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.
stickyRoyal Mail van close pass at speed limit while leaning over passenger and pointing at cycle lane.
Straddling the oncoming lane, not watching the road and telling me I'm using the road wrongly. You couldn't make it up.
I followed directly behind him until we parted ways.
Anyone know how to make a complaint to Royal Mail? Their website seems to be an infinite loop while looking for the complaint form.
@erob Address them on Twitter and they'll send you a link to the complaint form, after first checking that it was a Royal Mail vehicle and not a Post Office van. Another post-related van driver on George Street last night effectively demonstrated why I go in the main lane rather than the cycle lane, as his van's door was just the right width to block the cycle lane when he heedlessly opened it.
Parcel Force and the Royal Mail do seem to go out their way to employ the worst, most aggressive drivers in the country. They seem to make taxi's look tame and due to their volume incidence is higher than with other couriers.
Close pass by Edinburgh Council truck SK12 PDU on Blackford Avenue going up the hill towards KB. Just far too close for a massive truck. Complaint sent, although given what happened the last time I sent a complaint to the council (along the lines of "our driver was not aware of passing you, closely or otherwise, so therefore we won't be doing anything about it"), I expect absolutely nothing to come of it.
Parcel Force and the Royal Mail do seem to go out their way to employ the worst, most aggressive drivers in the country
and serial double yellow/pavement parkers.
"
@parcelforce: @CyclingEdin Hi, sorry for this if this was a Parcelforce driver please email details to parcelforce@parcelforce.co.uk and we'll investigate
"
"
@RoyalMail: @CyclingEdin We're sorry to hear this, & are happy to help report such incidents. If you've personally experienced a problem & you're sure it was a Royal Mail vehicle (the reg number would be extremely helpful) you can raise it via: https://t.co/J1Dh3Qgw1Z
"
@geordiefatbloke: That is not even an excuse, it's an admission their driver might be blind for all they care!
Unlike a truck operated by key promoter of CLoCS spotted by cycle activist on off-limits residential street.
"We monitor the routes and driving of our vehicles and have checked our records. The driver was driving on a route, which is not suitable or approved for current work in this area, and has been warned about using routes he is instructed not to use"
@dougal: I know! I pointed as much out to them, but they just said "our drivers are trained etc blah blah blah" and that was the end of it. I'm thinking perhaps if they get enough complaints though eventually something might change, but not hopeful.
Thanks @chdot, complaint submitted along with video:
All part of the service...
Backward cameras are the way forward!
Isn't it illegal to overtake near/on Zebra Crossings?
On the notorious McDonald Road too!
@chdot good question! He probably didn't see the crossing as he was so intent on getting ahead. I've had people straddling the other lane across that junction before, they normally back off when I hit the speed limit.
In other news, this video attracted my first road tax troll :)
@Erob. I always turn off comments on my YouTube videos, because I can't be bothered dealing with the trolls. I recently found that YouTube had created a 'channel' for me, complete with comments enabled. Someone had gone to the trouble of putting a comment on that about my general inadequacy and why wouldn't I allow comments on my videos.
There was only one appropriate reply: I deleted their comment and closed my channel to comments too...
Three times out of four commutes this week, the vehicle at the front of the straight ahead lane to Atholl Place went when the turn right (only) into Torphicen Street filter was on.
Twice this was a taxi, the other time was a recovery truck. All would, I assume, describe themselves as a professional driver to some extent.
What the heck is going on there? If I see it three times in four visits to the junction, the RLJing must be absolutely rife, and there's been no recent sequence changes to blame confusion on!
@barnton-to-town
"What the heck is going on there?"
I've said it before, there is something deeply flawed about those lights. I rlj'ed them once on my bike in the absolute believe I had a green light. I know it to be weird now so I don't make the mistake, but I sympathise with newcomers to the junction. (Not sure why taxis should do it though!)
@Barnton-to-town, While crossing Barnton Junction tonight by foot I witnessed no less than three separate RLJs all of which were on different red lights. I suspect there would have been a fourth too except that a driver stopped on amber when it was safe to do so, the driver behind didn't look happy.
@erob, I wonder if that was the same ejit who informed me a few years ago that he would have thumped me if he wasn't in uniform. My crime was sitting in front of him at an ASL while decending Dundas Street. I hope royal mail have improved, there response at the time was basically that they have so many drivers it's nor surprising that some incidents happen.
The complete w****r who thought it funny to drive at a dangerously high speed through puddles in the car park at Craigleith Sainsburys, soaking me and others.
