Why do you have the need, urge, craving, rush, desire to absolutely be ahead of a cyclist?

We (cyclists) see it every day where a SillyDriver, I have talked about it here too before, just has to be in front of a cyclist. Where they just squeeze in, erm… should that be, push in front, slam on the brakes because they haven’t looked further than a half metre beyond their bonnet. And have not spotted the queue, pedestrian crossing or red light right there in front of them.

Yesterday I was coming up Munster Road and had a massive queue ahead of me. Yes, I knew about the road works and the gridlock because I cycle on that road pretty much every day. But if you had bothered to look ahead you would have spotted the long queue that wasn’t moving.

So, I was waiting a good distance behind the bin lorry ahead because it smelled, you never know when they would reverse, so that I could see the mirrors on the lorry.

Then this SillyDriver V just overtook me at speed and pulled in behind the bin lorry and slammed on the brakes on with inches to spare between the bin lorry and SillyDriver’s car. Why?

They gained around a car length and were still stuck in traffic, big time. I then pulled out and overtook and went on my merry way, while they were still at the same place in the queue. Five minutes later I bet you they would have moved around 10metres and I would be well past the road works and a good distance further up the road.

Now this got me thinking, why do people driving cars, vans and taxis just have to be in front? Where does that “need” come from? I can remember when I was driving around London every day I didn’t do numpty things like that, as I looked further ahead than my bonnet. I didn’t floor it, like a race, to the stop line, slam on the brakes and still be stuck at the red. I looked ahead, planned my route. I didn’t rush/race up to a car that is about to do a u-turn, block its space so that it couldn’t do the u-turn, and caused more gridlock. I see that pretty much every day too. Driving like that doesn’t gain you any time, it just wears out your brakes and you burn more petrol.

So while I was pondering this behaviour on my way to work, SillyDriver VI showed me why he is a SillyDriver.

Cycling out towards Ealing on the Uxbridge Road just after Ealing Common tube station, I had a few goods vans parked on the left and I was fair distance away from them. The road is nice and wide there so there is nearly always plenty of room for overtaking cars even with oncoming traffic. Though just after the station there is a left turn and shortly after a right turn. If you look ahead and planned your route you would have spotted three cars waiting to do the right turn.

Though SillyDriver V clearly hadn’t, as SillyDriver was flying past me, pretty sure SillyDriver was doing more than the 30mph that you are allowed there. As I was passing the parked cars I was looking back and saw the sporty looking BMW coming up, looking rather keen on passing me.

I spotted what was about to happen but didn’t have time to warn SillyDriver, though I don’t think it would have helped at all. Sillydriver just had to be in front of me and zoomed past. Then SillyDriver spotted the queue and slammed on the brakes and skidded right into the back of a 4×4, with big bang.

Luckily no humans or animals hurt, though I do hope that SillyDriver VI’s pride is hurt. But as my colleague says “I know that not all BMW drivers are bad, but all the ones I come across are” and “for some reason when you buy a BMW you have to deposit your brain” I’m not holding my breath.

You, my fine sir, are this weeks SillyDriver and a right old numpty. But still it doesn’t answer the question, why?