CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 15years old!
Well done to ALL posters
It soon became useful and entertaining. There are regular posters, people who add useful info occasionally and plenty more who drop by to watch. That's fine. If you want to add news/comments it's easy to register and become a member.
RULES No personal insults. No swearing.
stickyYesterday, on the A89 eastbound near Broxburn, I dared to drive at 40mph in a 50 zone while approaching a red traffic light.
Driver behind subjected us (family of 4 aboard) to a close pass and deliberate swerve back in / cut in front. Needless to say they arrived at the light (to make a left turn!) approx 100 yds in front of our arrival at the same light.
So it's not only cyclists who are subjected to close passes & intimidating behaviour. Drivers do it to their own as well.
Impatient taxi driver coming right up to my right shoulder on the immediate approach to the first of the pinch-point-islands going north on Restalrig Road yester-eve, perhaps in the mistaken belief that the left-hand-side of the lane was not full of parked cars.
Beemer-driver, choosing to overtake on Marionville Road exactly when there was a car coming in the opposite direction.
Chap in old car speeding up behind me and then going the wrong side of the traffic island/pinch point at high speed. Nothing coming the other way, but still... gave me a fright.
Stock response from Lothian Buses in relation to this incident.
"Thank you for your email regarding your experience when travelling on board our service 31.
Firstly, please accept my apologies for your experience.
Our driver training programme puts emphasis on vulnerable road users in particular cyclist awareness and with this in mind, I have requested the CCTV footage from the vehicle in the area at the time provided. Let me assure you that should the footage from this vehicle highlight any cause for concerns then the driver will be dealt with appropriately in the manner befitting the issues highlighted which may involve formal internal proceedings and/or if merited, remedial training.
Furthermore, we take great pride in the professionalism displayed by our drivers. We take road safety and the comfort of our passengers very seriously and we have a full in house support team available to enable the drivers to achieve the highest standards. We invest heavily in Driving Standards Training and we expect our staff to drive to the high level that we require
As part of our ongoing training, we have made a short information film “The Shadow Cyclist Vs Bus” which can be viewed on Youtube, this film was made initially as a training aid but generated so much interest it is now being used by various organisations across the country including Cycling Scotland. We have also invested time and money on promoting cycle safety in Edinburgh by donating 500 Hi-viz vests through the Bike Station and our Streets Ahead partners under the banner of “See and be Seen”.
There have been several initiatives encouraging all our staff to start cycling to and from work or to cycle in their own time. These projects have been well received resulting in a positive response from staff, some of which now enjoy the many benefits and advantages of cycling and further enhancing their overall awareness of vulnerable road users.
Once again, please accept my apologies for your experience and let me thank you for taking the time and trouble to contact us."
I was cut up at the Dudingston Low Rd/Holyrood Park rd this morning - driver tried to get ahead on the approach and mis-timed it, pulling in while alongside me. Gave a quick tap on the roof after jamming on the brakes. She was very apologetic at the next set of lights - it wasn't a malicious MGIF, just poor judgement.
Yesterday evening: very high speed overtake of another car by some nutter coming towards me on the Kirkliston-Winchburgh road. Very disconcerting to see a high-speed projectile coming towards you on your side of the road.
Small white van stopped at lights at end of Montgomery Street, waiting to turn right onto Leith Walk. I pulled up behind. We wait a bit. White van starts to reverse back into me with no warning. Cue simultaneous beating on the back door of it and trying to roll back myself (no easy feat I found as you have to simultaneously lean forward and shift back).
Fortunately the van stopped quickly with only a slight nudge to me. Sheepish looking driver with fag hanging out mouth got out to apologise, ask if I was OK.
I can only assume he got bored and wanted to either reverse into Elm Row or 3-point back down Montgomery Street.
Heading down Moira Terrace towards Portobello last nigh taking an assertive primary through the pinch points.
(I don't like these as they're wide enough to make people think they can overtake, but it would then be a closer pass than I'd like and leave you too close to the parked cars.)
