Please report dangerous drivers to the police - Roadsafe. Report to plod, not just whinge here.

Verbals with a white van driver this morning. I turn left onto a short stretch of road from a mini-roundabout which ends in a set of traffic sets, which change very slowly. I move to the middle of the road almost straight away as I'm turning right, and the lane doubles up for traffic turning right. Despite my position on the road and the fact the lights ahead were red and there were already cars waiting at them a white van zooms around me fast before cutting back in and braking. I give him a little knock as I cycle past, just to highlight the futility of his manoeuvre. While it wasn't dangerous per se, since there wasn't on coming traffic, it is a dickmove symptomatic of driver's impatience to get past bikes whatever the situation on the road: my position, junction and red light ahead, queuing traffic.

So I went past him, knocked his van and proceeded to the ASZ. Red rag to a bull of course so he opens his door and starts shouting abuse. I invite him to get out the car and say it to me face. He does so, so I get off my bike and say what I think of him to his face. It went on like that for a little while (like I said, long phase) presumably to the bemusement of the other drivers waiting, before he retired to his van, him saying I'll get you in minute, to which I said, 'what you going to do, run me over?', perhaps not the wisest invitation of course.

Anyway it was a shame really: an opportunity missed to explain to him how reckless and unnecessary overtaking, particularly when a cyclist has taken a position where he doesn't expect to be overtaken, frustrates and endangers cyclists. That his manoeuvre is akin to manoeuvres like overtaking then immediately turning left, or overtaking through a choke point, or overtaking when a cyclist is signalling he's turning right, or overtaking through tight corners or worse blind corners, or overtaking before swerving left to the curb to wait in the queue of traffic. I should have tried to make him see getting past a cyclist takes on average 8 seconds, so in future he should apply a little patience, think before making a manoeuvre like that whether it is necessary, and how it makes a cyclist feel.

That definitely much have been much better than 'just fuck off, you fucking prick' (although he did start the name calling).

He didn't 'get me' when he overtook next, he didn't even skim or honk or gesture at me. Which perhaps made my wave at him when I filtered past him on the right about a k up the road while he was snarled up in the inevitable morning traffic a trifle unnecessary. Red mist and all that.

Anyway I like to think we both learnt a lesson this morning. I know I did, to articulate my anger better rather than a string of expletives. But then I've been abused and threatened by van drivers before, difficult to change the default reaction.