Car in front of me this morning not only had snow on it's roof but snow all over the back window, lights and number plate!
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
Today's rubbish driving...
(11258 posts)- Started 12 years ago by Stepdoh
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Posted 6 years ago #
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@algo - please don't take this as victim-blaming, as it is categorically not intended this way, but this type of pass is exactly why I ride in the middle of the lane up Queen's Drive. My view is that it is not possible for anything wider than a motorcycle to pass a bicycle safely on the single-carriageway sections. For the most part, I've found that the majority of drivers are happy if I signal my intention to pull in early and again immediately before I pass a bay, and I normally give and get a friendly a wave.
Posted 6 years ago # -
@adamthekiwi - I take that point absolutely, but as I have mentioned before, I do exactly that if I am the one who will be hit first - when I have a passenger like that I find it very difficult to put her in that position. I am on the left on that case because I am very slow (I'm slow anyway but here I have extra weight - it looks like she's pedalling but she's not actually pushing the pedals :-)) so as @GDR can contest - I was being passed by many cyclists. Had the car passed us slowly I would have had no issue, that's what normally happens.
Posted 6 years ago # -
@algo - I see (I hadn't seen previous mentions) and understand. I don't think the slow makes any difference - I generally get the same positive response even when riding with very slow riders - but I can understand the vulnerability thing. If I come across you on the climb, I'll happily ride 'bumper'!
Good luck with getting the police to do something about them...
Posted 6 years ago # -
It may be safer to salmon cycle that part of Queen's drive go against traffic as can see cars coming.
Posted 6 years ago # -
@IWRATS - Ta! Mr Traynor responded immediately, thanking me for bringing the incident to their attention and said he'd forward my complaint to the relevant Manager.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Unfortunately my camera ran out of battery before I encountered a driver performing a fifteen-second turn to try and get themselves out of Gifford Park.
Posted 6 years ago # -
@wingpig, big theme in last week of the bad driving has been both drivers attempting turns and getting stuck in front of me so that I have to wait patiently (4 or 5 of these in two days) or drivers just driving straight at me then veering so as they are parallel. Last Friday a combination where he drove at me from across the other side, at Hutchison X way got stuck, waved to me in apology then manouvered himself in the bike lane such tht when he finally did stop I had to overtake his parked motor. Had to use Zen Master level mindfulness.
Currently think drivers are worse than ever at driving.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Funny one last night.
I was heading for the Gorgie Road from the Dalry Road. There are two lanes as you come up to the lights; there are two roads you might take to the left, so for the "straight on" option you need to be in the right hand lane (there's also a "sharp right" option but this isn't used much). I'm very used to this junction having cycled though it most working days for several years.
On the left before you get to the traffic lights is a bus stop. Some of the buses that use this stop then need to get into the right hand lane to continue down the Gorgie Road; and I do understand that the drivers have to be fairly forceful to get across the traffic as drivers of cars are often reluctant to let them in.
So I'm stationary two or three cars back from the front of the queue (I tend not to filter to the front from such a position as there's not a lot of space to filter and I don't see the need). Behind me, a bus has stopped at the bus stop. I know from the number that it will be going down the Gorgie Road, but I assume that the driver will move across as the queue gets moving. However there are no cars in the left hand lane.
What actually happens is that as the lights change the bus driver drives his bus down the left hand lane until he gets to the gap in the cars that I'm occupying and then forces his way into the gap giving me not choice but to back out of moving off.
I wasn't happy.
In retrospect, though, I'm wondering if I'm over reacting? As I say, the bus drivers there do need to be a bit forceful sometimes. I did feel bullied out of the way, though. And I bet that if I'd been sat there in a car the bus driver would have done differently, because there wouldn't have been that "gap" in the queue for him to use.
Posted 6 years ago # -
@fimm, if I have followed correctly, he forced his way into the gap rather than waiting for someone to let him in. Not a correct manoeuvre and unpleasant for you. Filtering in this instance would have had a point?
Posted 6 years ago # -
@fimm
Send the time, place and service number to Lothian Buses and say you felt bullied. Let them make the call - they are quite good at that and it and it's all on video.
Posted 6 years ago # -
@fimm: for the "straight on" option you need to be in the right hand lane
According to the markings on the road, both lanes can be used for going straight on, so the bus driver had no need to force his vehicle in to the right-hand lane. I'd mention that when you contact LB about the incident.
It's not a great layout at that junction, though. There's a filter to turn left so in theory, depending upon the phasing of the lights, if you're wanting to go straight on from the left lane you can end up blocking left-turning traffic that has a green light. A bit like the top of Lothian Road, only the other way round.
