roadrage

ben bedlam

Hi,
Ive recently started cyling and enjoy it, until something that happened today. I was cycling a kinda 10 mile loop near my home. About a mile from home, cars were passing me out as they do, but this one car zoomed past with a guy of about 25 sticking his head out the passenger door screaming "Get the f#&k of the road!" agressively. I know it must happen occasionally, but it kinda upset me. My question is, what kind of rage have other cyclists encountered from drivers and what, if anything should you do?

petethedrummer

ben bedlam wrote: »

what, if anything should you do?

1. Smile, grab your crotch and make humping gestures.
2. Ash him to repeat himself and then ask again, and again, and again.
3. Take the lid off your bottle and drop it on to the passenger seat.

unionman

ben bedlam wrote: »

Hi,
Ive recently started cyling and enjoy it, until something that happened today. I was cycling a kinda 10 mile loop near my home. About a mile from home, cars were passing me out as they do, but this one car zoomed past with a guy of about 25 sticking his head out the passenger door screaming "Get the f#&k of the road!" agressively. I know it must happen occasionally, but it kinda upset me. My question is, what kind of rage have other cyclists encountered from drivers and what, if anything should you do?

Every cyclist has one of those stories, if not one for every year they've been cycling regularly. It's rude, unpleasant and can rattle your cage, but those experiences are reasonably rare.

Don't let it put you off.

*edit*But if a motorist is barking up your rear end, be sure to tell him that rear-ending comes at a cost...dinner and a movie minimum. For maximum effect, say this in front of passenger seated partner/wife.

I had a moment of white rage last week. A minibus, having patiently snaked its way down John's Road because of the number of taxis parked in the bus lane, finally lost its cool with me and started beeping as I hung out of the lane to avoid being doored by taxis in the rank at Heuston (I do this every day with zero complaint from drivers). Having pulled alongside I enquired what the beeping was about, driver lectured me on road etiquette for all of, I dunno, 3.5 seconds, I flew into a cursing, spitting rage so full of expletives a docker would have covered his blushing ears. Then I proceeded to cycle in front of the mini-bus all the way down the quays. I felt like a tit by the time I got to work.

Doesn't matter how right you are, road rage always lets the side down.

jlang

ben bedlam wrote: »

what, if anything should you do?

Post about it on boards. Seriously. You'll get it off your chest and far less likely to lead to physical violence than doing anything on the spot. You may also spark a thread that leads to others sharing their experiences which may be funnier, more violent or just more interesting than your own. Or, more likely, this forum being what it is, you could have someone telling you your shoes were the wrong colour and giving you a picture of some cake.

joker77

I was cycling up through Rathmines yesterday on my way into work, a car coming in the opposite direction did a right turn in front of my. They barely had enough room, had to break.

Then, from the left, a car merged onto the main road. I braked hard, and missed hitting her by a metre or so. She drove off, needless to say.

She was then stopped at the lights, I was slowing - she was rolling down her window - I was expecting an apology, but what I got was "You don't own the road you know!"

I told her I had right of way, and she was coming out onto a main road, it meant NOTHING to her.

Chips Lovell

+1 on crotch grabbing. It always works.

Chips Lovell

joker77 wrote: »

I told her I had right of way, and she was coming out onto a main road, it meant NOTHING to her.

You'd be surprised at the amount of motorists who assume that the rules of the road don't apply to cyclists. Almost as many as the number of cyclists who don't think the rules of the road apply to them.

lukester

I've yet to encounter actual verbal abuse or have stuff thrown at me. I have had a taxi driver gesticulate at me, and try to block my way in the cycle lane by opening his passenger door as I approached.

I did consider afterwards how easily could I have escaped if I cracked my Kryptonite Mini Evolution on his roof, or through his window. I realised I probably wouldn't have escaped as I don't have the skillz to bunnyhop kerbs on a fixed gear.

Thankfully that's as violent as I get, speculatively, in my head, and after the fact.

Chips Lovell

lukester wrote: »

I have had a taxi driver gesticulate at me, and try to block my way in the cycle lane by opening his passenger door as I approached.

I would have reported him to the cops straightaway. That's incredibly dangerous behaviour.

lukester

el tonto wrote: »

I would have reported him to the cops straightaway. That's incredibly dangerous behaviour.

