CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!

Today's rubbish driving...

(11367 posts)
  • Started 13 years ago by Stepdoh
  • Latest reply from mcairney
  • This topic is sticky

  1. crowriver
    Member

    May have been a Vauxhall!

    I wouldn't be at all surprised.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  2. Dave
    Member

    Just moments ago I was cycling loops outside the flat to check out my hub, and at one point dismounted to fiddle with the barrel adjuster. I was standing next to the bike, which was next to the adjacent parked car (coincidentally, also mine).

    A car came slowly along the road, gave me a good blast of the horn, drove alongside with the occupants (at least one of which was an "auld biddy") staring at me, and then slowly drove off.

    How mysterious. I recently learned that we live on the same block as a drug dealer, so you'd think the ordinary folk would be more careful about upsetting strange men... (alternatively, maybe that was the dealer's grannie?)

    But even if they weren't, well... eh? </confused!>

    Posted 12 years ago #
  3. custard
    Member

    you were on his road ;)

    Posted 12 years ago #
  4. LaidBack
    Member

    On the proper bike with lights. I note police car turning in behind me from Chamber St.

    • I halt at ASL on right hand lane as planning to make right hand turn - noting how many parked cars there are on Bristo Place.
    • He stays behind - bike lane on left at traffic lights is parked over too.
    • I start off pretty quickly taking centre of r/h lane
    • He decides to undertake me but then turns right in front of me and slows to go round corner
    • He then has to stop at red light on way to go into Forrest Road (he would have anyway)

    10/10 for a pointless manoeuvre - time gained = 0.
    Another perfect Sunday in parked out central Edinburgh.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  5. splitshift
    Member

    brought to you by,
    me !
    in the car with the wife when i should have been out enjoying myself !!!! grrrr

    Posted 12 years ago #
  6. Claggy Cog
    Member

    @laidback, and here was I thinking that polis drivers had done the advanced driving test, clearly not!! I did have the temerity to toot a police car at a junction....they were sitting in the right hand lane at a set of red lights, when the lights changed they put on their right indicator and moved forward a couple of feet...well why could they not have made it clear earlier!! I was now boxed in behind them and most unchuffed, and that is not the only time I have lost the plot with the police and their p*** poor driving skills, my passenger thought I was going to be arrested, but that is another story....

    Posted 12 years ago #
  7. LaidBack
    Member

    Cost of police crashes in Scotland

    "Strathclyde Police, Scotland's biggest force, said 1,216 police vehicles were damaged by officers in collisions that did not involve other vehicles or other people between 1 January 2008 and 25 January 2009."

    Is that high? I know one officer was caught doing over 100mph on the A9. He didn't crash though so didn't cost the tax payer anything.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  8. cb
    Member

    Presumably we had to pay for the extra petrol.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  9. alibali
    Member

    And the nominations are:

    White Astra Coupe Boy for overtaking on Craiglockhart Road just 10m from the junction with the Avenue only to swoop left in (just) in front of me.

    and

    Black Volvo Softroader Mum for ignoring the "oncoming traffic has priority" island in front of her and alongside me.

    And the award goes to:

    Volvo Mum because she knew it was wrong and did it anyway. (Astra Boy is just stupid).

    Posted 12 years ago #
  10. mgj
    Member

    ...was a cyclist who rear-ended me as I gave way to pedestrians in Meadow Place. Not even a 'sorry'. Clearly expecting to Mr Toad his way through them, as indeed the girl in front of me had done. Peds very surprised when I slowed and stopped for them. Give way lines are clearly marked.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  11. Stepdoh
    Member

    ...was brought to you my ME! I was driving today, it was Rubbish.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  12. Is that the crossroads on MMW mgj? I stopped the other day in the same way (thoguh wasn't rear-ended. Started a thread about it, as two cyclists coming the other way, after I had stopped, carried on straight through and the peds had to stop instead.

    I got a thank you.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  13. Scotwaste bin lorry on the Royal Mile this morning. Could hear the engine rev up behind me - he'd clearly seen the truck coming down in the other direction and so HAD to overtake before that arrived at us. Passed too fast, and too close.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  14. wingpig
    Member

    White BMW hatchbacky thing tried to ignore me emerging from Horse Wynd to head up to the Scotsman roundabout. Very similar to the white BMW hatchbacky thing which attempted to turn in front of me when I emerged from Leamington Walk to head down Bruntsfield yesterday.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  15. Stepdoh
    Member

    To Mr Toad is my favourite proper noun as a verb of the moment. I shall appropriate henceforth. Poop Poop!

    Posted 12 years ago #
  16. mgj
    Member

    @anth, no its at the section of Meadow Place that was blocked up to traffic. The bike path that comes down from Bruntsfield over the golf course, crosses the pavement in a couple of places (south of the pedestrian crossing at Jawbone) heading towards Argyle Park Terr, parallel to Melville Drive. Give way is painted on divided path; no sign so not sure how legal it is. Plain courtesy causes me to stop anyway.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  17. Nelly
    Member

    Is brought to you by the mini gritter driver from Edinburgh Park Management Ltd - Who right turned from HSBC car park on me (makes a change from left hooks)as I zoomed down from Edin Park Station direction.

