GoPro footage of the Wednesday night incident shows a grey Ford Ranger crossing the centre line at speed as it nears a peloton of riders in Allanton Rd, as the driver continuously honks the horn and comes within less than a metre of colliding with a rider.
The rider who supplied the video said it was one of a series of incidents she had experienced in the area, and believed the level of anger directed towards Dunedin cyclists continued to rise.
She regularly rode with a group of road cyclists in the area. The group had just turned into Allanton Rd from Granton Rd, heading towards Outram, when they heard the extended blare of a horn.
"The guy was going at least 80 or 90kmh, he crossed the centre line, hand on the horn the whole way, and just proceeded to drive that way for about 50 or 60m"
"Riders scattered as far over to the left as possible ... It was definitely intentional.
"It's a miracle nobody was hurt or killed."
The vehicle's registration plate had been noted and the footage was supplied to police.
The rider said she had experienced several frightening incidents on the Taieri, but had never seen anyone intentionally cross the centre line.
"Usually they come from behind and buzz you ... so close you can reach out and touch the car."
She called for patience and mutual respect on city roads.
"I don't think anything warrants a person using their car as a weapon."
The driver of the vehicle declined to comment.
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Comments
I agree that the motorists behaviour is appalling and needs to be spoken to. But also look at the very first frame of this video and where the cyclist is.
A few months ago driving on the same stretch of road, I slowed and moved over to avoid a cyclist on my side of the road and consequently crossed the line as this motorist did, only to be faced with a group of cyclist coming the other way, two abreast. Had I not slowed I would have had to have made a choice.
lux.dujour, you discuss your situation as if you were doing the cyclists a favour by slowing down. What you describe suggests they were not doing anything wrong and that you were supposed to slow down. It's called sharing the road.
We don't get to make the rules, yet we all must obey them, like them or not. If there isn't room to overtake, don't overtake, it's as simple as that. Cyclist, car or truck, it doesn't matter. Nor is there any law that only applies if other road users are behaving appropriately. In short, there is no scenario where you overtaking without room is valid. You did no-one a favour, you just followed the rules. No one owes you gratitude or thanks in this situation. Cyclists don't want favours, they want equal respect on the road, which by law, like it or not, they are entitled too.
As for the driver in this video above. His behaviour should result in more than a talking too. It looked very intentional and dangerous and dangerous driving is an offence. Again, it's as simple as that.
FYI. You are not allowed to overtake any vehicle if there are vehicles coming the other way. End of story. You are obliged to drive in accordance with the road code, and overtaking a cyclist into the path of another vehicle of vehicles is a) stupid and b) illegal. Slow down. Cyclists, horses, children, other drivers, scooter users, all have the right to use our roads, and while we may be irritated by them, nothing excuses aggressive and dangerous behaviour on the roads.
It bugs me, as a casual cyclist (not a lycra wearing one) seeing other cyclists not sticking as far left as possible. Riding two up is okay if the road isn't narrow, and if there are no cars behind you.
Otherwise stick as far left as you safely can and you'll find you get less abuse from motorists - i've never been beeped at etc because this is how i ride.
Not excusing the motorist in this video, but in general. Stick to the rules/guidelines and you'll end up having a nicer ride.