CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!

Today's rubbish driving...

(11330 posts)
  • Started 13 years ago by Stepdoh
  • Latest reply from fergus
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  1. chdot
    Admin

    1/4 hour ago still shaking mildly.

    Sciennes Rd (3:10) passing the school (Fri PM so after hours).

    Double build-out so passed first one and head for the second, aware that there was a car close behind.

    Usually vehicles have more sense/courtesy than to try to pass. I was probably doing 15 in the 20 mph zone.

    I also noticed a car door wide open on the other side of the road so I was pretty sure it wouldn't try to overtake.

    Wrong.

    Caught up with car opposite Summerhall (wasn't trying to).

    Shook my head.

    Window winds down, I said 'I suppose you'll tell me you didn't see the car door'.

    'I didn't hit it did I?'

    I noticed his Edinburgh Leisure shorts.

    He volunteered that his name was Andy.

    I suppose in a 'what are you going to do about it way'.

    So inconsiderate driving, probably technically Careless.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  2. Frenchy
    Member

    I happened to be going down Sciennes Rd last night, after reading this. I'm absolutely amazed there was room for that maneuver. He's incredibly lucky; hope you're all right.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  3. chdot
    Admin

    Thanks, yeah.

    I'm sure you know how it is - general mix of slight fear, annoyance, thoughts of 'what if'/'what should' + the standard driver interaction of 'wots yr problem, nothing happened, you were in my way' (not actual conversation).

    I'm sure there are people on here who would have been slightly further to the right (more primary) to reduce the chance of an overtake. I take the view that if it's stupid to overtake only stupid people will try and it's better to leave them enough room and the option to move left.

    Other people would have moved left to allow/encourage the overtake, which would be fine without the second buildout. Any driver hesitating (quite reasonably) means that the cyclist has the extra decision about having to move out again.

    But then there was the car door narrowing the gap significantly. I assume the driver saw it, and discounted any notion that someone might step out into the road. No idea if his brain worked fast enough to calculate that he could overtake and miss the door without consequence.

    Whatever, it was unnecessary, inconsiderate, stupid etc.

    Just another day where nothing (much) happened, adding to a driver's selfbelief in their 'skills'.

    No idea if 'challenging' people will make them more determined that they were right, or make them think.

    "

    Our vision - where are we going?

    We are inspiring Edinburgh to be a more active and healthy city.

    Our values - how do we deliver?

    We make a positive difference by being: welcoming, caring, passionate and proud.

    "

    http://about.edinburghleisure.co.uk/who-we-are/purpose-vision-and-values

    Posted 8 years ago #

  4. jamesire
    Member

    Woman nudged my back wheel with her Ford Focus this morning, as I was waiting to right onto Queen's Drive at Holyrood. She obviously decided I was in her way. I turned round and gave her an earful, but took off as traffic behind started beeping etc. Signalled at her to pull over a bit further on, but she didn't (obviously). It blows my mind that someone would think it's okay to use their car like that.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  5. chdot
    Admin

    "

    A spokesman for Police Scotland said: “A 24-year-old woman has been charged under the Road Traffic Act following a collision on Glasgow Road in Edinburgh on Friday, November 11.

    "

    http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/our-region/edinburgh/collision-on-busy-edinburgh-road-causes-rush-hour-delays-1-4284935

    Posted 8 years ago #

  6. gembo
    Member

    On way back from Glasgow last night I watched two taxis pull the same stunt at Haymarket which was congested with rugby fans. The taxis came down Morrison street, turned into Dalry road but then drove to the right and into the ASL box on the other side of the road thus blocking the buses trying to get up Dalry road. One of them was very lucky as police were in the queue of traffic but lights changed and following an altercation with car actually in the right, sped off avoiding arrest.

    A chap who had just had an argument with his partner about her criticising his driving (she had only meant he could not drive as he had taken a drink) tried to draw me on the taxi driver stereotype but I said no, not all taxi drivers, just two of them in four minutes.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  7. Rothar
    Member

    Cycling home on Friday evening, after leaving work I was about 150 metres from a T-junction whereby a large vehicle performed a bit-too-close-for-comfort pass on me before accelerating at speed to turn on the junction after the traffic lights had turned red.

    As it happens it was my HR Manager driving said vehicle.

    P45 for Rothar?!

