The daily Close Call

there's a lots more to it than just that, but I simply can't be arsed to go throught explaining it all again.

Nor should you Ed. Chockful of no-nothing twats is this world...

yep. there are two lanes, one for going ahead/turning left and one for turning right.

he probably just did not see you. i know that's not an excuse on his part, but really you have to be so careful overtaking on the left - expect the worst :(

there's a lots more to it than just that, but I simply can't be arsed to go throught explaining it all again.

fair enough. i don't know you apart from what you post on the thread (reason i posted was cos half of your posts are perfect and others just seem lazy- i.e small errors. although as u said there is more to it) forgive my ignorance.

In my time living in London I'd say about 75% of my experiences of black cabs have been shit

Whether it be trying to get one, in one, or being on a bike/in my car near them

a) Pulling over to let you in then driving off or coming up with some bullshit excuse(even though they have their yellow light on) when you ask to go to Brixton
b) Racist bullshit off a lot of them while inside if and when I finally get a cab to Brixton - usally with the classic "I'm not meaning to be racist but...."
c) Just generally driving like arrogant, self important cunts

he probably just did not see you. i know that's not an excuse on his part, but really you have to be so careful overtaking on the left - expect the worst :(

i thought that at first. but after looking straight at his wing mirror, impacting his van and scraping along the length of it, there's no way i can give him the benefit of the doubt

oh and my close-calls for the day:

1) some twat trying to pull out near dalston sainsburys, almost knocked down a guy on a scooter. i was going faster than the scooter anyway, saw what was about to happen and dipped out. the scooter and car both screeched to a halt and exchanged a few words. i passed far on the right, just as well since said car driver then just drove around the slightly shaken rider.

2) doors. i somehow had a weird premonition that i should stay away from the bus lane, too many parked cars. i signalled right and switched lanes, expecting to get beeped by the traffic behind me. just then a door swung wide open. if i'd stayed in the bus lane i'd have been toast.

it's the blue sticker i dread.

it's the blue sticker i dread.

i know! i avoid them like the plague. they've usually got blackened windows as well.

half my post are perfect because I tend to either constantly edit them till it appear fine or actually concentrate a lots on writing it down, whether some of my post that are usually of little importance is when I tend not to, or simply because I really don't want to concentrate on it at certain time.

I have to concentrate as if English is my 348th Language when talking to people, even to friends.

it's the blue sticker i dread.

I forever read the sticker as "I Become Death, Destroyer of the World".

what's your 346th language?

yep. there are two lanes, one for going ahead/turning left and one for turning right.

i thought that at first. but after looking straight at his wing mirror, impacting his van and scraping along the length of it, there's no way i can give him the benefit of the doubt

agreed. even if he didn't see you initially, that is not on - he should have at least stopped. i mean if you actually scraped him how could he not notice?

half my post are perfect because I tend to either constantly edit them till it appear fine or actually concentrate a lots on writing it down, whether some of my post that are usually of little importance is when I tend not to, or simply because I really don't want to concentrate on it at certain time.

I have to concentrate as if English is my 348th Language when talking to people, even to friends.

I forever read the sticker as "I Become Death, Destroyer of the World".

that's cool, good enough explanation for me.
funnily enough the cars are often all black. and the drivers wear all black too. (first person to shout racism meets my bony scythe)

while we're on it, i FUCKING HATE bendy buses. Their rear ends come up behind you like a fucking snow plough.

aye. one cut me off yesterday, and the end of the bus comes through with a kick.

i was going the same speed as the bus so had to slow down the equivalent of about 30 metres in a very short distance in order to not get squashed into the footpath

b) Racist bullshit off a lot of them while inside if and when I finally get a cab to Brixton - usally with the classic "I'm not meaning to be racist but...."

