CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!

  1. Frenchy
    Member

    Beeped at for cycling in the right hand lane down Nicolson Street. There were cars parked in the bus lane. Driver wound down their window when we stopped at traffic lights, and we had a short conversation:

    "Get in the bus lane and let traffic by."
    "I'm doing 20mph."
    "I don't care how fast you're going."
    "That's the speed limit."
    "..."

    They then undertook me using the bus lane before we played leapfrog at every set of traffic lights until our paths diverged at East Mayfield (with me still in front).

    Posted 5 years ago #
  2. Frenchy
    Member

    Someone undertook me through the junction at the east end of the Meadows. Heading north, I was in the cycle lane going straight on and they went straight on from the left hand lane. They then started beeping their horn at a taxi driver who was waiting to perform a U-turn. Finally, they turned into Gifford Park, driving on the wrong side of the road as they did so and leaving a lot less space between themselves and the pedestrians crossing the road than I would have done.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  3. Frenchy
    Member

    As I waited to turn right off of Old Dalkeith Road, I was passed on the left so closely that I felt my jacket flap in the wind from the vehicle's passing (is there a name for this wind?).

    Made worse, I felt, by the fact I had a trailer on the back (it contained only bags of rubbish, but the driver couldn't have known that. They must have been mere inches from hitting the trailer.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  4. the canuck
    Member

    "I was passed on the left so closely that I felt my jacket flap in the wind from the vehicle's passing (is there a name for this wind?)."

    Probably is, in Swedish.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  5. davidsonsdave
    Member

    One from just before Christmas - PHC #280 tailgating me down Blackford Avenue.

    [+] Embed the video | Video DownloadGet the Video Widget

    Posted 5 years ago #
  6. wingpig
    Member

    Transit-type white liveried van driver on the roundabout by Meadowbank shops, who seemed to think he could steam through from Marionville without looking or slowing. I don't know if he heard the bellow or eventually saw me when he finally abruptly stopped - I hope he heard, as then he would also have heard the bellowed addendum.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  7. EdinburghCycleCam
    Member

    @davidsonsdave "This video is unavailable." - marked as private maybe?

    Posted 5 years ago #
  8. davidsonsdave
    Member

    @EdinburghCycleCam Oops - should be up now.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  9. unhurt
    Member

    Had an altercation with a woman stopped fully in the ASL on S Clerk Street this morning - I pointed out she shouldn't be texting while driving, she responded with "I'm the police, I can show you my badge, are you the police? Have you got a Rule 2ing camera on that helmet? [I had scooted forward to see the reg] Follow me home, I'll show you my Rule 2ing badge."

    https://www.regit.cars/car/sw08nkr

    MOT was due in July - are the DVLA likely to be interested? Am advised that without a picture the police won't care about the texting - but maybe they'd care that she was representing herself as a police?

    Posted 5 years ago #
  10. algo
    Member

    no tax either - I'd definitely be letting the police know - they take impersonating pretty seriously I think

    Posted 5 years ago #
  11. Frenchy
    Member

    MOT was due in July - are the DVLA likely to be interested?

    DVLA can't do anything about MOTs, but will clamp/remove untaxed vehicles parked on public property.

    They have a form on their website for reporting this (but note that it asks for the address the vehicle is parked at): https://www.gov.uk/report-untaxed-vehicle

    The DVLA advise reporting unMOTed vehicles to the police: https://www.gov.uk/report-no-mot

    Posted 5 years ago #
  12. Snowy
    Member

    Verbally impersonating a police officer is an offence punishable by up to 6 months in the clink or up to £5000. Police take a very dim view of it.
    (Unless they really were a police officer, but the cluster of behaviour and phone/MOT offences make it seem unlikely)

    They might give her a call, which just might make the roads that infinitesimally small bit safer if it changes her behaviour.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  13. unhurt
    Member

    Thanks all - also wasn't sure if "N/a" for tax meant it wasn't taxed or not... Will dig out the 101 form / email thingy.

    (If she really was an off duty officer - well, then I'd hope they might suggest she not break the law on her own time?)

    Posted 5 years ago #
  14. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    I had Poileas na h'Alba round in a couple of hours for an abandoned bicycle so why not?

    Folk who behave like this are always up to other stuff and the Law loves an excuse to root around in glove compartments, check paperwork and so on.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  15. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    If she really was an off duty officer

    More likely a Yakuza moll.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  16. neddie
    Member

    Impersonating a police officer carries jail time.

    Although if you're inside a car, that seems to magically make it OK again:

    https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/crime/pulled-over-bmw-driver-avoids-arrest-for-having-flashing-blue-lights-1-9522471

    https://twitter.com/CrownServce/status/1081923094531452930

    I'm sure it was only 'bants' and he wouldn't have used them to pull over lone female drivers at night. #creepyba... #wantslockingup

    https://twitter.com/fathersensini/status/1081987427827437568

    Posted 5 years ago #
  17. Definitely report it. Do you have a camera? If not they probably can't charge on the impersonating but might be more likely to chase up the MOT/tax.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  18. neddie
    Member

    Also, a police officer would likely have their reg plate de-listed from the publicly accessible DVLA database

    Posted 5 years ago #
  19. unhurt
    Member

    No camera, I decided the stress and faff of running one was outside my comfort zone. I'll give 101 a call, and I guess they will do or not do as they see fit...

    Posted 5 years ago #
  20. chdot
    Admin

  21. unhurt
    Member

    They were interested enough in the "I'm the police" aspect that they're coming round to take a report. As noted, they won't act on texting unless they see it with their own eyes. They were also interested in the MOT lack.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  22. Stickman
    Member

    My seat at the front of the bus gave me a great view of the driver of BMW FauxBy4 SP66 RTV cutting in front of the bus without signalling, causing the bus driver to haul on the brakes and lean on the horn.

    Would it surprise you to know that the lights ahead were red and this manoeuvre saved him no time at all?

    Posted 5 years ago #
  23. EdinburghCycleCam
    Member

    @unhurt - That's a better result than I expected, good job! Technically, the police will prosecute for mobile phone use with 3rd party camera evidence, but the footage needs to be extremely clear - I've been told in the past that they need to be able to clearly see what's on the screen and preferably be able to identify the make and model of phone, or else the driver can claim that it was a pad of paper or something similarly legal (so long as they're not driving distracted). Which reminds me, I need to find out what happened about the driver I reported for driving along, tapping on an iPad on his lap...

    Posted 5 years ago #
  24. chdot
    Admin

  25. Frenchy
    Member

    Van driver in Loanhead using their tablet whilst waiting at traffic lights.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  26. unhurt
    Member

    Having visited me the police are going to visit her and have a wee word.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  27. @unhurt, that is great. Probably about as good a result as you could get.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  28. urchaidh
    Member

    Driver of a blue Skoda on Seafield Road this morning, driving along with bowl of something in one hand, spooning it into her mouth with the other.

    Posted 5 years ago #
  29. gembo
    Member

    @urchaidh

    spooning it in with her hand or spooning it in with a spoon?

    Was milk involved or was it dry cereal?, yeuch

    Posted 5 years ago #
  30. urchaidh
    Member

    With a spoon, contents of bowl unknown.

    Posted 5 years ago #

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