More 'Orrible Flash-Monkeys!!!
Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 1:31 pm
More 'Orrible Flash-Monkeys!!!
This morning I was riding to work, behind a few cars who were doing at most 35mph in a 40mph zone. I ride a bike, so I don't 'do' dithering like this unless there's a good reason.
The road has one lane in each direction, with a hashed area between the lanes at least as wide as another lane. As the road headed down into a dip, I pulled out over the (broken) white lines into the hashed area, and gave it a good healthy handful.
I've done it a million times before. In a few seconds I can overtake and be safely back in the correct lane well before any issue of visibility as the dip flows to the crest.
But today, Flash Monkey in his big white Transit van, coming the other way, took exception to this.
Maybe he thought my move was dangerous?
Yes, well, here's my message to him:
"Dear Flash Monkey,
Although I appreciate you may have branded my overtaking opportunity risky, as it potentially put me within 10 feet of your big white van (or would have if you weren't 50 yards down the road), can I just point something out to you?
I have overtaken many cars. Sometimes without the benefit of a nice wide, empty lane to aid me. Short of someone deciding to use the hashed lane to turn across in front of me, through a hedge, and into a field, there was very little danger posed to myself.
Perhaps you were trying to warn me about a potential hazard in the road ahead? Thank you for this, but my eyesight is rather good, and I generally rely on my own vision to alert me to hazards on clear and well-sighted stretches of road.
Was it my excess speed? I could have overtaken the cars in front of me without breaking the 40mph limit, but it would have taken much longer - so I did maybe 50mph to complete the maneuver as quickly as possible.
To my knowledge, going quickly in a straight line has rarely posed a threat to other road users.
However, I will advise you that when you flash your -ing lights like a sick disco DJ trying to torture an epileptic, the fact that you are melting my retinas is VERY unlikely to make my riding any safer for other road users or myself."
Why do people do it???
What possible use is it having some Nob-rot blinding you???
It's even more common for people to flash their lights at you when you've buggered up and are trying to avoid a crash!
So you've misjudged your overtaking, and a car coming the other way means you have to slam on the anchors or get yourself out of the way. What do they do??? Flash their -ing headlights at you!
"Gee, thanks! I hadn't seen you there before, but now you've flashed your lights at me I've noticed you!
Oh dear but now I'm blind-" *BANG*
ARGHHH!!!! :smt013
This morning I was riding to work, behind a few cars who were doing at most 35mph in a 40mph zone. I ride a bike, so I don't 'do' dithering like this unless there's a good reason.
The road has one lane in each direction, with a hashed area between the lanes at least as wide as another lane. As the road headed down into a dip, I pulled out over the (broken) white lines into the hashed area, and gave it a good healthy handful.
I've done it a million times before. In a few seconds I can overtake and be safely back in the correct lane well before any issue of visibility as the dip flows to the crest.
But today, Flash Monkey in his big white Transit van, coming the other way, took exception to this.
Maybe he thought my move was dangerous?
Yes, well, here's my message to him:
"Dear Flash Monkey,
Although I appreciate you may have branded my overtaking opportunity risky, as it potentially put me within 10 feet of your big white van (or would have if you weren't 50 yards down the road), can I just point something out to you?
I have overtaken many cars. Sometimes without the benefit of a nice wide, empty lane to aid me. Short of someone deciding to use the hashed lane to turn across in front of me, through a hedge, and into a field, there was very little danger posed to myself.
Perhaps you were trying to warn me about a potential hazard in the road ahead? Thank you for this, but my eyesight is rather good, and I generally rely on my own vision to alert me to hazards on clear and well-sighted stretches of road.
Was it my excess speed? I could have overtaken the cars in front of me without breaking the 40mph limit, but it would have taken much longer - so I did maybe 50mph to complete the maneuver as quickly as possible.
To my knowledge, going quickly in a straight line has rarely posed a threat to other road users.
However, I will advise you that when you flash your -ing lights like a sick disco DJ trying to torture an epileptic, the fact that you are melting my retinas is VERY unlikely to make my riding any safer for other road users or myself."
Why do people do it???
What possible use is it having some Nob-rot blinding you???
It's even more common for people to flash their lights at you when you've buggered up and are trying to avoid a crash!
So you've misjudged your overtaking, and a car coming the other way means you have to slam on the anchors or get yourself out of the way. What do they do??? Flash their -ing headlights at you!
"Gee, thanks! I hadn't seen you there before, but now you've flashed your lights at me I've noticed you!
Oh dear but now I'm blind-" *BANG*
ARGHHH!!!! :smt013
