CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!

Today's rubbish driving...

(11330 posts)
  • Started 13 years ago by Stepdoh
  • Latest reply from fergus
  • This topic is sticky

  1. Frenchy
    Member

    Close pass going up Kirk Brae, followed by the driver immediately turning left into Double Hedges Road.

    Then someone drew along side me and spent far too long glaring out their passenger window at me instead of, you know, watching the road in front of them. My crime was to take primary position at a narrow stretch of Gilmerton Road, whilst there was oncoming traffic.

    This crap should not be happening. Ever. But it's pretty much an everyday occurrence.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  2. mcairney
    Member

    Had a *very* close pass this morning at the roundabout between Grassmarket and the Cowgate.
    Purple Peugeot 107 thought it would be a great idea to pass me by a matter of inches while on the roundabout. Fortunately I was taking a left down Cowgate rather than a right up Candlemaker Row.
    Ended up having to put my hand on his car in order to prevent me from toppling over as much as anything.
    He then ended up stuck behind the car that was in front of me anyway because it was doing around the speed limit with me freewheeling behind him so totally pointless from that perspective.
    I did consider having words at the lights but it's too nice a day to be honest

    Posted 6 years ago #
  3. dougal
    Member

    My colleague reported a cyclist in some interaction with a fast-moving vehicle near the Leamington Bridge this morning. The driver sped off before the cyclist could pick herself up. I'm not sure of the details.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  4. wingpig
    Member

    Driver trying to do 30 along Marionville Drive this morning. They turned left along Restalrig Avenue, so it was possibly not the same small dark VW which later unnecessarily wove about to overtake before the Duddingston/Milton/Willowbrae junction, which then pulled a U-turn once past the traffic island on the Milton Road side. It may have then been a third small dark VW which then overtook with very little space at the last pinch-point before I turned off onto Duddingston Row.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  5. urchaidh
    Member

    Driver of a concrete truck (SM63 BZM?) tailgating myself and a friend down Leith Walk this morning, sounding his horn.

    He seemed agitated that we were not in the bike lane, even though we were doing at least 20mph down the hill, and he confirmed this view with a stream of abuse at Pilrig Street lights.

    There was one car between us and him at the lights, which proceeded to do a very sedate sub 20mph run all the way to The Foot of The Walk keeping him well behind us all the way. Not sure if this was intentional, but I'd like to think so and it was very welcome - chapeau!

    His parting shot at the lights was that if we didn't get out of the way, we'd get 'crushed'. Thankfully he went left along Great Junction Street as we carried straight on.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  6. jonty
    Member

    Do you think it might be one of the ones serving the St. James development? If so it might be worth complaining for two reasons - something might actually get done about it, and they'll be driving up and down there quite regularly so you might be saving lots of other folk from violent threats (or worse.)

    SN63 BZM is a white Scania according to the MOT website.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  7. Juanito
    Member

    Isn't the path between McDonald road and Pilrig still blocked? You couldn't have used it if you wanted to...

    Posted 6 years ago #
  8. dougal
    Member

    It's not blocked just requires some moving between road and cycle path using those plastic yellow ramps; and the on-road diversion is narrow and shared with pedestrians. If you're at all interested in moving >7mph it's still better to use the road.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  9. wingpig
    Member

    You wait for ages and then...

    To be fair, turning left down Stafford Street probably wouldn't have worked.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  10. miak
    Member

  11. Frenchy
    Member

    I particularly like all the ones going "He turned right when it says NO RIGHT TURN!", as even if they were right, the driver did exactly the same thing.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  12. wingpig
    Member

    Thog done seen bike man turn right. Road letters say not turn right. Thog head fizz like bees in lager. Thog face turn red like ketchup. Thog see bike man not cower in gutter. Thog head not feel right.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  13. miak
    Member

    i find it quite frightening that nearly unanimously they blame the cyclist. Imagine all these people driving on our roads. Clearly the van hits the cyclist, takes the same route as the cyclist, threatens the cyclist and throws a bottle at his head. but that is the cyclists fault for being in the way. Its also frustrating that the 'No Right Turn' thing is dominating the thread, when that is the correct route through the junction.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  14. Frenchy
    Member

    Any response from the company?

    Posted 6 years ago #
  15. Arellcat
    Moderator

    I wondered that too, but if I were John Buckley I would be having words with my employees.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  16. acsimpson
    Member

    Is anyone certain that wasn't John Buckley?

    It's good to see the Mail themselves haven't included anti cycling nonsense this time. I wouldn't personally let them use any material I created as they are prone to use it for thug food.

    I wonder why they hide the company name in the later pictures but not the first one.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  17. chdot
    Admin

  18. ejstubbs
    Member

    @Ragingbike: Its also frustrating that the 'No Right Turn' thing is dominating the thread, when that is the correct route through the junction.

    The signage there is a little confusing to someone who is unfamiliar with that junction. Of course, what it means is no right turn in to Dalry Road. It's the same coming down Ardmillan Terrace: you could quite reasonably read the no right turn sign on the traffic light as meaning no right turn in to Dalry Road - leaving you no option other than to go straight on in to Murieston Road, which cannot sensibly be the intention. I remember being temporarily flummoxed by it myself when I first encountered it, and my nephew asked me about it when he was learning to drive. It's a poorly organised junction IMO.

    All that said, unfamiliarity with the circumstances of a situation and ignorance of the relevant facts seemingly never stopped anyone from commenting on the DM web site.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  19. mcairney
    Member

    I'd actually commented pointing out that this is the 3rd exit of a 4 exit junction so is a perfectly legal route but it hasn't made it through the Daily Mail's moderation filter. With hindsight I should have used more exclamation marks and references to road tax to get it through...

