White van BD59 PNO would have been less likely to drift from lane to lane (towards me) if the driver ostensibly in charge of the vehicle hadn't been reading his phone at the time.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
Today's rubbish driving...
(11330 posts)- Started 13 years ago by Stepdoh
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Posted 9 years ago #
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@WC
Our 4.5 year old is very in to traffic lights at the moment. He keeps telling us about naughty drivers who go through red lights. And good drivers that only go when it's green.
Seems he's already been indoctrinated into motor dominated culture...
(Wasn't us guv, I blame the Ziggy books...)
http://www.gosafewithziggy.com/ziggy-zone/read-story/ziggys-sunny-holiday?destination=node/1
"Just because the green man is on, it doesn't mean we wander out. We have to make sure all the traffic has stopped"
"Some naughty drivers go through green [sic] lights", says Andrew
Posted 9 years ago # -
:D Does Ziggy get on a bike at all ;)
This morning, driver of bright red Astra, just because the van in front pulls into the left hand (vacant for him) lane ahead of me doesn't mean that after a moment's hesitation, with me know at your stationary backside, that it's okay for you to jump in without looking. All slow speed, and could see it happening (must check to see if she put the indicators on, but I think it was just the slight initial movement when the rest of the traffic was still), so touch of the brakes and freewheel, she naturally gets stopped, I filter, her window is down, I merely say (not shout, zen baby), "Try looking first next time," and carry on my way
Posted 9 years ago # -
The fire fighter driving the big red lorry with many flashing lights. One light that wasn't flashing was the right turn indicator as they attempted to turn right through me.
I'll happily give way, but you have to give me a clue about what you want to do...
Posted 9 years ago # -
Before I moved the cones back to where they are pictured I saw several vehicles mounting the pavement and driving around these roadworks outside the council office on New St. Will report back after work on the position of the cones, suspect they will have walked again.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I might be casting aspersions but.... Taxi route?
Posted 9 years ago # -
This idiot jumped a red light in order to get to another red light.
Also another car jumped the red at the crossing at the Balgreen tram stop, but I didn't get both him and the light on camera.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Picture the scene:
I am cycling up Nicolson Street, away from the city centre. I have just cycled past about 1 mile of solid traffic. There are three other cyclists around me and numerous parked cars (parked on clearly marked double yellow lines, btw). I'm going at a reasonable speed (18mph ish) before I slow down and track stand for a red pedestrian light.
I'm in primary position because:
- There are parked cars on the left.
- There are other cyclists on the left of me which I'm overtaking.
- The pavement leading up to here has been full, there are pedestrians walking at the edge of the road
- In front of the red light there is a green way with a bus stopped in it, so I'll have to move out to the right anyway.
- I know that even if the vehicle behind gets ahead of me, I'm going to end up overtaking him within 5 seconds anyway because of traffic ahead
Without any thought, the driver of the silver VW Golf behind decides to tailgate me and another cyclist, blast his horn and signal (along with his female passenger) towards the left of the road.
I, possibly being a bit daft, decide to unclip my foot from my pedal and stop in the middle of the road. I (politely I must add) gesture a "What's up?" at the driver who shouts back:
"GET OUT OF THE WAY"
"MOVE OVER"
"I'M A CYCLIST TOO"
The driver then tries to undertake me, almost hitting two cyclists who are on the left of the car attempting to pass the idiot driver. Only with a bit of shouting from myself does the driver stop driving towards them.His female passenger then joins in with: "GET IN THE BIKE LANE" (that doesn't exist..) and other such encouraging words.
The driver then drives around me, almost clips my pannier bag and shouts further incoherent abuse. I shout for them to pull over for a nice chat, they decline.
I follow them closely up the rest of the road before they turn off towards the meadows.
But remember, it's ok because he's "A CYCLIST TOO".
Posted 9 years ago # -
Aggressive muppets are aggressive muppets regardless of their mode of transport that day.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Cycling up Dundas Street about 10:30pm. A taxi has stopped by the side of the road. We pull out to go round it as there is no indication that it is going anywhere. We are about halfway along the side of the taxi (recall we are going uphill, so not going fast) when the taxi starts moving. No indicators.
I shout "OI! You can't just pull out!" Taxi driver asks me where my lights and helmet are. My lights are on my bike and turned on, as he would have seen if he'd used his mirrors... and how my choice of headwear is supposed to help him use his mirrors and indicators I really don't know.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Gridlock at Haymarket caused by one vehicle this morning.
