VIDEO: Karma as van driver screaming abuse hits car in front

Calm down everyone, this is clearly another spoof. "LOOK HOW CLOSE HE WAS!!!!!!"

The driver clearly moves over to block the cyclist from filtering down the centre. The filtering was obviously annoying the driver for some reason as it was the first thing he said when he got out of the car.

Ok. You've seen through me. I'm a thug. Here's a video of the preceeding few minutes that proves it. I slam a van door, I scare a pedestrian and... I'm sorry about this.... I might even sing a bit. https://youtu.be/9yTIgT8MP44

Quote:

Frequent users of the road (e.g. Magnatom) know, and expect traffic on the outside to start looking to move in exactly at this point.

Which would be all well and good if the van hadn't been in the left lane 30 seconds prior to the incedent and was indeed overtaking the cyclist.
Car drivers are also very good at "making mistakes" then expecting to be let in at the head of the line. You see it on a daily basis on the M61 to M60 junction.

Another problem we have is that it's difficult to work out how close the van actually was a the video is misleading.
#DivideAndConquer

never met either of the main protagonists, so I can't judge their characters or routes to work. The van does swerve in a bit, and in my personal experience seeing that happen can make the heart flutter a bit, and our experience of viewers is going to be different because we know it doesn't actually hit, and even if did, we're not the ones getting knocked off. So I'm reluctant to say the cyclist overreacted, but even if he did, he's not the one that crashed into someone else whilst shouting abuse and not looking where they're going

and that's the dividing line really. It's not an offence to be an idiot, but crashing your vehicle because you're not looking where you're going, I'm pretty sure that is. Was the cyclist "distracting" the driver? Maybe, but that's for the driver to manage ...

1. There is a completely tarmaced route via Balmore Rd, Summerston, Maryhill, Kelvindale and Broomhill, lots of it on suburban streets, very few traffic lights or major junctions. From your point of view I can see two drawbacks. Firstly it's about 5 minutes longer. Secondly it's much quieter and so not so many opportunities for martyrdom.

2. Conflating PoP with your videos is a pretty hamfisted strawman argument. The context of my point, and which I'll make clear now, is 'what do you think you are achieving by posting your countless videos on the internet?'.

I have to admit your rationale that you video and post these things up to learn "an awful lot about myself and other road users" as a bit odd. I already know that other road users are often maniacs. I've come to this conclusion without the aid of a video camera. As for learning something about yourself, well...

I genuinely believe you're further embittering already dangerous drivers who will mistake someone else for you and knock them off. Mind you just as long as you've learned something about yourself in the process, eh? Not so fortunate for the other cyclist mind you (or you and your family if you're the one knocked off).

As for what have I achieved? I get out on my bike and I do it without making legions of dangerous enemies for cyclists. Can you say the same?

3. Regardless of what the actual article said the headline was 'Indignant Cyclist...', the comments (and therefore content) was vehemently anti-cycling and that just fed into it's already anti-cycling narrative through several op-ed pieces and 'news' stories (and attendant readers comments) going back years. The Daily Mail is no friend of cyclists. Surely you can not be blind to this.

4. You can't credit knuckleheads behind the wheel of a car with the intelligence to learn lessons. They won't. They'll just get pissed off and be more likely to take it out on someone else because they have been humiliated and want revenge. But you know what, I don't think you care. That is chilling.

As for your follow up question. No I don't think it makes you a lout. Sorry, your point is?

When it comes to the principle of using a camera and handing it to the rozzers, I'm certainly in favour of this but that's not the issue.

My problem is you seeking these confrontations out and posting scores of them on the internet in this self serving, pompous, pious manner as if you're doing cyclists a favour. It's not, it's potentially counter productive and does none of us any favours.

1. So your 'better route' (please share it with me if you can) would require me to use Balmore Road. That is the road that I have the most problems on. My route actually on most mornings avoids Balmore Road completely, I go up via Baldernock.

2. Not at all. POP came directly from my videos. By producing my videos over the years I learned a lot. I thought about them and cycling a lot, and I came to realise what I thought was needed to make the roads safer. I was pleasantly surprised that many people agreed. I also have quite a few videos which are a comment on issues, such as pavement cycling, red light jumping, road culture etc. Go on, have a look, there are quite a few.
As for me encouraging drivers to knock people off....ahem, if you say so. In fact I've had plenty of comments in the past from drivers and cyclists alike thanking me for my videos and saying they now realise what it can be like to be a cyclist.
Your achievement is....that you ride your bike. That's great, but won't get my children cycling, or the masses of people who currently won't cycle. Sure you don't think what I do will help (do you think POP helps?), but I and many others do.

