What would you have done?

[GOONR]

Ok,

bout 10:15 this morning I'm heading south just gone over the harbour bridge. On my left is a lane that ends (round about here) (http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=103048861946752272536.0004954cfb28a09e85b6b). In front, behind and to the right is traffic. I look over to the left and a Jeep is coming up and want's to merge. He gets level with me so I get on the horn (Stebel Magnum), no change, he's still coming over. I'm just in front of the the drivers window and he is just sat there looking at me with a smug grin. By this time we are now sharing the lane that I was in. Luckily the traffic breaks a bit and I can move to the lane on the right.

It turns out that we are both heading the same way and we stop at a set of red lights. I asked him what he thought he was doing. His reply was that as "we" were merging "he" had right of way. I told him that you can't merge into a lane when it's occupied, his reply "Well I was safe".

What would you have done to get out of his way?

[Latte]

Merge like a zip - if he was trying to push into the same gap the car in front of him merged into then he's being a bit of a dick, if you weren't letting anyone merge between you and the car in front then you were. Boils down to the whole courteous driving thing.

[Gremlin]

Depends how genuinely bad it was... Even in that story, there's a big element of unknown.

Usually I get over anything but life risking really quickly... as it ain't worth anything...

[Big Col]

The comment he made about being safe, I suspect I may have changed his perspective.

[BMWST?]

i got no problem letting richard craniums like this go in front of me....even in my 1600kg car

[MIXONE]

Whatever you do don't give them the finger.If he's been smoking p for the last few days he's liable to run you off the road.

[GOONR]

Merge like a zip - if he was trying to push into the same gap the car in front of him merged into then he's being a bit of a dick, if you weren't letting anyone merge between you and the car in front then you were. Boils down to the whole courteous driving thing.

No car had merged at this point, he was first in line and was initially behind me. At no point had I past him. I always do the merge like a zip thing for cars that are level or in front of me.

[GOONR]

Whatever you do don't give them the finger.If he's been smoking p for the last few days he's liable to run you off the road.

Haha. He was an older fella in a very nice Jeep.. But ya never know.

[Latte]

No car had merged at this point, he was first in line and was initially behind me. At no point had I past him. I always do the merge like a zip thing for cars that are level or in front of me.

In that case he was being a cock - I would have checked I could split, then given the guy the finger, said seeya fuckwit, then casually split down the motorway - making sure I could get away (and probably getting off at 4-5 exits after my one just to make sure he didnt catch me).

[GOONR]

i got no problem letting richard craniums like this go in front of me....even in my 1600kg car
Neither, but in this case if I had slowed down quickly enough to let him get to the point where he was in front of me I could have had the car behind rear end me.

[schrodingers cat]

Ring the Police with a report of this particular vehicle and driver behaving suspiciously around primary schools...

Revenge. A dish best served cold:innocent::clap:

[breakaway]

I *always* let these wankers go. I've got nothing to prove.

[swbarnett]

If possible I like to show drivers I can't be pushed around. If not I just let them go.

Last time someone did this to me I got in front of them and, with one eye on him in my mirror, gradually decellerated and stopped in front of him. The look on his face was one of "oh shit I can't push you around afterall". I sat there for 10 seconds and took off.

Had a similar thing happen to me more than once when I used to cycle everywhere many years ago. Gave the driver a hell of a fright when my hit their window.

[YellowDog]

I would have been pissed off with the guy and depending upon my mood, he may well have lost a door mirror.

All I'd say is don't be intimidated by such bullies. If he's in a nice car then he is unlikeloy to run into you and may have been testing your nerve :yes:

[tigertim20]

Ok,

bout 10:15 this morning I'm heading south just gone over the harbour bridge. On my left is a lane that ends (round about here) (http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=103048861946752272536.0004954cfb28a09e85b6b). In front, behind and to the right is traffic. I look over to the left and a Jeep is coming up and want's to merge. He gets level with me so I get on the horn (Stebel Magnum), no change, he's still coming over. I'm just in front of the the drivers window and he is just sat there looking at me with a smug grin. By this time we are now sharing the lane that I was in. Luckily the traffic breaks a bit and I can move to the lane on the right.

It turns out that we are both heading the same way and we stop at a set of red lights. I asked him what he thought he was doing. His reply was that as "we" were merging "he" had right of way. I told him that you can't merge into a lane when it's occupied, his reply "Well I was safe".

What would you have done to get out of his way?

i would have broken his window with my fist, then used a shard of glass from his own window to slash a big gushing cut in his face, but im an angry person,

[Genie]

Glad I dont' live in Auckland...

[Maha]

You can get all ballsy and take a stand against that kind of driver but, its a better option to let em' go in my opnion. Carry on with your day happy in the knowledge that you are better road user.

[spajohn]

What would you have done to get out of his way?

Note his rego and report him. You have the option to tick that you want it followed up and reported back to you.

[MSTRS]

Pricks like that have probably been doing that sort of shit for years. As far as they are concerned, they are bigger, less vulnerable and so they get their way.
Fight back. But don't put yourself at risk.

Report the incident.