Posted 6 years ago # -
According to the markings on the road, both lanes can be used for going straight on
I think this is because there are kind of two roads which are "straight on". So left hand lane is for Ardmillan Terrace and right hand lane is for Gorgie Road.Posted 6 years ago # -
@frenchy, that is my recollection, travelling west two filters come on, one to turn sharp left to go back towards Edinburgh and the lights at diggers with the pub on your right and one to go up ardmillan Tce, which is a sort of straight on. But if you want to go to Gorgie road you must be in the right hand lane. There is also a sharp right down murieston crescent but I am not sure that is allowed? A bad junction for sure.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Right turn down Murieston Road is allowed according to Streetview.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Ok, there is one route where going down that way is not allowed. Somewhere at that junction
Posted 6 years ago # -
Not sure there is.
The road markings from Henderson Terrace say "No left turn" in the left lane and "No right turn" in the right lane. One could argue that Murieston Road is a right turn from Henderson Terrace, but I think it's straight on. I'm certainly not the only person who goes that way.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Fair enough frenchy, that may be straight on or that could be Gorgie road. What I have finally remembered from when I commuted that way is that coming down ardmillan I could not turn left so had to dismount and push onto Gorgie road
Posted 6 years ago # -
How long ago was that? There's a cycle path for that left turn now.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Ah yes, frenchy, this is coming back to me now,, has only taken approx ten goes at it.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Did think about complaining to Lothian Buses but CBA.
I'd never noticed that there are straight on markings on both approach lanes. Everyone uses the left hand lane for Henderson Terrace and Ardmillan Terrace, and the right hand lane for Gorgie Road (and Murieston Road if required).
Posted 6 years ago # -
On friday morning I cycled through Holyrood Park from Duddingston Kirk and exited at the Parliament. In that time I met or was passed by 17 trades vehicles, the last of which was an enormous Belhaven truck.
Why is there no enforcement ? Got to be easiest self-funding thing ever - 17 x 30 quid fixed penalties in 15 mins.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Coming down Henderson Terrace there is both a no left turn (Ardmillan Terrace) and a no right turn (Dalry Road). Gorgie Road and Murieston Road are OK (which means that you can access Dalry Road via Murieston Road-Terrace-Crescent).
Coming down Ardmillan Terrace it's no left turn in to Gorgie Road (except for bikes, using the short cycle path) and no right turn in to Henderson Terrace. Murieston Road and Dalry Road are OK, both counting as 'straight on'.
Approaching along Gorgie Road there's a no right turn up Ardmillan Terrace, but Henderson Terrace is 'straight on' (as is Dalry Road).
Murieston Road is one way heading away from the junction so you shouldn't even be there!
It is a pretty awkward junction layout, and usually confuses people who are new to it. I'm not sure why there are two left filters approaching along Dalry Road. It's not as if you can take either of the two left turns if traffic from Gorgie Road has a green straight on filter - although I suppose it could be to allow traffic wanting to turn up Henderson Terrace to take its chances with traffic coming from Gorgie Road (but that's pretty unusual for a traffic light controlled junction IME).
Posted 6 years ago # -
The guy who said he *had* been paying attention when he veered into me on Picardy Place, so we can assume it was a deliberate attempt to hit me rather than just incompetence. Thankfully I had space to veer away.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Regarding complaint to Lothian Buses previously. They emailed back to say it's being "treated seriously". I mentioned on Twitter that I've never heard any more and the Lothian Buses account said I should get in touch with them.
Well I did that and they said they can't tell me anything. Thanks a whole bunch.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Newcraighall Road isn't for the faint-hearted. Like trying to cycle through a WWII aerial dogfight.
Posted 6 years ago # -
bad one this morning heading east at Mr Freewheelin's shop at Shandon. Anpother fiveways junction that causes HAVOC (see Dalry Gorgie Boundary 5 Way in threads passim)
black car in Front is really messing about, slowing down, maybe going to pull a u-turn? I am watching it with care. Eventually decides to stop at junction despite green light as wants to do the mad right turn up the road that goes behind Mr Freewheelin's block.
I can dodge it and go straight on (no issue of whether I am going straight straight or taking the slight left) car behid a black S type Jag BG55 KEU I think tries to dodge the car too but annoyingly finds me still holding my line. I nearly get hit by it, I say the bad F word. He then toots me!! I process this as an apologetic toot so when I catch him at ardmillan I merely filter on to the next example of bad driving (large jeep truck thing in the ASB et cetera).
Posted 6 years ago # -
Signs like Keep Left would appear to be clear and unambiguous but evidence suggests otherwise.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Plum this morning going up Blackford avenue. Driver waiting to turn right to Observatory, driver behind it is waiting as can't get past, cyclist on their left. Car behind decides to pull in to park on their left without looking, forcing the cyclist onto the pavement! Fortunately it was all at very low speed but the lack of awareness from the driver was incredible.
Posted 6 years ago #
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