CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!

Today's rubbish driving...

(11330 posts)
  • Started 13 years ago by Stepdoh
  • Latest reply from fergus
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  1. Greenroofer
    Member

    What a morning! Maybe it was the wind making everyone crazy.

    On Myreside Road, silver car decided to come past on the sharp bend by the Myreside Club (the one that IWRATS likes), despite the fact that I was holding strong primary. As I was in primary position, but they didn't want to go too far over the other side of the road in case there was something coming, they came past so close I could have touched them with my elbow.

    On Colinton Road a bus was approaching so fast and so close behind that I decided it was better to pull in behind a parked car and let it pass rather than try to pull out round it and risk being swatted. The root cause of the problem was that I was in 'ride like your granny' mode because of the strong headwind, but the bus wasn't apparently making any allowances for that.

    On Gogar Station Road an SUV overtook me on a blind corner. To be fair it did give me lots of room (probably because I was being blown all over the road) but it didn't allow for the car coming the other way and had to cut back in quite sharply. "Suurrpriise" I shouted as it came past and saw the car coming the other way.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  2. dougal
    Member

    Last Friday's always-exciting commute from Oracle campus to Linlithgow town centre.

    A driver failed to overtake, failed to anticipate the dangers of overtaking on a corner and failed to learn the lesson when the oncoming vehicle hit the brakes to avoid anything worse happening. Said driver stayed on my right heel, straddling the two lanes, for the next few hundred metres - neither able to pass nor take the hint that I didn't want them to because it wasn't safe.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  3. chdot
    Admin

    http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/transport/men-seen-fleeing-as-van-hits-cars-1-3658086

    Posted 9 years ago #

  4. ARobComp
    Member

    Post office van on Haymarket Terrace "driving like he'd stole it"

    Fast pull out and speed to red light (causing me to brake)
    Fast overtake and pull in 20 yards down the road (on double yellows) causing me to brake, then almost doored me getting out.

    Think he was delivering. Should have a camera...

    Posted 9 years ago #

  5. algo
    Member

    turning right at the east end of Castle Terrace onto Castle Terrace at the mini roundabout taking the right hand lane, a taxi decided to undertake on the roundabout also turning right…

    Posted 9 years ago #

  6. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Looks like an attempt has been made to burn out the van which suggests it were stolen.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  7. neddie
    Member

    Dear Edinburgh Group Travel / Prentice Westwood

    This morning (12th Jan 2015) at 08:30 I witnessed your coach driver of SF09LYZ driving eastbound down Warrender Park Road while typing on a hand-held mobile device. The mobile device was being held in the left hand with 2 fingers of the left hand on the steering wheel. The right hand was entering text or pressing buttons.

    At that time, many children (ages 3 and up) were walking to school (and some were cycling) along Warrender Park Road.

    It is unacceptable that a driver charged with driving 15 tonnes of dangerous machinery should be distracted and not have full control of the vehicle. The recent tragic events in Glasgow have shown the consequences of losing control of a large vehicle.

    I trust that Edinburgh Group Travel will take the necessary measures to ensure that its drivers do not disregard the law and do not endanger children and indeed other road and pavement users.

    Regards,

    edd1e_h

    Posted 9 years ago #

  8. Snowy
    Member

    @edd1e_h The Prentice Westwood buses seem to be used by JG's school. Wonder if it's the school that decides which bus company to use, or if it's a centrally managed council contract? Either way, copying your note to the headteacher(s) or the Education dept ought to also have some impact.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  9. fimm
    Member

    Yesterday's bizzare taxi driving...

    I come out of the Commonweath Pool, turn right towards town and get into the left hand lane to turn left towards the Meadows. The taxi that was immediately behind me at the lights passes me appropriately and stops in one of the lanes that go straight on as the light is red. However there's a green left turn filter which I'm aiming for.

    A second taxi then appears and blasts straight through the straight-on red light. I was gobsmacked. It was probably the most blatant piece of red light jumping I've ever seen from a driver. Sadly I was so surprised, I didn't get a reg plate.

    Those straight on lights then go green, and the first taxi turns left. Where there's been a green left filter all along.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  10. wingpig
    Member

    I saw a taxi go down North St Andrew Street from St Andrew Square yesterday morning, where there's clearly a no entry sign with TRAMS ONLY underneath it.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  11. newtoit
    Member

    Got the bus this morning but the bad driving seemed to be rife!

    My bus was overtaking a cyclist in the bus lane on Newington road when a driver in the right hand lane decided to cut him up to turn left so the bus had to slam the brakes on and hit the horn. Could have been messy.

    Then there were huge RLJs at just about every set of lights crossing Newington Road, including a Lorry at East/West Preston St that forced through the red and proceeded to block the box junction!

    Bus driver was not impressed, I'm sure his in cab CCTV would make interesting viewing...

    Posted 9 years ago #

  12. kaputnik
    Moderator

    I saw a taxi go down North St Andrew Street from St Andrew Square yesterday morning, where there's clearly a no entry sign with TRAMS ONLY underneath it.

    The tram stops at Shandwick Place and Princes Street are meant to be TRAMS ONLY on the cobbled sections, but are routinely used as taxi (and Stagecoach / Citylink) bus bypasses.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  13. Greenroofer
    Member

    This evening was the first time I've ever been moved to actually shout loudly and publicly at a driver in a way that I actually want them to hear, be shocked by and embarrassed by (rather than just a raised voice grumble to myself).