Trace their rego for a name/address. Hopefully you can find a phone number. Share it with your mates. Give the prick a call.

Some say the hole in the centre of the steeringhead on bikes is a storage device for an old bolt or sparkplug. Very effective, if thrown over the shoulder...

[ElCoyote]

Ok,

bout 10:15 this morning I'm heading south just gone over the harbour bridge. On my left is a lane that ends (round about here) (http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=103048861946752272536.0004954cfb28a09e85b6b). In front, behind and to the right is traffic. I look over to the left and a Jeep is coming up and want's to merge. He gets level with me so I get on the horn (Stebel Magnum), no change, he's still coming over. I'm just in front of the the drivers window and he is just sat there looking at me with a smug grin. By this time we are now sharing the lane that I was in. Luckily the traffic breaks a bit and I can move to the lane on the right.

It turns out that we are both heading the same way and we stop at a set of red lights. I asked him what he thought he was doing. His reply was that as "we" were merging "he" had right of way. I told him that you can't merge into a lane when it's occupied, his reply "Well I was safe".

What would you have done to get out of his way?

Did you remind him that he is required to give way to vehicles on the right

[avgas]

take down the plate number, pull over and call *555 and say you just saw this guy driving erratically waving a gun.

[GOONR]

I have reported it but tbh I doubt it will change his attitude, like MSTRS said, he's probably been doing it for years. Maybe I should get a big arse truck and hunt him down, see how safe he feels then.

And no, I didn't say he was hanging around outside a school or waving a gun around.

[GOONR]

Did you remind him that he is required to give way to vehicles on the right

No but I should have. I was just taken aback by his attitude at the time.

[StoneY]

had a prick do much the same to me a week ago on Murphy st in Wellington
For once, (there just MIGHT be a god you know) a bike freindly copper witnessed the whole thing and pulled the wanker in the cage over, yay!

About time they were on my side.

[GOONR]

You can get all ballsy and take a stand against that kind of driver but, its a better option to let em' go in my opnion. Carry on with your day happy in the knowledge that you are better road user.

I wasn't taking a stand at the time, I was busy trying to keep an eye on where he was and looking for a gap to my right so I could get out of his way. When the gap came I took it.

The red lights just gave me a chance to speak to him. Wasn't flying off the handle or anything, even though I thought he was a right prick.

[GOONR]

had a prick do much the same to me a week ago on Murphy st in Wellington
For once, (there just MIGHT be a god you know) a bike freindly copper witnessed the whole thing and pulled the wanker in the cage over, yay!

About time they were on my side.
Funny that, almost at the same spot today was a bike cop at the side of the road. Wish he was there yesterday :)

[Str8 Jacket]

I would have pulled out my gun and shot the prick.

[MSTRS]

Funny that, almost at the same spot today was a bike cop at the side of the road. Wish he was there yesterday :)

And I bet everyone was well behaved...

[avgas]

I would have pulled out my gun and shot the prick.
That will learn him.
Imagine how hard is it to wash out bit of penis from cotton car seat covers.

[Spazman727]

I would have been pissed off with the guy and depending upon my mood, he may well have lost a door mirror.

All I'd say is don't be intimidated by such bullies. If he's in a nice car then he is unlikeloy to run into you and may have been testing your nerve :yes:

If it was me and I was able to pull up next to him he would have got an earful and lost a wing mirror and/or indicator stalk. Some fuckers on hte road need a good lesson to teach them not to drive like an asshole, generally damage to their car seems to do the job.

[george formby]

I would have kept safe & out of said "Richards" way but taken note of his registration & quoted it in the initial post of this thread. :shutup:

[superman]

I think I'm going to buy a camera to mount on my bike so I'll have hard evidence to prosecute any muppets.

[GOONR]

I think I'm going to buy a camera to mount on my bike so I'll have hard evidence to prosecute any muppets.

Yeah, I've been thinking about a camera too.

[baptist]

I have suffered "anger issues" in the past, and guy like that would have been considered a waste of space breathing my oxygen. Now I am too old and mellow for that stuff, just let it go. He is a Richard and will always be a Richard. I don't write as I ride and my memory is shot to pieces so I would not have even got the rego (cameras sound a good idea though if you do want to report stuff like that)

[GOONR]

I have suffered "anger issues" in the past, and guy like that would have been considered a waste of space breathing my oxygen. Now I am too old and mellow for that stuff, just let it go. He is a Richard and will always be a Richard. I don't write as I ride and my memory is shot to pieces so I would not have even got the rego (cameras sound a good idea though if you do want to report stuff like that)

Yeah, normally I would have just thought he was a dick and left it at that. It just happened there was a red light so we stopped and I got a insight into his thinking.

I've been thinking bout a (very cheap) camera for a while, not so much for shit like this just for a bit of a laugh really.

[chasio]

If it was me and I was able to pull up next to him he would have got an earful and lost a wing mirror and/or indicator stalk. Some fuckers on hte road need a good lesson to teach them not to drive like an asshole, generally damage to their car seems to do the job.

That kind of macho response would make the roads less safe for every single motorcyclist, even if you self-righteously accelerate off through a gap in the traffic.