I should have clarified, I was slowing to a stop and he opened the door about 4 car lengths ahead of me.

It was never really dangerous, he was just making sure I couldn't pass. At first I thought a passenger was getting out, then saw he was reaching over and holding the door open. Could have reported him, but in that moment I was too busy trying to figure out how to get around him and grab my crotch in his general direction.

blorg

ben bedlam wrote: »

this one car zoomed past with a guy of about 25 sticking his head out the passenger door screaming "Get the f#&k of the road!" agressively.

That exact one is quite common, you are lucky he was just yelling at you and not throwing something at you or trying to knock you off by giving you a shove or opening the door at you.

07Lapierre

ben bedlam wrote: »

Hi,
Ive recently started cyling and enjoy it, until something that happened today. I was cycling a kinda 10 mile loop near my home. About a mile from home, cars were passing me out as they do, but this one car zoomed past with a guy of about 25 sticking his head out the passenger door screaming "Get the f#&k of the road!" agressively. I know it must happen occasionally, but it kinda upset me. My question is, what kind of rage have other cyclists encountered from drivers and what, if anything should you do?

Similar incident happened to me. Only the moron in the car didn't realize there was a queue of traffic just up the road. So when I caught up with him, the passenger window was still open. So I empties a full water bottle into the passenger window and cycled off laughing .... revenge is sweet

Raam

We got screamed at last night at our race finish by some aul bint in a jeep. Red-faced, she was. We were all still high from the effort so it didn't bother anyone.

blorg

07Lapierre wrote: »

Similar incident happened to me. Only the moron in the car didn't realize there was a queue of traffic just up the road. So when I caught up with him, the passenger window was still open. So I empties a full water bottle into the passenger window and cycled off laughing .... revenge is sweet

I heard a similar tale recounted once except the cyclist only realised after that he had emptied his energy drink :pac:

07Lapierre

blorg wrote: »

I heard a similar tale recounted once except the cyclist only realised after that he had emptied his energy drink :pac:

My bottle had plain old water in it. Would have much preferred to pour something like coke/fanta. the stickier the better.

DePurpereWolf

I've never had anyone shouting to me until moving to this country. It's always the stupid looking boy-racer type that speeds off really quickly.

My retort is always: "where is your red L sticker."

But I have to say, I've taken to this yelling on the road, it works well (not).
Since then, I've been yelling at cars: "use your blinker" and "skimmer!"
They don't hear it, and it's no use, but it makes me feel better.

No, the best thing is to not let it bother you. I mean really, yelling out of a car? What kid does that.

Reminds me of when I was running and this old guy in a car almost hit me. He yelled at me 'get off the ff-in road' with a tomato face, I didn't turn around until the third sentence when I pointed out to him the STOP sign he totally ignored. That really got him angry and I was afraid he was going to have a heart attack. I showed him my back while he uttered another 5 sentences of pure Corkonian poetry.

Raam

I've gotten to the stage where I just ignore anyone trying to give me grief

Blowfish

unionman wrote: »

I had a moment of white rage last week. A minibus, having patiently snaked its way down John's Road because of the number of taxis parked in the bus lane, finally lost its cool with me and started beeping as I hung out of the lane to avoid being doored by taxis in the rank at Heuston (I do this every day with zero complaint from drivers). Having pulled alongside I enquired what the beeping was about, driver lectured me on road etiquette for all of, I dunno, 3.5 seconds, I flew into a cursing, spitting rage so full of expletives a docker would have covered his blushing ears. Then I proceeded to cycle in front of the mini-bus all the way down the quays. I felt like a tit by the time I got to work.

I had similar today, but I took the opposite approach. It was someone in a white focus beeping behind me, so I just turned around, smiled sweetly, shrugged my shoulders and kept going.

They didn't seem to like that and ended up leaning on their horn, but meh.

Idleater

I wave at anyone that bips at me now. It seems to confuse them no end, because they are all "agressive" and thinking how I shouldn't be there, and I wave back like I know them and am saying Hi.

Mind you, I had an erm, chat, with a lovely driver from dublin bus to whom I politely informed her that she would get her and her passengers safely to their destination _on_time_ by not driving over me and causing an accident.

My new policy is to be extremely civil to them. I'd say it'll last about a week.

