CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!

Today's rubbish driving...

(11339 posts)
  • Started 13 years ago by Stepdoh
  • Latest reply from neddie
  • This topic is sticky

  1. twinspark
    Member

    Probably minor compared to a lot here, but this morning we had SL08 OYS a Grey Honda CRV. Decides to pull out of Alnwickhill Road and stop half way across Liberton Drive as they've twigged that the blue Ford in front of me would hit them otherwise.

    They clock me think about it and then decide to pull across in front of me anyway to carry on down the continuation of Alnwickhill Road. Thankfully I'd bled off some speed from probably 20 mp/h + I reckon but some serious braking was still required.

    Do you think it's a cherished plate (SL08 OYS does look like it contains the word Slob and they certainly drove like a Slob?!)

    Posted 12 years ago #
  2. Nelly
    Member

    Council Gritting Truck (ironic??) I was merging into the right filter lane westbound gorgie road to go into stenhouse.

    He (almost) turned right INTO me from same junction.

    Had the decency to apologise - but if he had completed teh move, I was toast.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  3. fimm
    Member

    Yesterday evening, Fountainbridge - taxi turning right with driver on hand-held mobile. He didn't appear to notice my gestures (it was dark...).

    Counterbalanced by a nice patient driver of a Lothian Bus. Not that we expect anything else from Lothian Buses!

    Posted 12 years ago #
  4. Min
    Member

    A lot of murderous idiots on the road this afternoon. One huge black van, licence plate ending in JKE (how fitting) who passed me twice extremely close just to rush to the next set of red lights 0.5s quicker. By the second stupid pass I tried to stop for a "word" but the lights changed. And a mini who did the same thing. Then an utter twat at the Broughton Street roundabout who tried to left hook me. Almost drove right into my side. I gave him the finger but if I could have caught up with him I would have smashed his wing mirror. I am so sick of these a**eholes just doing what they want and driving away.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  5. MeepMeep
    Member

    Min: I think there was a general plethora of idiotic drivers on the road today. The four car accident that closed the bypass this morning won't have helped city traffic as drivers used alternative routes to work. Coupled with their impatience and dangerous disregard of driving to the conditions (I generalise), it was a free-for-all for idiocy.

    I had a couple of very near-misses today where one driver in particular was making it his mission to clip my elbow with this wingmirror, and it's the first time in a long time I have really questioned whether I'm enjoying cycling any more. The moronic sense of entitlement some road users have is really starting to grind me down: it can't be impossible to abide by the rules of the road and have respect for others.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  6. Min
    Member

    Yes me too. I try not to let it get me down but it is hard sometimes.

    Just to help even more, some utter scumbag has just smashed a car through the barriers at North Bridge. I hope there were no pedestrians in the way as they would definitely have been hit. This was right in front of the old Post Office. There is no way you could do this "by accident". A jail sentence had better be involved.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  7. Uberuce
    Member

    A silver Range Rover pulled the worst amber gamble turning to RLJ I've seen yet. Really highlighted the difference between the thought process Do I Have Time To Stop Safely and Can I Beat This Amber.

    I had time to stop safely, which means more than usual since I was on my way to the Bike Works for rapid replacement of rather ropy rear rims, therefore wasn't using my front brake harshly or my back handbrake at all.

    The Chelsea Tractor pilot was ten or so metres behind me when the lights changed, but nonetheless steamed on forth. Rather too close to me for my liking.

    The cherry topping of pointlessness was that this all took place at the Polworth Church crossroads, home of the most rapid light sequence in the known universe, so the tractor pilot would, as I was, have been rolling within ten seconds.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  8. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Not sure where exactly this post should go, but when I got to my desk this morning my colleague was keen to engage me in discussion about a Lothian Bus driver falling below expectations and how it was dreadful and how does one report it.

    I'll let you make of it what you will, but the scenario is that my colleague drives a BMW and was complaining that the bus cut him up when he wouldn't let it into "his" lane ahead of him and then the bus driver wade a w*****r gesture at him when he tooted the horn in protest!

    Posted 12 years ago #
  9. chdot
    Admin

    And he told you...

    W!

    Posted 12 years ago #
  10. amir
    Member

    I had a near miss with one of those over-sized pickup trucks. I was turning right from Carigmillar Park into Esslemont Road at the big lights near Cameron Toll. The "truck" came whizzing through at high speed through red lights from Liberton Road. Those **** RLJers

    Posted 12 years ago #
  11. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Game of chicken with a street sweeping lorry (the type for gutters) being driven down the Broomhouse Path along Bankhead Drive!

    The path isn't really wide enough for such a vehicle, never mind allowing pedestrians or cyclists to pass. One of the other cyclists headed off towards the road. I stood my ground and only got off to push around it in the mud (not much grass left) when the driver actually stopped the machine. He was quite happy just to drive it towards me, assuming I would get out the way.

