Lorry drivers and seeing red

Hi
This morning I had a pretty good ride in for about 8 miles. Then, nearly there, I around the Fire Station on Shaftesbury avenue I made a lazy error, nipping round a log jam of lorry and car by going 'round a little 'traffic island' on the wrong side of the road. Ahead of me was a Hildon water delivery lorry, travelling perhaps a little too fast, which started to veer ever so gently toward me, in an attempt to squeeze me / put the willys up me / kill me (you decide).

The driver yelled something.

Having just squeezed out of his way in time, riding gently on, I was thinking the usual 'what the fuck?' type thoughts. Then I rode on some more. Then I though fuck that I'm going to ask him to not do that again.

I caught up with him pretty easily, as you can imagine, This Is London My Friend, and stopped by his cab and started to ask him why he had steered towards me.

I got into this protracted altercation (he drove off, I caught up again and asked pretty nicely if we could continue the discussion please).

You can imagine all the pithy talk we had ... ME: why did you do that? Do you have kids? Do you want my kids to have no dad? couldn;t you have just braked a bit or given me some room by steering the OTHER way? HIM: You were in the wrong, prove it that I steered towards you, all you cyclists are the same...

After a while I was struck by the utter futility of this conversation, the absolute inability for either of us to empathise effectively, for a lack of humanity and humility between us. It was teetering on a slanging match the whole time, but I really tried to keep it civil and reasonable, just trying to appeal to his better nature to perhaps see my side of it.

I think I need to be a bit bloody careful.

Maybe he taught me alesson and was right to be unbending about not admitting any wrongdoing. But I know he steered at me, if only to shit me up a bit. It worked.

EIDT: all this is working up to the question ... (in the words of the excellent funk band WAR):

Why can't we be friends?

You're both very naughty boys.

Thanks hippy. I'll say four Hail Marys.

even though he didn't apologized there and then I'm sure you put some big questions in his head so hopefully not a wasted conversation

In the end of the day, lorry drivers are human too, even though it's hard to believe some times

at charing cross/shafts ave junction slide off down old compton st and avoid that spot. it's a shocker

what would you have done if he'd been the one in the wrong lane, skully? a quiet word in his ear?

Some human beings are just plain nasty and vicious. Ok Skully you were in the wrong, but who is he to hand out punisment or attempt to?
This driver sounds like horrible person and I personaly would not want cross paths with him.

I think you are both a little stupid, if you have kids and don't want them to grow up fatherless, you should think twice about riding on the wrong side of an island in central London rush hour. The only time I have ever got in trouble is through impatience.

Slow down and take a load off, fall apart, in my back yard.

As for his actions, what a cnut. One slight misjudgement and he could have killed you. This, no matter what you are doing at the time is wreckless and unforgivable.

All I simply want to says in this topic is thank fuck you're ok.

Thanks Ed, its really nice of you to actually bother to type that! I wsn;t really ever extrememly scared for my life, like I said I think he was just trying to scare me rather than kill me.

at charing cross/shafts ave junction slide off down old compton st and avoid that spot. it's a shocker

what would you have done if he'd been the one in the wrong lane, skully? a quiet word in his ear?

A very good question Mr picco. Exactly. I realised something like this when I admit that I was in the wrong, though. It was a lazy error on my part, but it was a wilful threat with a ten tonne truck on his. I'm not in a position to do the same were he in the wrong.

EDIT @ tiswas, yeah he started to tire of me, which I really think was my point. We're not going to just go away cos he doesn;t like us. Deal with it!

I think you are both a little stupid, if you have kids and don't want them to grow up fatherless, you should think twice about riding on the wrong side of an island in central London rush hour.

(a) is it lonely up there on your pedestal?
(b) do you ride much in central London?

If I never used the 'wrong' side of the road in town, I'd never get anywhere.

+1 Skully for remonstrating with him without descending into abuse. Those sort of games are harmless when it's car versus car, but car versus bike is a lot more serious and you reminded him of that.

