Crashed tonight...

[uncinquesei]

Crashed into a Polish guy on the way home from work tonight. It wasn't a complete surprise because the circumstances leading to it occurred to me earlier this week after a close shave. It was dark, he had no lights etc but what caused the crash were cultural differences. As we approached each other on the (wide) cycle path I went left (I generally keep left anyway) but he went to his right. The more I went to my left, the further he went to his right until we collided in a loud sweary (some in English) mess. My initial anger disappeared as soon as he spoke; as someone who grew up driving on the right, his natural reflex was to go right, just as my reflex was to go left. It had occurred to me that this might happen when I had a close shave on the way past Swansea Uni when an overseas student (I made that assumption, I know) did the same thing as we approached. As it was, the Polish guy was ok, I was ok, neither bike was particularly damaged and it was no one's fault.
This only applies to men, obviously. Through extensive and lengthy experience of women's reactions on cycle paths they are utterly unpredictable. Coincidentally, whilst still fuming after my crash, I approached two women running on the cycle path. I rang my bell, they both looked, parted, looked again, ran into each other, parted again, ran into each other again and finally moved in the same direction, laughing... Cheered me up somewhat. Still had enough residual anger to shout at a tw@t with no lights on mind.

[daddy cool]

Lordy, quite a rollercoaster of emotions for you tonight then - fear, anger, understanding and human empathy, humour at silly ladies, then back to anger.
Glad you and the bike weren't hurt though.
Still, question is what will you both do when you approach each other next time - you go to your right to accommodate him, and he goes to his left because hes learnt the hard way how we do things in Blighty? Or just both get off and walk past each other to be on the safe side?

[Fairbridge]

There are some serious bell ends about. I see some horrific near misses every day. It seems to be worse at this time of year. I keep a mini U lock handy. A U lock to the bks sorts the men from the boys.

[uncinquesei]

I think I'll just stop, stand still, brace myself and wait.... There are plenty of Bell ends about, no lights being a particular bugbear of mine. This guy wasn't one though, just an unfortunate accident.

[anonymous-user]

Good opportunity to learn some polish! Surprise him next time with some directions....

Turn left
Skręć w lewo. (...)

Turn right
Skręć w prawo. (...)

left
lewo (...)

right
prawo (...)

straight ahead
prosto (...)

[WarrenG]

How do the W's sound in Polski? is it like a German one - sounds like 'v'

[garrykiller]

Well clearly he was in the wrong. As brilliant as your reaction was and I commend you on that. He's in Britian and should follow our road laws. You stay left. It wouldn't stand if it was car on car. I had a similar issue a year back foreign rider went right I went left. I was less accommodating than you. His bike was a lot worse off and he paid the damages.

[uncinquesei]

It was a cycle path rather than a road, so the keeping left is more of a convention than law. I might have been less relaxed if my bike had been broken and I'd have had to walk home in cycling shoes mind...

[TheLemming]

uncinquesei said:

It was a cycle path

This is where you went wrong.... And one of the many reasons I almost never use cyclepaths...