Driver who told cyclist “I’m going to kill you” before ramming him with car jailed

BalladOfStruth wrote:

I can only assume the cyclist gestured/said something (which is not unreasonable when confronded with bad driving) and it set the guy off. I've had a guy jump out of his car before now, fists swinging, when I had the audacity to shake my head after he cut me up on a roundabout. There are some utter knobs out there.

It's just that the article says that it was the cyclist moving over that caused the offence. I'm sure there's more to this.

See I read the article on the Daily Post the opposite way.  This sentence "Mr Edge "didn't think a lot" about moving into a layby to make space before carrying on with his journey, with the prosecution saying that he "experienced this a lot" as a regular cyclist." in particular

The way I read that sentence was that there was a layby for the cyclist to use but because they were an experienced rider they felt comfortable continuing on the road without diving out of the way of the motorist.  Which IMHO is a more likely situation which would trigger the driver.

Having looked at google maps it sounds like the rider would likely be passing a row of parked cars on their side of the road, with the Audi driver not waiting until the rider finished passing the parked cars.... then the Audi driver taking objection to the cyclist not using a gap in the parked cars to let him past.  (p.s. that's all speculation on my part and is no way suggesting that the cyclist did anything wrong)

I am partial to a bit of speculation and I suspect that the 'it happens a lot' is a reference to cars failing to give way at parked cars on their side of the road and driving straight at an oncoming cyclist.

I would think this is the likely view the cyclist had and they pulled into the layby outside the shop because the car didn't wait behind the parked cars on their side.

If it had been me, I may have over-exaggerated a swerve into the layby to make a point. That might rile a certain type of motorist, as they could think I had not appreciated the tiny gap they had planned to give me.

Me yellin oi at a nob parked in the bus stop / cycle lane (yeah, shitty infra) was eniugh to get chased down, forced off the road, punched kicked by the pair of them then a cricket bat to the bike wheel for good measure. 
 

definite nobs. 

nosferatu1001 wrote:

I didn't understand that reasoning either - maybe he somehow felt reduced because the cyclist chose to stop? 

I have noticed in recent years a tendency in a very small minority of motorists to be affronted if a cyclist offers them courtesy, e.g. waving them out of a junction or stopping to allow them to come down a single lane between parked cars first, most people say thank you but from the odd one you get a frown or even occasionally the finger. I think it must be something to do with their thinking that in ceding to them you are somehow claiming an equality on the road, that you have a right to make decisions about being courteous or insisting on your priority, and that doesn't fit in with their belief that the motor is king of the road and all others are there as a favour or shouldn't be there at all.

Never seen anyone take their resentment to such beserk lengths, obviously.

Hadn't really thought about it this way before but that is an interesting theory.

Truly bizarre, yet entirely plausible given my experience on the roads of Britain.

BalladOfStruth wrote:

Having read this and the accompanying article, I feel like I’m missing something. He felt so affronted by a cyclist getting out of his way that he felt attempted murder was the only option? What?!

Maybe the cyclist didn't bow down and doff his helmet?