I'm not sure which is the best bit of the forum for this, but I'm just logging an incident with a black cab, in the event that anyone else has a bit less luck than me and might end up searching for the driver's previous conduct will find this documented.
I was heading into town up Leith Walk at about 17:10 on Friday 27th August.
The pedestrian crossing by Manderson St was red, and I had to stop briefly. At this point the taxi passed me very closely (close enough that he had to move out to avoid running me over when he realised I was balancing on the right).
There was a long queue at the lights by Annandale Street and I passed him at that point, on my way up to the Advanced Stop Area.
Those lights went green and I cycled up through the bus stops towards the London Road roundabout, and before joining the queue moved across towards the right of the bus lane (as I'm not turning left, but going straight across).
At this point the taxi driver came out of nowhere and undertook me at speed in the same lane, then swerved back out to get in the queue - literally a car length in front of me.
The roundabout was blocked by stationary traffic but as there was enough room for a bike, I ignored him and made my way across and up past the Omni Centre onto Leith St. At this point there is always a long queue in both lanes and I ended up in the bus lane behind it all (i.e. I didn't proceed to filter past).
Who should come up behind but taxi 657 again! At this point I was very wary but figured that nothing much could happen while we were crawling uphill in a traffic jam - right?
If only. As I pulled away instead of sitting behind, the driver tried to pull around me - only to find that I was now keeping up with the car in front and he had nowhere to go.
I was half decided to call the driver out, but in the end there wasn't enough width for him to bother me again as we came round to the left-filter for North Bridge.
I knew I'd leave him for dust up the bridges and so didn't bother to have a shouting match in the street. And so it was - I got all the way to Cameron Toll without a single vehicle passing me (OK - apart from one motorbike!)
I do intend to write a wee letter of joy to the council but that's not of much direct help to other cyclists. I've often wondered when I have a run-in with a dangerous driver how many other cyclists might have found it useful to know if they were just the latest in a long line of near misses - when they get the inevitable fob-off letter from council licencing. Perhaps there is merit in some sort of online log?
Apologies for the ramble!
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