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Today's rubbish driving...
(11333 posts)- Started 13 years ago by Stepdoh
- Latest reply from wishicouldgofaster
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Posted 6 years ago #
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Jerk van driver...
With such a dutch sounding name you would think he would know how to drive around bicycles.
Posted 6 years ago # -
@nedd1e_h: What is it with people that they think they can just poison children
They have a licence to do so from the government. In times past it was presumably judged that the overall benefit to society from enhanced personal mobility outweighed the risk. However, this is (slowly) changing - witness policy stances re outlawing new IC-engined vehicles at some point in the future.
and endanger lives?
That, they do not have a licence to do. In theory, if they get caught doing it then their licence can be withdrawn. However (a) enforcement is not adequately resourced, and (b) it has become socially ingrained to regard the licence as more akin to a right, so withdrawal is too often treated as if it were an infringement of personal liberty.
Ordinary people cannot be trusted with dangerous machinery.
Careful with that. Some people might (indeed, have been known to) point to dangerous actions performed by certain individuals in the course of riding bicycles...
In conclusion:
We're still living with the consequences of some poor decisions in the past. And some people will be selfish/self-regarding/self-opinionated b@st@ards whatever happens.Posted 6 years ago # -
@ej, OK, I'll revise that to:
Ordinary people cannot be trusted with dangerous heavy machinery
Posted 6 years ago # -
Driver of a white Nissan (VK16 YDP) last night parked in the bike lane at the north end of Ratcliffe Terrace. I shouted "Ye cannae park there" as I passed. They then passed me a bit further up the hill, and rolled down their window to shout stuff I couldn't hear at me before brake checking me. But given how quickly they caught up, my shouting does seem to have dislodged them from their illegal parking spot.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Doesn’t sound like enough -
Posted 6 years ago # -
One of the FB posts in that article says that assault + ABH should have resulted in a jail sentence. Having looked at the guidelines I reckon it would be category 2 offence due to there not being any aggravating factors indicating higher culpability. The starting point for that is six months in chokey, and he got that, albeit suspended. Suspended does not mean "let off" - from Wiki: A suspended sentence can be applied if the term of imprisonment is under two years and the offender agrees to comply with court requirements including a curfew, performing unpaid work [which was also part of the sentence] and rehabilitation. If he breaks the law again within a given period then the suspension will be lifted and he should be eating porridge for a while.
It looks to me that in this case the sentencing seems to have been pretty much bang in line with the guidelines. Which is not to say that everyone should therefore agree that justice has been done. But on the other hand, I'm not keen on witch hunts either.
All that said, I agree that what Mr Lee did was pretty damn despicable.
Posted 6 years ago # -
I was thinking of the £5k rather than the sentence.
Posted 6 years ago # -
@chdot - I agree. £5k is not much more than the compensation received by a couple of cyclists I know who have suffered far less serious injuries.
Posted 6 years ago # -
On the way home last night a driver decided to pull into the bus lane and across my path (with no indication) to undertake another car which was turning right. Obviously I got a fright with a car swerving right in on top of me and I may have been more vocal than I needed to be in cursing him. I guess he heard me because at every subsequent opportunity (traffic lights etc) he would swerve in front of me and brake check me.
Luckily I don't cross paths with such lovely people very often.
Posted 6 years ago # -
This afternoon around 2pm there were 3 motorbikes at the traffic lights outside Frasers revving engines. The lights went green and they cut across the bus beside them to make an illegal right turn down Lothian Road. They then sped away doing wheelies. To be a bit judgemental, they didn't look like typical bikers (grey trackies), although they did have helmets on. I wonder if it was related to this.
Posted 6 years ago # -
vlcsnap-2018-01-13-21h49m35s770That dark blob just to the left of the front of the bus is another cyclist...
Posted 6 years ago # -
@Frenchy I imagine the other cyclist will have had to wash their lycra.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Wouldn't surprise me. We shared a wry smile as we passed.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Headline might be misleading...
"
Pensioner struck by SUV in hospital
"
http://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glasgow-news/man-rushed-hospital-after-struck-14151285
Posted 6 years ago # -
@galaxy - that's horrendous. Police-worthy, if you have the will, and either the license plate or route number.
Posted 6 years ago # -
@galaxy - have big bus will show intent to not yield to anything. Bad one.
Reminded me of last week's Kerry is Kirsty cycling programme touring on Skye. Roads there are obviously full of cars and camper vans.
