http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: Bike wrongly on Road en Sun, 17 May 2026 07:23:18 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10146&page=2#post-110473 Tue, 14 May 2013 13:41:16 +0000 johnnyboy 110473@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>My car doors lock automatically when I start driving, so don't try it with a Renault...</p> <p>I didn't do it deliberately with either car and in one of the cases, touched the car just to stop me falling into it as kind of lost my balance trying to squeeze through the gap which would have been wider if they weren't sitting in the bike lane....</p> <p>An interesting comment from one of my Facebook friends: "If you want to zigzag through stranded cars, you take your chances. She shouldn't have entered the junction if her exit wasn't clear, but once there she had every right to progress in order to clear the junction. If you were not so impatient, she wasn't have had cause to scold you."</p> <p>so run that one buy me again, I am progressing through a green light, next to the pavement, in a box junction that I can pass through without stopping when a car that is turning right, blocking the traffic coming the other way, moves towards me....</p> <p>yes, she had every right to move but not to the detriment of other traffic and she could not have cleared the junction at that point anyway as the car in front of her hadn't moved so there wasn't space but other than that, it's a motorist's right! ALl the would have done was move forward a few inches, not enough to let the car behind her get out of the way of the other traffic.</p> <p>I'm sure my friend was a perfect angel in the days when he rode a motor bike... :-) </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10146&page=2#post-110439 Tue, 14 May 2013 10:22:07 +0000 Coxy 110439@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Unless it's a taxi </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10146&page=2#post-110436 Tue, 14 May 2013 10:03:52 +0000 cb 110436@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>No need to get out of the car. Accelerating quickly enough will close the door. So you might not get the head start you were hoping for. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10146&page=2#post-110337 Mon, 13 May 2013 13:14:58 +0000 neddie 110337@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>It really isn't worth aggravating motorists by:</p> <p><ol type="1"><li>banging on their cars</li><li>setting off slowly in front of them</li><li>having a word, etc</li><br /> </ol></p> <p>It only serves to give cyclists a bad name. Remember - be an ambassador on the road.</p> <p>Having said that, the best one (I've heard of), is to open the rear passenger-side door. That way they have to get out of the driving seat and walk round to shut it again, by which time you are long gone. Of course I would strongly advise against it. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10146&page=2#post-110301 Mon, 13 May 2013 11:03:07 +0000 crowriver 110301@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@WC, aye but there's rarely a target to go for as the miscreant has usually scarpered long ago... ;-) A bit like if some scrote starts messing up parked cars: unless one of the owners sees them, then... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10146&page=2#post-110300 Mon, 13 May 2013 11:00:27 +0000 Wilmington's Cow 110300@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Or other people touching your bike while it's locked up... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10146&page=2#post-110297 Mon, 13 May 2013 10:46:34 +0000 crowriver 110297@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>If you think about how much time many people spend in their cars, it's like an extension of their living room (or in some caees, bedroom). So touching <em>their car</em> is like banging on the window of their room while they're watching their favourite telly programme: <em>Road Wars</em>. A similar reaction ensues.</p> <p>Also, for many folk, the car is the most expensive possession after the house. A lot of pride, attachment, and status invested in it. When you touch that extension of their fragile ego it's a major transgression. Like some folk who get obsessed with a really fancy pair of shoes. "Don't touch the shoes, man! Don't you step on my SHOES!!!!" </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10146&page=2#post-110281 Mon, 13 May 2013 07:22:00 +0000 gembo 110281@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>For some drivers, touching the car is an invasion of their personal space. Odd as from objective view it is a carapace of metal around their personal space? Other drivers easy about this but not poss to tell which is which. If I swish chassis with pannier in a filter manoeuvre I always try to indicate my apologies </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10146&page=2#post-110280 Mon, 13 May 2013 00:07:09 +0000 johnnyboy 110280@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>crowriver, I agree very much with what you've said, some of them just get so wrapped up that they are oblivious.</p> <p>One way to wake them up is always to put a hand in their car though, you'd be amazed at the number of people who'll almost explode with rage when you do that. I must look like the Hulk or something that can cause serious damage, maybe a Transformer or Superman. A couple of times I had to put my hand on a car to edge past cars blocking the bike lane outside the Missonni Hotel and both times the drivers almost had seizures and much horn honking was heard as I cycled away.</p> <p>Ah well another week of car dodging fun there again tomorrow.... