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Must have been something in the rain tonight - I have a surprisingly similar story.
I was coming down Essex Road, and what looked like a van slamming on its brakes whilst swerving into the curb caught my eye as I passed a side street. Looped back on myself and found the van driver out of his vehicle squaring up to a ped.
Ped claimed that the van driver had nearly knocked him off by driving dangerously fast/carelessly, van driver was pissed off cos the ped had allegedly thrown something at his van in retaliation.
Van driver was making it quite clear what he'd do to the ped, and how lucky he was that I was about to stop him doing it. Ped wasn't having any of this and kept antagonising the driver, and they were both getting more and more irate.
Ended up I think with the ped legging it and the van driver doing a very aggressive three point turn and then telling/asking me to follow him?
All very confusing.
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umop3pisdn
@skidlidsid
I actually have a story tonight! Not just my usual ramblings about the weather and getting overly annoyed at being shoaled by nodders.
Coming down Cavendish Road in Balham tonight, past the primary school, when I get passed really close by a little hatchback. I yell and raise my arm, as you do, but wasn't going to say anything more about it, sopping wet and close to home as I was.
However, little hatchback decides that he's not had his fill of dangerous driving for the evening and blasts through the zebra crossing - just as a chap steps out with his shopping. Understandably enraged by the bloke who nearly killed him, zebra crossing man hurls his shopping at the driver's side of the car.
Oh shit. Right, hatchback is pulling over. I'd better stop too, this might get nasty.
I couldn't give an exact transcript (it's times like this I wish I had a GoPro) but the driver gets out the car and proceeds to attempt to verbally and physically intimidate the pedestrian into submission. There was even a 'Do you know who I am?' (I bit my tongue...) followed by a light slap in the face. That's not OK.
Ped points out that the driver had just nearly knocked me off, and the driver offers me a hand and a cursory apology, which I tentatively accept in an effort to calm everyone down a bit. He says he didn't see me - I guess my rear light and my hi-viz jersey weren't enough for him.
I open my mouth to suggest that he might consider an apology for blasting through the crossing too, but couldn't get the words out before he was off on his rant again.
Ped makes a move towards the car mumbling something about 'teaching him a lesson'. Fucking tempting, but I suggest escalating this might not be the best way forward.
A few more words are exchanged. Ped tells me I put up with too much. Probably true.
Driver goes back to his car, ped storms off back towards Sainsbury's, presumably to buy milk to replace the bottle currently leaking all over the road. I make a mental note of the registration plate, make sure I can describe the driver and go on my way.
Fin.