This Park's bus went by one a two way road. It looks close on BBC Alba footage but was probably as wide as he could go - see white line.
So lot better than City Link - he didn't deviate on bit.
Posted 6 years ago # -
This morning an AO truck parked on the cobbles outside that bar next to the Free Church offices on the mound. They were delivering something which weighed 107kg (aparently the guy told me) but due to the barriers they couldn't pull in enough so the lift-tailgate of the lorry was overhanging the cyclepath and road by a good meter. Absolutely lethal if someone approached at speed watching traffic behind and failed to see it. I had to stop because a bus was within about 6 inches of it!
The guy suggested my idea of them parking down on the cobbles about 50m away and dragging whatever it was to the deliver address was met with the fact that that would be IMPOSSIBLE.
Posted 6 years ago # -
this is why it is important to clear the snow from the roof of your vehicle...
Posted 6 years ago # -
4x4 don't improve your car's breaking ability, as several drivers found out this morning outside of the kids' school.
I was unloading on the pavement on a downside of a slope and witnessed several cars trying to stop on the road having an unglamourous slide into the kerb (which was better than sliding over the give way line in front).
I flagged down one driver (who was probably doing 10mph) and she just shrugged at me and proceeded to do a lovely slide down the hill...
Posted 6 years ago # -
A "Places for People" vehicle parked with the engine running outside the office I was dropping something off at. Still sat idling when I left five minutes later.
I appreciated the irony, although appreciate doesn't quite feel like the correct verb.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Rat runners caught out by unexpected wintry weather again this morning:
@HankChief: 4x4 don't improve your car's breaking ability
Inappropriately shod 4x4s (and/or innocent bystanders) are definitely more likely to end up broken when they find that their brakes are less effective in winter conditions.
Posted 6 years ago # -
I have to admit I did go very slowly down the Lauder Road ice rink the other day (North or Grange Road) and ended up cycling my ABS pump and valves - having replaced the sensors in the summer I was glad to verify it was all working as it should at extremely low speed. I don't know what you'd do though if you went down there at more than about 5 mph - which is probably why someone ended up knocking over a lamppost the other morning.
Posted 6 years ago # -
This was a couple of months ago, but I just remembered about it. Not sure why I was lax with taking primary that day.
EDIT: NSFW, I swear loudly.
Posted 6 years ago # -
I'm not sure exactly how but I'm sure that this thread is the right place to mention the two cars which appeared to have been written off on Scotstoun Avenue yesterday morning. I know modern cars crumple easily but how someone can cause that much damage in a 20mph zone boggles the mind. All three services were in attendance so hopefully no one too badly hurt.
Posted 6 years ago # -
I wonder how many drivers were aware of this detail noted on Wikipedia:
ABS generally offers improved vehicle control and decreases stopping distances on dry and slippery surfaces; however, on loose gravel or snow-covered surfaces, ABS can significantly increase braking distance, although still improving vehicle steering control.
I'll confess that I wasn't.
Posted 6 years ago # -
@Frenchy That seemed to be a measured and reasonable response to someone disregarding your life so casually.
Posted 6 years ago # -
@acsimpson: That's actually widely regarded as dubious information - and potentially dangerous if it leads to people pulling the ABS fuse in their car. (In modern cars the ABS is an integral part of the overall Electronic Stability Control system, so disabling it can cause more than simply a greater propensity to lock up under braking.)
Best practice on treacherously slippery ice & snow is to (a) go slowly, (b) keep in a low gear and drive gently on the throttle, and (c) use the brake as little as possible. Hearing the ABS working is a good indication that you're trying to brake too hard for the conditions, and thus probably trying to make too rapid progress.
Even in good road conditions far too many drivers go straight for the brake when they want to lose speed (a prime cause of the concertina effect on motorways). With effective observation, anticipation, and leaving a safe gap you can adjust adjust your speed appropriately simply by lifting the right foot more often than not.
(I know that some ?VAG? cars used to be able to disable the ABS, either automatically or under driver control, I can't remember. The argument being that on some loose surfaces allowing the wheel to lock and to build up a wedge of gravel/snow/whatever in front of it was more effective than having the ABS cycling away trying to find grip that was never going to be there. Now that ESC is mandatory, I assume that wouldn't be allowed, regardless of whether there might be some validity in the argument.)
Posted 6 years ago #
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