CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » General Edinburgh

Today's rubbish pedestrians

(219 posts)
  • Started 10 years ago by Focus
  • Latest reply from the canuck

No tags yet.


1…456…8

  1. EdinburghCycleCam
    Member

    An interesting one from today's commute - Today's good pedestrianing.

    Originally, I moaned on twitter with "Why did he cross the road if he thought I was going so fast that I needed to slow down", but as someone pointed out - there's not much of a better time he could have picked to cross - the red man had just come on, and there was no other traffic. He'd obviously seen me coming (hence the "slow down" hand movements) and just couldn't make it across in time, and he's crossing almost exactly between two pedestrian crossings (I.e. none he could reasonably be expected to use), at a traffic island.

    So if anything, this should maybe go in the "Today's rubbish cycling" thread, for my jumping to the conclusion that he was crossing without paying attention, when it was the exact opposite.

    [+] Embed the video | Video DownloadGet the Video Plugins

    Posted 5 years ago #

  2. Trixie
    Member

    I'd not even say it was a "slow down" hand movement. It could be interpreted as an "I'm sorry/thank you".

    Posted 5 years ago #

  3. davey2wheels
    Member

    You could also be really picky and suggest that if the most direct path had been taken, to the dropped kerb that serves the traffic island, no interaction would have been required at all.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  4. unhurt
    Member

    Self-reporting. Took the steps down between the flats on the way home from a few pints last night. Steps are bordered by bushes & some enthusiastic brambles (that I cut back the other week)and are a favourite roaming ground for snails on damp, warm nights. Steps also tend towards the slightly slick with moisture & I assume algae or something that the snails are grazing on.

    Anyway, while doing the "snail avoidance" tip-toe and navigating an encroaching bramble stem my feet slid out from under me and I did a pure comedy cowp onto my behind. Somewhat bruised in both body & dignity, and got home to find that the back of my very orange skirt had an impressive stain caused by the fat, juicy bramble berry I sat down on! Some late-night stain removal ensued.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  5. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @unhurt

    Great content. Pints eh?

    Posted 5 years ago #

  6. gembo
    Member

    Snails are evil

    Posted 5 years ago #

  7. jdanielp
    Member

    Snails are lovely. Slugs not so much.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  8. gembo
    Member

    Pure snail propaganda

    Posted 5 years ago #

  9. Greenroofer
    Member

    I like snails as an idea until they start eating my hostas, then I'm with @gembo. I came out one warm still evening earlier this year and the only noise in the garden was snails munching on my hostas.

    The thing that really makes my skin crawl is when the leeches appear on the towpath.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  10. Stickman
    Member

    The thing that really makes my skin crawl is when the leeches appear on the towpath.

    You’ve seen nothing until you’ve seen the nightmare of @EdinburghCycleCam’s slug horror-fest. Even thinking about it gives me the shivers.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  11. unhurt
    Member

    I like slugs. When alive. Those slug death pit pics though... urrrrrrrrrgh.

    the only noise in the garden was snails munching on my hostas

    See I feel bad for your hostas but this is such a cool thing, all those little rasping radulas! Oddy my solitary potted hosta (left by the previous owners) is never nibbled upon.

    Leeches are super interesting too! Once upon a time (c. 2004) I investigated getting & keeping medical leeches as pets. You just feed them on yourself!

    But several friends informed me they would not be visiting me ever again so I didn't order any in the end. Woe.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  12. bill
    Member

    @Greenroofer @unhurt I didn't think there were leeches here! Mr Bill and I were discussing leeches recently and my un-fond memories of them. We were wondering why there are none here (or maybe they are just hiding from us?).

    I rather enjoy going here for a wee outdoors and not having to panic and hurry up because an army of little creatures is racing towards me. And then bleed for 24h.

    @unhurt I did enjoy reading your story!

    Posted 5 years ago #

  13. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    slug death pit

    Autobiography chapter heading.

    I think I've only twice seen leeches here. Quite charmed both times.

    @bill

    The great thing about this country is the dearth of cockroaches. I truly abhor a cockroach.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  14. bill
    Member

    @IWARTS Not a fan crunchy?
    Does it also mean that you are a smooth rather than crunchy peanut butter person?

    Posted 5 years ago #

  15. EdinburghCycleCam
    Member

    @Stickman You’ve seen nothing until you’ve seen the nightmare of @EdinburghCycleCam’s slug horror-fest. Even thinking about it gives me the shivers.

    It's so revolting that I can't bare to empty it any more. I just have a disgusting tub of slug soup topped with rainwater, leaves and dead flies now...

    Posted 5 years ago #

  16. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @bill

    Bug butter was invented by Calvin of Calvin and Hobbes, no?

