Teaching me a lesson? - EYF562 (Quality Bakers, Goodman Fielder)

Update- 28 Nov 2012 - http://txtup.co/Q7mZE Broken link? - http://shorttext.com/aJLoMT3 I highly suspect that the response I got was warmed by the links and bullet-lists included in the original letter I sent. ////// Attn Health & Safety Manager: On the evening of Wed 7 Nov, approx 10:15pm, I was riding my bicycle along Adelaide Rd, Newtown, Wellington, when I encountered a "Quality Bakers" truck, plate # EYF562. I passed the parked truck while approaching the signalled intersection to enter hospital parking. The truck approached me from behind, while indicating left (this was observed in my mirror) and I was expecting the truck to turn left, into the hospital parking lot. Instead, the truck continued straight through the intersection along Riddiford St, behind me. In case you are not familiar with this area, there are two southbound travel lanes in addition to on-street parking. As is typical at this time of night, the road was nearly empty; only me and the the truck where there. I was maintaining a lane position away from parked cars in order to stay out of the "door zone", ensure maximum conspicuity to other traffic, and encourage overtaking vehicles to use the right lane to pass safely, rather than "squeeze past" in the same lane. The truck had a full lane available to safely overtake and no other traffic on the road, but instead the driver chose to pass dangerously close to me (the whole time indicating left) and "cut in" well before the overtake was complete. This needlessly arrogant and dangerous driving forced me to brake and swerve left, towards a parked car, in order to avoid being crushed by a 6 tonne truck. I can't think of any reason for this aggressive driving, other than the driver's intention to "teach me a lesson" about where bicycles belong. I'm afraid it's the driver who needs to learn a lesson. Here is the curriculum and selected highlights: http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/roa... Hazards like parked cars, potholes, glass, litter, strong wind and opening car doors may cause cyclists to veer off-line and move into your path. Because of this, give cyclists plenty of room when passing them. Ideally, allow at least 1.5 metres between you and the cyclist. Cyclists may ride away from the kerb or occupy a lane -- not because they want to annoy drivers, but to: • avoid drains, potholes or roadside rubbish • be seen as they come up to intersections with side roads • discourage drivers from squeezing past where it's too narrow (this includes "sharing the lane", as this driver did) avoid car doors that may open unexpectedly Cyclists have a right to use the roads and to travel safely and enjoyably. Please understand and respect their needs. Additionally, NZTA (along with bicycle-safety courses around the world, including NZ) offers this advice to bicyclists: http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/roa... Never ride in the 'door zone' (the space where car doors open) when cycling past parked cars. Allow at least one metre between you and a parked car. If the road (or lane) is too narrow to safely allow vehicles to pass, you are in danger of being run off the road or hit by a passing car. In this situation it is acceptable to move further out into the path of traffic to prevent other users from passing you (within the same lane). People in parked vehicles may open their doors suddenly in front of cyclists. Also see the statutes regarding passing other vehicles - http://www.legislation.govt.nz/regula... A driver must not pass or attempt to pass another vehicle moving in the same direction unless (a) the movement can be made with safety; and (b) the movement is made with due consideration for other users of the road A driver must not, when passing another vehicle moving in the same direction, move into the line of passage of that vehicle until the manoeuvre can be made safely and without impeding the movement of that other vehicle. As it relates to this incident, please let me know what driver training is required and provided, and what remedial action will be taken to ensure safe, considerate and prudent operation of your trucks. Video of this incident is available online -    • Teaching me a lesson? - EYF562 (Quality Ba...   ### Wed 7 Nov 2012, approx 2215 Riddiford St, Newtown, Wellington EYF562 - Mitsubishi Fuso Canter 2009 FE150E2 GVM - 6,500kg Video: CC-BY-NC 3.0 & CC-BY-SA 3.0