    Bit of sour grapes from me complaining about them actually cleaning the path you say? Well, using a gutter sweeper to try and clean a cycle path isn't really that effective. At all! he left 2 semi-clean streaks down an otherwise filthy path, and his own tyres were depositing mud as well. Because of the configuration of those sweepers, with brushes on the sides, he could have gone up and down all day and the path wouls till be largely filthy.

    I have a photo which I've tweeted.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  12. "... it's the first time in a long time I have really questioned whether I'm enjoying cycling any more"

    I get that every now and then, though it's generally cured by taking the bus or the car for one day. But it really does get you down sometimes just how bolshy the roads are, and yesterday was strangely nasty and busy (not helped by me also getting a puncture, but the silver lining is it was a mile from my house, so easier to walk home and patch in the comfort of my own garage).

    Posted 12 years ago #
  13. recombodna
    Member

    Taxi driver who pulled out of new street stopped across my lane as I was heading downhill today gave me a generous 2 car lengths to avoid smashing into him. I was doing 20mph and the reason I know this is that I was DRIVING A VAN!!! Thankfully I wanted the entire contents of the van shifted up to behind the drivers seat anyway........Jeeszo!!

    Posted 12 years ago #
  14. kaputnik
    Moderator


    Sledgehammer to clean a nut by the Magnificent Octopus, on Flickr

    By this time he was going away from me. First, I had to get past (around), that's after negotiating the most recent mess to the toucan crossing.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  15. Snowy
    Member

    @k I now just stay on the road from the Makro junction to the Broomhouse Road Roundabout, in large part due to the mess on the path, and part due to the dogleg required to make use of the toucan crossing - the roundabout has good visibility and has never caused an issue, although the lane change beforehand can be exciting in heavy traffic.

    Anyway. Back on topic - Fountainbridge eastbound again, outside Cargo. Green light for me. Oncoming elderly gent decides to make right turn across me as though I didn't exist and it was a bullet-time manoeuvre - I would have been swearing and making the ketchup gesture were I not concentrating on that fine line between maximum braking and locking both wheels on a wet road. Just when it was clear the car had missed my font wheel by about a foot, and I was stopped in the middle of the junction, a second car followed the first one and had I not been crazed on caffeine and adrenaline, would have gone straight through the side of me but for a quick jump forward.

    It was so bonkers that I just stopped moving and had to check that my traffic light was definitely green and my bike lights were working. Both were.

    Did that junction used to be a roundabout or am I imagining it? Because that's the only way I can rationalise the behaviour of these two drivers.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  16. ARobComp
    Member

    @snowy yeah it was a roundabout until a couple years back. I find people behaving a bit weird around the lights there sometimes too.

    Although if you're coming eastbound from fountain park as you were just as you get across that junction there is a horrid squeeze point where the pavement seems to come out to exactly where you might be on a bike if you take a straight line from the other side. It's outside loudons pretty much. ANyone know where I mean? Or know the reason for it?

    Posted 12 years ago #
  17. Min
    Member

    Yes that junction was much discussed at the time. They seem to have gone out of their way to make it even more dangerous for cyclists. Having been a roundabout once doesn't give anyone an excuse to just drive over people two years later.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  18. fimm
    Member

    @snowy that was the junction where I slowed and stopped for a red light and nearly wandered more into the "primary" position in the ASL as I often do when a car suddenly shot past me and then must have spotted the red light and slammed on the brakes - if I'd been in the middle of the ASL I would have ended up on his bonnet (or probably through his windscreen, the speed he was going - he stopped well through the ASL).

    Posted 12 years ago #
  19. amir
    Member

    As I was coming in on Gilmerton Road, a LRT bus turned right into Moredun in front of a cyclist. There was no danger of a collision as the cyclist was 50-100 yds away and travelling slowly (uphill) but, as normal on this narrow junction, the bus couldn't enter it immediately (having to wait for a car to leave first) so remained stuck across the carriageway, blocking the way forward for the cyclist.

    Just impolite.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  20. wingpig
    Member

    Chump in some sort of huge black Jeepy type thing attempted to enter the Parliament roundabout from the direction of Meadowbank without looking as I was on my way across from Horse Wynd to the entry point of the cycle path. He had to stop so suddenly he skidded and stalled, though did half-heartedly apologetically wave his hands at me.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  21. Klaxon
    Member

    Has to go to the cyclist who, with an ultra high intensity front light set to flash, followed me down Holyrood Road last night. I take it it was some sort of MTB night ride light that would be acceptable if correctly aligned and static, but it was pointed straight at driver eye level.