A flat bed lorry full of garden waste had tried to turn from the Haymarket bar into West Maitland Street. The fact there was no space didn't dissuade him, so he just sat across both sets of tram lines, stopping two trams from getting through. One tram had just left the station, so it in turn was blocking traffic from Morrison Street going west.
It took several cycles of the lights at Torphichen St before he managed to clear the lines.
Idiot.
Posted 9 years ago # -
With the traffic at near standstill in town with the festivals, I have had three or four remarkably similar experiences in the last few days. In each case, a numpty driver, finding a rare 50m of empty street, passes me (not dangerously close) madly revving their engine. Inevitably, they then get caught in the gridlock at the next junction, where they will then spend the next 5 minutes while I continue serenely on my way. One even revved their engine (in neutral) as I passed. Why oh why?
Posted 9 years ago # -
@stickman...I was waiting in the ASL at those lights to turn into Torphichen St. Were you in the ASL too? (about 08:40 I reckon) I think it was a red van when I looked back; same one? I had kept turning round to see what the hold up was. How could the flat-bed guy not realise what he was doing!
A nice cyclist had to remind me to go when it hit green as I was too busy looking at the approaching tram haha
Posted 9 years ago # -
@beano: no, this was a bit later on - around 9. I was walking today so could see it all unfolding.
It shows how badly designed this junction is that one numpty can have such an effect. And also that it happens frequently if you saw a similar thing 20 minutes earlier!
(Also sounds like we may cross paths at a similar time; are you easily spottable?)
Posted 9 years ago # -
@stickman...not sure if i'm easily spottable :-) I tend to dress terribly (I mis-match my clothing such that Gok Wan would have a heart attack).
Bike is a charcoal grey pinnacle cyclocross with the usual mudguards and rack. Ortlieb yellow pannier always on the right and a black/grey helmet. That's about as close as i'll get to a description haha
yeh it's amazing how the poor driving of one driver can cause such a delay. I bet they don't realise that by blocking the tram they are effectively 'locking down' the junction and exacerbating the problem.
Posted 9 years ago # -
It seems to be getting more and more common for drivers wanting to turn right from a side street to ignore cyclists on the main road.
I had one last night and after an exchange of views his rationale seemed to be -
he is a cyclist (very much doubt this)
he saw me but had lots of time (I had to brake so he clearly didn't)
I was going too fast (pretty sure I was doing less than 30)Posted 9 years ago # -
All they need at Haymarket are some cameras to monitor the yellow boxes and lots of well-publicised fines...
Posted 9 years ago # -
Turning left onto Chambers Street from Nicolson Street yesterday and was in middle of lane because pedestrians still crossing so was going slowly round them.
Edinburgh Bus Tours driver of double decker then approaches from behind, drives at me, blasting horn and gesturing, so I was forced rightwards off the lane into the central reservation and he undertook me.
Very scary.Posted 9 years ago # -
"Very scary."
Please report to Lothian Buses.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Didn't realise they were owned by Lothian Buses. Have reported and got a prompt response stating that the Tour Operations Manager will investigate fully.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Taxi double parked on Polwarth Gardens at 8.30. Blocking Lothian bus and our first cycle to school with micro-SRD. eventually there was a pause in oncoming traffic so that bus could go around and get to the stop just before the roundabout.
Crazy thing was that there were 2-3 empty parking spaces IMMEDIATELY in front of the taxi, which he could have pulled into. But no, he had to double park in front of the door and block all the traffic.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Riding up Harbour Drive in Dalgety Bay, past a junction with Breakers Way a red car came up Breakers Way to the junction and came to a halt. Assuming he had seen me, I carried on unconcerned, I was level with the road and just about to go past him when he proceeded to turn left only to stop when I shouted. He missed me by 6", only because I turned sharp right into the middle of the road. He was shaken and very apologetic and I think he will have learnt a lesson to look out for cyclists (sometimes a lesson learned by an near-hit is much more effective than any education).
The white van driver who overtook me in Inverkeithing with an incredibly close pass - he was moving in before he got past me (no oncoming traffic) will probably not learn any lessons soon at all.
Posted 9 years ago # -
A great evening was slightly marred by this turnip. I seriously thought I was going to have to bunnyhop onto the pavement, and with full pannier that never goes well.
She'd been following behind me for a while despite having loads of time and space to overtake, and if she'd waited 2 more seconds she'd have had another clear pass, but she chose this...
