Grey minibus-taxi on Leith Walk, first swerving extravagantly out from the other side of the road in a way which hadn't accounted for me going south at about the point it would reach the perikerbular point of its swerve. It later cut in front in order to be closer to the bus in front at the queue at the McDonald Road junction.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
Today's rubbish driving...
(11334 posts)- Started 13 years ago by Stepdoh
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Posted 8 years ago #
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To follow up on the bonkers punchy taxi driver, he's had his license suspended by the council. The roads are a little safer.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-36276553
Posted 8 years ago # -
And in other news, dangerous driving prevented by registration and tax-paying requirements.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-36276555
Oh what's that - "Hit-and-run driver with fake car plate sought by police"?
Posted 8 years ago # -
"he's had his license suspended by the council. The roads are a little safer"
That'll just be the taxidriving license though.
Posted 8 years ago # -
"
And after being charged and released on bail he also drove a Vauxhall Vectra into a police patrol car during wintry conditions in Nelson last March, the prosecution said.
Officers had been alerted to the Vectra because Munawwar, who was already banned from the roads, had set off with his windscreen completely obscured by snow.
The court heard that the defendant had a ‘fascination with cars’ which had seen him notch up two dangerous driving convictions by the time he had turned 16.
"
Posted 8 years ago # -
The court heard that the defendant had a ‘fascination with cars’ which had seen him notch up two dangerous driving convictions by the time he had turned 16.
A bit of a leap to suggest that a fascination with cars causes dangerous driving...
Posted 8 years ago # -
Posted 8 years ago #
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The black Fiat 500 who was behind me in the queue for the lights on Cluny Gardens and who, when the lights went green, tried to overtake me with much revving of engine, despite the fact that my bike wheel was just a couple of feet from the bumper of the car in front.
By now the lights had gone red, he wasn't past me and there wasn't room in front of me, so he just moved sideways as if I wasn't there.
This wasn't SMIDSY. I'd been stationary in front of him for several minutes in a fluorescent jacket. It was quite simply SMIDGAF.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Horrid cycle yesterday with the better half. Think she's now been put off...
First bad bit was the ridiculous Sunday car park down George IV and the Mound. Almost wiped out by pickup truck cutting the corner on the mound over the "cycle lane".
Then the worst bit...
Passing parked cars on Morningside Road, just near Luca's, when a silver Mazda 4x4 thing passed us with the window down and some eejit leaning out shouting to get over to the side. Obviously we held them up so much on the journey, that after the lights at Waitrose they only caught up again by the Shell garage on Comiston Rd. Never sure how to react there - I'm not brave or quick thinking enough to come up with any retorts!
Couple that with a lot of close passes and a couple of drivers seemingly deliberately blocking us from filtering. Other half, who likes to drive, but enjoys exploring on the bike, said she was actually appalled and disgusted by the attitude of people around. Asked if that's how bad it really is.
I reminded her that, unlike them, we don't pay road tax so should not exist.
It takes something when Queen St-Charlotte Sq-Princes St-Lothian Rd-Tollcross is one of the nicer bits of your journey!!
Posted 8 years ago # -
The car driver who leant on the horn before overtaking me close and fast as I followed a bus fairly closely along Gilmore Place this morning with cyclists coming in the other direction. I had previously needed to brake to a almost halt to avoid cycling into the back of the bus as it pulled away slowly from the stop beyond the King's Theatre junction, had then taken primary as I followed behind and was about to indicate to turn right onto Lower Gilmore Place at the point that the driver made their completely pointless move to move right behind the bus.
Posted 8 years ago # -
The bus driver who forced me off the road:
(Jump to 2minutes 16 seconds to see the incident. The video plugin doesn't support directly jumping)
Posted 8 years ago # -
That's horrific chrisfl. Lothian Buses genuinely don't GAF any more.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Looks like you were about level with his back wheel, so still loads of bus to come. Those moments when drivers get their noses just past you then expect you to disappear are really annoying.
Hard to tell from the video, but doesn't even look like he indicated (which wouldn't make it alright, but at least gives you a little warning he's about to do something stupid).
Posted 8 years ago # -
Jesus H. Not only would I give that to Lothian Buses, but I'd report that to plod.
That is horrifically bad driving
Posted 8 years ago # -
Jeepers. That driver should be prosecuted, not told off.
Posted 8 years ago # -
I really can't be bothered! But I don't actually think this is unusual - it's certainly happened to me before. I did tweet this to Lothian Busses and have had a a response from them.
Posted 8 years ago # -
@Chris
Similar manoeuvre done to me by LRT buses twice last week. I don't bother reporting, although I don't film so would be relying on them taking the effort to view their own video. I just tell the drivers that they are ****s.