* edit : similar to Blowfish *

I wonder is there any guards that post on here? I've always wondered what it would be like to listen to one of these muppets explain their version of the rules of the road and then be able to produce a Garda badge. I'd say the look on their bloated, cyanotic, hypertensive faces would be priceless!

blorg

I too just wave whenever anyone beeps or whatever. It either subdues them or really pisses them off. Either way it's a win win.

@JamesL85- there are gardaí on this forum, cycling ones at that... Taxi drivers too, we have all sorts :pac:

Idleater

blorg wrote: »

It either subdues them or really pisses them off. Either way it's a win win.

That it is, and what makes it a win win win, is the fact that you can wave again as you go past them at the next queue of traffic, just in case they didn't believe their eyes the first time.

thebouldwhacker

christeb

Never thought of the waving routine, I'll introduce it into my repertoire immediately :pac:

BeerNut

I'm more a kiss-blower than a waver or crotch-grabber.

Beasty

I had someone hanging out of the passenger window gave me a shove from behind a few months back. I think the woman in the next car behind was more shocked than me! Fortunately I managed to keep my balance - another reason to give yourself space on the road - if I had been any further in I would have been pushed into the hedge.

ednwireland

whats a queue of traffic ? i thought you only had them after funerals or at school kicking out time (for about 5 mins)

Raam

ednwireland wrote: »

whats a queue of traffic ? i thought you only had them after funerals or at school kicking out time (for about 5 mins)

it's where people go to sit in a metal box for a few hours a day and listen to the radio. Don't understand it meself.

eggie

middle finger. If he stops get off the bike and kick lumps out of him.

Harrybelafonte

This is an everyday thing whether you're a driver or a cyclist. 3 times I was hinked at in the car today. Honker was in the wrong every time. It's always worse on a bike though.

Smile like an idiot and wave either way. Sometimes sends them over the edge.

Notice there's a pattern with the red faces

blorg

eggie wrote: »

middle finger. If he stops get off the bike and kick lumps out of him.

Yeah, because cyclists are pretty good in a fight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwKaeWkYbqk

72hundred

BeerNut wrote: »

I'm more a kiss-blower than a waver or crotch-grabber.

Pretty partial to that one too myself.

DePurpereWolf

Beasty wrote: »

I had someone hanging out of the passenger window gave me a shove from behind a few months back. I think the woman in the next car behind was more shocked than me! Fortunately I managed to keep my balance - another reason to give yourself space on the road - if I had been any further in I would have been pushed into the hedge.

And that's when something that starts innocent ends up to be life threatening.

Being honked at in the car is not the same as being honked at on the bike. It doesn't take much roadrage for a car driver to send a bicyclist to the hospital.

All these boy racers have too much power in too little time, there are hardly any cops around so they can do what they want. They have the intelligence of a muffler. It starts out with yelling at bicyclists and the next thing is they give someone a shove for a laugh and the guy falls over and the car behind can't brake in time.

Stupidity just pisses me off so much.

Heading up edmondstown/cruagh road last night, at the bottom some eejit in a bmw had his or her bonnet a metre ahead of me, and was indicating to go left. Had to scream at them and brake sharply to avoid being hit when they cut across me. Have no idea what they were thinking though, there's no way they couldn't have seen me.

Jawgap

I tend to smile and wave and then pray for them to be stopped around the next bend so I can empty my drinks bottle through their sun roof!

I also think fondly of the future and how some years from now they are likely to be sitting in a doctor's surgery being lectured for being obese and told they need to take exercise......at which point they go buy a bike, then one day while cycling down the road........

I used to react badly to shouts, abuse and being cut off dangerously, but having taken out 3 wing mirrors I decided cycling angry wasnt much fun:)

thebouldwhacker

Jawgap wrote: »

but having taken out 3 wing mirrors I decided cycling angry wasnt much fun:)

I hope you got your boards jersey personalised.... not gonna piss you off..

blorg

Dónal wrote: »

Heading up edmondstown/cruagh road last night, at the bottom some eejit in a bmw had his or her bonnet a metre ahead of me, and was indicating to go left. Had to scream at them and brake sharply to avoid being hit when they cut across me. Have no idea what they were thinking though, there's no way they couldn't have seen me.

