CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Leisure

What's wrong with this car? - competition.

(33 posts)
  • Started 8 years ago by LaidBack
  • Latest reply from LaidBack

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12

  1. LaidBack
    Member

    Ideal for a nice wet day.

    Looking for good points and bad points of what the driver has done here. The car was parked for at least half an hour. I saw it on way out and assumed it would have gone when I was back.

    Suitable captions also could be fun. (Remember there is always an excuse when you see a car leaving the road!)

    The LB Golden Bollard Award allows comment judged best (by moderator?) to claim a free copy of Velo Vision worth £6. Or tour of Meadows on the Nazca Quetzal tandem recliner. No sense (of balance) required.

    Campaign for wider cycleways attracts support by LaidBackBikes, on Flickr

    Posted 8 years ago #

  2. earthowned
    Member

    I saw the same car at lunch so I chapped on the window to find out why they were there. An embarrassed lady explained that the car had broken down and some helpful people had pushed it there out of the way and she was waiting to be picked up. Questionable place to 'park' it, but I don't think she had much choice once the 'helpers' left.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  3. dougal
    Member

    Car leaves road ... in search of driver

    Posted 8 years ago #

  4. jdanielp
    Member

    The traffic light says no left turn. The fact that the driver has resisted the urge to turn left (up until the time at which the photo was taken at least) is admirable.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  5. jdanielp
    Member

    @dougal alternatively car, leaves, road ;)

    Posted 8 years ago #

  6. steveo
    Member

    Car, leaves, road. The next exciting instalment of what's on the path.

    Edit: ninja'd! by 19 seconds!!

    Posted 8 years ago #

  7. algo
    Member

    VW's emissions deception more serious than first thought

    Posted 8 years ago #

  8. Chug
    Member

    VW takes emissions-test cheating to a new level

    Posted 8 years ago #

  9. jdanielp
    Member

    @steveo sorry! A double-whammy with VW emissions as well!

    Posted 8 years ago #

  10. Charlethepar
    Member

    Driver embarrassed at exposure of their misunderstanding of the meaning of a convertible car.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  11. fimm
    Member

    ...but the satnav said...

    Posted 8 years ago #

  12. earthowned
    Member

    I'm sorry, I find some of these comments distasteful. Let's just hope that next time you have something bad happen to you that no-one takes a picture of it, posts it on the internet and then makes fun of you.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  13. LaidBack
    Member

    We should maybe have thread removed then you mean?

    I've pushed the odd car myself so know it does happen. What is quite funny is that the bike way was chosen as the best place to put it. We are of course used to cars parking in bike lanes and at the playground in Meadows.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  14. Charlethepar
    Member

    Maybe the driver was over-influenced by watching Hong Kong Phooey, and was sitting there banging on a gong hoping for a transformation

    Posted 8 years ago #

  15. kaputnik
    Moderator

    I'm not sure anyone is making fun of the person concerned, given that they are not identifiable or even referred to as an individual. The scenario of a car being left/abandoned/parked on a cycle lane is being mocked however in a fairly light hearted manner. I'm not sure there's anything particularly harsh with that?

    Pushing a car off the road onto a cycle lane to get it "out the way" is I think is a scenario that's perfectly valid for lampoonery.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  16. algo
    Member

    @earthowned - I'm sorry if the comments seem in bad taste to you. You met the person so it seems more personal to you, whereas I hadn't associated the picture with any particular person, rather treating it akin to the caption competition from Have I Got News for You. If anyone was the butt of my attempt at a joke it was VW in my eyes....