Think about a young member of your family new to riding coming alongside (or holding up) an inherently aggressive person who is still fuming about what "that c*nt" did to his mirror last week. Does it still seem like a good idea?

My intention (and occasional practise) is that if I can't let it go, I'll get a rego and report it. I have had a word before but I don't think it helps much e.g. once I had a remarkably calm word to a red light runner who just flat out said "It was green" again and again; yet it was only my scan left/right before setting off on my green that saved me from becoming painful evidence to the contrary.

Horns are useless if they know you're there and just don't give a shit. I'm not sure what I'd have done Goonr, but your insight into his psychology is well worth us all remembering.

Chasio

PS I've got a Youtube special $10 DIY camera mount solution, if you're interested. I've got plenty of left over nuts and bolts!

[Robtharalson]

Having ridden the supposedly mean streets and freeways of Los Angeles for over 40 years I have encountered many situations such as you describe, and for the last 30 years what I usually do is once I am sure of their intentions and the fact that they see me I move away from them, though still in my lane, and I wave them in next to me. Occasionally even slowing to make a space for them. As soon as I see them start to merge I give them a wave or nod and continue splitting lanes as I was almost certainly doing already. Nobody gets their feathers up, and they got a positive encounter instead of a horn concerto and a busted mirror. Everyone benefits. And yes, I have stopped at a light and talked with drivers, and they say it was refreshing to find anyone who is courteous while driving.

Rob

[GOONR]

Having ridden the supposedly mean streets and freeways of Los Angeles for over 40 years I have encountered many situations such as you describe, and for the last 30 years what I usually do is once I am sure of their intentions and the fact that they see me I move away from them, though still in my lane, and I wave them in next to me. Occasionally even slowing to make a space for them. As soon as I see them start to merge I give them a wave or nod and continue splitting lanes as I was almost certainly doing already. Nobody gets their feathers up, and they got a positive encounter instead of a horn concerto and a busted mirror. Everyone benefits. And yes, I have stopped at a light and talked with drivers, and they say it was refreshing to find anyone who is courteous while driving.

Rob

I wasn't splitting at the time but if I had approached the situation with that mind set I reckon we both would have carried on our way happy.

Cheers Rob :)

[superman]

Yeah, normally I would have just thought he was a dick and left it at that. It just happened there was a red light so we stopped and I got a insight into his thinking.

I've been thinking bout a (very cheap) camera for a while, not so much for shit like this just for a bit of a laugh really.

Found a mini MD80 camera on trademe for $39, it's small enough to even mount inside my helmet if I want no one to know I'm filming them. And yeah it's more useful as an education tool for me, I want to be able to analyze my rides so I can work out how I'm behaving since things tend to be a reflex on a bike. But will be useful if I'm a witness to any sort of crash/bad driving.

[Hopeful Bastard]

Sounded like he really DID wanna knock you off ya ride with that "At least im safe" comment..

I would of held my position. (I want a new bike ;) )

I remember when i was in the cage and heading north out of Waikanae. jumped onto the passing lane and sat at 110 just passing everything quite happily while they were all doing 90. Got to the end and some dickhead i had just passed, Decided to speed up and try and push me into the oncoming cars at the merging point. :shit: :mad:

His drivers door, Was at the back of my car.. I couldnt do anything other than haul on the pix, See the worried look in the drivers face behind me and then followed him until the next passing lane..

Had i tried to come back in, I would of clipped the front of his car, Sending me into a spin..

[LBD]

There is a reason the english language has never developed the phrase..."Queue and blend in an ordely fashion like the Kyrgyz drivers"....Its every man for him self....if there is a minute gap, go for it and only give way if the other vehical is...
a) Much bigger and you will not make an impact he would notice.
b) Police....right or wrong, you are wrong
c) Looks like a mafia car....right or wrong you are wrong if you live long enough to be deemed right or wrong.
d) official Govt/MP or security service car...If you manage to get out of your car alive you are still wrong.

(There is a little fictional licence in the above....but only a little)

[GOONR]

Found a mini MD80 camera on trademe for $39, it's small enough to even mount inside my helmet if I want no one to know I'm filming them. And yeah it's more useful as an education tool for me, I want to be able to analyze my rides so I can work out how I'm behaving since things tend to be a reflex on a bike. But will be useful if I'm a witness to any sort of crash/bad driving.

Yeah that's the kinda thing I'm after.


Sounded like he really DID wanna knock you off ya ride with that "At least im safe" comment..

I would of held my position. (I want a new bike ;) )

I remember when i was in the cage and heading north out of Waikanae. jumped onto the passing lane and sat at 110 just passing everything quite happily while they were all doing 90. Got to the end and some dickhead i had just passed, Decided to speed up and try and push me into the oncoming cars at the merging point. :shit: :mad:

His drivers door, Was at the back of my car.. I couldnt do anything other than haul on the pix, See the worried look in the drivers face behind me and then followed him until the next passing lane..

Had i tried to come back in, I would of clipped the front of his car, Sending me into a spin..

Thing is if I had held my position I wouldn't have been on the bike for much longer and I kinda like my skin and bones the way they are right now.