You are reading a single comment by @HatBeard and its replies.
Click here to read the full conversation.
London Fixed Gear and Single-Speed is a community of predominantly fixed gear and single-speed cyclists in and around London, UK.
This site is supported almost exclusively by donations. Please consider donating a small amount regularly.
@HatBeard
so annoyed with myself for not reporting this but was very nearly involved in a really bad accident on way to the GF's on friday after work.
Was riding down colliers wood high street at about 6.15pm in the CS7 smurf lane matching traffic speed on the downhill (prob 22-25mph) when the car one car length ahead of me brakes sharply, throws on her indicator and pulls up across into the CS lane to park up.
Cue heart in mouth, front brake clamped on, rear wheel locked into skid and thankfully I slowed just enough that I didn't go into the rapidly closing v-shaped wedge between kerb/car and I stopped half a yard off their rear bumper.
body flushed with adrenaline I felt a bit dizzy/woozy at how close I'd come to a very nasty high-speed collision. In my confusion I thought, not far to the missus' just get home.
as I ride around the car, the driver who having finally realised she had nearly killed someone wound down her window a crack and meekly says sorry.
wasn't til I got back to Emma's that the adrenaline wore off and I realised I didn't even get the number plate. am still incredulous how someone can be that ignorant of the blue cycle lanes. I mean she must have been driving right next to it for a while, surely she would have passed other cyclists/they passed her and reinforced it's purpose. how do you not at the very least check that you're not about to weave a cyclist into the pavement before you pull over erratically to illegally park in what is essentially another lane of traffic.
doesn't fucking help that tfl have peppered the lanes with parking spaces out of rush hour so people get used to the idea of being able to park in them.