You're bigger than me , so you do what you like ?

Heading home on the Tuesday Shopping trip , i am coming into the 50kph zone
, when i happen on a " 30kph Worker on Road Sign ". Knowing i have to slow from 40+kph and that there is a vehicle behind me , i signal the " Keep right behind sweep " as a courtesy gesture . Hr VIP , pulls alongside me and edges towards the kerb then speeds up to pass the " Geminde Vehicle " working on cleaning the RHS kerb area . Not totally inconvenienced , as the approaching vehicle had turned off before the parked work truck and mobile dumpster , i had never the less been caused to lose my right of way , by the selfish attitude of the van shown here !

This peasant has a shop in the Dorf of Munster , home of the Austrian Ski Star Anna Marie Brem , who like her Mother , uses a Bike for Cross Training ! Having gone the 1km to the shop , i arrived in his parking area as he was walking into the shop . Having taken several photoss of the van . I went in seeking the Manager , speaking to the Lady at the office desk and asking if she spoke English . I explained to her what had taken place and then Hr VIP/shop owner interrupted . He started by speaking Dialect to me , i asked for English since i thought he was intelligent enough to oblige , but he persevered with his vocals , none of which i understood , so i wrote down the Facebook pages he could read , so as to understand what i had to say . With this i moved over to speak to the Lady once more at which point he started to pull at my Plastic Wind Jacket , then pushed me in the general direction of the door . By this time it was clear that he understood all that i had said and even threatened to call the Polizei ,
which could have resulted in his having to explain his assault on me .  This was not the first time that he had passed me on the road , since his shop is on one of the routes West that i have to use on a regular basis . At a guess he is old enough to have obtained his Driver Permit , in the days that you could ask your " mates " to help you out ? These days there are Driving chools such as " Wallner " who teach their Pupils , to ease off behind a Cyclist , signal overtake , pass with more than a metre clearance , then signal return to lane when sufficiently clear of the Cyclist ! How many years have they being doing this ?

Problem is though , that as soon as the Pupil starts travelling alone , behaving correctly towards Cyclists , their perceptions of other Vehicles , such as Emergency Services Vehicles FAILING to Signal , OR , pass sufficiently wide , could cause them to fail to practice the procedures taught and required by Austrian Law ?

ONLY when the Austrian Emergency Services Vehicles ( Polizei ,Ambulance & Fire & Rescue Services ) , when NOT IN Emergency Mode , practice the manoevres they were TRAINED to perform , will the general Austrian Public resume those REQUIRED Habits ! Meanwhile the Austrian Public are busy congratulating their Winter Athletes for their bringing Home the Medals , i wonder how those Athletes will feel the next time they are Cross Training on the Austrian Roads and have grief caused by poor driving behaviour ?  Being in the Countryside , i am able to avoid many of the difficulties that those living in Cities ENDURE on EACH Bike Ride !

Another example of poor behaviour , took place last week . The truck depicted , no doubt exited the Autobahn , travelled along the link road to the Trading Estate road , that i was more than 150m along  . About 100m before a 90° right hand he was wide and alongside me whilst i was still doing 35+kph . In the truck deaccelerating to sweep around the corner , i was forced to brake and then he doglegged left and then to the right , so as to turn onto the property he was visiting . I went directly to the Office and was busy explaining the situation to the receptionist when the driver finally made his way to the office to make himself known .

Not much the people of the business were willing to do , since they did not see what had taken place on the road , nor were they willing to relay my complaint to the employer . Having left a placard with the " 1 1/2M safe pass " depicted , i took my leave , leaving the driver with his " Nothing you can do " attitude !

Seems that he could not give me the courtesy of the road for the corners , which i would have ridden through quicker than he could drive that semi HGV , but he lost considerable time whilst the people he was visiting heard me out . Not sure if there was anything gained , but i will be advising " Links " to this post , to various Authorities ! Will they act ? Doubt that anything i report here ,will keep them from falling asleep !