Safe Speed Forums

I was approaching a roundabout (The Odeon r/bt in Chelmsford for the locals) from The Meadows, intending to take the third exit - Parkway towards the town centre.

The left lane is for left turners, while the other two lanes are for right turners (the odd straight-onner takes the middle lane). The left lane is unusally full, the middle lane has three cars in it, and the outside lane is clear. I am coming up to this traffic and can see a natural slot in the roundabout traffic into which I can slot, in front of a patent black "Park & Ride" coach that has justemerged onto the roundabout (it's quite a big one), which I know I can out-accelerate easily into his path comfortably without him even having to lift off. A second glance just as I'm committing myself, and I see "terminator" style, a bit of chrome wobbling near the front of this black patent bus - which happens to be the exhaust of a black patent motor cycle, with a black patent fairing, ridden - quite close to the inside of the bus - by a gent in a full faced black patent helmet and black leathers, about to emerge from the nearside of the bus at a considerably faster pace than the bus. I anchor up my side of the line (nothing was behind me) with a hint of abs, and have to wait about another 20 vehicles for a gap big enough to take from a standing start.

I swear the motor cyclist never saw me - and were it not for my second glance... the consequences could have been fatal (I reckon I'd have pushed him off and in the path of the bus). And it would have been my fault too. Ouch.

Oh - and Safetyman, if you're reading any of this, I doubt even the bike was exceeding the speed limit...

Good catch. The second look from a different angle to avoid the A pillar blind spot; good stuff. It's what brakes are for.

I understand your concern at not being able to see the bike first time but this sounds impossible from your description.

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

Thanks.

Rereading my original post I have slightly misled. The "second glance" referred was actually a last ditch third or fourth glance, and prompted by this "loose chrome" on the bus.

I always do the second look on account of A pillar blind spot. However, in this instance I had eyeballed the bus (and other traffic) at least twice before making the call. This rider was part of the background of the bus for at least one of those, and only appeared in peripheral vision which caused me to look again and anchor up. Apart from reinforcing my last look again, I think the lesson here is actually for motor-cyclists to be aware of, not only their narrow front-on appearance, but the camelion effect they can have in certain situations.

Easy for me to say, but I think had one of the discerning two-wheelers on here (GOB/Patch/Sixyand others) been in the position, they would not only have seen me, but also, somehow, made themselves more visible to me too.