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THREAD #1/3: The anatomy of a close pass...
12 August 2018. En route to John o’Groats, our family were on the A392 leaving Quintrell Downs, near Newquay. It turned out to be the day everyone was going home from the ‘Boardmasters’ festival, and traffic was heavy.
12 August 2018. En route to John o’Groats, our family were on the A392 leaving Quintrell Downs, near Newquay. It turned out to be the day everyone was going home from the ‘Boardmasters’ festival, and traffic was heavy.
Despite the magnitude of the event (we now discover!), and the predictable weight of traffic leaving Newquay, with many vehicles loaded to the gunwhales, there was no sign at all of any road policing presence in the area. (Image from a subsequent D&C Police email!)
Despite the weight of traffic sometimes meaning we weren’t causing much of a hold-up at all, we still pulled in periodically to let motor traffic pass us, even though motorists were generally very reluctant to let us out again! Here we are on the climb away from the Newquay junc.
As is common, the traffic’s behaviour went in waves. When one motorist passed us properly, others often followed suit. We did, however, tolerate a majority of passes which didn’t comply with Rule 163, and which were much closer than any cyclist thinks comfortable or sensible.
Because of the heavy traffic in both directions, such passes sometimes start promisingly, except that an oncoming car prompts the overtaking driver to ‘cut in’ on the cyclist, to avoid a head-on they would have caused.
Cumulatively, this has the effect of squeezing even a cyclist trying to ride in an assertive road position, further and further into the verge, to avoid being struck.
As we left the village of Quintrell Downs, in a 30 limit, a Red Ford Kuga towing a caravan decided to pass Katie and five-year-old Ruth. Here’s what happened...
As @KatieJones74 rather generously expressed, the ‘moron’ driver continued to cut in on the trajectory you can see as he passes Ruth. The caravan, wider than the car, passed terrifyingly close to Katie on the front. Why? Because she was squishier than the oncoming yellow Fiat.
Let’s just pause for a moment and think about what the driver could have done... if #BeLikeDannyTheDriver can manage it in an artic? Oh, wait. Most drivers on the road can still tow a caravan without taking a test.
We finished our day’s riding. With very few alternatives to get through that part of Devon, we continued to be treated to some appalling, intimidatory driving. Katie cycles daily in Central London, and this is how it left her. We got trolled for sharing this image.
That night, after everyone had gone to bed, I sat in our tent with the laptop, downloaded the cards and located the footage. I didn’t doubt it was bad, but I was horrified. A quick check on the vehicle’s registration revealed it was also untaxed.
The following day, the roads were quieter, but we were subjected once more to ‘punishment passes’ by impatient motorists. I decided to tweet about it. This was a local policeman’s response, and an example of the further trolling we took.
So, first things first. Reporting this sort of life-endangering crime makes you decidedly unpopular. Oh, and there *wasn’t* anywhere to upload our footage. Hold that thought... Thread 2, later, will explain what happened next - because we weren’t ignored by everyone. #OpClosePass