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10146#post-110206 Sat, 11 May 2013 14:55:55 +0000 crowriver 110206@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>Worth remembering amongst all this that it is not a given that the driver in question is "anti-bicycle", some are just stupid/ignorant to all other road users.</em></p> <p>That's another assumption I work on. Yes, there are a minority of drivers who are 'anti' but many are just blissfully unaware of anything outside their own wee bubble: until they crash/swerve/brake hard to narrowly avoid hitting it. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10146#post-110200 Sat, 11 May 2013 13:35:09 +0000 chdot 110200@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>" it is not a given that the driver in question is "anti-bicycle", some are just stupid/ignorant to all other road users"</p> <p>Last week I saw a 'classic' motorbike proceeding at a suitable pace through the potholed section of Holy Corner and on to the sharp bend in Bruntsfield pursued very closely by a taxi that had no chance of overtaking. </p> <p>"more traffic police out having chats with idiots"</p> <p>Interestingly I heard a 'road safety' person yesterday saying the the (ex) Chief Constable of L&amp;B was keen on education. The new CC of Police Scotland is apparently keener on enforcement. </p> <p>We'll see... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10146#post-110199 Sat, 11 May 2013 12:59:31 +0000 Smudge 110199@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Worth remembering amongst all this that it is not a given that the driver in question is "anti-bicycle", some are just stupid/ignorant to all other road users.<br /> As some will know I ride a motorcycle sometimes which can be more than a little nippy(!) yet twice yesterday heading home in the rush hour I was tooted at by idiots because I was "only" doing 30mph (in a 30 limit) and "holding them up".</p> <p>Both times, I then passed/left them behind effortlessly as soon as soon as we left the restricted areas, had I been on the bicycle I might have assumed they were anti cycle, but actually they were just muppets :-/<br /> Annoying them further may provide a little satisfaction, as does blitzing past them out of town, but ultimately neither are likely to improve anything :-(</p> <p>Other that more traffic police out having chats with idiots, sadly I don't know what will help :-/ </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10146#post-110177 Sat, 11 May 2013 06:16:29 +0000 Nelly 110177@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Insto - agreed, same as everyone else - most good, some silly.</p> <p>@Johnnyboy, in my experience, there is a world of difference between leisure cycling (where I rarely find conflict) and the, on occasion, stupidity of the daily commute.</p> <p>To generalise - most people seem to be in a huge rush to either get somewhere (work / nursery) or get home which feeds some more basic instincts - I think they would just as easily have raged at someone else in a car but yesterday it happened to be you on a bike.</p> <p>Compared to a car v car situation, you are an easy target - at least in a car you can turn up the radio and wind up windows to ignore the loony rantings.</p> <p>The most dangerous thing in your situation is not the rantings, but that (inevitably) someone becomes impatient and pulls a maneouver with no mirror and sideswipes you.</p> <p>Thats why we all have ninja senses ;-) </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10146#post-110175 Sat, 11 May 2013 00:55:09 +0000 Instography 110175@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I generally find drivers to be OK. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10146#post-110174 Fri, 10 May 2013 23:42:01 +0000 Wilmington's Cow 110174@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Worth pointing out that a car can legitimately and legally find itself in an ASL so also only really worth making a point of if you've seen the driver do wrong (though I appreciate we're talking of cases of last minute passing). </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10146#post-110165 Fri, 10 May 2013 20:58:05 +0000 Min 110165@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I have only ever done that once when one woman was so desperate to get that few feet close to the red light that she actually drove into my right brake lever.</p> <p>If I did it everytime a driver went into the ASL it was always take me ages to get anywhere. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10146#post-110162 Fri, 10 May 2013 20:17:09 +0000 minus six 110162@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>show them a clean pair of heels every time</p> <p>better that, than conform to the stereotype of</p> <p>slow, too slow, must pass, must punish </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10146#post-110160 Fri, 10 May 2013 19:42:16 +0000 crowriver 110160@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>I am working on the assumption that *most* drivers won't kill you from a standing start...</em></p> <p>I'm working on a similar assumption. It's more satisfying to hold up an impatient driver for...what, all of a few seconds, than it is to get lippy with him/her, argue, swear, etc. Mainly because I know for sure that is what that particular diver cannot abide, but it <em>looks</em> like I'm just accidentally, rather than deliberately slow. </p> <p>Very rarely will I look back at the driver when I pull this manoeuvre, because some hot heads will take that as a deliberate affront - "he looked at me in a funny way, your honour, I couldn't help 'clipping' his back wheel, my blood was boiling in a moment of madness", etc. