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Near miss of the day 40: A close pass of a club training ride

Our regular feature highlighting close passes caught on camera from around the country – today it’s Northern Ireland

For today’s near miss, we have front and rear footage of a close pass on the outskirts of Belfast. The white van driver responsible seems reluctant to cross the central white line, even if failing to do so means skimming a whole bunch of riders out on a club run.

Here’s footage from the front of the bike.

Video uploader Trevor said: “This took place during an evening club training run on the periphery of Belfast. We are all experienced club riders and used to cars passing our group.

“On this occasion, the van in question made an intentional threatening close pass which was extremely dangerous – you can see the rider behind me pulling his elbow in to avoid contact. Beyond that the road ahead was clear but the van barely crossed the white line to pass us.”

Trevor has forwarded the footage to the police who are currently investigating.

Following a successful pilot in Belfast, plain clothes officers have since July been going out on local club rides around Northern Ireland with radios and cameras as part of an initiative similar to the close pass operation pioneered by West Midlands police.

The #seethecyclist campaign also involves prominent use of a distinctive camera logo on cycle kit to warn motorists that they may be being filmed.

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.

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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9 comments

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benb | 6 years ago
0 likes

IMO that was a deliberate punishment pass 

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fenix | 6 years ago
0 likes

???

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Beecho replied to fenix | 6 years ago
2 likes

fenix wrote:

???

We had veggie burgers for dinner. Surprisingly good.

 

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The _Kaner | 6 years ago
1 like

SPD SL on the road bikes.
SPD on the MTB.
I did briefly have Crank Bros Candy on the CX bike....but felt 'unsecured' and unclipped at inopportune moments irrespective of the tension.
My new best friend from Ergon.
All cleats reset and finding no more hotspots on any length of ride.
...and I thought my cleat position was "correct" beforehand. I'm now finding a new neutral comfortable position. All for the price of a couple of High 5 race packs...

Avatar
Leviathan | 6 years ago
2 likes

Worrying to see the rise in sectarian incidents between Cycolics and Protestrivans.

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Yorky-M replied to Leviathan | 6 years ago
1 like

Leviathan wrote:

Worrying to see the rise in sectarian incidents between Cycolics and Protestrivans.

2nd best thing ive read today!

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alansmurphy | 6 years ago
2 likes

The rear view suggests he was happy to drive on the no overtaking paint, front view suggests they were doing a decent speed and he should have chilled the fuck out.

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ChrisB200SX replied to alansmurphy | 6 years ago
0 likes

alansmurphy wrote:

The rear view suggests he was happy to drive on the no overtaking paint, front view suggests they were doing a decent speed and he should have chilled the fuck out.

It's tragic, a huge amount of road width lost to the no overtaking paint, but people overtake on it anyway. It influences people to encroach onto it as little as possible, reducing the safety of vulnerable road users. There was actually a large amount of road space and plenty of space could have been given during the overtake.

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burtthebike | 6 years ago
2 likes

I used to live in Belfast, a long time ago, and the driving there was worse than most other places I'd ridden, and I did try, not very successfully, to get the authorities to do something, so it's good to find out that something is now happening.

I well remember my handlebar mirror being struck by a driver who overtook me as I passed a parked car.  He stopped up the road and said that he'd sounded his horn and then overtaken, and expected me to hang back to let him pass.  I rather vehemently disabused him of his illusions that you have right of way if you sound your horn.

I hope they find this driver and he is prosecuted and it's given lots of publicity so the other drivers learn by example.

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