One of the good things to come out of the economic crash in 2007 was the almost overnight disappearance of the boy racer and other associated crap drivers.
Suddenly people did not have the money to waste on fuel to speed from the traffic lights to the traffic jam 30 yards up the road. The boy racers no longer raced up and down the residential roads where I live.
Even the rush hour traffic was lighter as people either had no jobs to go to or saved money by using public transport, walking or even cycling to work.
Life as a cyclist was good. Those who remained on the road tended to be those for whom driving was important and who valued their licence.
Sadly over the last 12 months there has been an increase in the number of boy racers, drivers racing from the lights, people driving badly in clapped out bangers (and other vehicles). Cars racing up and down the streets etc.
Forget all the highly paid economists and the economic data gathering, just cycle around and you can gauge the state of the economy by the volume and type of traffic on the roads.
As if to prove this, I have been knocked off my bike twice in the past week by other traffic. And add to this the road rage from a motorist who couldn’t drive at high speed to the traffic queue 30 yards ahead because I was in front of him.
It has been a long time since I have felt as unsafe whilst cycling as I have in the last few weeks.
It started a couple of weeks ago as I approached the queue of traffic on Bow Flyover. The approach to this is a 2 lane road where the left lane is a filter lane to the roundabout below and the right hand lane is to the flyover. The traffic was queuing on the flyover some 30 yards ahead. I was in the right hand lane as I was going over the flyover. When behind me I hear the revving of a car engine and the blaring of a horn as Mr Toad wanted to speed to the back of the queue. As he passed me he shouted lots of abuse and insisted I should be in the left hand lane as I am apparently not allowed in the right hand lane.
The idiot did not realise that 30 yards ahead he would be stationary in the traffic queue and we could discuss the matter in detail. So, I opened the near side door of his car and had a “chat” with him. He was telling me that I am not allowed in the right hand lane on the road and if I was there he would run me down. This by the way was an Asian male in his 50’s, not a young boy racer.
After this threat, I decided the best thing to do was to delay him whilst I left the scene. So I removed his nice iPhone from the passenger seat of his car, and road off leaving his passenger door open. As I had no intention of stealing his phone, I left it at the road side as I rode off. (It seems I was mistaken in thinking the phone would bounce as I let go of it- my mistake).
I did invite him to discuss the matter with me at Bow Police Station as I rode off, but he did not join me there. I watched as he drove past me outside the police station shouting threats at me, not about his phone but about being in the right hand lane. Clearly he has enough money to waste fuel by trying to accelerate from traffic lights to traffic queue.
Then last week, I was a mile from home when a car decided to overtake me and turn across my path, knocking me to the ground and then proceeded to drive off. Fortunately I had anticipated the manoeuvre and had hit the brakes and so was not badly hurt. The reaction of the driver? was to try to drive away from the scene. Fortunately, I was able to remount and chase her as she tried to drive into a residential street. Her escape was blocked by a car coming the other way.
When I caught up with the car, I told her in no uncertain terms to get out of her car. She seemed shocked and got out of the car and started saying words to the effect of “I’m sorry officer, I never realised you were a police officer” and other such phrases. I realised that she had seen my UK POLICE UNITY TOUR cycling top and clearly thought I was a police officer. I decided not to say that I was a police officer, nor did I say I was not a police officer. I pointed out to her the offences she had committed and the penalties for such offences. She seemed rather shocked to learn that dangerous driving carries imprisonment as did her leaving the scene of the accident. She was also a little bit shocked to be told the matter was being recorded on my helmet camera and that the footage could be used in any proceedings taken against her.
Then yesterday on Upper Thames Street in London, a private hire driver decided he would just urn into the cycle lane ( marked with solid white line, so a compulsory cycle lane) which was also on a red route. So, somewhere where no stopping was allowed and where he was not allowed to be. Apparently it was ok though because he was just dropping off a fare. The fact he caused me to take emergency action to avoid his car was apparently irrelevant as he was dropping off his fare.
Its scary how little appreciation these motorists seem to have for the potential harm they can cause by their impatience, carelessness and downright selfish behaviour. An example of this is highlighted by the story in the newspaper today about the Polish lorry driver in Wales who killed a cyclist whilst taking photographs of cars as he drove his lorry.
It not just motorists, tonight I was knocked off my bike by a female pedestrian who ran across the road and into my bike as I cycled along the Embankment. There was a pedestrian crossing not 20 yards away, but that was clearly too much for miss stupid selfish pedestrian. As I picked myself up, I said what do you think you’re doing. She walked away saying, what is your problem!
Welcome to my world!
Incidentally, I do have helmet camera footage of all these incidents, which I have watched back several times to try to identify what I could have done better.
Cycling Around Slowly 