Driver behind doesn't like being held up so toots at me through one of the pinch points. I catch him up at the traffic lights. He wouldn't talk to me so it mostly gesticulating through the passenger side window. He gave me the middle finger, then two fingers, then confused me by holding up his third and then his fourth finger.
@rust sounds like he was counting you down for the start of a time trial
@rust perhaps he was employing some kind of relaxation or anger management technique by counting to four, but needed the aid of fingers to achieve this complex goal?
I did consider that!
Anyway, he had silly facial hair. I would have been angry but my gf pissing herself laughing as I spun my legs as fast possible (fixie) to catch him totally knocked that out of me.
MGIF imbecile in his shiny red motor (HV64UXY?) who was so desperate to get in front at the Barnton shops that he forgot to check there was space to get in front to. Cue slowing down and mandatory arm gesticulations from me. His reaction was to put his brakes on although I assume he realised he was an imbecile as he was back on the accelerator quickly enough that I didn't need to react.
The particular car/plate combination looked familiar so I might have met him before, although a garish enough model that it might just be I've subconsciously wondered why anyone who doesn't live down a farm track would buy it.
Mr van driver, who was not really paying attention where he was driving his van.
Two different cars overtaking me on my left. And something else that I can't remember that annoyed me at the time!
<Grumble>
White BMW 1 which accelerated hard up Ponton Street in the outside lane to make the lights then followed the road round into Semple street and nearly rear ended the large parked FarmFoods lorry then decided to cut up the car in front of me causing him to emergency brake and me to swear as I swerved and pulled the brakes narrowly missing the car in front and the parked cars on my left.
Two "Junk-it" lorries passed me in convoy way too close on the bridges heading south this lunchtime just south of the junction with the Royal mile - the second not completing the pass due to the queue of traffic ahead. I managed to filter round the right of them to join the queue of traffic turning right into Chambers Street. They followed directly after me - I wasn't holding them up as I was keeping up with the slowish car in front of me. The both overtook me at the end, first on the pedestrian crossing and then on the left turn to Bristo place only to wait at the lights again. As I passed them (I was going left, they were going right) I got a glare and some form of semiotic advice from the driver. Incredibly aggressive driving to get absolutely nowhere.
Gogar Station Road is closed, right? There are big signs at each end that say "Road Closed", and fences across the road at various places, with "Road Closed" on them.
As I was making my way along there this morning, I was passed by several people in cars who had decided that these signs were for little people and not for them. Someone had even gone to the trouble of getting out of their car and moving some of the fences so they could drive by. Every one of these cars was large and shiny (Two Audis, a Lexus, a BMW and a black Jag that has hooted at me before for having the temerity to ride away from my rightful place in the gutter). I'm looking forward to when the first bit of heavy plant arrives and the road is properly blocked.
Oh yes, and for the avoidance of accusations of hypocrisy, the recommended route for cyclists is along the closed road, walking the bike on the footway.
Driver overtook me on my left after I had taken the lane through the narrow section and was moving across to turn right at the Shell garage in S Queensferry. He/she had to brake again before the bridge roundabout traffic lights so an utterly pointless exercise
A very angry older man in an old silver merc on Clerk Street going south about 10am this morning. He took exception to me not riding in the bus lane - which at the time contained two stationary buses. At least, I asume that was the problem as he drove along behind honking his horn, and when I moved back to the left leant across his passenger side seat (eyes on me rather than the road as he accelerated - good choice, sir!) gesticulating wildly and shouting something that I happily couldn't hear. I made the universal open hand in the air gesture and head-shake of "what is wrong with you?" at his departing bumper but I don't think he noticed.
Overtaking lorry coming up Kings Stable road last night about 5ish. He overtook in a very rapid fashion just before a van that was parked on the right hand side of the road and of course had to slow down to get past it, blocking me and causing me to stop. He then joined a queue of traffic around the corner where I passed him. He was still waiting when I got to the top of the grassmarket. Top marks to that man for being a massive door opening handle thing.
Oh, yes.