3. I am fully aware of how the media works and I am fully aware that if you use media sometimes it works for you, sometimes against. Did you see my articles on Amsterdam, various articles on POP, etc? Whilst I am not in control of the media, I have absolutely no control over the commentators. So we shouldn't do media because there are anti-cycling commentators?
4. That's a very sweeping statement. In fact I have a blog article where an abusive driver wrote to me and apologised for being so aggressive towards me. Just yesterday I had someone write to apologise to me for being aggressive when we first engaged, as he now understands what I stand for. If we don't engage we will never change anyone's mind. Engaging comes with risk, but if there is something I have learned in life, it is that you will never win big if you don't take risks.

My point is that many suggest that I am. Many suggest I am looking for trouble, when in fact I am constantly searching for answers. I started off believing that roads were fine as they were. I then had kids and I realised that this was false. We need infrastructure. I've learned a lot of the years, and I'm still learning. Are you?

As for doing cyclists a favour....please. When I drive my car, if I was to drink drive, would I be giving all drivers a bad name. Please stop lumping us, that is people who use bikes into one amorphous lump. As we say at POP, we are everyone. Even me.

@ Magnatom

You're response is much like your videos; in the end it's all about you, eh?

"People love my videos.
People love my blog.
I've changed the way people drive.
I'm changing the way people think.
I've achieved so much (unlike you!)
I'm so worthy.

Now, if you excuse me I'm just going off to change some water into wine."

LOL. Your comments were all about me! I've offered it before and I'll offer it again. Always happy to meet up. Just let me know. Though it week have to wait. I've got some important stuff happening in my life at the moment (yes me again). So I'll let you guys carry on uninterrupted.

Cheers for now.

*Think I replied to the wrong person there. This is a reply to Halfwheeler, to avoid confusion.

I can't see what the van did wrong. The overtake is fine. When the cyclist starts shouting the van is in front and doesn't stray out of lane. It doesn't even look like a close call. Until the van driver hits the other car it doesn't look like he's done anything wrong. Having someone ranting at him for no reason hasn't helped but he should still focus on driving rather than getting into a pointless argument.

Musicalmarc, look at the second video I've linked to in the comments. At the end of it the driver also says he stopped pulling over when he heard me shout. He was about to pull into my stopping space, and considering the cars at that point were stopping ahead, that was a considerable issue, had he continued. He'd have hit the var in front of me, and I might have hit him.

Very rarely do i see these helmet videos and side with the driver, but megatool you are mega wrong.

Firstly your 'filtering' is awful, far too quick for the volume of traffic. Unbelievable to say it but just the way you ride has an air of pompus indignation about it.

The van did nothing wrong and your altercation was the direct cause of the accident. Well done you, making the road safer for your children eh?

Even after the crash (if i was the driver the camera would have been so far up your arse it could have checked for fillings) both drivers seem calm and relaxed and happy to deal with the knock. You jump up and down like a spoilt child "I've got evidence", and "he hit you really hard". You're such a pious little weasel.

For the good of those that mount a bike and other road users, grow up ffs!

LOL. Thanks alansmurphy, you cheered my up this morning.

No problem, i only wish you'd video'd yourself reading the reply...

He started to make a mistake and then corrected it. Maybe it's just me or possibly the camera angle but it doesn't look like you were remotely in danger. Maybe the danger could have escalated but he didn't move into your braking zone so it didn't.

It's like reading the comments section of the daily mail. I liked the video, the drive made a right tit of himself.

This idiot on a bike isn't doing cyclists any favours!

Van driver did basically nothing wrong! Van driver was reacting to traffic on the other side of the road and staying in his lane. Cyclist causes unnecessary accident with distracting rant although driver should have kept eyes forward as he immediately realises. Not sure why roadcc is peddling this crap as bad driving. Distracting drivers unnecessarily is not good cycling. And the advert at the beginning seems to show that he's doing it primarily for money.

The van driver is clearly a bell end but then so is the cyclist.

The route he takes to work each day is insane. The same traffic volume as a motorway but with the added dangers of left and right turns. It's not even the quickest way. I bet he goes this long way round a suicidal shortcut just to get into confrontations.