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10146#post-110155 Fri, 10 May 2013 18:23:32 +0000 SRD 110155@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I had a guy reverse out of the ASL the other day after I did my 'that's the stop line back there ya'know' thing. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10146#post-110154 Fri, 10 May 2013 18:20:46 +0000 DrAfternoon 110154@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I'm sympathetic to crowriver's approach, but I fall somewhere in the middle. I move into primary and move off slightly more slowly than I would normally, calculated to be just enough to negate any advantage they've gained. Mostly imperceptible and fairly pointless, but does help preserve a calm state of mind when one is otherwise behaving very well, and faced by those who are not. </p> <p>Can also depend on just how badly they're occupying the box. If they're right up to the front of it then I'll end up in front of them with the bike almost side on, which inevitably slows my start. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10146#post-110136 Fri, 10 May 2013 16:12:27 +0000 Wilmington's Cow 110136@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"<em>I don't really see much difference with what I'm doing, except for my painfully slow start, whistling nonchalantly as I go.....but only if the driver was a knob beforehand.</em>"</p> <p>I don't deliberately hold them up. I pull in to primary if the lights are red, then, as mentioned, pull away quickly at the green.</p> <p>So there's only one difference... But pretty germane to the pointin that it means I deal with it in the exact opposite manner... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10146#post-110135 Fri, 10 May 2013 16:04:46 +0000 sallyhinch 110135@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I don't pull away slowly on a bike, but when I'm crossing on a zebra (as a pedestrian, I hasten to add) and I've practically had to force the driver to stop by stepping out in front of them, then boy can I be slow getting across that road. Never actually dropped something and scrabbled about looking for it, but I have been tempted. I am working on the assumption that *most* drivers won't kill you from a standing start... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10146#post-110132 Fri, 10 May 2013 15:47:09 +0000 crowriver 110132@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em> I do pull into an ASL in primary, but that's more an "I'm here, look, here, in front of you, so wasn't that overtake silly."</em></p> <p>I don't really see much difference with what I'm doing, except for my painfully slow start, whistling nonchalantly as I go.....but only if the driver was a knob beforehand. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10146#post-110131 Fri, 10 May 2013 15:43:27 +0000 crowriver 110131@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>I'm definitely in favour of ASL but in some cases its just safer to hold the lane in the queue of traffic. And can result in less bad feeling towards cyclist. </em></p> <p>May I clarify I don't do this if it's an HGV, bus, etc. Cars are fair game though I reckon. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10146#post-110126 Fri, 10 May 2013 15:02:46 +0000 SRD 110126@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@wc i knew what you meant _and_ agreed with you :) </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10146#post-110123 Fri, 10 May 2013 14:52:44 +0000 Bhachgen 110123@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Depends on whether I get the track stand right or not. Clipped in and nicely balanced and I reckon I can get off the line pretty sharpish. Get a wobble on and put the left foot down just as the lights are changing it's another story... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10146#post-110120 Fri, 10 May 2013 14:40:25 +0000 cb 110120@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Does anyone else feel that, on the bike, they are always /much/ faster across the junction than the following cars?</p> <p>But... in the car, the cyclist ahead is always slow and dawdling.</p> <p>I don't actually think that we cyclists are as fast off the line as we like to think. But don't know how to prove that. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10146#post-110115 Fri, 10 May 2013 14:08:46 +0000 Wilmington's Cow 110115@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Sorry, I confused matters there. I <em>do</em> generally filter (unless I know the lights are about to change), I <em>don't</em> pull away deliberately slowly to annoy the driver who has just been a muppet. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10146#post-110111 Fri, 10 May 2013 14:02:41 +0000 Arellcat 110111@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>While I agree with Two Tired and Mr Cow on staying in line when access to an ASL is blocked, because I usually do the same, johnnyboy's junction is an exception. The timing of the traffic lights is poor, and the amount of traffic it carries is high, and the space available for cyclists is minimal. Add lunar terrain and it being on a hill and you get the idea.</p> <p>This is why I use Braid Road and Braidburn Terrace instead, assuming I can get through on the very short green light phase to cross Comiston Road. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10146#post-110091 Fri, 10 May 2013 11:23:48 +0000 Wilmington's Cow 110091@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"<em>I don't get the point of this really. I see no point in agravating bad drivers</em>"</p> <p>Completely and utterly agree (I tend to do the opposite and race off the line to show them that over 20-30 yards I'm quicker away than them anyway). I <em>do</em> pull into an ASL in primary, but that's more an "I'm here, look, <em>here</em>, in front of you, so wasn't that overtake silly." </p>