Cycling along my favourite 40mph with pinch points road. There's a tractor coming up behind me. I look at it lots. This usually indicates to the driver that yes I have seem them and no I am not about to change my road position. Tractor keeps coming. I give the driver a Hard Stare. We are now too close to the pinch point for my comfort and I jam on the brakes and move left. Driver appears to realise that he's not going to make the pinch point and goes the wrong side of it...
Don't you need to do some kind of extra test to drive a tractor (even one that just cuts grass)?
Going down Clermiston Road towards St john's Road, someone waiting to pull out at Hillview Terrace, and does so in front of me. See "Today's Rubbish Driving" passem for the other time this has happened to me. So my tactic now is to take the middle of the lane to make sure it's very clear that I'm very much *on the road* and travelling as fast as the car in front of me. This however is still not enough for the puller-outer (if that's a word!) who clearly sees me, has a good long look, and then just goes anyway, causing me to brake sharply (although not as sharply as the first time this happened, because I learn from experience), and then almost stop because of course they are immediately turning off Clermiston Road at the next junction down. There was no car behind me, so they could have waited a couple of seconds for me to pass and gone behind me. But that would have been thoughtful, considerate, reasonable behaviour, which apparently is far too much to expect.
No-one has ever claimed that I'm a Wide Load so I was a bit surprised to find the driver behind me couldn't see that the reason I was going slowly was because I was directly behind another car.
Ah who am I kidding, this happens all the time. Drivers pull into the left lane going downhill on Leith Walk in order to overtake - then either discover that despite being a bike you're actually pretty fast or they forcibly wedge themselves into your stopping distance.
@fimm you can drive a tractor before you can drive a car.
...was the guy who clipped the outside of my right handlebar on Willowbrae Ro.
(West end of street, headed west where the shops/church are.)
I was going circa 20mph, so it could have been really ugly. Fortunately, rather than being catapulted into the metal railings, I stayed upright.
I was able to catch up to the driver, got his reg/make and model... leading me to make a stop at Gayfield Sq on my way home.
I guess it's going to be a "my word against his" when the police finally get round to looking at this, but maybe it'll give him enough of a scare that he isn't so reckless in the future.
@gibbo - really scary when that happens - hope you're not too shaken either. It happened to me a while ago and I still don't know how I stayed upright. I hope the police take it seriously...
I hope the police take it seriously...
It's not a good thing to happen, but from point of view of the Police following it up, because you were hit they actually have to do something. I almost got flattened by a bus turning across me through a red once and survived the experience only by baling out onto the pavement into some confused tourists, but the police clerk was pretty uninterested in reporting it; "so you weren't actually hit? there wasn't actually an accident? you mean it was just almost an accident?"
@algo
"I hope the police take it seriously..."
I hope so, too, but I don't know how much they can actually do.
I actually confronted the guy at the London Rd/Meadowbank Terr junction, and he claimed I hit him. So, at least, he knows we had contact and drove off.
I'm hoping that, when the police talk to him, he talks himself into trouble.
I'll keep you guys abreast of the situation, but it may be a long time, judging by the comments by the lady at the police station.
(She was very helpful, she just said there was quite a backlog.)
In my almost head-on collision the chap on the desk was convinced it was 'dangerous driving' (his words, after the big intake of breath on seeing the video I was able to show him straight away on my iPad). By the time the police came to my house to take a statement it was clear their interest had waned.
With actual contact I'd hope they'd take it more seriously. Of course we all know that even if he claims you hit him, if it was a coming together with you both going in the same direction, you could only have hit him because of a swerve or something to avoid (say) a pothole, and if you hit him it simply means he wasn't giving you sufficient space.
As you say, 20mph could have been very very messy.
The interesting thing, kappers, about the response you got is that 'technically' the result of dangerous or careless driving isn't actually relevant, merely that the driving had to be of a sufficiently low standard. So 'only almost an accident' shouldn't have even come to mind - the fact another road user had to take avoiding action in order to avoid being smeared on the road should be enough. Again, we all know how the police really view these things though (and occasional high profile chasing up of people eating cereal at the wheel does nothing to change that).
"Almost accidents" or near misses can be recorded easy here: http://www.cycling-accident-compensation.co.uk/near-misses.aspx
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