Some drivers just sort of mentally blank cyclists, they can see you all right but for whatever reason they just behave as you weren't there. Probably expect you to stop as "cars have right of way over bikes."

Jawgap

thebouldwhacker wrote: »

I hope you got your boards jersey personalised.... not gonna piss you off..

Nah.....I've given all that up now - I just smile and wave



.....it'll get me into less trouble than cracking wing mirrors - plus, the road bike doesn't have the necessary equipment to efficiently crack a wing mirror (bar ends!)

Trojan

I have a 1st Class Honours from the Dublin School of Aggressive Defensive Assertive Cycling. I regularly get beeped at from drivers who don't like my occasionally assertive road positioning. I usually can't hear it since I've got my ipod on full, so it works itself out

And yesterday I think I got a friendly beep for my boards jersey! That was cool. One of the first times I've worn it around town.

tomasrojo

blorg wrote: »

Some drivers just sort of mentally blank cyclists, they can see you all right but for whatever reason they just behave as you weren't there. Probably expect you to stop as "cars have right of way over bikes."

It seems that they can have you clearly in sight, have their head facing you, and still not be aware of you, due to motion camouflage. You just don't register because of your smooth, linear approach. Motorcyclists have it worse, I imagine, because they don't even have the leg motion that cyclists have to break the camouflage.

http://www.fireblades.org/forums/general-discussion/37778-motion-camouflage.html

Some kind of slight waving of one hand while wearing bright gloves/cuffs breaks this motion camouflage, I find. I usually pretend to scratch my face or something like that so it doesn't look as if I'm upbraiding them. Some people are very sensitive.

eightyfish

Beasty wrote: »

I had someone hanging out of the passenger window gave me a shove from behind a few months back.

Traffic Watch (Garda Hotline)
1890 205 805

Stick it in yer phone, will be useful one day.

Rob_l

The worst Experience I ever had like the op's was last year as I was beginging to enjoy the cycling and I was coming over templeogue bridge and a car behind driving very aggressive considering that there were cars stopped at lights not 50 metres in front as they pass they shout at me then as i pass when they stop the backseat passenger tries to get out and grab me, i sailed by them and the three cars in front.

So im sitting thinking them crazy idiots, and waiting for the lights to come green for me to turn and as they do this cars spins out around the three cars tries to clip me, I swerve into the oncoming lane and they fly off.

I stopped on the pavement and not one of the car drivers got out or stopped to say anything though they must have seen the last bit and I was too busy just trying to avoid the car and never got the license plate, although im guessing it had to be a joy riding bunch of muppets anyway.


But since nothing major at all, well nothing I wasn't at least partly responsible for:D

72hundred

Lovely incident with a taxi in city centre today. I was turning left and so too was the taxi and we were parallel, but for some reason the taxi cut into the cycle lane sending me flying towards the curb. Had to call out to not get squashed, which was promptly responded to by the taxi trying to clip me and then braking heavily and pulling in left. I was not impressed and communicated said emotion to the driver :cool:.

Roddy23

Get the occasional beeps. Used to lose the head, and start roaring abuse back, but it gets you nowhere. Now i just give them the thumbs up, and keep cycling. Works wonders, big red heads, just get redder, so I'm happy.

A few weeks ago, was a different story. Was cycling up from the KCR, and was turning left onto WhiteHall Road, a white Ford Focus was also turning left, and I don't know if they didn't see me, or if they did, but they turned right on top of me. I let a shout so they could see me. They stopped a short bit up, so I continued on cycling, when I got to the car, I asked them were they blind or what. Little fooker in the front seat, starts shouting away. It was only then that I realised there were four of them in the car, so I started to cycle off. So the car catches up with me, and a full bottle of Orange comes out of the back seat, and they drive off. Partially got the reg of the car, and rang the Gardai but there wasn't much they could do, as I only got the year and county. D'oh.

72hundred

Roddy23 wrote: »

Get the occasional beeps. Used to lose the head, and start roaring abuse back, but it gets you nowhere. Now i just give them the thumbs up, and keep cycling. Works wonders, big red heads, just get redder, so I'm happy.

