I was just on the outskirts of town . The minor road I was pedalling along joins the A52 at a roundabout . Past experience has taught me that this roundabout is dodgy for cyclists . So about 100 meters short of the roundabout , I stopped , dismounted ,crossed the road , and rode on the pavement up to the roundabout , and turned right , staying on the pavement . About 100 meters beyond the roundabout there is a pedestrian crossing . I stopped at the crossing and was about to dismount , when a car approaching from my right stopped , and the driver flagged me across . Looking to my left , the road was clear as far as the roundabout . So rather than hold up the considerate driver by dismounting , I decided to ride across the crossing . Looking back , I know this was illegal , and it turned out to be a bad decision . At the half way point , I saw a Mercedes car approaching from my left , and accelerating hard . It was too late for me to stop . At the last second he braked so hard that I saw smoke from his tyres ,and he leaned on the horn . I turned right onto the road and carried on . He then overtook me very close , and then cut across me at 45 degrees so that I had to stop . He wound down his window , and said that the crossing was for ******** pedestrians , not For****** bikes , and called in to question my ancestry . I was going to explain that had I walked across , I would have detained him longer . ButI had only time to say two words to him , the second one being "off" . He then drove away . I got the impression that for whatever reason , he had failed to see me, despite my wearing a reflective jacket of the type worn by road workers . I feel that his reaction was out of all proportion to the situation , even though I know I was in the wrong . What do you think ?
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