    It would be equivalent to a car driver mounting a strobe light on their bonnet or flashing their main beams on and off five times per second.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  22. Claggy Cog
    Member

    Following a bus on the road leading into the RIE, which was obviously running early because it was travelling inordinately slowly about 8 mph over quite far to the right to see ahead what was going on, coming up to the pedestrian crossing when a complete dickhead taxi driver in one of the MPV type taxis overtakes me with about 4 inches to spare from my handlebar, and immediately turns left into the front of the hospital to drop someone off. I chapped on the window and asked him if what he had just done by overtaking me was entirely necessary and indeed justified...his reply was that what right did I have to be so far out and in the middle of the road and that I was in the way. I again asked him if he thought his manouevre was justified... he did not answer other than to repeatedly say bye, bye, bye, bye. I told him that I thought his attitude and driving ability both sucked.

    I would also like to say that the speed limit on this road is 10 mph.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  23. Cyclingmollie
    Member

    Last week, on a narrow, twisting hill climb a timber lorry got to within three or four feet of me. Rather than sit and fume I put my turbo sessions to use. I was 100 metres ahead of him by the top of the hill and it was a quarter of a mile before he caught me and passed. Muppet. Today, car pulled out from a side road in Haddington, right into my path. And in Prestonpans a white van driver overtook me forcing an oncoming car to brake and swerve before pulling in to park on the opposite side of the road just a few seconds later. Pass the brain cell.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  24. crowriver
    Member

    Last night, about 8pm, I was heading west along McDonald Road and there was a car parked in the cycle lane, almost completely blocking the cycle lane cut through in the build-outs for 'traffic-calming'. This was despite an empty parking space right next to the infringing car. Some drivers are just wilful cycle lane blockers...

    On the way back along the same road, approaching Leith Walk, the lights at the junction turn green, I speed up as I know the sequence doesn't last very long. A small column of cars starts across the junction, and has cleared it by the time I arrive. A white van coming the opposite way waits for the cars to clear and then turns right across my path.

    I'm going at a fair lick at this point and slam on the brakes for an emergency stop: thankfully the hub brakes on the Pashley are pretty powerful. I stop with about a foot to spare, bellowing some choice Anglo-Saxon phrases at the van driver, who gives me a wave as if to say 'thanks for stopping'. What the hell did the idiot think he was doing? He could clearly see me, maybe he did not expect me to be so quick, or more likely he expected me to stop as he's in the big van.

    So very nearly a repeat of what happened to Mrs crowriver a fortnight ago, when she ran into a car that turned right across her.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  25. cb
    Member

    Private hire cab decided to turn right out of Yeaman Place despite...

    a) there being nowhere for him to go (traffic queuing on Dundee St)
    and...
    b) an ambulance with its lights on approaching west on Dundee St.

    He managed to force his way through, but the ambulance still had to slow down.
    How can you not notice an ambulance?

    Posted 12 years ago #
  26. chdot
    Admin

    "How can you not notice an ambulance?"

    Like bicycles they are not 'proper' road users, make a noise (literally and figuratively) must be shown their place in the hierarchy.

    (Of course most drivers don't think like that...)

    Posted 12 years ago #
  27. steveo
    Member


    How can you not notice an ambulance?

    Same way you can smidsy an Airport bus, some people are just blind to what's happening around them.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  28. 559
    Member

    If you get a vehicle reg, too check it fits the car that did you harm use a car parts website to check, if you enter the reg it will tell you the vehicle type.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  29. Ah, the private hire cabs have come out to play.

    Last night, heading down towards the Grassmarket at about 25mph, an MPV pulls out of a cut-in straight in front of me (I then stick to his bumper all the way down to the Pleasance).

    This morning, another cyclist and I are waiting to turn right into a side road, the way clears, we start to turn, and a private hire cab behind thinks that that turn is the place to overtake. Into the face of oncoming traffic (which luckily for him was turning left and so leaning towards the opposite side). Of course the next lights were red. And the next. And the ones after that. Before finally, in the Meadows, there was a mahoosive queue of cars that he tagged onto the back of as I cycled off into the sunset drizzle.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  30. fimm
    Member

    I dislike being overtaken while I'm turning.

    Which reminds me of a very slightly amusing one - I was turning right out of the road next to the Commonweath Pool and didn't make a very good job of it, so that the car behind me who was trying to pull an agressive overtake through the junction had to wait until I straightened up in the left hand lane before revving past me and pulling up at the red light at the East Preston Street junction.

    Unfortunately he then failed to notice that there was a green filter for the left turn... so I nipped past him on the left and turned left (a bit dodgy I know as he could have spotted the light and gone at any time). I was well round the corner before he finished cursing red-light-jumping cyclists, spotted the green light and came revving impatiently past me again (the bit about cursing cyclists is a figment of my imagination, of course).

    Posted 12 years ago #

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