A few weeks ago, was a different story. Was cycling up from the KCR, and was turning left onto WhiteHall Road, a white Ford Focus was also turning left, and I don't know if they didn't see me, or if they did, but they turned right on top of me. I let a shout so they could see me. They stopped a short bit up, so I continued on cycling, when I got to the car, I asked them were they blind or what. Little fooker in the front seat, starts shouting away. It was only then that I realised there were four of them in the car, so I started to cycle off. So the car catches up with me, and a full bottle of Orange comes out of the back seat, and they drive off. Partially got the reg of the car, and rang the Gardai but there wasn't much they could do, as I only got the year and county. D'oh.

You'd think there would be a database where you could narrow down the owner if you knew the make&model&year&county.

tomasrojo

72hundred wrote: »

Lovely incident with a taxi in city centre today. I was turning left and so too was the taxi and we were parallel, but for some reason the taxi cut into the cycle lane sending me flying towards the curb. Had to call out to not get squashed, which was promptly responded to by the taxi trying to clip me and then braking heavily and pulling in left. I was not impressed and communicated said emotion to the driver :cool:.

That sums up to me what is wrong with cycle lanes (in whatever country they've been tried). They place you consistently on the inside of turning traffic. If at all possible, it's best to merge with traffic as you approach any junction so you don't end up side-to-side with anyone. With taxis, I find it's best to merge BEHIND them, as some of them are rather irascible. ;-)

jamsieboy86

I was cycling from Carlow to Castledermot last night en route to Athy. A guy in a white peugeot van was going very slowly behind me, nearly hits me with his mirror passing me.

I gestured with my hand for him to move over, the road is very wide, he could've easily done it. He started beeping at me and the passenger stuck up his finger.

As he went by me I realised he was towing a car behind him, the driver of the car also started beeping and sticking up his finger, he almost hit me as he pulled into the lay-by.

They then slowed down in front of me whilst half in the lay-by half on the road, blocking me. The driver of the car kept turning around shaking his fist at me. They speed up a bit and drove off.

What complete morons, its dangerous enough towing a car without slowing down to attempt to intimidate cyclists. I was so angry I forgot to get their reg numbers. I'm still angry now.

petethedrummer

jamsieboy86 wrote: »

I was so angry I forgot to get their reg numbers. I'm still angry now.

Camera phone in back pocket.

Jawgap

jamsieboy86 wrote: »

I was cycling from Carlow to Castledermot last night en route to Athy. A guy in a white peugeot van was going very slowly behind me, nearly hits me with his mirror passing me.

I gestured with my hand for him to move over, the road is very wide, he could've easily done it. He started beeping at me and the passenger stuck up his finger.

As he went by me I realised he was towing a car behind him, the driver of the car also started beeping and sticking up his finger, he almost hit me as he pulled into the lay-by.

They then slowed down in front of me whilst half in the lay-by half on the road, blocking me. The driver of the car kept turning around shaking his fist at me. They speed up a bit and drove off.

What complete morons, its dangerous enough towing a car without slowing down to attempt to intimidate cyclists. I was so angry I forgot to get their reg numbers. I'm still angry now.

That's pretty mad, but try and see it from there perspective!!:)

Laddo's car broke down - he had to send for tick and tock in the van to get a tow (probably back from Dublin) - that was their evening screwed.

If the car had to be towed, then today he's probably having to shell out serious money to have it fixed - that'll eat into his "entertainment budget" for the next few weeks!

And while he is sitting at the wheel of his sick car, thinking about how much it will cost him, and his mates are having to go give up an evening to go get him and tow him home - there's you out enjoying the lovely evening with not a care in the world!!!!

No wonder they were pissed off!

eightyfish

Coming down Kevin St to the Coombe, white van pulls out of St Patrick's close very quickly, slides through the yellow box and into cycle lane. Had to break suddenly. Driver noticed me so close I could have been in the passenger seat and looked shocked. Very apologetic.

As we continued down into the Coombe he must have waved and smiled and short-beeped in apology about eight times.

Refreshing.

KTRIC

BeerNut wrote: »

I'm more a kiss-blower than a waver or crotch-grabber.

I did this to a right hard ass with his two teenage sons at a gas station a couple of years ago.

I blew him a kiss and winked at him, then I told him "don't get upset loverboy"

He f*cking lost it, I just drove off laughing. He couldn't do anything about it.:D