CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!

Today's rubbish driving...

(11330 posts)
  • Started 13 years ago by Stepdoh
  • Latest reply from fergus
  • This topic is sticky

  1. Min
    Member

    I hate that too. And it is always going to be your fault for being there - you shouldn't be.

    7 seater taxi who had pulled half into the ASL as expected. Also, us both having turned right, started overtaking me a few meters before the end of the big queue of cars as expected. He MUST get past you know. Only the queue was so close that he hadn't even began to finish overtaking me before reaching it and of course he wanted to be in the left hand lane so just started driving into me. Pr*ck.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  2. Claggy Cog
    Member

    I was out yesterday in the wilds of E. Lothian, and very pleasant it was too. Had shorts on, which may or may not account for the driving, but had on several occasions drivers waiting for the two of us to pass, allowing us in, or just being very courteous. I usually do find that if you are nice to them they are usually, not always, nice to you. In particular we were being followed by a lorry, patiently on our tails in a 60 mph zone, when the country road straightened, I was first round the bend, could see that the road was absolutely clear, and waved the lorry on indicating that it was safe for overtaking. We got a couple of toots, a flash of the indicators as they went past by way of thanks, and that happened a couple of times. Great.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  3. ruggtomcat
    Member

    Lorry drivers are generally excellent, the bigger the lorry the better the driving, its the 7.5 tonne trucks you have to look out for.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  4. Claggy Cog
    Member

    @ruggtomcat, when I say lorry I was being rather generic I suppose, it was a largish box type, not an artic, probably 7.5 tonne. This was shortly followed by an unmarked white van, probably 7.5 cwt, which rushed past going a tad too fast, and taking up a significant portion of our/their side of the road. We were passed by an extremely large artic, logging lorry at New Winton, and there was a First bus coming the other way around the bend, evasive action all round going on beside and behind us. Now that was really frightening...huge bleeding thing with trees piled high on the trailer, air brakes hissing, daylight being blocked out due to the size, scary stuff. Pulled right over to let that one go past, phew.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  5. alanr
    Member

    today's rubbish driving was brought home to me by the grey car which overtook me descending w hailes road then crushed me when we both drove from stopped at clovenstone roundabout. it there was huge bang and car stopped for 10 secs other side of roundabout then raced off again. trike protected me by getting crushed, but it's hard to type 1-handed (r hand very sore). must have big scrapes in side of car, trike wheel near to coming off, axle sheared off and all bent. now waiting for police to take ststement. ah well, trike saved me from worst.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  6. Nelly
    Member

    I sincerely hope you got the reg, thats dreadful - he should have the book thrown a him.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  7. alanr
    Member

    i got the whole thing (reg, make & model), thank goodness .. it wasn't that difficult as he stopped on the roudabout before flying off.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  8. alanr
    Member

    the only problem may be getting to work (bike trashed) and working (i'm a programmer & rhs is v sore - hard to type). I guess I may be bussing it for some time because insurance will take time to pay up.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  9. chdot
    Admin

    Sounds terrible.

    Good that you were able to get reg.

    I expect there will also be CCTV in the general area - worth asking/telling police.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  10. alanr
    Member

    thanks, I'll ask them when they come

    Posted 12 years ago #
  11. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Alan, that's awful. And I'm glad (for once) that the bike (trike) came off the worse than the rider.

    Don't forget to claim for your loss of earnings if your hurt hand is going to make working difficult!

    At the VERY least they can be done for failing to stop at an accident, failing to report it etc. I hope there are a lot more large legal books they can have thrown at them too.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  12. gembo
    Member

    Alanr - that is terrible. I go over the roundabout often and taking the third exit heading north can be hazardous but itis bike lane all way down to the roundabout from gillespies, i think, will check tomorrow, even if isn't the road is very wide. Driver has no excuse. Hope you are OK.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  13. Roibeard
    Member

    @alanr - sorry to hear of your woes, and hope that the police manage to trace the driver.

    http://www.askmid.com/ might tell you something about the insurance status...

    Robert

    Posted 12 years ago #
  14. Rabid Hamster
    Member

    Deliberately ask the Polis to check the driver's mobile phone record for the time in question. As he will be definitely done if it is proved he was on a call as well.
    You sound as if you had a lucky escape! I hope your paw will be OK, and sad to hear of the bonny blue trike being stuffed by an errant Beamer!

