Any other traffic tips from the master?

I agree, I think making eye contact makes us less pesky cyclist and more human. I also give a quick wave to cars that give way to me when others would have pulled out/driven across in front of me. I know we have the right of way in these situations but showing appreciation for good driving behaviour hopefully encourages these drivers to keep doing it and to think better of cyclists in general. It's such a “them” and “us” war, it's nice to start diffusing it.

I can bring up an example (thankfully becoming a rarer example) only tonight on the way to the Kew crits of some numnut who kept running red lights by getting ahead of the traffic before the lights turned green. When we pulled him up and asked him to wait until the lights turned green before he entered the intersection, he gave the flabergasting response of “Oh, I've had a few run-ins with cars pushing me to the side of the road, so I head out into the intersection early to get ahead of them”…..us: *slap forehead*. Not a surprise then that he's had some “run-ins” with cars, hopefully he does get to read your article, then perhaps he won't have any more run-ins….

keep up the good work Wade.

The signals, waves, nods and smiles were the easy part for me, and I think they do an incredibly positive job in changing drivers attitude to cyclists. The more difficult aspect for me was anger management :)

I used to be a mirror slapper, spitter, bonnet basher (hotheaded youth days). After a while I noticed how ugly it looked when I saw other cyclists yelling abuse or collecting mirrors and I realised all it did was make me look like another crazy, erratic road user. I have see many times a cyclists almost have a second accident while doing their best to abuse a motorist for almost causing a first.

yep – stay calm, concentrate on the road – just try to look pro.

Now if I don't have something positive to say in a situation I just stay silent, look ahead and stay safe. Silence is an incredibly powerful tool I found. If a driver starts to abuse you for whatever reason, usually for just being on their road, your silence and professional attitude on the road just makes them look like a tool. To other motorists he looks like a tool and you look pro. It's great.

A few weeks back while doing my usual ride to work, going down Londsdale Street in peak hour, a driver did a sudden left lane change into my lane without indicating. I did a big lockup and swerve into the gutter but managed to avoid getting swiped or falling off.

At the red light I rolled by the drivers open window, when I didn't abuse him, or spit on his window, or slap his mirror, he stuck his head out and said “sorry mate I didn't see you”.

I replied with “all good mate no harm done”.

I'd like to think that I left the guy with a better opinion of cyclists and in a frame of mind to drive with a little more care. If it resulted in agro and abuse the only thing each of us would have taken away is a highly enraged state for the remainder of our journey.

Actually I find most of my road rage now is generated by cyclists who run red lights. I don't even understand why they do this? Most are not even pedalling that fast so they can't be in a hurry? It does nothing but create anger in fellow road users. And while Mr Colour Blind is safely up the road I've gotta' cross the intersection with a bunch of now agro cyclist haters piloting 2 tones of metal past me. Terrific, thanks mate!