycling.
12:10pm, Tuesday, 9th August 2011. Do you know this vehicle? They nearly knocked me over.
Edit: Added 9:49am 10th August 2011:
Thanks to the poster who asked this on twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/Elamass/status/101201319980830720
The camera is mounted on the head tube of the bike. It’s fully automatic, and if both my hands were not on the bars I would have died. It’s very reassuring to know that you question the cyclist’s behaviour, but not that of the driver.
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say not typical ? but always wary of left turns, being knocked off twice on them
No, it’s not typical. You get some twits – see my youtube channel – but very rarely anything this close or stupid. I could have been further out, but I think she’d have done it anyway. The key is position though.
The nature of this one is rather odd. She actually speeded up to do this – that’s very unusual, which shows an odd decision process.
Best wishes
Bob
sppeding up is not a surprise that is how I got knocked off, somehow car drivers (I am one of course) always think they can outspeed us but I can easily be going some 20MPH and they do not take this into account.
some drivers assume all cyclists are slow enough to overtake regardless. It always worries me coming back from brum under m6 bridge near Perry Barr, only takes one idiot to spoil the day, thnk goodness you jammed the anchors on just in time..
Thanks.
What puzzles me is that she knew how fast I was going because she had to rev it up to overtake me. It’s just baffling. It’s almost like she just couldn’t wait. If it had happened in the other direction I’d have assumed it was an urgent hospital thing.
Mad, so it is.
Cheers
Bob
Probably on the phone : I see this sort of driving on a regular basis.
I`ll post the You Tube clip to my Facebook page to make people aware of the numpty.
It’s very simple. She’s a fuckwit. One of those drivers that can’t or won’t judge speed or diatance and thinks ‘fuck it, it’s only a bike’. The same thing happens if you drive a small car, but to a lesser degree.
The chavvy lights and bodykit (ill-fitting with parking damage) tells you all you need to know without seeing the movie clip….
The thing here is that a good overtake is a difficult move, and when the thing you’re overtaking is doing 20-30mph (like a quickish cyclist or a moped) it needs good judgement to do safely- something doing 10mph you pass in an instant, something doing 40 you wouldn’t bother. The judgement is sadly lacking in this case: I think it was fuckwittery and panic- “Must get past”.
I agree with Stymaster – the woman is simply a fuckwit . . . .
I know you don’t agree with people riding cycles on the footpath Bob, but this is why some do…….including myself.I try to stick to canal towpaths and perhaps the odd side road, but would never venture to cycle on busy main roads because of morons like this one.Don’t get me wrong, I’d never cycle on busy pavements with pedestrians about, [even though I probably cycle at a snails pace compared to you]. But I prefer to get off and push rather than cycle on a busy road and risk life and limb.
As you actually have evidence of her dangerous driving, could you not take it to the police?
Glad you are okay………thank goodness she didn’t hit you.
You would certainly have been missed on this blog.
best wishes
Should do what I do then and thats kick the car – they usually stop then! Thats from someone who also cycles and drives a lot
That’s crazy driving. Definitely report her to the police. She needs to be banned from the road.
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This is unbelievable stupidity.
As an aside, I’m seeing lots of people on phones and also TEXTING while driving.
Yes, I see a lot of that. There also seems to be an alarming number of cars after whose passing, one can strongly smell pot smoke. Driving really is going to the dogs here.
Cheers
Bob
You were lucky there! Left-hooking bastards.
just went on NCN 5 today into walsall and then out on A road through aldridge. Not a very cycling friendly lot there are they ?
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