GraemeL wrote:InTheWoods wrote:Jimboss, time to get a camera? That way you don't need to bang on the window, you just report them and it feels much better ... and is probably a lot more effective in improving their behaviour in future.
The 808 type are good enough and about $36.
+1
I don't go anywhere, either by car or bike without my cameras. The Jumbo's are used on the bikes and the GoPro in the car. These Jumbos and the 808's are cheap to buy, give very good results and will allow the police to see exactly what took place.
Graeme
I'm with you guys - generally speaking I'm a pretty relaxed person, but on the roads the adrenaline plus heat of the moment gets the better of me. I'm not saying that to justify myself - I'm moreso saying it because it's something about my character that I don't like.
I checked out cameras a month or two ago and couldn't find something discrete enough. I don't even like having a big light on my bars (having said that, I still have a big light on my handlebars!).
I just googled Jumbo 808 and they look like you could mount on a helmet very neatly and discretely. Gonna buy one and try it out. For that kind of money I'd be silly not to.
Thanks guys. I'd much prefer to be able to ride off knowing that I'm actually able to do something about it. Something that's always troubled me about the 'getting mad' thing is that it I don't think it achieves very much much.
One thing - there seem to be a few variations (or at least different prices charged) of the Jumbo 808. Can anyone point me to a known good version?
human909 wrote:I thought the more sensible answer was to claim the lane earlier. If the bike lane is ending then unfortunately it is usually up to you to merge appropriately.
Consider it from the motorist's point of view. I was driving along in my own lane when a cyclist merged into my lane next to me without even looking. He then had the nerve to bang like a lunatic on my window and insist it was my fault. I did nothing wrong, I was travelling at a constant speed in the centre of my lane.
(I'm not defending the motorist for a close shave. A good road user would have seen an up coming conflict and ensured that it did not occur, this applies equally to cyclists and motorists. The description given earlier suggests the rider did not check for oncoming traffic nor take action to ensure no conflict.)
While I didn't go into great detail in my previous post, for your sake, I'll explain further.
I was riding along in the bike lane, enjoying myself merrily. I'd just enjoyed a great climb on a car-less route, and was delving into the nether regions of a main road with a bicycle lane.
I came across a perilous point, where the bike lane disappearred into the abyss with smoke breathing dragons zipping about. "Never fear", your brave author exclaimed, checked over his shoulder to ensure no dragons were near, and bravely entered the nether realm of dragons and bandicoots. As your author is particularly brave, he had no qualms asserting his dominance on his new found territory by claiming the lane.
After a what seemed like an eternity, a dragon slid through your authors lane, it's tail almost collecting the edge of his handlebar.
Seriously though...
- It wasn't a "There's plenty of room I'll squeeze on past", more of a "I'm going to go around you and then come back in real tight"
- The lane was claimed
- I checked over my shoulder more than once
- There is a watch for bicycles sign
- I'm a seasoned, confident and assertive commuter and cyclist
The first point suggests that the second, third, fourth and fifth points really have no impact on whether I could have avoided the situation. The driver's actions and demeanor afterwards suggested to me that they were well aware of me being there, but were too proud to simply say sorry.