Posted 8 years ago # -
"
Dale Bond, from Castle Cary, called police who told him to stay with the woman and take her car keys off her.
But after he had waited for two hours police called to say officers were too busy to attend and he should go home.
"
Posted 8 years ago # -
chrisfl so what was Lothian Buses' response?
Posted 8 years ago # -
I experienced a couple of very scary close passes by a Prentice Westwood coach the other morning - one at speed. As usual I had a passenger.
I didn't get the registration number unfortunately. As a result Prentice Westwood said they can't identify the driver from just the time and location. They did at least respond and said they would remind all their drivers to give cyclists space.
Posted 8 years ago # -
@algo "they can't identify the driver from just the time and location" - my understanding is that they must keep a record of journeys as part of their licencing? (sure a more informed CCEer will confirm or otherwise).
Posted 8 years ago # -
@deckard112 - thanks. They claim it could be one of many...
Posted 8 years ago # -
Yeah - pretty sure they'd be committing an offence if they said that in response to a speeding ticket.
Unless it's a case where all the speeding happens to be done by an astonishingly careless elderly relative of the owner in between crosswords and episodes of Countdown.
Posted 8 years ago # -
"Yeah - pretty sure they'd be committing an offence if they said that in response to a speeding ticket"
The speeding ticket would have the registration. Apples and pears in terms of contacting them about their drivers.
If the speeding ticket only said the name of the company, but the police knew nothing more about the actual vehicle it's highly unlikely they could do anything about it. I actually saw a couple of Prentice coaches on my commute this morning (noting one because he encroached a wee bit into the bus lane when passing me, and it being notable because I saw a second moments later), so in theory, and depending on the route, it's actually possible that they are actually being truthful.
If I'd contacted them saying that one of their coaches, the registration of which I don't have, passed me dangerously this morning, it 'could' be one of two. There might have been some other coaches that might have been in the vicinity too.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Thanks WC it's very possible this was the case for me too. They say they will remind their drivers to give cyclists space and that's all I really wanted to achieve with my complaint to them.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Don't get me wrong, I think it's probably an excuse, and a way they have of not dealing with complaints, but it's possible, and that's all they need.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Oh - hadn't appreciated no registration. Fair enough.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Had an excellent driver hang back behind me and patiently wait for a few seconds before turning so they didn't left hook me. A pity about the car behind who was beeping at the good driver for holding them up. Mr. Beepy then took a short cut right through the pedestrian zone on the High Street which is loading only in the morning.
Posted 8 years ago # -
I don't think I'm ever more aware of how poor driving standards are in this city than when I'm actually driving myself. Had to drop the car off for a service this morning (bike on the roof like a proper non-cycling cylist), and it's interesting seeing how different people approach passing cyclists, and how they interact (or rather don't) with other traffic.
Twice I sat a distance back from cyclists gong across junctions, waited for an entirely clear road, accelerated gradually up to 30 and passed with space to spare. I'd pulled in behind one as the lights ahead were red, there was a queue of traffic, and passing would have served absolutely no purpose. Three times, while in a slow moving queue, I let other cars out of side streets, only to see the car behind me hard up behind with a glazed tunnel vision, desperate that no other car would get in front.
Maybe I was more chilled because I knew that after dropping the car (at Lochrin) I'd be on the bike, and because I leave earlier in the car in case of ridiculous traffic, I'd actually be at work earlier, with a half length commute. It's not actually as if I saw anything overtly dangerous, but there was so much impatience, lack of common courtesy, no common sense, and inability to plan ahead that probably 75% of the driving could have been categorised as a bit rubbish.
Which in itself is rubbish.
It's really the 'little' things I've been noticing recently, where folk just won't realise or think they're doing anything wrong at all, which might be a manifestation of the more general "I'm alright Jack" society that seems to be so prevalent. Prime example yesterday morning as I followed two cars turning into a side street. The one at the front drove two car lengths, then just stopped. The reason was they were dropping off a passenger - two car lengths from the junction into the street, and just before a blind corner. The car behind shuffled round, I could get past more easily, but it just made me wonder why on earth they couldn't have driven to a slightly safer spot 50 yards on, indicated to pull in, and maybe even pulled into a gap in the parked cars instead.
Of course they then overtook me a little further on just before we crested a blind rise, hit the gas, and got in just before a couple of cars coming the other way. All to get to a right turn juuuuuust before me, and then not get away from me until we were past Corstorphine High Street.
Posted 8 years ago # -
"Three times, while in a slow moving queue, I let other cars out of side streets, only to see the car behind me hard up behind with a glazed tunnel vision, desperate that no other car would get in front."
Problem is, how many of the merging cars were behind you before they raced around a few residential streets?
Posted 8 years ago #
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