Close call

Hi all, I had to pop out to Kingston today and took my dad's bike (VFR 800) because it needed a run and he's not around at the moment. Anyway, I've literally never had so many people walk out in front of me in such a short space of time.

I ride up to central London and back quite a lot, and have done since I was 16 (I'm 24 this year) so I think I'm reasonably alert when it comes to filtering and the like. But today really shook me up.

First off I turn right out of my road and accelerate up to 30mph when two kids just step out in front of me, not too close but near enough for me to have to react, so I sound the horn and hit the brakes and one runs across while the other stops and starts moving back to the side of the road she came from. So I'm already thinking "wow, I must be invisible today".

The worst was the second one, not 30 seconds after the first. I turn right off a mini roundabout and there's a long stretch with a school on the left and about 4 pelican crossings spread out evenly. This is pretty ridiculous in itself because the whole stretch of road essentially becomes a free for all. School is out for the day and there are kids everywhere so I'm all eyes and ears. The lights on the second crossing turn red and I pull out to filter round the cars. I'm on the zigzags towards the crossing now doing all of about 8-10 mph, with a scooter behind me, when a woman walks out not three feet in front of me. There are railings either side of the crossing along the side of the road to stop peds wandering out and I was two or three cars from the front. I'm aware that it's not legal to filter past the first car at the lights so I don't do this when I think it's unsafe, and in this case, I had decided it was. I don't know how she got to where she was unless she jumped the railings or something. I blasted the horn and hit the brakes but she was so close if she'd carried on I think I would have hit her. She hadn't even looked and I'm just so glad I was so quick on the horn.

I'm sorry for the long post but it really shook me up and I keep replaying it over and over thinking about how it could have been so much worse. Obviously after this I was riding like granny being so shaken up, and then in Kingston two more people walk out. Unbelievable. On my TL nobody ever seems to wander into my path, I think I may have got used to my bike being louder than my dads.

Anyway, thanks for reading, any advice or comments or anything will be appreciated.

Take the bus next time, sounds like you are very precious...

[Luckypants]

Originally Posted by jonnyb

On my TL nobody ever seems to wander into my path, I think I may have got used to my bike being louder than my dads.

There's the answer, Soulkiss christened my VFR whispering death... they are very quiet! Staintunes are the answer.

Haha, whispering death, I like that. I've been pestering to get some pipes for ages. I bet the vtec sounds epic. I'll just have to do it for him while he's away!

Precious? I wouldn't say so. I'd just never hear the end of it if I binned his bike. And I would get the bus, but its cheaper to run a TL these days!

Originally Posted by jonnyb

I'm on the zigzags towards the crossing now doing all of about 8-10 mph,

Anyway, thanks for reading, any advice or comments or anything will be appreciated.

Well, I'm not sure you'll like this one, but here goes, by my understanding it's illegal to overtake/pass anything whilst you're in the zig zags, so I'm pleased you didn't hit her !

I always thought it was just the car nearest the crossing that you weren't supposed to pass?

Originally Posted by jonnyb

Precious? I wouldn't say so. I'd just never hear the end of it if I binned his bike. And I would get the bus, but its cheaper to run a TL these days!

I was only joking, you should have just run them all over.

Originally Posted by Teejayexc

Well, I'm not sure you'll like this one, but here goes, by my understanding it's illegal to overtake/pass anything whilst you're in the zig zags, so I'm pleased you didn't hit her !

As far as i know you can overtake all except the first vehicle...


I had a dozy woman walk out infront of me on a crossing today, the lights were still green for me so I gave her the horn (Nautilus under the left top fairing) she shrieked and jumped back onto the pavement

The thing is, my exhaust is not exactly "whispering death" some of my biker mates call my bike "Thumper"

I was/am of the opinion that it illegal to overtake on the zigzags, so yeah good job you didn't hit her.

Highway code Rule 191

You MUST NOT park on a crossing or in the area covered by the zig-zag lines. You MUST NOT overtake the moving vehicle nearest the crossing or the vehicle nearest the crossing which has stopped to give way to pedestrians.

He would have been fine legally so long as he stopped behind the first vehicle, but still better not to hit the pedestrian as that would probably have had him off the bike, which is never good.