Bloke's near miss and the question of indicators

[Spikey]

Never trust a drivers road position, indicators or lack of indicators. Look at the wheels. Its only when they actually start to turn left off a roundabout that you can be confident which way they are going.

If the gap isn't large enough, then I would give way to the right irrespective of whether the approaching vehicle  is actually on the roundabout or not.

 

[Wendy]

I think you were being too sensitive and taking things personally with this post, Pete.  Don't feel the need to defend yourself, I got out the wrong side of bed this morning, so I have a whole lot of empathy for you.

OK,  a joke's a joke and I'm happy to see the stalkers on here still alive and kicking (and you can pass that on to your mate sheila) but I was in fact making a point about cycling, which I imagine other cyclists might take an interest in! 

[Wendy]

Never trust a drivers road position, indicators or lack of indicators. Look at the wheels. Its only when they actually start to turn left off a roundabout that you can be confident which way they are going.

Even then you should not trust the wheels either.  All the "body language" of a car is useful, but doesn't necessarily predict what the driver will do moments later.

[Spikey]

Never trust a drivers road position, indicators or lack of indicators. Look at the wheels. Its only when they actually start to turn left off a roundabout that you can be confident which way they are going.

Even then you should not trust the wheels either.  All the "body language" of a car is useful, but doesn't necessarily predict what the driver will do moments later.

True. Especially for long vehicles which often pull out right before turning left (or vice-versa).

What I meant is wait until its clear where the vehicle is going and that it dosn't pose a threat. So on the roundabout on the way home from work, I wait until the cars accelerate left towards the previous exit, knowing that they won;t then be able to swerve back right and hit me before I've crossed out of the way. I've seen far too many drivers indicate left while turning right.

Sometime what scares me most about roundabouts is drivers behind approaching in the wrong lane so they can try and overtake (or undertake) and cut left (or right). They often fail to anticipate the acceleration of a bike.

[matthew]

the same happened to my father last week.

Roundabout on the M3 J3 or 5 as I don't know if he was going to or from work. As he went to take the exit off the roundabout the cyclist using the Pavement was approaching the exit to cross over it.
Dad therefore went to the outside lane of the exit and was prepared to stop if she did not. Also this was preferable to stopping in the left lane and having someone pass on the right with the cyclist hidden by dads car.

She kept going so he stopped and she rode into him.

Anyway there is now a nice dent in the left rear door to his car where she rode into it, appologised and then rode round the car and cycled off.

Dad was not best impressed though when told about it I did ask if he was indicating his exit from the roundabout and assumed the cyclist had not made a mistake untill I heard the full tale.

Matthew

[Pete]

Many inexperienced cyclists who are accustomed to cycling only on pavements, or in such paltry 'infrastructure' as may be provided, are at a loss when they get to a roundabout and such infrastructure disappears.  They are then at most danger.  Having said that, this particular cyclist was foolhardy to come off the pavement into the roadway even if indications by motorists were unclear.  If you do something which the motorist doesn't expect, prepare to get hit.  I don't think your father did anything wrong.

I know of one horrible bit of 'in-farce-structure' and R/B combined (not the same R/B as I mentioned earlier) which I often traverse: this one's on the main junction off the A23 at Hickstead.  You can see the legitimate (and useful) cycle path - downgraded minor road - coming in from the east(just north of the A2300): I often use it, but cyclists are directed by signage first to cross the 'blind' exit to the north, then to mount the pavement and, going the wrong way round the roundabout, to cross the slip road coming from the southbound A23 to the northwest, then continue on the pavement to the west.

Motorists on this slip road will of course be looking to their right, not to their left, as they approach the roundabout.  Incredibly dangerous: I do use the cycle path before the roundabout, but I don't follow the signage, I turn left and go round the roundabout in the normal way.  Perhaps something ought to be done about this menace.