    Posted 8 years ago #

  8. Frenchy
    Member

    @gembo - I'm trying to figure out why they would pull that maneuver, since I don't think there are any streets you can go down from Dalry Rd which you can't go down from Morrison St.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  9. jonty
    Member

    Grosvenor St? Cuts the corner (and two sets of lights) to Palmerston Place. No idea why access was maintained post-tramworks.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  10. Frenchy
    Member

    That makes sense. I was putting a bit too much trust in Google Maps telling me you could turn from Morrison St to Grosvenor St.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  11. dougal
    Member

    The driver who drove the wrong way along Arthur Street Lane then waved in a dismissive "oh that's just for other people" fashion when I pointed at the One Way sign.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  12. jonty
    Member

    A one-way cul-de-sac? Impressive even by Edinburgh standards :P

    Posted 8 years ago #

  13. barnton-to-town
    Member

    @jonty
    "A one-way cul-de-sac? Impressive even by Edinburgh standards :P "

    Remarkably enough, such a thing does exist. Many years ago, the last very short stretch of Braehead Avenue, at its junction with Queensferry Road was made one-way, to prevent rat-running. It didn't stop the evening rat runners though, so a barrier was placed across the road to stop access to/from Queensferry Road altogether.
    But the one-way was never rescinded, and so it remains a one-way cul-de-sac.
    I believe adjacent householders do have keys to the barrier, so in theory they're not 'forced' to break the road traffic act, but I doubt they ever bother to access Q'ferry Road that way.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  14. dougal
    Member

    Curious, I could have sworn the one-way section between Leith Walk and Arthur Street was Arthur Street Lane! How odd.

    (Not least of all because it means Arthur Street appears to be a street with three ends.)

    Posted 8 years ago #

  15. mgj
    Member

    @dougal, if he had been on a bike there would be someone on here to defend his 'shoaling'

    Posted 8 years ago #

  16. jonty
    Member

    I've never seen that term, what does it mean?

    Posted 8 years ago #

  17. twq
    Member

    @jonty - jumping to the front of a queue of traffic.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  18. Chug
    Member

    Helpful dictionary of terms:

    Cycling slang

    Posted 8 years ago #

  19. dougal
    Member

    Salmoning surely?

    Posted 8 years ago #

  20. earthowned
    Member

    I dunno about 'shoaling' & 'salmoning' - it sounds a bit fishy to me.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  21. geordiefatbloke
    Member

    This is no plaice for this kind of chat. Eel get my coat.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  22. Ed1
    Member

    Shoaling is cutting in front of other cyclists at the asl when you approach the red light after them, I think it also means if you approach a red turning green then cut in front of other cyclists starting going.

    On Leith walk it can be hard to avoid shoaling as some cyclist go up the walk so slow hard to balance

    Posted 8 years ago #

  23. chdot
    Admin

    "On Leith walk it can be hard to avoid shoaling as some cyclist go up the walk so slow hard to balance"

    That's called overtaking.

    Key things - pass with space and (probably) don't do it if lights about to change (at least not if that would result in cutting them up).

    Posted 8 years ago #

  24. jdanielp
    Member

    I would be surprised if the driver of a vehicle angling to do so would be able to 'salmon' effectively. Cyclists can get away with it due to their fin profile... I might have occasionally 'shoaled' inadvertently as a result of limited space being available in an ASZ when I actually reached it, but I can't remember anyone ever getting in a flap with me about it despite my net gain over them.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  25. lanterne bru
    Member

    Taxi driver getting irate at me not accepting his invitation to pull out of Redford Road onto Oxgangs Road. Whilst it was nice of him to sit back to wave me out, he seemed to not consider the impact me pulling out into the traffic passing on his left would have.

    Thankfully mild compared to most of the posts in this thread.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  26. Greenroofer
    Member

    I thought, though, that there was a difference between "shoaling" and "salmoning". I thought the former was moving through a group all pointing the same way, whereas salmoning involves going against the flow, usually by riding the wrong way down a bike lane.

    This may be a load of Pollachius verenss, of course.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  27. wishicouldgofaster
    Member

    I had a shocking one this morning on Clermiston Road. A really close overtake (about a foot) followed by an immediate left into the Capital Hotel. I really wish some drivers could have the patience to wait 1 or 2 seconds.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  28. barnton-to-town
    Member

    @wishicouldgofaster
    must have been tempting to follow the driver in to have a polite word?

    Posted 8 years ago #

  29. wishicouldgofaster
    Member

    I was tempted but was running late. 2 mobile phone users spotted this morning. Seriously tempted to bang on the window of one of them, but decided it was better (for me) to keep going so I could get in front of all the cars before the lights changed.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  30. Stickman
    Member

    Driver of a dark blue Jaguar on St John's Road who was staring so intently at her phone that she drifted into the opposite side of the road.

    Posted 8 years ago #

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