    Posted 5 years ago #

  17. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @EdinburghCycleCam

    Actually sniggering at my desk.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  18. cb
    Member

    Leaches in the ponds at the Gallery of Modern Art if you wish to be further charmed.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  19. wingpig
    Member

    Perhaps the leech-feart might think leeches less horrifying if they made wee rising or descending accordion-trill noises as they expanded and contracted, perhaps as if they were animated by Postgate and Firmin and sonically characterised by Vernon Elliot/John Faulkner/Sandra Kerr.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  20. urchaidh
    Member

    There are leeches in the lagoons at Musselburgh which we use for canoe and kayak coaching over the summer. I've had to remove a few from myself and the kids.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  21. bill
    Member

    @wingpig That's a really cool mental image :D

    I wonder if they would find place in @gembo's band!

    Posted 5 years ago #

  22. jdanielp
    Member

    The pools of water at the bings are teeming with leeches.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  23. gembo
    Member

    @bill, I am just in the band it is the accordion player’s band - but if wingpig produced accordion playing leeches then yes they would also be allowed in the band

    Posted 5 years ago #

  24. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    Got shouted at by a guy walking his dog. I'd just insisted on riding straight at a 4x4 coming at me on the wrong side of the road. Feeling a bit bolshie after discussionswith a radical bicyclist of my acquaintance?

    Anyway I wasn't having his chat and eventually he accused me of riding a 'woman's bike'. The frame is lilac. I think we're still in Kansas, Toto.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  25. EdinburghCycleCam
    Member

    Narrowly missed a pedestrian on the Cannongate yesterday evening, who stepped off the pavement without looking. Partly my fault for not giving them more space - I saw them stepping onto the road (barely; I had the sun in my eyes), but assumed they'd look before walking further out, as most people seem to do.
    But no, she took about 3 steps into the road and only looked as I squeezed past her.

    Thankfully I was going uphill, so only going about 5-10 mph...

    Posted 5 years ago #

  26. gembo
    Member

    My new kool stop pads not quite as good as I thought. Slowing down not quickly enough for two very big lads who gave me some right dirty looks tonight. I felt compelled to point out the actual pedestrian crossing was a fair bit further down the hill, maybe 10 yards. How we laffed.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  27. wingpig
    Member

    A pair of wee oaves lurking under the Viewforth bridge out of the rain just after Boroughmuir exit-time, who were looking like they were going to do something stupid and predictability did that stamp-forward threat-move as I went past, as if hoping to frighten me to fall off into the canal. As there were youngsters about I opted for "pointless wee turds".

    Posted 5 years ago #

  28. CycleAlex
    Member

    "Concerning a cyclist being knocked off his bike in the lower stretches of Leith Walk, the driver has been charged. During the police proceedings, a child tried to steal the bike – and has been charged."

    https://leithcentralcc.co.uk/2019/08/29/lccc-june-2019-approved-minutes/

    Posted 5 years ago #

  29. jonty
    Member

    " H Tobermann suggested that the design of the cycle-path at the locus was partly to blame, and that relevant lessons should be taken in by the Trams project."

    If only someone had told them about how to make priority obvious at the design phase!

    Posted 5 years ago #

  30. crowriver
    Member

    Pootling along Porty Prom (as you do) this aft. Lots of folk having a wintry stroll in the sunshine. I threaded my way through the meandering family groups with what I considered thoughtful and respectful skill at low speed.

    As I passed one group a woman heckled me in a sarcastic manner. Quoth she:

    "You're not in Amsterdam!"

    In the few seconds it took me to summon a reply, I mulled briefly what the intent of her remark was. Two possibilities came to mind.

    a) - A critique of "inappropriate" bike choice, possibly based on the misapprehension that my trusty Pashley Pronto was in fact a Dutch bike. Other cyclists in the vicinity were astride drop barred road machines or MTBs.

    b) - A "this is Edinburgh" type comment implying that, like any normal person, I should not be riding a bike on the Prom. Instead I ought to have driven there, and parked up my motor vehicle in the overcrowded car park, the better to stroll in a puffa jacket with my relatives. A variation on "cyclists shouldn't be on the Prom" but with added sarcasm.

    A third option c) also occurred to me, which was that both a) and b) above were true. In any case, it mattered little what the intent was, though I strongly suspected b) was more likely.

    My retort came swiftly enough to be heard by the heckler:

    "Aye, we're not in Amsterdam, so *&%@in' what?"

    Not my wittiest effort, but at least matching the sarcasm and adding a tinge of De Niro style "You talking' to me?" confrontation.

    Posted 5 years ago #

RSS feed for this topic

1…456…8

Reply »

You must log in to post.


Video embedded using Easy Video Embed plugin