One for the "There are some right idiots out there" file...

[Grahamm]

On a ride-out earlier today we stopped off at the Departure Lounge Cafe on the A39, which, it turns out, is closed on Tuesdays from the 1st of September, but they don't mention anything about this on their website!

In any case, as I was leaving the cafe carpark there was a car in front of me also turning left, so I waited behind it noting that a) there were double solid white lines down the middle of the road b) that there was a national limit sign just up the road to the left (ie the direction I was going) and c) there were two bikes coming from my right (which is a 40 limit zone).

I pull out, figuring that I've got plenty of space to do so safely because there was nowhere for the approaching bikes to pass, so they'd have to slow down behind the car, only to find one of the other two bikes pulling alongside me, beeping on his horn and making "are you crazy?" gestures. Given the situation I couldn't see what his problem was, however I discovered that very quickly when both he and his mate decided to blast past myself and the car in front *across* the solid double white lines with a right-hand bend ahead and no way to see if anything was coming!

Who's crazy? Not me sunshine!!

[pitternator]

You just pulled out in front of oncoming traffic , ( fellow bikers ), and you see nothing wrong ???? :rolleyes

why didnt you just give way to them, instead of following the car , who should have also  done likewise...

[Dave48]

Isnt this a case of "Sorry Mate I DID See You"?  I always thought you should NEVER do anything to cause another road user to change speed or direction :eek

[Skippernick]

Isnt this a case of "Sorry Mate I DID See You"?  I always thought you should NEVER do anything to cause another road user to change speed or direction :eek

I agree especially as i'm half way through my IAM course, although you don't say how far away they were when you pulled out?

[keithfzs1000]

you pulled out on them mis judging the flow  and speed of on coming traffic personally being on a bike I would of stopped and said a little more than are you crazy. We expect it from car drivers not bikers!!!!!!!

[MadDogMcQ]

Ooops! Home goal there Graham  :o

I was on the motorway on Monday, behind another biker and we were travelling along at 90 in the fast lane. As we approached the M61 Junction, we both moved to the centre lane to get ready for the exit a mile further on.  A small racer-boy car to the left of the other biker, drifted into the centre lane causing the biker to swerve hard to the right. With a blast of the horn ringing in his ears, the car driver swiftly returned to the centre lane holding his hand up. Then as I ride past him, EXACTLY the same thing!!!!!

Needless to say, I was forewarned, so I too swerved into the fast lane (knowing it was clear) and then slowed to the speed of the dickhead and communicated with him through the use of some universal sign language. There's some right idiots out there!

[alan sherman]

Schools must be back.  Absolute carnage on the streets of London today!  Ahh, for the easy days of the Olympics!

[MadDogMcQ]

To me, the worst bikers are those who ride along right up the arse of a car. FFS, the number of times that I've been waiting to turn right, spotted a gap and thought "I'll shoot around as soon as this car passes", only to find (unexpectedly) a bike tucked right up the boot of the passing car.

MAKE YOURSELVES VISIBLE FFS!!
There's some right idiots out there.

[chilly]

Just to be a stickler guys and gals...there is no fast lane and any manouver you make should not affect any other vehicles,causing them to take action. Just saying

[Grahamm]

You just pulled out in front of oncoming traffic , ( fellow bikers ), and you see nothing wrong ???? :rolleyes

why didnt you just give way to them, instead of following the car , who should have also  done likewise...

To answer this and everyone else going "HaHa! Graham who talks so much about Advanced Biking got it wrong!!": Because, had they been riding *sensibly* and *legally* there wouldn't have *been* a problem!

Read the situation I described again: 40 limit, double white lines, car just pulled out ahead, right hand bend coming up.

There was nowhere for them to pass, so they *should* have been slowing down or at least staying at 40 either of which would have given me plenty of time and space to pull out. Instead, as I realised afterwards, they were "taking a run" at the National Limit sign (presumably and wrongly thinking that once they can see it, it's ok to accelerate) and counting on being able to complete their overtake before anything came around the bend ahead of them.

