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Near Miss of the Day 148: Overtaking minibus driver slows down and squeezes cyclist into kerb

Our regular feature highlighting close passes caught on camera from around the country – today it’s West Sussex
by Simon_MacMichael
Thu, May 31, 2018 14:24
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Today’s video in our Near Miss of the Day series shows the driver of a minibus belonging to West Sussex County Council making a close pass on a cyclist, slowing down and drifting towards the rider as they do so, forcing him into the kerb.

The footage, shot by road.cc reader Rick, also shows how the driver of the vehicle – which going by the stickers is used to transport schoolchildren – subsequently overtaking a female cyclist immediately before a pinch point in the road caused by a traffic island.

Rick, a member of Worthing Excelsior Cycling Club, said: “If you drive for a living, don't do this.”

> Near Miss of the Day turns 100 - Why do we do the feature and what have we learnt from it?

Over the years road.cc has reported on literally hundreds of close passes and near misses involving badly driven vehicles from every corner of the country – so many, in fact, that we’ve decided to turn the phenomenon into a regular feature on the site. One day hopefully we will run out of close passes and near misses to report on, but until that happy day arrives, Near Miss of the Day will keep rolling on.

If you’ve caught on camera a close encounter of the uncomfortable kind with another road user that you’d like to share with the wider cycling community please send it to us at info [at] road.cc or send us a message via the road.cc Facebook page.

If the video is on YouTube, please send us a link, if not we can add any footage you supply to our YouTube channel as an unlisted video (so it won't show up on searches).

Please also let us know whether you contacted the police and if so what their reaction was, as well as the reaction of the vehicle operator if it was a bus, lorry or van with company markings etc.

> What to do if you capture a near miss or close pass (or worse) on camera while cycling

West Sussex
Near Miss of the Day
NMotD minibus
NMotD West Sussex
Simon MacMichael

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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9 comments

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ChrisB200SX | 5 years ago
0 likes

Some people just shouldn't have licences, two excellent examples of such in the video. I really need to get my invoices paid so I can get cameras as a business expense. I got overtaken while signalling at about 20mph and trying to turn right on Wednesday morning... not the first time this has happened to me, but it was in Reading town centre!

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CXR94Di2 | 5 years ago
1 like

A driver intent on making a punishment pass will do so at any position you take. Most drivers just need reminding to slow down then pass.

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grumpyoldcyclist | 5 years ago
2 likes

Please confirm it has been reported to the police. If they won't deal with it, then go to the council direct. If they don't respond just go to the press, twitter etc with that video and the picture from section 163 of the Highway Code.

We can no longer just sit and moan about it.

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NorthEastJimmy | 5 years ago
1 like

I find that once you are subjected to a close pass (whether intentional or not), you immediately need to take the lane, this shows other drivers behind that you require more space and thought to safely pass.

We are all sheep, just like most people will avoid one cash point when in a queue, because they all think that one is broken, everyone behind the first close passer could automatically think that overtake was okay, especially when you act so calmly about the situation afterwards!

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CXR94Di2 replied to NorthEastJimmy | 5 years ago
2 likes

NorthEastJimmy wrote:

I find that once you are subjected to a close pass (whether intentional or not), you immediately need to take the lane, this shows other drivers behind that you require more space and thought to safely pass.

We are all sheep, just like most people will avoid one cash point when in a queue, because they all think that one is broken, everyone behind the first close passer could automatically think that overtake was okay, especially when you act so calmly about the situation afterwards!

 

Ive started riding further out in the lane, leaving 1 metre on the inside of myself.  It actually seems to have the desired result, car drivers slow down and on most occasions overtake completely on the other side of the road.  With central islands or roundabouts I will take the centre line to hold traffice behind until ive passed the pinch point.

 

 

 

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Jetmans Dad replied to CXR94Di2 | 5 years ago
2 likes

CXR94Di2 wrote:

It actually seems to have the desired result, car drivers slow down and on most occasions overtake completely on the other side of the road.  With central islands or roundabouts I will take the centre line to hold traffice behind until ive passed the pinch point.

Very much depends on the driver. Just arrived home from a very pleasant 66 mile jaunt to the seaside, including a tasty fish and chip lunch on the promenade ... at least it was very pleasant up to the point about 2 miles from home as I turned right at the traffic lights, in the centre of the lane, only for a black BMW (with tinted windows naturally) to somehow squeeze through between me and the traffic island as we reached it. 

He was close enough that I could literally have reached out and punched his passenger through the open window, but I didn't. Instead I was on the receiving end of "Get over to the left you fat c***" from said passenger. 

I am overweight, so that bit was at least accurate, but with hindsight, maybe punching him wasn't an entirely bad idea. 

Don't ride with a camera, sadly. 

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Jitensha Oni replied to CXR94Di2 | 5 years ago
0 likes

CXR94Di2 wrote:

NorthEastJimmy wrote:

I find that once you are subjected to a close pass (whether intentional or not), you immediately need to take the lane, this shows other drivers behind that you require more space and thought to safely pass.

We are all sheep, just like most people will avoid one cash point when in a queue, because they all think that one is broken, everyone behind the first close passer could automatically think that overtake was okay, especially when you act so calmly about the situation afterwards!

Ive started riding further out in the lane, leaving 1 metre on the inside of myself.  It actually seems to have the desired result, car drivers slow down and on most occasions overtake completely on the other side of the road.  With central islands or roundabouts I will take the centre line to hold traffice behind until ive passed the pinch point.

This is quite like my M.O.  I'll give drivers the benefit of the doubt by cycling 75-100 cm from the kerb outside of obvious hazards (& depending on ironworks/potholes etc obviously). But close pass me and I'll take a rather severe primary until I get what I consider an excellent pass, then go back to 75-100 cm (I'm not a total Jeremy). Repeat ad nauseam.

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burtthebike | 5 years ago
1 like

Very bad driving, but perhaps the driver is a volunteer, not a professional?  No excuse obviously, but maybe they haven't had the proper training to drive such a vehicle, even if they should have to qualify for driving it. 

Has this been reported?  I'm sure the council would be very interested in one of their vehicles endangering other road users.

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zero_trooper replied to burtthebike | 5 years ago
2 likes

burtthebike wrote:

Very bad driving, but perhaps the driver is a volunteer, not a professional?  No excuse obviously, but maybe they haven't had the proper training to drive such a vehicle, even if they should have to qualify for driving it. 

Has this been reported?  I'm sure the council would be very interested in one of their vehicles endangering other road users.

'maybe they haven't had the proper training to drive such a vehicle' - then they shouldn't be driving it and their 'employer' shouldn't be letting them do so.

You're quite right, the council should be asking who authorised the driver.

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