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Path: number1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!border2.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!postnews.google.com!news4.google.com!feeder.news-service.com!cyclone03.ams2.highwinds-media.com!news.highwinds-media.com!npeersf01.ams.highwinds-media.com!newsfe20.ams2.POSTED!7564ea0f!not-for-mail Message-ID:  From: _  Newsgroups: uk.rec.cycling Subject: Re: Road rage incident this morning - advice? Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:11:26 +0100 References: <77cd082e-0c07-463a-a8cf-bc379d412437@j8g2000yql.googlegroups.com> Lines: 72 User-Agent: Thunderbird 2.0.0.21 (Windows/20090302) MIME-Version: 1.0 In-Reply-To: <77cd082e-0c07-463a-a8cf-bc379d412437@j8g2000yql.googlegroups.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit NNTP-Posting-Host: 86.12.82.202 X-Complaints-To: http://netreport.virginmedia.com X-Trace: newsfe20.ams2 1238519494 86.12.82.202 (Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:11:34 UTC) NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:11:34 UTC Organization: virginmedia.com Bytes: 5046 Xref: perfectly-safe.chapmancentral.co.uk uk.rec.cycling:692337

Simon Brooke wrote: > Hi all, long time no see. > > This morning I was commuting in from Strathaven to East Kilbride along > the A726; this is a two lane road, mainly rural, no significant hills > but plenty of short climbs. At that time in the morning it's quite > busy, and traffic is often fast. I was wearing a fluorescent yellow > jacket. > > There were a series of cars which passed closer than I liked, so I > moved out into the primary position. At a point where the road was > clear, a blue-grey Peugeot 405 came past, with a young man hanging out > of the passenger window; he shouted abuse at me. This happens from > time to time and I ignored it. About a mile further on I came to the > same car parked at the side of the road. The young man had got out and > was standing in the road about 25 yards behind the car, again yelling > at me for cycling on the road. I stopped, and told him I had a right > to be on the road. He insisted I didn't. I said I was going to take a > photograph of his numberplate, and go to the police. He then head- > butted me; I don't think he broke my nose but it bled pretty > profusely. > > Bizarrely he then apologised and started to walk back to the car. I > took the photograph. I then put my phone back in my pocket and got > back on my bike. As I rode past him he ran out into the road and > shoulder-charged me. I did manage to keep the bike upright, but was > thrown right across both carriageways. There was an oncoming car > sufficiently close that if I had fallen I don't think it could have > avoided going over me. > > I've seen the police, of course. They were very thorough, did seem to > take the incident quite seriously, and said they would put a patrol > car out on the route tomorrow morning. Unfortunately my photograph was > not good enough to read the numberplate, and in my shaken state I > failed to remember it. > > However, the reason I'm writing is this: > > I'm scared. > > I pretty much have to come in to work along that road - there are > minor road alternatives, but they're all longer. Indeed, I have to > cycle back along it tonight. My assailant also, so he said, regularly > uses that road. I do have a car, I could drive in. But I have a > feeling that if I don't ride in tomorrow, then with each day that > passes it's going to get harder. And I do not want to be bullied out > of my morning commute. > > In the medium term I could change where I stay during the week - I > don't live in Strathaven, I just stay in a B&B there when I'm working > in East Kilbride (which is about half the time) and so change to a > different commute - but I like the place where I stay. But it's not > really a solution because idiots are everywhere. > > So - advice? What would you do? > I smell a troll - this car travelled a MILE before it pulled over, and the passenger was WAITING for you to arrive so he could throw abuse? Sounds much more likely that you caught up with him and initiated a confrontation. And at that point, what were you taking a photograph of his plate FOR, precisely? Not having the same viewpoint as you? If you caught up with him and started arguing about him saying "get out of the way you twat" or similar, and then came out with some self-righteous shit like "I'm photographing your plate and reporting you to the police", I cant say that I'm surprised it developed into a physical issue. I'm not saying I condone it, just that you cant be surprised if it happens. If you're not ready for that, I'd suggest you dont get into arguments with motorists you catch up with. If I'm wrong and he simply sat at the side of the road for ten minutes waiting for you to catch up (and just HOPED that you'd not have turned off in the meantime), then fair do's I got it wrong. But I challenge any of the regs to read my version and yours, and say that yours is more 'likely'...