My only mistake was to forget that some bikers are idiots and will do stupid manoeuvres like that because they think they're too cool to obey the rules of the road (not to mention the rules of common sense)...

[Phil TK]

[quote author=pitternator link=topic=4486.msg37668#msg37668 date=1346826293]
everyone else going "HaHa! Graham who talks so much about Advanced Biking got it wrong!!"

Uncanny...[/quote]

[Grahamm]

[quote author=Grahamm link=topic=4486.msg37690#msg37690 date=1346840140]
[quote author=pitternator link=topic=4486.msg37668#msg37668 date=1346826293]
everyone else going "HaHa! Graham who talks so much about Advanced Biking got it wrong!!"

Uncanny...[/quote]
[/quote]

Unsurprising  :z

Anyway, ignoring the axe grinding, I invite everyone to have a look at the situation yourself...

Here's the link to Google Streetview http://goo.gl/maps/ysHqV (ignore where it says Lasham Airfield, that was just the easiest way to locate the place)

Pan left and you can see where the bikes were coming from.

Pan right and you can see the double white lines leading up to the National Limit sign, a bit of a left hander (and a dip that I'd forgotten about but which could also have hidden an oncoming vehicle) and then the right hander up ahead.

Now imagine you're coming from where those bikes were. You're in a 40 limit, there's double whites, there's traffic pulling out from your left, there's a dip which could hide a vehicle, there's a right-hander ahead that you can't see round.

Would *you* have gone for an overtake in that situation?

[Lawrence]

Now imagine you're coming from where those bikes were. You're in a 40 limit, there's double whites, there's traffic pulling out from your left, there's a dip which could hide a vehicle, there's a right-hander ahead that you can't see round.

Would *you* have gone for an overtake in that situation?

No.  But if I were riding along at 40 in a 40 limit and you pulled out in front causing me to slow down, you were in the wrong... From the looks of things there's not that much road visible to the right, if the bikes were already visible as the car pulled away I'd have waited for them to pass in your situation.

[JZS 600]

Always expect the unexpected and view fellow road users as [email]tw@ts[/email] until proven otherwise and you can't go far wrong.

[budgiemurray]

Irrespective if they were obeying the rules of the road or not theyre still classed as potential hazards and should be treated as such..

Trust no-one then you wont be dissapointed when they dont do as expected..everyone makes bad judgements now and again including ourselves.. Just gotta learn by them so theyre not repeated   

And yep. Im IAM trained too

Budgie


Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

[red98]

IAM.......................MMMMMMMMMMMM I`LL SAY NO MORE 

[Grahamm]

if I were riding along at 40 in a 40 limit and you pulled out in front causing me to slow down, you were in the wrong...

I agree entirely, but they weren't. Had they been doing so, as mentioned, there wouldn't have been a problem because there is enough road viewable if they hadn't been accelerating towards the National Limit sign.

[Grahamm]

Trust no-one then you wont be dissapointed when they dont do as expected..

Yep!

everyone makes bad judgements now and again including ourselves.. Just gotta learn by them so theyre not repeated

Indeed.

[MadDogMcQ]

...Irrespective if they were obeying the rules of the road or not theyre still classed as potential hazards and should be treated as such...

Spot on! Graham, you pulled out in front of someone that you say were speeding towards you. Take it ont' chin mate  :lol

[Jamieg285]

I pull out, figuring that I've got plenty of space to do so safely

Read the situation I described again: 40 limit, double white lines, car just pulled out ahead, right hand bend coming up.

There was nowhere for them to pass, so they *should* have been slowing down or at least staying at 40 either of which would have given me plenty of time and space to pull out. Instead, as I realised afterwards,

My only mistake was to forget that some bikers are idiots and will do stupid manoeuvres like that because they think they're too cool to obey the rules of the road (not to mention the rules of common sense)...

I don't have any axes to grind, and no opinions on the IAM yet.


Looks to me like you spotted the bikers, but didn't spend enough time working out there speed and intentions.  You wrongly assumed they would do be slower/slowing and should have spent that little extra time to eliminate the assumption and react on the actual circumstances.


No, you're not crazy, but you made a mistake.