Stroppy cyclist

Normally while cycling around London its car drivers, bus drivers and motorcyclists that I have cause to complain about but today, it was a cyclist. As I cycled across Battersea Bridge on the way to Chelsea hospital (nothing serious, just getting my varicose veins looked at) I came to a bus that was just to close to the kerb to pass. I made the judgement that it was to narrow to squeeze through so I waited.

If I had been in a hurry I might have tried to overtake the bus but I had plenty of time to spare so I just waited. Then, I hear a girl shouting at me. I turn around and see a women aged round 30 on a bike behind me and she tells me to get a move on. I say the gap is too small but she tells me to get out of the way so she can go through.

Given her abrasive nature, I decided I wasn't going anywhere so told her to wait nicely in the queue. She muttered under her breathe at me and went around me and the bus. I shouted after her to be careful and not get herself killed.

I don't know what was making her so moody. I was past the bus safely in another minute and she had only got slightly ahead of me. This shows that a lot of cyclists are very impatient and feel that waiting is somehow not what they do. Cars should wait, buses should wait but cyclists can do what they want in order to keep moving.

I also remember reading that a very high proportion of cycling accidents are caused by riders going on the inside of large vehicles like buses and then getting squashed against railings or as the vehicle turns left. So I now only undertake if there is plenty of room or the vehicle is completely static.

So lets all be careful out there.