Courteous Cagers!

Originally Posted by petevtwin650

Very rarely have a problem with other road users, but then I don't commute on a bike so that will make a huge difference. Always try and acknowledge their courtesy with a wave, and ignore the less observant ones.

Yep ........ sounds good ......... but when you're commuting for every good one (that gets a wave) ....... you get 2 bads ones that will be either ...

1. A van thats got no interest in anything behind him, or
2. A dosey women who can't be bothered to move over ....

Nothing you can do though ....... no point letting the stress kill you !!

Always - ALWAYS wave or acknowledge, because if you don't they are more inclined to not bother next time!

[Nobbylad]

I commute around 90 miles per day across a number of different M-ways (M58, M6, M62, M602) and city centre Manchester. The majority of drivers do pull over in advance, some need a blip on the throttle to realise you're approaching, but mainly they move over. I've never had anyone deliberately move to block me, however I didn't get taken off in Feb by someone not looking when turning right across my lane (I wasn't filtering then though).

Most people are reasonable, however I've had some bikes come tear ar5ing up behind me when filtering, shoot off once I've pulled over to let them through and then seen them clipping mirrors and motioning as if to kick doors as they go past people who genuinely have no expectation that someone would be in the space (due to the high speed of the bike).

Oh...and I always make a point of waving if someone moves over even slightly.

Originally Posted by Nobbylad

I've never had anyone deliberately move to block me,

Seriously ??

*shocked*

You're not in London then ??

Where do you find these people can i hire them?

that or i just attract prats it would seem.

Sometimes it does seem like somebody has sprinkled some “magic courtesy” dust over all the cage drivers and everyone moves over, ive even had some people who not only move over but signal as they do it. It’s those ones that make me the most paranoid about an emergency vehicle coming up from behind but so far there hasn’t been one.

I had one this morning that annoyed me quite a bit and I was very close to putting my boot into her car. I was filtering past stationary traffic at 10-15mph, coming to the roundabout where the traffic was queuing back from, before you get to the roundabout there is a pedestrian crossing with zig zag lines, so naturally knowing the highway code I stopped filtering before these began, moving back slightly to the left into the gap between the two cars.

When the traffic moved forward I moved forward as well stopping just before the part of the road designated for the pedestrians to cross, as your meant to. However the woman in the car behind me decided that it would be a good idea for her undertake me and block the crossing off.

After realising what she was trying to do (I initially thought she was going to run into the back of me), I am ashamed to admit that I zipped past her revving the bike a bit more than necessary and firmly planted myself in front of her again but this time making sure there was no room for her to slip by.

I also have problems with car drivers trying to do this to me when I stop to let pedestrians cross in front of me or let other vehicles out. Bearing in mind that I only do this when safe to do so and also when I am already moving slowly or have already stopped I think it is rather ignorant of them.

Originally Posted by krhall

Always - ALWAYS wave or acknowledge, because if you don't they are more inclined to not bother next time!

Totally agree! show them you acknowledge them doing something. And ye most are good and move over but the others always seem to just become a pain. But the good out-weigh the bad which is what matters

Originally Posted by TheOnlyNemesis

Where do you find these people can i hire them?

that or i just attract prats it would seem.

I going to put the cat amongst the pigeons and say some of it is down to youth and/or inexperience.

I ride quite often with other people and some riders get so stressed out with other road users not realising that they can be partly if not wholly to blame.

Also, as I said I don't commute on a bike. Sometimes we can be late, or have had a bad day and are not giving a 100% to driving or riding, or are feeling anger which can make for aggressive motoring. But when I'm on a bike, it's because I want to be and am enjoying it, therefore hopefully, I ride more courteously and am prepared to accept some transgressions without feeling anger.

[dyzio]

Originally Posted by Nobbylad

I've never had anyone deliberately move to block me,

I didn't have any of that for 3 years of commuting until a few weeks back, but some other driver made room for me, I went on and the **** was still stuck in traffic

Originally Posted by krhall

Always - ALWAYS wave or acknowledge, because if you don't they are more inclined to not bother next time!

Not always, but I tend do thank drivers whenever possible, i.e. I prefer to keep both hands on the bars when filtering in heavy traffic. If I feel safe to do so, I'll give them a wave or something.

A friend of mine had a run in with a white van a while back. Travelling through Glasgow city centre, filtering as you do, the van moved over to block the space he was about to filter through. So he moved to the other side of the van to filter through on his other side. Van moves to block again. At this time he can see the white van man laughing away to himself in the mirror!

A street or two down the road, my mate eventually gets by him at a set of traffic lights and opens his passenger door wide open as he passes! No damage done, no violence, just a dumnstrack WVM scrabbling accross to the other side of his van to close his door as folk grow impatient with the van blocking the lane at a set of now green trafic lights...