Neville Bailey Posted February 6, 2019 Share While riding circuits in Durban this evening, I had a close call with an idiot driver who either had his eyes closed or thought he could beat me while turning at an intersection. Boy, was I mad at him! Bonus, Capricorn, MDJ and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devocean Posted February 6, 2019 Share The driver is a dick, but I think at an intersection you always need to expect that Sepia, CatzSpace "frail", Bos and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubber Posted February 6, 2019 Share aaargghh. Glad you rode away from it. Be safe.... Sepia 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudda Posted February 6, 2019 Share keep safe ... remember this happens to motorcyclists as well - most drivers only see large blobs (not two wheel objects) ... This is why gaming should be mandatory to improve reaction time for most drivers Skylark, Capricorn, Chingy182 and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDJ Posted February 6, 2019 Share Unfortunately looks like my 'normal' daily commute on some days! Glad you are ok and there were no injuries. I've stopped counting the number of times I've been cut-off, skidded to a stop or narrowly missed a driver taking a chance through an amber light while trying to turn. It probably happens around 1 out of 50 commutes i.e once per month. What makes up for it is when you see cars moving to give you space, friendly smiles, waves - sometimes even from taxis, especially if you obey the rules i.e stop at the red light, give pedestrians the right of way, clearly signal your intentions etc . BenReaper, Prince Albert Cycles, Skylark and 5 others 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slowbee Posted February 6, 2019 Share Neville, did you have lights on the front of the bike ? After a few close calls similar to yours I put a flashing light on the front and the number of incidents has gone to zero. Skylark, Sepia, Dirkitech and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDJ Posted February 6, 2019 Share Neville, did you have lights on the front of the bike ? After a few close calls similar to yours I put a flashing light on the front and the number of incidents has gone to zero. Yes! Lights are huge help, I noticed the difference when I started riding with brighter flashing ones on my commute 2 years ago - especially in the evenings. Some mornings though - the crazies are out in full force, driving on the wrong side of the road, pushing for that extra meter in the gridlock etc. They don't seem to be bothered by lights or HighVis yellow ... DJR and Grubscrew 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin PJ Posted February 6, 2019 Share I also rode there tonight. Saw your Strava. At that point the turning cars never look like they are going to stop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenReaper Posted February 6, 2019 Share Neville, did you have lights on the front of the bike ? After a few close calls similar to yours I put a flashing light on the front and the number of incidents has gone to zero.But how can you have close calls with cars when your so slow.........[emoji12] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbie Stewart Posted February 6, 2019 Share I have had similar incidents at traffic circles. There's one close to my home, and most everytime I come around it to take the 3rd exit, some chump comes speeding along not expecting to be presented by an obstacle in the form of a bicycle riding buffoon. Waving, gesticulating, shouting, swearing, ranting and raving has so far yielded no results. Now I ride expecting people to not be alert, and engrossed in whatever has their limited attention span on their phones, seeing as watching the traffic is pretty low on their priority lists. This has worked for me. I will invest in some bright flashy lights seeing as that seems to work, especially now that it gets light later and dark earlier, even in Cape Town. Geronimo, MDJ and Prince Albert Cycles 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Me rida my bicycle Posted February 6, 2019 Share People just don't look or think had an incident over the weekend at a circle. Was in the circle CLEARLY indicating I was going around and was nearly taken out by an old ass. He was behind me when I indicated so no chance he did not see it. Came up next to me and then wanted to turn left through me or something. He could have just stayed behind me for 10m more and turned. We were doing 30+ kph at the time so not like it would have taken forever. I dislike riding on the road but to get more distance in we cycle from home to the trails. I would also like to cycle in the morning but don't want to take the chance of being attacked or hit by some idiot with their phone stuck to their face. Dirkitech, Robbie Stewart and Chingy182 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slowbee Posted February 6, 2019 Share But how can you have close calls with cars when your so slow.........[emoji12] :angry:..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieselnDust Posted February 6, 2019 Share The driver is a dick, but I think at an intersection you always need to expect that shjoe didn't take too long for the victim blaming to start in true Bikehub style. #2 post must be a record andreas17777 and Bonus 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonus Posted February 6, 2019 Share shjoe didn't take too long for the victim blaming to start in true Bikehub style. #2 post must be a record Not really "victim blaming" though, more a case of "almost-a-victim awareness" ChrisF, Geronimo, BigDL and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slowbee Posted February 6, 2019 Share shjoe didn't take too long for the victim blaming to start in true Bikehub style. #2 post must be a recordUmm no. There was no blame. He said "but I think at an intersection you always need to expect that" Implying that at any intersection you need to expect that. Not that it is his fault. BigDL, Dusty, MDJ and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisF Posted February 6, 2019 Share Neville glad you are safe I had a couple of similar situations when I started commuting. Got TWO lights in the front, two at the back and one to the side .... The day after fitting the second front light I had yet another close call. I have changed my route to limit "crossings" as far as possible, even including a footbridge in the afternoon and along detour. Still one has to be SO careful of side junctions !!! Had a gent turn into his driveway last week ... I had to come to a dead stop !! And this at the steepest downhill section of my afternoon ride .... GLAD I noticed something strange about the vehicle and started slowing even before he turned in front of me, else I would have T-boned him !! Sadly "rider awareness" means we have to think for those sods that cant think behind a steering wheel .... come to think of it, exactly what my dad told me when I started to drive. And YES, even in the car people still turn in front of you, despite daylight running lamps. Some drivers really should rather take Uber .... MDJ and BigDL 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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