    Posted 12 years ago #
  15. alanr
    Member

    Thanks gembo, yess it is bike lane all the way down the hill and over the roundabout too .. but it's only paint and if a car moves into the bike lane, that's it then

    Posted 12 years ago #
  16. alanr
    Member

    thanks as well, rabid hamster .. I shall ask them

    Posted 12 years ago #
  17. Arellcat
    Moderator

    So sorry to hear about this Alan! I didn't have time at lunch to read CCE so only heard second-handly from Dave and David at LBB this evening. I know the roundabout well too and can't understand how this would've happened - the sight lines north-south are good.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  18. alanr
    Member

    thanks so much, arellcat! The sight lines were of course excellent, good visibility .. but only if you were actually using your eyes. the police lady hasn't yet come back to me, i think i should chase them up.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  19. chdot
    Admin

    "i think i should chase them up"

    I think you shouldn't have to!...

    Apart from the criminal aspects of it all, you need their insurance details (assuming they have them) to get that side of things going.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  20. 14Westfield
    Member

    Unfortunately you will have to chase them.

    A couple of weeks ago a minibus' wing mirror gave me a blackend elbow while overtaking at a keepleft island/pinch point.
    reported to the police but no action taken till i chased it.
    they give the driver far more hassle over failure to report than anything else.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  21. alanr
    Member

    I absolutely will be chasing them, thank you. I have now contacted bicyclelegal (thank you laidback for that suggestion, and anyone else who suggested it), and whoopee!! I found the sheared-off axle of my tricycle .. complete with paint transfer (dark grey, just like the car which did the hit and run)!! It was lying in the gutter right where I had my accident. So that means that for sure, there must be scratches on the offending car, so much more difficult for them to deny involvement.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  22. fimm
    Member

    ...was courtesy of me (in a City Car Club car) 1) pulling what I fear was a rather close pass on someone going up the Lanark Road and 2) pulling out in front of another cyclist on the way back from Balerno - I thought I had enough time to do my right turn before he got to me, but he definitely stopped pedalling, which implies he had to slow down. (Amusingly, on rethinking the incident, I decided my thought processes had been "MTB=slow" - if he'd looked faster I might not have gone...)

    Posted 12 years ago #
  23. Dave
    Member

    @alanr, as I've mentioned, I was binned in a hit-and-run on the Bridges a few years back, and even though two witnesses gave me their details, the driver got away with it. You definitely need to ride them hard (no pun intended) to make sure the police don't just ignore it because you're not on intensive care.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  24. alanr
    Member

    Thanks very much, Dave. I shall indeed do that. I emailed them a "how's it going?" request late last night because I had heard nothing at all from them and other than an automated reply, have so far heard nothing. I shall chase them again tomorrow morning.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  25. Dave
    Member

    I wouldn't do it by email - presume you have a number for the station if not the actual officer.

    You definitely need to give a statement for them to proceed on this. What if the vehicle is repaired before they trace it?

    Posted 12 years ago #
  26. kaputnik
    Moderator

    MTB=slow

    passed by an MTB this morning going along Dundee Street. Then I noticed his endura racing gilet with "LINES" on the back.

    Getting scalped by a pro is OK I think.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  27. Bosh
    Member

    Hi Alan(R)... Sorry to hear of your "Accident"

    There is another way to trace this cars owner if the police are being less than helpful ..why not contact the D.V.L.A...........Information is obtainable for people in this situation.....

    You Need to get form :- V888 ‘Request by an individual for information about a vehicle’....

    http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_digitalassets/@dg/@en/@motor/documents/digitalasset/dg_193598.pdf

    Regards Bob (Bosh)

    Posted 12 years ago #
  28. SRD
    Moderator

    alanr - had missed this thread/yr accident. hope you're doing okay today. horrible.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  29. Dave
    Member

    Alternatively, hassle the police, saying that until they provide the driver's details, you can't get onto their insurance and that means you will have to try and find the money to repair the trike so you can get to work.

    Ask to speak to their superior if they aren't willing to progress it, or alternatively, you might find you get a good response CC'ing in your councillors or MSPs as needed.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  30. alanr
    Member

    Thank you all for your good wishes, and good advice. I called the LBP Force Information Unit today and left another request for the officer to make contact. This officer had been tasked with investigating the case and was the same one who took my original statement on the day of the accident. Apparently, having promised me to call back the following day, she had then gone off on holiday, so nothing has yet been done. I am indeed concerned that the vehicle is repaired / disposed of before the officer even attempts to make contact. I shall probably try and contact the officer again next Monday, pointing out that it has now been 7 days with no action at all. I may then contact my MSP and ask for help. I'm not really sure whether, for example, it would be better to try and contact the officer tonight (she works late shifts) or just to wait until next week.

    Posted 12 years ago #

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