This has been bothering me for a few weeks since it happened. I was driving through a residential street in the morning and passing a school where a lot of cars had parked on my side. I saw cars coming the other way so I slowed to a stop behind a parked car, slightly jutting out to make it clear my intention was to overtake the parked cars and carry on when the cars coming the other way had passed.
A cyclist I hadn’t noticed behind me pulled alongside me and tapped my window. He asked me if I ever used my indicators as he didn’t know wtf I was doing. I’m not very good with confrontation, but I did try and explain that if I indicated then the cars behind would think I was parking and possibly attempt to pass. I thought it was clear from driving rules that I had an obstruction on my side and any observer would know I was just waiting for the cars on the side to clear. He did not agree and stated I should always indicate and not just stop in the road.
It was a minor argument, but it left me quite shaken and I don’t know if I was actually right or if I should have done more. I ended up apologising and going on my way! So am I the asshole in this situation?
NTA. If there was only space for one car to pass at a time, then your behavior was very much the norm.
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My brake lights are working.
It was a residential road past a school with a single lane on each side. Parents park on the side during the morning to drop off their kids, so there is an obstruction which effectively turns the road into a single lane. Its quite common in residential areas, which are usually quiet enough that a single lane due to parked cars doesn’t hold up traffic to much.
NTA
I’ve never heard of putting an indicator light on to let cars going the opposite direction pass. If there’s an obstruction, you stop and go when the other side of the road is clear. Whatever message he was trying to send was wrong person, wrong setting. I know people can be shit about using their indicators, but in this situation, they weren’t needed. You’re good. Sorry it shook you.
Cheers, I’m just bad with confrontation!
**NTA.** Lol. Pausing behind parked cars on your side of the road is normal driving behavior, not a mystery puzzle that requires a turn signal decoder ring!!
Yeah. You’re not meant to indicate if it’s an obvious hazard. BUT how did your brake lights not alert him? If you’re progressively breaking it’s a complete non issue and the cyclist was just unaware of the rules of the road.
NTA. You anticipated a tricky situation. It was the cyclist’s responsibility to anticipate as well. My main advice to you is not to obsess about quasi road-rage interactions with people you’ll never see again — even if you’re clearly in the wrong, which is not the case here. It happens. You weren’t wrong. Put it out of your mind.
You were pull over and stopped. For this you indicate. It’s part of the driving rules. You want to think you were queuing, this isn’t queuing. You have behaved outside of the expectations. This is minor, and not worth pondering about.
NTA it was obvious what your intentions were. The cyclist should have paid attention, and him knocking on your window was invasive
Next time – let it go.
The cyclist just had to pick a fight. That’s just a rando. A lot of folks nowadays have road rage and the slightest thing will set them off.
Any confrontation/incident/interaction with a person you know you won’t see again? Let it go. No need to waste mental energy on it.
Was the obstruction sufficient to obstruct somebody on a bike, or just somebody in a car? If the latter then YTA (in the gentlest way possible).
When people in cars assume every other person on the road must be in car it comes across as very assholish to people who aren’t in cars.
NTA. You literally were indicating your intent by sitting in your lane with brake lights on. There is no other appropriate indicator.
Hazard lights would make it seem like you were stopped and for him to go around you. A turn signal would indicate you were waiting to turn, which you were not.
Unless your country’s cars have a special “hang on a minute while I wait for a clear lane” signal, then I think you’re good.
I don’t disagree with his frustration over the confusion, however, he’s wrong that there was an obvious way to signal in the moment.