    Posted 6 years ago #
  20. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    I wouldn't personally let them use any material I created as they are prone to use it for thug food.

    Daily Heil uses videos regardless of having permission or not. Trick is to say 'Yes, you can use it and the fee is £100,000', that way there is a contract.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  21. Stickman
    Member

    This morning: driver waiting to turn out of Belgrave Road while staring at her phone. She had young kids in the car.

    Also this morning: the driver of the black Audi 4x4 who didn't slow down as she turned off Princes St into South Charlotte St for people crossing: she just leant on the horn and hoped they would get out of the way. She seems prepared to kill, just because people dared cross a road without a green man.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  22. chdot
    Admin

    https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/our-region/edinburgh/video-edinburgh-cyclist-confronted-by-van-driver-in-heated-exchange-1-4762176

    Since 2011, JBEMS has worked closely in partnership with MITIE, Facilities Management Company who are listed on the FTSE 250, with their high profile clients including, The Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Banking, TSB, The Scottish Government, The Scottish Police Authority and Queen Margaret University.

    http://www.jbems.com/about/

    So not just a ‘local trader’ company.

    Might care about its image.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  23. Greenroofer
    Member

    This statement says that it's MITIE that's worked with those blue chip companies. It doesn't specifically say that JBEMS has. The list of clients they actually name is a bit less blue chip.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  24. chdot
    Admin

    True (I read too quickly - like they hope most people will...) some of them might not be happy to be named.

    But unlikely enough to do anything.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  25. EdinburghCycleCam
    Member

    White van man on Gilmerton Road this morning.

    Honked at me the moment the lights changed to green at the Mount Vernon Road junction, despite me keeping up with the car in front. The car in front turned next right into Craigend Park, and I got honked at again then.
    I continued down on the edge of the bike lane before the driver zoomed past me with about a foot of space. I honked at him with my airzound and he honked back at me. Kept pace with him and then he slowed at the traffic island before the primary school, I went to overtake and he pulled right to block me.

    He then got stuck in the traffic at the lights to Liberton Road, and I filtered past. As I passed, he shouted "get in your lane". I stopped, and said "You want me to cycle at 20 mph a foot from the kerb?" and he kept shouting at me to get in my lane. The lights change and I tried to move off, but was in the wrong gear at this point so ended up with him driving alongside me, while I tried to get out of the oncoming traffic lane.
    He accelerated to try and pass me and I slapped his mirror, which slowed him down enough to let me get ingo the flow of traffic (not my best idea, since he was then behind me) and he shouted "Come on then, let's pull over and have a chat about it?". I said "Where?" and he shouted something I didn't hear, then pulled into the bus lane up to Cameron Toll. I waited behind for a few seconds, to the right hand side so he could see me in his mirror, then when he didn't get out, I filtered up the inside to the lights.

    He then drove up Minto Street while I Was in the bus lane and shouted something else (or it might have been one of the passengers) before stopping at a pedestrian crossing. He saw me coming and violently swerved from the outside lane into the inside to stop me passing.
    I went up to his window and said "You're not getting anywhere fast, are you?". He said "I'm not trying to go anywhere fast, look at you, f***** collage boy" as the lights changed, and then he close passed me again, even closer, and I slapped the side of the van as it passed.

    The driver behind the van pulled alongside as I was going up Minto Street and said I need to report that and that he'd been driving like a dickhead the whole way (no idea if the driver was there before I saw the van).

    Most likely that's going to the police tonight - I'm a little wary due to the wing mirror slap, but that was mostly since he was undertaking me, not letting me into the flow of traffic, rather than because I was pissed off (which I was too, of course).

    Posted 6 years ago #
  26. fimm
    Member

    So I'm cycling up Comiston Road on Sunday when I'm passed by a much faster cyclist. We both then get punishment passes from the driver of a BMW. Faster cyclist was definitely as unhappy with his pass as I was with mine because I heard him swear.

    I assume this was for the faster cyclist having the temerity to overtake me so that we were (for about 10 seconds) two abreast. Perhaps I should point out to the driver that if faster traffic is not allowed to overtake slower traffic, they should stay behind me all the way up the hill...?

    Posted 6 years ago #
  27. dougal
    Member

    Lothian Buses 22 punishment pass on Leith Walk while I was trying to navigate awful potholes south of cycle lane segregation. My sleeve flapped in the breeze of its passing. Lothian Buses are no longer the company they were.

    Man in giant SUV in bike box on phone didn't take kindly to being told to put it down and get out. So he threatened me by rolling his windows up and down and shouting about all the things he would do.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  28. miak
    Member

    This thread is so therapeutic. One of the things that gets to me is online commentators.. 'I'm a cyclist and a driver and I never have any problem when I'm cycling...' This thread sadly reminds me that it happens to us all nearly everyday and i am not alone :-)

    Drove in today and watched numerous close passes on particularly women cyclists who were already practically riding in the gutter.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  29. neddie
    Member

    Guys. Guys. I don’t know how to say this...

    But don’t go in front of any driver after you’ve had an altercation with them.

    Stay behind. Then they can’t continue to close pass or worse. It’s also much more intimidating for them that way, as they can’t turn round & they don’t know what you’re going to do.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  30. EdinburghCycleCam
    Member

    "
    Guys. Guys. I don’t know how to say this...

    But don’t go in front of any driver after you’ve had an altercation with them.
    "

    @neddie I know, I just can't help myself. I have this pressing need to make a point of "Look, it doesn't matter, I'm still faster than you". I really must stop doing that...

    Posted 6 years ago #

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