    I was heading south from Bristo Place to Teviot Place and thence to MMW. Car coming out of Lothian Street just did not stop when he should have given way to me.

    I'll upload the video in due course: it's quite a good one. It's notable that I was in primary position as I approached him (rather than in the bike lane) so I was where he would have been looking for cars. It's also interesting that I knew as soon as I saw him that he wasn't going to stop: that sixth sense kicked in immediately.

    My only sympathy is that it was a filthy night, and, because I was to the side of his lights, they wouldn't have picked up any of my reflectives (fully reflective ProVis 360 jacket, spoke reflectors, reflective panels all over bike). He should have spotted a 70 lumen Cyo IQ front light though...

    Posted 9 years ago #

  14. gembo
    Member

    @greenroofer, the corner at napier's herbalists? Always look them in the eye but at that junction you must also give them a very hard stare (like paddington)

    Posted 9 years ago #

  15. Greenroofer
    Member

    @gembo - that's the one. I was doing all that, but it's hard to catch someone's eye when they are looking straight ahead...

    Posted 9 years ago #

  16. Luath
    Member

    @greenroofer a black spot that one. Of the several similar incidents I've had there my favourite is the one where the drivist didn't see me because he was staring at the mobile phone in his right hand.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  17. wingpig
    Member

    I thought the tube racing along Russell Road to try and get to the southernmost bridge before me was going to have to go around the wrong side of the pillar, but he just managed to slow in time to nip in in front of me on the normal side of the road. There was something very interesting a couple of feet to my right when I passed him in a queue of cars on Murieston a few seconds later.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  18. shuggiet
    Member

    Less than good driving by Lothian Bus 27 this morning, overtaking son on bike outside school, with less than ample space, then cutting in front of him to stop at bus stop, forcing son to stop, which meant that he was then boxed in by following 23.. All for the sake of about 40m of road. Could easily have just held back for 2 seconds. Missive sent to Lothian Buses..

    Posted 9 years ago #

  19. Greenroofer
    Member

    Here's the video from my incident earlier in the week
    http://www.naden.de/blog/bbvideo-bbpress-video-plugin -->

    [+] Embed the video | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2mhA6tycAk" target="_blank">Video DownloadGet the Video Widget

    Posted 9 years ago #

  20. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @Greenroofer

    Ah yes, I nearly died there once a few years back in similar circumstances. The drivists' necks don't quite swivel far enough to see us at that junction.

    Good restraint on the shouting.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  21. wingpig
    Member

    Forgotten from Thursday night: a La Favorita delivery car, attempting the right turn from Hawkhill Ave to St Clair St without slowing from 30mph and without attempting to accommodate oncoming traffic.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  22. Kenny
    Member

    @Greenroofer - I admire your restraint in terms of carrying on when passing him afterwards. Good avoiding skilz.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  23. Uberuce
    Member

    That was as nasty as your language wasn't.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  24. dougal
    Member

    Spent the day gazing out the window at Leith Walk - the double-parking, triple-parking, stopping in the bike lane, stopping in the zig-zag zone adjacent to a zebra crossing, reversing into a major road (mounting the kerb in the process), aggressive acceleration and braking... it's no wonder there are so many accidents but a wonder some people pass their test at all!

    The one constant, however, was the use of Park Anywhere Lights(TM).

    Posted 9 years ago #

  25. jdanielp
    Member

    As a pedestrian I just witnessed a similar near miss to Greenroofer's in which he was played by a Lothian Bus and the bad driver was a random coach. I clearly hadn't heard a Lothian Bus horn blaring at quite such close range before: it was a bit like an ocean liner. Is there a bike equivalent?

    Posted 9 years ago #

  26. sallyhinch
    Member

    jdanielp - try the Air Zound. I had one on my bike for ages, but never had the nerve to use it.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  27. dougal
    Member

    I met a man on the train with an AirZound recently. I asked him why his water bottle had a cable coming out of it :-\ Oops. Anyway he said it was annoying to keep it pressurised.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  28. threefromleith
    Member

    @dougal They were just as bad on Friday night when I came down the walk on the bus around 4.55pm. Magic parking lights a-plenty / cycle lanes blocked repeatedly / new wide pavements being used to park on. CEC are going to have to do some heavy enforcement for about 6 solid months to teach drivers they can't do what they've been doing on Leith Walk since around 2009 when enforecement stopped for the tramworks....

    Posted 9 years ago #

  29. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    Yesterday I was riding down to Porty and going under the railway bridge and Sir Harry Lauder at the narrowing onto Brighton Place - there is always a driver willing to come the other way through the narrowing through which the sign is giving me priority. Difference this time was this one was a learner. To the credit of the instructor I believe he was berating the learner for having done so (though given the dual controls what he really should have done was stop it happening in the first place).

    Posted 9 years ago #

  30. paolobr
    Member

    A number of incidents on my ride yesterday.

    Climbing up from Cramond on Cramond Glebe Road, a couple of times I had to slow down and pull in as impatient and unobservant drivers decided they had enough space and right of way coming down the hill to pull out past the usual parked cars towards me.

    Couple of dodgy oncoming overtakes, including a quad bike.

    But the prize goes to the idiot who turned from Morrison St eastbound into Semple St, cueing much hooting of horns and the like.

    Posted 9 years ago #

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