'Harmless when it's car on car'!? try telling poor old Sparky from the Isle of Man that http://www.londonfgss.com/thread29958-2.html#post962332

I just reported him to his dispatch.

I was in tears to the guy by the end of it. I think I'm more shaken by it than I first thought. Adrenaline does funny things to one.

(a) is it lonely up there on your pedestal?
(b) do you ride much in central London?

If I never used the 'wrong' side of the road in town, I'd never get anywhere.

Don't be an argumentative dick. I live and cycle in central London. I avoid the 'wrong' side of the road when there are lorries in it, and it was 'round a little 'traffic island' on the wrong side of the road. I didn't get the impression from Skully's post he thought he was totaly inocent. Though as stated I think the driver is a cnut.
....And no it is not lonely up here, there are plenty of other Cyclists, taxi and bus drivers up here, we are all right!

i think sometimes the trying to be reasonable with people approach doesn't work. neither does ranting. i find passive aggressive works well.
"jesus"
"what"
"you braked really sharply"
"i suggest you keep an eye on the road and what's going on"

"you do realise this ASL is for bikes. and not cars."
"mamrjioahfsehf"
"right, so when i see you in the next one we'll laugh right?"

etc

WAC, he shouldn't be on the road. Kudos for acting in a manner befitting a gentleman, Skully; I fear I would not have your decorum in such a situation.

@damo, yeah that's cool! I was having a word with a Mbike courier the other day who'd been magsjkhadkjADdkhADing at me:

'sorry I hope I haven;t upset you'
'you fucking do what you like'
'Ok, I'm going to apologise, sorry if I was somehow in the wrong, I'm not clear what you;re upset about'
'you just fucking do what you like, I've had it all day'
'sorry to hear you;ve had a bad day'
'I HAVE NOT HAD A BAD DAY!!! fgfgfgfgasagaagagalkhwgflhwefl;hwe;foh!!!

@matt_rp and Malibu, I think you both have good points here. Malibu as you rightly say, we need to be bloody careful. I know what I did was wrong, a mistake.

... The only time I have ever got in trouble is through impatience...

This is, he was impatient with me, as I was impatient with the traffic.

He's probably going to get into to trouble for it.

even though he didn't apologized there and then I'm sure you put some big questions in his head so hopefully not a wasted conversation

In the end of the day, lorry drivers are human too, even though it's hard to believe some times

+1, some people will never admit they are wrong to your face but hopefully your discussion will have planted a seed and when he has time to reflect he will decide to modify his behaviour.

passive aggressive works best - a white van RLJ'd in front of me yesterday and although he had not come near me, at the next set of lights I asked if he knew what the posty thing with the lights on the end was....he asked if I was being sarcastic, I asked if that was the longest word he knew? He called me a few names, I told him to stop being sensitive.

But agreed.....ride on the safe side....there are nutters out there.

I had to drive my normal commute today - shocking - far more aggro/grief - had a wide boy burning up the inside, almost mowing over a cyclist, because I had the audacity to wait behind a car turning right.... too many stressed out tossers driving fast motors

I think the fact I've reported him might make him hate cyclists even more, and be even more vindictive, wilfully ignorant, 'I didn't see him/her, honest' ...

But I want him to know that I'm not going to just bend over and take that crap from him in his fucking lorry.

glad you're alright though skullzzy.

"i'm mad as hell and i'm not going to take it anymore!!"

WooO!

+1 and remember most HGV's have an external engine kill switch, which is rude not to use

+1 on the passive aggressive approach. Motorists hate cyclists in part because of our aggressive nature (Jame Cunt Martin) apparently. I've never walked away from an argument feeling satisfied I've alerted them to the danger they've just caused me.
I had a 9 year old boy call me a w@nker because I was shaking my head because I was cut up yesterday, just after a car full of yardie types swerved towards me because the thought it was funny.