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.
stickyClose-enough-to-touch pass from a new-shape Freelander on Gogar Station Road this evening. It wasn't raining, it was just incompetence. I passed it shortly after (as you do) and noted an elderly male driver and elderly female front-seat passenger.
There's people who don't follow Highway Code rule 163, there's people who come even closer and then there's ones like this who are so close that a couple of inches further left from them or a wobble from me and I would have been off.
P683 AKG (grey Porsche carrera, male driver operating eye-level-mounted mobile electronic distract-O-phone). Firstly, he was sitting two car lengths into the junction along Lothian Road across Morrison/Bread Street, in a position where he couldn't see the light and needed to be told he was now allowed to move again. Secondly, he was tapping his phone as we moved slowly along the next section of road, somewhat obviating his hands-free mount. Thirdly, he entered the bus lane just before the Filmhouse pedestrian crossing. Fourthly, he nudged my back wheel (at low speed, but still) whilst so doing. Handlebar-mounted camera not ideal but I think it captured enough to be worth pointing the police at it when I upload it.
Wow! That's some awful driving! (for some reason I'm not surprised at the car...).
I had a punishment pass from an old friend. Red minibus that I've encountered before at the top of the Royal Mile onto Johnston Terrace, he once beeped me for being 'in the middle of the road' (there were parked cars coming up, it was wet, I was avoiding an off-camber pothole and drain cover, but hey, I was delaying him a few seconds). Got 2 or 3 punishment passes over the next few weeks. Saw him again for the first time in AGES this morning. Overtook me juuuuust before the the mini-roundabout onto Johnston Terrace, cutting the corner off a bit (wouldn't have wanted to be alongside), caught him looking in his mirror afterwards. Of course he gained nothing on the downhill, and lost out completely in the traffic afterwards. What he also doesn't realise is I now have the camera on the bike. He's going on YouTube tonight.
Red minibus? PN03 CWJ or something? The one who inspired me to finally get round to getting a camera after punishment-passing me and then swerving about trying to get me to stop so that he could physically punish me for slapping the side of his minibus as it passed six inches away?
EDIT: As tweeted at the time. Friday 04/05/2012, a bit before 08:38 (which would have been after I got into work and parked).
Hmmmm, sounds familiar - I need to get the footage onto the computer tonight to check on the numberplate (Muvi screen a bit teeny for that, but will give it a try!).
I'm getting quite concerned that the monumental good feeling generated by POP28 seems to be getting rapidly overlooked by motorists' general impatience and lack of due care.
PW03CWJ is a Renault Master SL28 diesel, presumably in minibus fitout.
Actually, I think the PoP good feeling is still there, and actually is what is leading to more frustration with poor driving - PoP showed what we could, with a little effort, become.
And yep, that fits the bill - tis indeed a Renault minibus! Hmmm, so he has previous not just with me. Well, I'll doubtless come across him again given our routes seem to coincide. Time to build up a library of footage...
Please check the number though Anth. Nowadays, and for reasons I don't understand beyond convenience, dealers get consecutive batches of registration numbers and of course tend to marry them to similar vehicles.
There could be several Renault Masters with very close plates....
That's a good point - can only presume it is for convenience. Video will be checked tonight!
As I left work today on my bicycle to go to stairlift training (got a cool pen containing hand sanitiser) I nearly met squishy death in the form of a woman in a gold car. My path is in green. Hers is in red. I'm not sure she saw me, heard me shout "for feck's sake" as she missed me by an inch on my side of the road, or indeed noticed anything at all. If I hadn't been on my way to somewhere, I'd have stopped, turned round and given her a piece of what's left of my mind.
The Police. namely a Police transit.
I was coming down Ashley Terrace around 0415 this AM.
they pulled out of Salisbury place as I was comnig down the hill.
caught up on the crest of the hill.
they then slowed to a crawl (I assume) to look down Shandon St/Merchiston. Then accelrated and turned a wide left onto Slateford rd.
kept right approaching the Hermands,but then pulled middle/left to go straight on.
Then pulled into the left.
I went straight on as they then turned to do a 180 degree turn!
no indication at any point.
emergency avoiding action on my behalf is the only thing that avoided a collision.
The worry here is I was in the car! headlights on in breaking daylight. given the driver seemed unaware I was behind him,that would have been a likely fatality on the bike
Red minibus? PN03 CWJ or something?
Yip, that's him...
Two this morning, an oncoming woman turned right across my path just south of the Dick vet, so much for the QBC. She actually waved to apologise as she drove off, with my brakes smoking. Luckily I didn't manage to catch her up!
Then heading up past Potterrow (where the cycle lane is totally inadequate - why would you ride so close to the kerb on a section of dual?) I was riding happily in the left lane, waiting for a gap to move right. Alas, a fat heffer of a taxi driver decided she'd drive up alongside me and try to beep her way over me, then shout at me when I ignored her. Such aggression may call for a formal complaint, since I photographed her face and plates in the near-stationary traffic.
Sigh.
Parcelforce van this morning decided to try and remove my front wheel. Riding down towards Balgreen school just at the end of the Greeways, I'm near the outside edge of the bus lane waiting for a gap to join the right turning traffic queue. Afore mentioned ParcelForce van cuts in very sharp and too slowly forcing me to brake and turn more into my lane to avoid running into the side of him.
Interestingly he was clearly looking for me as he gesticulated back at me when I indicated what I thought of his questionable parentage. He shouted, I paraphrase, "What did I do wrong" when I slowly went passed to which I replied, more paraphrasing, "good man, you cut me up". Not sure if he genuinely didn't realise how fast I was going, how long his vehicle was or how sharp he turned in. Or if as I suspect the Parcelforce and the other carriers nurture a culture of aggression in their drivers.
