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news
Near Miss of the Day 615: Driver cuts up cyclist ... to park on segregated cycle lane
Our story on the live blog yesterday about a film crew parking their vehicles in the cycle lane in London’s Hyde Park has prompted a road.cc reader to share an incident that happened to him a couple of months ago when a driver cut across him to park up on a segregated cycleway in Waltham Forest, one of the capital’s Mini Holland boroughs.
Tony, the cyclist who filmed the clip, told us: “I was out for an early ride one Sunday morning, using a segregated cycle lane along Forest Road, Walthamstow when a driver who had pulled out of a side road shortly before, decides the cycle lane is where they're going to park.
“He was completely oblivious to the fact that I was there in the cycle lane, but then they kept signalling that I should move on so they could park there.
“Having nowhere else to really be that morning I simply waited them out until they moved off.”
He added: “I reported them to the Metropolitan Police who issued a Notice of Intended Prosecution, unfortunately unless it goes to court, that is all I will ever know about the outcome.”
> Near Miss of the Day turns 100 - Why do we do the feature and what have we learnt from it?
Over the years road.cc has reported on literally hundreds of close passes and near misses involving badly driven vehicles from every corner of the country – so many, in fact, that we’ve decided to turn the phenomenon into a regular feature on the site. One day hopefully we will run out of close passes and near misses to report on, but until that happy day arrives, Near Miss of the Day will keep rolling on.
If you’ve caught on camera a close encounter of the uncomfortable kind with another road user that you’d like to share with the wider cycling community please send it to us at info [at] road.cc or send us a message via the road.cc Facebook page.
If the video is on YouTube, please send us a link, if not we can add any footage you supply to our YouTube channel as an unlisted video (so it won't show up on searches).
Please also let us know whether you contacted the police and if so what their reaction was, as well as the reaction of the vehicle operator if it was a bus, lorry or van with company markings etc.
> What to do if you capture a near miss or close pass (or worse) on camera while cycling
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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38 comments
First thing I noticed was the SUV pulling out of the side road without slowing down.
I seriously doubt they checked that the cycle lane was actually clear (/could have stopped before the junction if it wasn't).
Before they made every effort to side swipe the cyclist so they could park illegally...
"Get in the fackin' driving lane!"
"Drivers all think they own the cycle lanes!"
"Get off the cycle lane, you don't even pay cycle lane tax!"
Ther irony of course is that this driver is doing something both illegal and dangerous, endangering someone using the carriageway entirely properly.
Veerrry satisfying, nice challenge. And well reported too!
Thanks. I wasn't backing down from this one, they had absolutely no right to park there.
But they pay road tax and you don't
(Although they forgot to but that's not the point !)
So true, next time I'll remember that and throw myself on their mercy, begging forgiveness from and sacrificing my bike to the god of driving!
I have one similar to this. Though the berk was actually driving half on the pavement and cycle lane, instead of using the road (like a normal motorist).
So although that's only an advisory cycle lane (broken white line) it IS on a red route, where a driver is not allowed to park his or her car. Plus they could have doored you. Shocking behaviour.
They're also driving on the pavement. Another no-no.
Driving on the pavement is fine, it's only cycling on the pavement that is not allowed
Well, cycling on the pavement is dangerous ,innit?
That makes sense - you'll be much safer from pedestrians if you drive on the pavement, rather than cycle on the pavement.
Last week a bloke pulled up off the main road onto the shared use path, parked his van right in front of me (completely blocking it). He stopped about three bike lengths in front, but I'd carried on because I didn't imagine was going to stop, since he'd passed me to actually bump up onto the path.
I shook my head sadly as the passenger got out.
"What?"
"You've parked in front of me, blocked the whole bloody cycle path!"
"Well, you can **** off - I live here!"
"Erm - so you have a driveway, then?" (all the houses along there do).
"Oh just **** off!" (as he walks into the adjacent house with its three cars parked on the driveway)
I had to cycle out on the main road to pass them.
(this week, there was an ambulance parked in pretty much the same place and also blocking the path, but I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt...)
Would have been beautiful karma had the ambulance been for the van driver!
That did cross my mind...
Where are those ninja kids with bike skills when you need them? Ride/swarm over his f.ing car and post to YouTube.
If they're ninja kids, then they could be all around you and you wouldn't even know.
Did you report it?
Nope. I don't run with a camera.
And anyway, this is North Somerset which decided that shared-use path past the houses, then cross onto a refuge, then cross again onto another shared-use path was the best way for cyclists to travel between Pill and Abbots Leigh.
(I recall asking during the consultation if we could have a signal-controlled crossing, and being told that it might hold up the motor traffic on the A369 so not an option...)
by their own argument they shopuld be providing a bridge or subway as the road is to busy for a brief interuption then it will be too dangerous to cross
Why is that? It is the same thought process - i.e. it's okay to block all of the pavement/shared use path - rather than block a single lane of the carriageway. The ambulance driver is no less inconsiderate than the van driver - it would not have harmed their patient if they parked on the carriageway.
Ambulance, innit? I just tend to be more willing to give emergency services the benefit of the doubt for crap parking than Bob the Builder...
Bloody cyclists, using the cycle lanes!
I know right! I'd completely forgotten that cycle lanes are really just extra parking spaces for motorists!
And advanced stop lines for pedestrians.
"And advanced stop lines for pedestrians."
Funny you should mention that. The area of bike lane linked below is one of the two lauded lanes in Birmingham (although this is the worst section due to space constrictions and lot of street furniture).
The bus stop here has now been moved (yay) but only to have the stop attached to this light pole here.
So now people just queue right across the whole "segregated" cycle lane and are coming off a bus directly onto it.
I can't believe the driver tried arguing instead of just saying sorry and moving on. That level of not caring about anyone other than yourself beggars belief.
That's what really annoyed me, the driver kept trying to wave me on so that they could then park there, no consideration for anyone else.
"I got all day, mate."
Love it!
Thanks! Thought that was the best way to make it clear I wasn't going anywhere until they moved, worked this time.
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