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

When I was a child I lived in Germany. Crashed cars were put in public places, often with mannequins covered in blood as warnings against drink driving etc.

Very sombering

Today whilst training a bunch of 11 year olds we were overtaken by a 20 ton tipper after the last rider (me) cleared a width restriction, and just as the front rider reached the next one about 50 yards along the road.

The result was the lorry swinging to the left with two of the children alongside. They were squeezed against the kerb and luckily able to take to the pavement.

The front rider was another instructor, he still had two of the pupils behind him, and he was making a right turn, so the driver of the lorry was forced to stop behind them, front wheels pointing at the kerb, two riders and an instructor directly in front, two on the pavement, and me and two others behind.
I had to go round him and stop him, but he kept inching forward, despite the two riders being directly in front of him, and probably now out of his sight. He was just trying to force them off the road. They were able to get across the road as an oncoming driver stopped and let them through.
I went to the front and tried to hold him up, but he just shrugged and drove off.
I phoned his company, the director was nearly as shocked as I was. The driver is due to be interviewed at the end of his shift today.
The picture below shows the lorry moments after, with the instructor gesticulating at him.

Glad it didn't end up worse, what a cunt.

... sombering

Sombering?

^^^ That a driver would do that, with a company name emblazoned on the side of their lorry shows how they really don't think there is anything wrong with their behaviour. Such sickening, arrogant stupidity shouldn't be allowed on a scooter, let alone in a HGV. I hope like anything he looses his job, but will probably carry on thinking it was cyclists fault for being on a road.

Sombering?

Time expired Deutsch slang from Danztig James?

^^^^^
It's rare that I'd wish losing your job on anyone, but fuck that guy. I hope he gets the sack. People like that need to be taken off the roads...

sadly it is me that is the loser. On the same day we had a scrote on a moped do 50 right through the middle of two groups of ten year olds, then we had a couple more scrotes drive up onto the pavement between parked cars and the front of the houses to get to the main road because we were holding them up. (for about a minute)
Last week I had a guy in a little van try to do what the lorry driver above did, and when I balked him I got a stream of abuse "they're in the middle of the fucking road, what the fuck are you doing, get out of my way"
So I have decided that after 7 years of teaching kids to ride I am packing it in. Then I am going to the demolition site where that guy was coming from, and I am having it out with him.
I just can't get the sight of that lorry forcing little kids off the road out of my head.
Very disturbing

you feel responsible because you were looking after the other riders. you didn't do anything wrong, it was the thug driver. I dunno what those trucks are called but if I see a monster like that I stay well clear, I hang back, that driver came across CHILDREN on the same road as him and bullied them out of the way. Good work for phoning the company, you did the right thing, don't let them think they can get away with this shit.

I have a lot of sympathy for how you feel Adroit. No bad driving is as depressing and despair-inducing as the bad driving you see around groups of small children. Though you seem to have had more, and worse, examples in a week than I have had in a year or two.
I try to remember the driving, the majority of driving, that is courteous, patient and safe, the smiles and the thumbs up that drivers give and the passers by who stop to say what a good thing it is that we are doing. And the enjoyment and benefit the children get from it.
But I know how you feel.

Ah Reading. Have a sleep and think on it before you do anything too rash, hopefully the cunt will be out of a job shortly.

yeah, we had a lot of nice people today, as every day. And the kids got lots of pleasure (and learned as much as in a week of classroom stuff) from being waved at and waving back at all the happy friendly drivers who showed great respect patience and courtesy. That is mostly why I have been doing this.

One other thing happened.
When I got back to school there was a complaint from a driver, she had been stuck behind us. She had gone to the school and made a complaint, because we were blocking her road. The head teacher was pretty supportive, but nonetheless we had to justify our very presence on the road because of one silly old fool. Who was upset at being delayed, but had time to go to the school and report it.

Fucksake... If you're not capable of appreciating kids getting some basic cycle training, what good are you? ~~People like that should be ~~ What a cunt!

she should be named and shamed in a newspaper with a photo of a child on a bike looking sad.

I'll have a word with my mum next weekend.

Don't worry, I'll see her before then.

Cheers Dad.

Adroit, you're doing a service for the future generation of cyclists and drivers, Reading may be lacking behind when it come to cycling but with people like you, it's possible to see peaceful co-existence in 10 years time.

So she was moaning about being held up slightly by kids learning to ride but had time to go out of her way to the school and complain about it. I wonder what took longer, stupid woman. Adroit what you're doing is really helpful, I still remember what my cycle trainers taught me at school close to 20 years ago.

There are arseholes in the world. You're not one of them. And you're the one teaching kids how to behave on the roads. That sounds - to me - like you're having a positive impact. Good work and keep at it.

re. a taxi driver who sees people on bicycles as “twats, getting in the way”

Given that a taxi driver earns money transporting people from A to B dependent on duration, it’s always seems odd to me when taxi drivers express (what seems to be genuine) frustration and annoyance by things being in their path that seem (to them) to increase their journey time, hence that would earn them more money!

(attitude logged with Road Safe)

it’s always seems odd to me when taxi drivers express (what seems to be genuine) frustration and annoyance by things being in their path that seem (to them) to increase their journey time, hence that would earn them more money!

Not really, fare base on distance, not time.

based on both. the meter still ticks in traffic but at a much slower rate.

^ not quite right

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/taxisandminicabs/taxis/taxifares/4870.aspx

The meter automatically adds a charge based on time for any part of the journey when the speed drops below 10.4mph. Other extras may be included in the final fare.

You're right, just read it up on TfL;

The table shows typical fares and journey times based on distance for three types of tariff. Fares and journey times may be higher if there are delays or heavy traffic