Anyone else noticed that, in a worse off areas off London, especially if there are groups of youths about, a back cab drivers conversations usually start off with "Im not racist but..."

yeah im fine, a bit cut up and a black eye...but ok.
my bike is rideable, but bent my toptube. gutted.

btw it was his fault. He was driving on the wrong side of the road, over taking a queue of traffic to turn right. A car pulled out without seeing me, which I had to swerve, didnt see this guy on my side of the road.. crunch.
He was more shook up than I was.

I'd definitely follow this one up. If you're certain it wasn't your fault (car driving on wrong side of road sounds pretty conclusive to me) then you're owed a new frame. You shouldn't be out of pocket...no matter how nice the dude in the car was after the event. Him being all smiles and nice is the sheer relief that his recklessness didn't end up killing you. I know you're glad to be alive/come off relatively unscathed but that don't mean you should be forking out. I don't believe in claiming for anything and everything but this sounds more than fair to me.

No idea how bad your bike is but i certainly wouldn't be riding a bike with a bent top tube. :s

How does the morning after feel? :)

Ladies driving whilst wearing fuck-off chanel wraparound shades which destroy any and all peripheral vision are best avoided.

She didn't even clock me looming over her at the next set of lights which turned my tap on the window into a "oh shit!" moment for her.

Jackie Onasis?

close call on thursday morning. coming over Ebury bridge just before the traffic lights, i want to go straight over and lights are red so i'm going slow. about 1m gap along inside and i check all the indicators - all off. last vehicle of 5 is an 'Etiquette' van.

lights turn green so i speed up. vehicles roll forward. and van starts moving. i have a policy of looking into the wing mirror of vehicles i'm about to overtake as well aschecking indicators. still no indication so i speed up to go over.

van starts to get closer, i slow down and just before the intersection, van turns left sharp and fast, no indication. i hit brakes but still hit van, van turns even sharper so that only 10cm between his wheels and curb. i roll along side using my hands to keep me upright until eventually van leaves me. i fall onto road, van accelerates and speeds off round the bend.

no damage to bike or self apart from graze on knee and the pedestrian who watched the whole thing on the pavement asks me how i am. i get up shaken but ok, then cycle off. when i get to un i realise i've basically been the victim of a hit and run. only caught the name of the company (symbol was a big Q)and that it was some kind of (office?) catering company.

if anyone has any info about this company get in touch. i don't think i will get anything but i don't want a driver like that to remain on the road. i didn't get the pedestrian's contact details, he was on the phone at the time and it looked important. and i had to get into uni to hand in some coursework which was far more important (grade dictates whether i go abroad next year)

So you undertook a van as the lights went green? Um.. that's a complete fail on your part.

Yes, the van should be indicating, but loads of drivers don't bother. How many threads need to be written about not undertaking stuff at junctions?!?!

I suppose I am similarly remiss for overtaking a moped and on doing so, the rider swerved right - from the far nearside to the right hand side of the lane - I mentioned about looking over his shoulder & he said I should slow down - maybe we were both right!

Punch him in the face and after you've taken his wallet and he's regained his composure, educate him on using his mirrors and performing a head check.

Slow down.. while passing? Fuck off scooter cock.

black cabs are pretty good i find. much better than those minicab fuckers.

When was the last time you got free Champagne in an Addisson Lee ?

lol Hippy - so I should practice the moves learnt the night before at Kung Fu?

Word of warning, if you see/come together with a black vespa ridden by a stocky bloke - on the embankment, leave well alone, that is the (rather handy) instructor - I almost had a tussle with him a few weeks back, before I recognised who it was!

Last time I checked, Kung Fu didn't transfer well to "on the bike".. so once the Vespa is a smoking wreck I'm sure the wallet snatching/lecture will be much easier.

So you undertook a van as the lights went green? Um.. that's a complete fail on your part.

Yes, the van should be indicating, but loads of drivers don't bother. How many threads need to be written about not undertaking stuff at junctions?!?!

I thought he meant he was in the left hand lane and the van was in the right hand lane.

Slow down.. while passing? Fuck off scooter cock.

possibly the best advice ive read on this forum.