    Posted 8 years ago #

  17. cc
    Member

    That car's presence there is unacceptable. That people here reacted with gentle humour rather than rage shows how nice they are.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  18. Charlethepar
    Member

    @earthowned

    I can assure you that next time something unfortunate happens to me, as on previous occasions of mishap, I shall be making so much fun of myself that others will have to work hard to get a look in.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  19. Chug
    Member

    It's not the broken-down-ness that's the issue, more the choice to block one of the prime cycle routes into the city centre. I wouldn't expect a cyclist to fix a p******* in the middle of one of the Melville Drive driving lanes.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  20. earthowned
    Member

    Lampoon away - don't let me stop you. But it feels like a cheap shot to raise a laugh out of someone's genuine mistake which they had no control over and which they were genuinely horrified about.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  21. Charlethepar
    Member

    @earthowned

    I am still confused as to how the driver got her car pushed off the road onto a cycle path against her will, or outside her control. What sort of pushy passers-by would do that? Surely she would have had to steer the car, unless the passers-by were really beefy and managed to lift the car and place it in its new location.

    I am sure in law she remained in charge of the vehicle.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  22. algo
    Member

    @Charlethepar I can completely understand the stress the driver might have felt at breaking down, and that in that situation might not have chosen the best possible option (whatever that is) - indeed may not even have been completely aware it was a cycle lane. I'm with earthowned on not being overly judgemental of the driver.

    I don't think however that any of the jokes made in regard to the image itself, depersonalised as it is, have been directed at the driver themselves...

    Posted 8 years ago #

  23. Baldcyclist
    Member

    "I am sure in law she remained in charge of the vehicle."

    Given where the car broke down, where should it be pushed to? How far would be acceptable. back to her house?

    Must admit some of the caption stuff is pretty humorous, but given we know the context of the infringement. The 'outrage' that it somehow landed on a cycle lane seems beyond the original joke.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  24. amir
    Member

    I can understand this. She would have been quite stressed about the whole thing.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  25. steveo
    Member

    If it was broken down why not just leave it at the side of the road, she must have steered on to the path. It's typical of the park on the pavement mentality so's not to obstruct the road despite the relative vulnerability of the various users.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  26. wingpig
    Member

    I once broke down on Charlotte Square in my flatmate's car which would only start from cold. Fortunately it was light enough to easily push to the side of Hope St with one foot whilst maintaining braking/steering control so that it was slightly less in the way whilst I waited for it to be restartable.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  27. condor2378
    Member

    "So if Road Tax doesn't pay for just roads but everything, then that means I can drive anywhere? You get to use my roads, it's only right I get to use your cyclepaths!"

    Also, I think it clearly shows the hierarchy of transport that a broken down car will be pushed out the way of other vehicles, and this is OK, rather than it not being OK to push it in the way of cyclists and pedestrians. How depressing.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  28. LaidBack
    Member

    Look what I started!

    I think people here are generally quite gentle on the forum. Earthowned asked the driver what problem was and knows she was in a stressful situation. I did see on way to shop that she was ok - she was on her phone at that point.
    The car was probably pushed out of the way by pedestrians so naturally they wouldn't block 'their' walking side. Melville Drive does have a bike lane so could have parked on that - as everyone does on a Sunday.

      Good points were:
      - stopped other vehicles getting onto Meadows (although Army were there already)
      - reminds cyclists to slow down (as supported by Friends of The Meadows)
      - makes cyclists feel even more smug on a soggy day
      - provided a topic for forum and will let someone have a free copy of Velo Vision
      - was a non-polluting VW
      - was a considerate driver that didn't want to inconvenience other drivers or the nice pedestrians that helped her off the road

      Bad points were:
      - blocked cycleway
      - might give other drivers ideas
      - caused differences on the forum
      - made debate too serious (we now need a tasteful empathetic funny comment)
      - had no hazards on and no warning triangle (!)
      - turned out to be considerate driver- and that stifles humour!


    Unlike the ones featured below (blurry pic of a parked car with hazards and an army landrover moving out at 3pm)
    More cars than bikes today by LaidBackBikes, on Flickr

    Posted 8 years ago #

  29. crowriver
    Member

    "Cycle? In this weather? No chance! I'll take the soft top."

    Posted 8 years ago #

  30. Charlethepar
    Member

    I do hope that this it's okay to make a stupid and dangerous decision if you're a little stressed position doesn't apply to doctors, firefighters, nuclear station operators, soldiers, etc

    Posted 8 years ago #

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