Posted 9 years ago # -
Email sent to Barratt this morning -
Good morning,I'm writing to formally complain about one of your site contractors at the Dalmeny Park development.
I travel along Scotstoun Avenue past this development most mornings on my way to work. It is a quiet road but also provides one of the main access points to the National Cycle Network 1 cycle route which goes around the perimeter of your site, as well as being part of the Safe Routes to School for children at the local schools. As such it is a busy route for cyclists commuting to/from Fife and Edinburgh. It is also a very wide road which offers ample space for safe overtaking and to date I have never experienced any issues in all the years I have used this road.
However, I was cycling eastbound to work along this road just after 8am this morning and was approaching a traffic island (often referred to as a ‘pinch point’ as the road naturally narrows). It is common practice to take the ‘primary’ at pinch points to discourage close and dangerous overtaking through narrow sections of road such as this. Drivers are obliged by the Highway Code (Rule 163) to give you 'at least as much room as a car' when overtaking, clearly not possible when passing a traffic island but on the rest of this road, very easily achieved.
As I passed the traffic island, I could hear a car rapidly approaching from behind and revving it’s engine loudly. The car passed me within touching distance whilst banging his horn, the passenger window was open and the driver was literally screaming at me to ‘stick to the side of the f***ing road’. He then proceeded to slam on his brakes in front of me, forcing me to swerve round the car, but more alarmingly was then exiting the car as I passed, in my view, to cause further confrontation. I found this to be extremely threatening but didn’t stop and continued on. The driver then passed me once more, with the window open shouting a string of abuse and obscenities at which point he raced off and entered the Dalmeny Park site.
I can categorically state I did absolutely nothing to provoke this angry and frightening outburst other than possibly delay his journey my mere seconds whilst I passed the traffic island safely. In any event, I travel at more than 20mph through this section of road so any delay would be negligible. This was a completely unacceptable attack which put my safety at risk on an otherwise quiet residential street.
The vehicle was a Black Vauxhall Vectra with one passenger in addition to the driver who was wearing a black sweatshirt with a logo and was balding with curly dark hair on the sides and back.
I note that Barratt is a member of the Considerate Constructors Scheme and this incident is clearly covered by their code on a number of fronts.
I look forward to your response.
Posted 9 years ago # -
@deckard112- that is frightening and the one road where I'd have thought any confrontation would be completely avoidable. Hope Barratt find out who this dangerous nutter is and throw the book at him.
Posted 9 years ago # -
@Snowy I'm not excusing the close pass, but maybe they started to manoeuvre to pass initially because they thought you were going left down Polwarth Terrace rather than straight on up Colinton Road. I was surprised to see you go straight on there as you appear to be in the left hand lane.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Certainly the close pass in @Snowy's is avoidable, because it happens after it should have been clear that Snowy was going straight on - but I'd agree, definitely need to be in the right hand lane approaching that, especially with the get-out of the parked cars meaning you're already right. Moving left after the parked cars is almost signalling an intent.
That said, when cycling or driving you should always expect someone will do something that is contrary to what you think is going to happen and I don't think if I was in that car I'd be accelerating to pass the cyclist at a mini-roundabout.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Highway Code item 187: "In all cases watch out for and give plenty of room to... cyclists and horse riders who may stay in the left-hand lane and signal right if they intend to continue around the roundabout (allow them to do so)".
I can't find any specific note about the legality of overtakes on exiting a roundabout but it's clearly the stupidest possible moment. (Okay, there is the rev-angrily-then-drive-anticlockwise-round technique. Let's not talk about that.)
Posted 9 years ago # -
I know that roundabout well and there is a lot of horrific driving there. Approaching on the right had side will mean they just undertake instead of overtake.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I wasn't suggesting the overtake was acceptable just pointing out that I wouldn't have been in that lane. I can definitely see it as the case that the driver thought Snowy was going left was surprised to see them going straight on and perceived they were 'cutting in' and then deciding to give a punishment pass. Totally unacceptable behaviour.
I cycle this way every day and can honestly say I've never been undertaken on that roundabout whilst in primary in the right hand lane. As Wilmington's Cow says, you tend to be in the right hand lane anyway due to the parked cars from the Kilted Pig onwards. I have had idiots mounting the roundabout and going the wrong way round it just so they can pass me and then wait at the traffic lights, though.
Posted 9 years ago #
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