He thinks he's doing us a favour. He's actually doing the opposite. Glasgow is less safe for cyclists coz of this twat. But then people like this develop a 'bunker mentality', the more criticism he hears the more convinced he is that he's right. God help us all...

the van driver's now stuck in a lane often delayed by right-turners just down the road. that would have been sweet enough for me.

seems a spectacular storm in a tea cup over not alot IMO, how can the van driver be cutting the rider up, if the van driver is and remains still in the adjacent lane

at worst the van driver manipulates the situation with the queuing traffic and blocks the rider with the traffic to keep him in his lane, but thats half as much to do with the fact the cyclist wasnt reading the traffic in his lane slowing as anything else, and it has to be the subtlest piece of cutting up driving Ive ever seen,the drivers movement is just as likely to be reacting to the larger sized vehicles coming towards him on the drivers side,and trying to give himself more space in his lane.

when van drivers cut you up, subtle they aint, Ive had ones drive 3/4qtrs ahead of me and then pull sharply intowards the kerb, Ive had them overtake in traffic and then block the cycle lane so I cant then get past, somebody vaguely sort of boxing you in for a second or two isnt cutting up in the grand scheme of things IMO sorry.

If nothing else this is a fascinating example of how people perceive the same event. I wasn't there, Mr Magnatom obviously felt in danger and responded in a way that he is rather becoming infamous for.

However for the rest us keyboard observers who have the benefit of being able to re-run the footage with stop frame analysis, we are all seeing the same video and coming to remarkably different conclusions.

These are the key points that I am seeing.

1. Cyclist filtering - All OK

2. Cyclist taking primary in the left hand lane, keeping up with the traffic flow and leaving plenty of space to the car in front - All OK

3. The white van behind does not get too close, he does not flash lights, does not sound his horn, shows no kind of aggression over the cyclist pulling into the lane he was travelling in, none at all.

4. The traffic in the outside lane is now travelling faster than the cyclist. The van signals, pulls into the outside lane and the camera switches to the front view. At around 60 seconds the van draws level, and moving with the traffic flow eases past the cyclist leaving plenty of space. He is not tailgating the car in front he is simply going with the flow. This is all OK and quite normal.

5. We are now approaching the traffic lights, they are green, the traffic is flowing in both lanes, the van is ahead. It's about 10 seconds after the van has pulled into lane 2 and overtaken the cyclist. From the cyclist's vantage point you can see the cars on the other side of the junction slowing, we cannot tell if the van driver has the same view. To be honest he's probably more concerned about the blue BMW? and other traffic, including a large van coming from the other direction which is waiting to turn right across the flow of traffic.

6. On entering the junction, the dual carriageway road markings disappear, but the van is certainly ahead in his lane and therefore has priority. He hasn't pushed his way through, he's just going with the flow of traffic in that lane. Ahead of the cyclist in the nearside lane a silver car slows and comes to stop more on the right side of the lane than on the left. The van drifts ever so slightly to the left to keep a reasonable distance from the blue BMW and other traffic waiting to turn right, really just looks like a few inches but is clearly still fully in lane 2 as it crosses to the other side of the junction and the lane markings resume. At no time does it move into Mr Magnatom's lane, but I can see how the very slight left movement may have looked like the start of such a maneuver, even though it would have ended in a collision with the silver car.

The cyclist has plenty of room, due to his primary road position. His lane however is stopped and he is wishing to resume his filtering. He cannot fit through the gap between the silver car and the van which at worst loses him a few seconds of his precious time.

Now I like a good road rage video as much as the next man, I firmly believe there is something to be learned from other people's mistakes and experiences. But there is nothing in this video to my mind except a ranty cyclist who appears to have very little empathy for driving a car, and I suspect quite a lot of experience of riding in traffic that he uses to put himself into conflict situations for the purposes of internet video stardom. Some of the videos he posts do indeed show very poor driving, dangerous passes and drivers doing things they shouldn't but many times I'm thinking that the rider, whilst apparently aware of the traffic around him makes no attempt to defuse a developing scenario until it gets to the point where he can throw his hands in the air and hurl abuse at drivers. He posts an awful lot of videos and to my mind, at some point you have to stop thinking that the poor guy is just unlucky in coming across so many idiots seemingly intent on running him over.