BMW: tick
Personalised number plate: tick
Darkened windows: tick
"Isn't it illegal to overtake near/on Zebra Crossings?"
I did some research into this. While the highway code says:
"You MUST NOT overtake ... the nearest vehicle to a pedestrian crossing, especially when it has stopped to let pedestrians cross"
The underlying legislation refers to "any other motor vehicle proceeding in the same direction" and "a vehicle which is stationary".
Basically, since I'm not a motor vehicle and I was moving it was perfectly legal to overtake. Somewhat confusing since the danger to pedestrians (car on wrong side of road) is the same regardless of what is being overtaken.
"On the notorious McDonald Road too!"
Is McDonald Road really so notorious? I know most of my incidents occur there but it is one of the few parts of my commute which is on the road.
"Is McDonald Road really so notorious?"
Well people on here (and no doubt many others) have had problems with drivers at the buildouts - not helped by the fact that some have bike bypasses and others don't...
Driver turns right from Leith Walk into McDonald Road on a red light.
Accident at Western Corner this morning has closed the Corstorphine Road in both directions here. Busses being diverted Westbound up Murrayfield Road, Eastbound via Balgreen.
Cars appear to be going along the parallel route of Saughton Crescent, which would be fine except there's parking on both sides of the road there which generally means there's only room for 1 vehicle to pass at a time. Mexican standoff was in progress by the time I filtered easily through, much tooting of horns as both sides expected the other to somehow not be there and levitate out of their current positions so that the honker could pass unimpeded.
beer lorry which emerged onto Leven St from Valleyfield just before I turned into it...
Wrong way on one-way?
@SRD you mean it came out of Valleyfield against the one-way street?
yup.
Oblivious oaf ignoring me and nipping in front of me on the Sleigh Drive roundabout last night. Stagecoach nipping at my heels going along York Place this morning.
I frequently go Marchmont Road - Blackford Road via Kilgraston Road.
Often 'interesting' depending on the number of cars going too, especially when the lights change. Always a lot of calculation about if/when to take primary.
Today there was a bus at the stop indicating that it wanted to go when the lights changed. No chance of getting to ASL box. I came up the bike lane and waited behind the bus on the left with a car to the right which hadn't been willing/able to overtake the bus.
Lights change, bus takes off, I follow. There is another stop the other side of the lights, so extra reason for all to be 'aware'. Bus didn't stop so I look round to see if it's safe to move to the middle of the lane before moving to the centre of the road for turning right.
At this point the road is quite wide but then narrows significantly. Bit surprised to find a car coming alongside that wasn't the one I had been with behind the bus, but this is normal on this road - 'must get past'.
Here the road changes from slight uphill to steeper downhill. The bus acelerates (still less than 20mph) I ease off expecting the car to track the bus and I'll be able to move right after it.
But no.
It keeps pace with me (only a foot or so away). This is one of those microseconds where all sorts of possibilities go through the brain - 'is he going to wind down the window to shout something' (etc.)
Didn't happen, but didn't speed up or slow down either.
So I put my arm out to indicate - probably over his bonnet! He must have seen it as he shot forward a couple of car spaces (to right behind the bus).
He probably thought he was doing me a favour - which he was as I could easily move and turn right.
But a better driver would have stayed behind.
Making up your own lane markings has been a theme the last couple of days:
* Last night - Driver at the top of McDonald Road/Leith Walk decided to use the cycle lane as his own personal left turn lane to avoid waiting behind the one car in the left/straight on lane
* This morning - New Town Deli driver in Cannonmills using the right turn lane's ASL as his own personal straight on/cyclist bypass
Well done CEC for allowing (or instructing!) road works at the WoL bridge on Gorgie Road (two lanes down to one) and road works halfway along Chesser Avenue (two lanes down to one). This evening I saw that the traffic was backed up on Longstone Road right to the Calder Road, so I thought I'd bypass it by going through town. Except the entire Chesser area was at near gridlock.
The drivers leaving Asda and turning right towards Slateford were all making a mad dash on the green light and blocking both lanes of the road (and some of the lane for oncoming traffic) which created massive tailbacks for traffic that had a green but nowhere to go. Such selfishness it beggared belief.
It wasn't until I managed to get onto Slateford Road that I was able to speed up to torpedo speeds and generate some body heat.
I also safely stayed behind Mr Angry who shouted at me for blocking a junction that had no vehicles exiting it, then he fumed and waved his arms around because of the above Asda drivers, then he parked at the next available shop and got out to buy a newspaper or something.
I hope it snows tomorrow and I can ride a bike that can filter.
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