Why is it always van drivers?
Mr SRD just reported a grim encounter from some weeks ago - he was doing a morning nursery run, along Polwarth terrace, when a vehicle went by towing a racing team trailer...which was rather wider than the towing vehicle, which nearly took him (plus baby) out. Don't people get lessons about driving with trailers?
"Don't people get lessons about driving with trailers?"
In short. No.
Don't you need an addition to your driving licence to tow a trailer if you passed your test after 1997? (I think that's the year.)
Yesterday evening heading down dundas street. Keeping pace easily with the car to my right heading to the junction at Great King Street, an old lady in a wee corsa or some such decides to make the turn despite a bike and a car bearing down on her. thankfully realises and stops. I had already started jamming on the brake but it would have been her T-boned in the rear quarter by the car to the right of me and I'd have been over the bonnet at speed.
Worst thing was that I had involuntarily shouted out (as you sometimes do in these situations) and the pedestrians around all looked at me like it was my fault! Was rather frustrating!
Still a few pints of nice beer in the cumberland bar helped calm the nerves.
steveo - "Why is it always van drivers?"
Well to that can I add Trinity Domestics van in Slateford road. Parked at side of road (in the cycle lane!) and decides he wants to move off, pauses, sees me the cyclist coming past and then pulls off anyway straight into my path - thankfully I was already hard on the brakes.
Sometimes you just wish you were recording it all, have the "coming together" so you could get the police involved... not that it sounds like from other posts there will be any chance of taking another numbskull off the road!
"Don't you need an addition to your driving licence to tow a trailer if you passed your test after 1997? (I think that's the year.)"
You can still tow a trailer up to 750kg if you passed after '97.
If you passed before '97 then pretty much anything goes.
I can tow a trailer behind a 16-seater vehicle with a combined weight of up to 12,000kg. Toot, toot.
I can also drive:
"Agricultural tractors"
"Pedestrian-controlled vehicles"
"Electric vehicles"
"Vehicles used for very short distances on public roads" (such as?....)
"Mopeds"
I'm a bit disappointed to notice that I'm not covered for roadrollers.
'"Vehicles used for very short distances on public roads" (such as?....)'
Combine harvesters, nipping between fields?
The whole pass before 97 = drive anything you want thing has always bothered me. Why? I can understand that if you change the law then it's important not to obstruct anyone who has been doing something previously allowed for years. However, surely this would be better dealt with by exemptions, rather than the current situation where an 80 year old granny* can get behind the wheel of 12 tonnes of articulated menace and happily roll away.
* I'm aware that there's probably medical type restrictions that come into place at some point, but I didn't want factual accuracy to get in the way of a good grumble.
The whole pass before 97 = drive anything you want thing has always bothered me. Why?
Because it's a basic human right to drive wherever you want, whenever you want, in whatever vehicle you want, at top speed. Of course. All this post-97 nannying state business is just typical of Labour.*
* - for the avoidance of doubt, irony mode is ON.
human right to drive wherever you want, whenever you want
LOL, especially if it's a bike.
BTW, the medical type restrictions apply always but you have to apply regularly for a license after 70.
My partner recently had a medically-required 6 months off driving after a MTB accident (ouch) and was given the option of surrendering his driving licence and reapplying after 6 mo, or just "not driving on medical advice" and starting again after his doctor said he was OK to. He took the latter option, and one of the specific reasons was that the new licences would apparently restrict him from driving vehicles that can seat more than 8 passengers. He has an old Defender that technically seats 12 (uncomfortably) although I don't think it ever has, and wouldn't want to be suddenly not allowed to drive his own "car"!
Not today but Sunday afternoon on an otherwise quiet Marchmont Road. In cycle lane, wanting to turn right down Marchmont Crescent. Ahead is clear to make turn. Check over shoulder and signal, Vauxhall Frontera behind but a bit back. Keep hand out. Check over shoulder again. Frontera closer. Move more primary, still signalling. Frontera moves to overtake. Frontera overtakes, obliging me to lose primary and blocking me from making a right turn by dint of being alongside me, then has to nip swiftly left across my path to move around the traffic island, forcing me either to almost stop, or into a parked car.
So to make a right turn I had to either stop dead on the vaguely defined red tarmac, allowing Frontera through and then try and make my turn form a standing start (with full 2 panniers of weekly shop and front brake hand being used to signal) or miss my turn and go along the next (Warrender Park Road, which is cobbled and involves mounting kerbs to get onto Roseneath Street).
So I followed the Frontera down the hill, caught it at the bottom and offered through the open window some Anglo Saxon advice about what to do when the person infront of you is indicating to make a turn and went on my way.
Hello all,
I just joined the forum yesterday - must admit I spotted this thread right away...! Can anyone point me in the way of the actual guidance on the ASLs? I appreciate this is an old topic for most of you and this forum, but I'd like to be certain what the rules are before mouthing off again as I did this morning to a taxi driver on Nicolson Street who was picking up her fare inside the ASL! Would be great to know!
3 points on licence and £60 fine for crossing the first stop line on red. You can go into the box on green, and on amber if its not safe to stop. But if light is red, you must not cross it.
welcome! (there's a whole thread somewhere on ASZ's and the 'enforcement campaign' if you can make the search widget find it for you...)
oh, and after the 'wide trailer' incident, Mr SRD wants a helmet cam. off to try and find that thread now...
Great - cheers SRD. Think the helmet cam would be a good idea!
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