    Had to hard brake / skid round him onto the wrong side speedway style before questioning his abilities/parentage - classic SMIDSY defence was that he couldnt see me for his buddys Transit van parked on the pavement "So you came out without looking?" was met with the same blank look as "do you realise your snowplough could have killed me?".

    Ironic of course, as there is no ice, and no need for him to be out gritting......

    Posted 12 years ago #
  18. Baldcyclist
    Member

    Actually 2 weeks of rubbish driving....
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-16832391

    Posted 12 years ago #
  19. Instography
    Member

    The whole 'average' thing plainly escapes many people.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  20. I've driven through a few times now and it's so funny seeing people hurtling along then braking for the cameras as if they're normal cameras.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  21. PS
    Member

    Only 100 caught? They must have the threshold set pretty high...

    Posted 12 years ago #
  22. splitshift
    Member

    av speed cameras, i love em !They have accidentaly invented a new vehicular game !While in my lorry, approach the av speed area at the prerequisit speed, 40mph. apply cruise control and overspeed settings,slowly catch the paranoid motorists who are travelling at 35 mph, pull into lane 2 and wait until the front of the lorry reaches the side window,(they rarely use their mirrors !)remember I am doing a computer controlled 40mph, and then watch as they refuse to let a smelly dirty lorry pass them !Then they realise that there is another speed camera !!!! aghhh ! slam on the brakes and I get 3/4 of the way past them just as they accelarate away with a warm smug glow !Oh and thanks to the blue transit driver this morning in brightons who obviously thought i should be punished for being in front of him at a roundabout, he got me back though by kerb scraping as i sneaked up the inside ! Consider myself well punished. Well until I passed him on the outside , he actually tried to move over and block that as well, as I clearly deserved it !I got his business number though so heres hoping he dosnt get manmy phone calls for non existant quotes for non existant jobs !!!Oh and the car driver who moved the road closed sign and cones on the ice house brae, got your number too, details with central scotlands finest !
    scott

    Posted 12 years ago #
  23. wingpig
    Member

    A few from last night. Not sure what the reason for so much daftness was.
    The usual someone trying to edge past on my right exiting Canning St to get to Dewar Place. They then aggressively overtook along Morrison St in order to sit at the lights in front of me. White BMW (S?11 TT?) then undertook me in the left-turn lane to get to the next lights in front of me. Whoever that left behind me then stayed right up my bum until High Riggs where they overtook on the outside of the left-hand bend. Despite their efforts to phase through the car in front of them they were still the vehicle in front by the end of the Cowgate, when I waved cheerily as I passed them to get to the left-turn filter. Hopefully the scooter who skidded off sideways on the Holyrood Road side of the junction after apparently midjudging the right-hand downhill turn from the Pleasance was OK. Someone thought they might ignore the give-way-to-traffic-from-the-right thing on the Meadowbank roundabout, eventually settling for an aggressive overtake along Marionville Road. One more moron trying to go north along Restalrig Road at forty almost misjudged the space between a traffic island and a parked car after steaming past me. Headcam-speculation briefly recommenced.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  24. lionfish
    Member

    ...was by me (sort of), on my bike.

    Had to stop early at a traffic light by a car over-taking-and-turning-left then another car running the red light. I ended up stationary, in top gear (It's annoying when that happens!).

    I've recently noticed over last week that my gears are a bit worn, and the chain slipped as I set off again (horrible!)

    Dismounted and had to fight through the whizzing traffic, metal fences etc to get to some pavement to see what was up. (Slateford Road 9am).

    Guess it's time to get to the bike station for a new chain set (is that what it's called?). How often do other people replace theirs?

    Posted 12 years ago #
  25. recombodna
    Member

    "The limit was set to ensure the safety construction workers."

    Anybody seen any construction workers there?? I 'aint. haven't been up that road for a couple of weeks though......

    Posted 12 years ago #
  26. Dave
    Member

    "Guess it's time to get to the bike station for a new chain set (is that what it's called?). How often do other people replace theirs?"

    They do last quite a long time, so long as the chain doesn't get too worn. You might get away with replacing just the rear cassette and chain, but a bike shop will be able to tell you.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  27. wingpig
    Member

    My middle (popular) chainring start skipping last winter. It was particularly badly-sharkfinned at just the point where it really needed to bite when I pushed off with my left pedal. You might be able to replace just the chainring (possibly through the Bike Station before paying full whack) but a new chainring with a worn chain gets very swiftly eaten, as I found out shortly after replacing the entire crank (due to wear of the bit where it attached to the BB) but not replacing the chain and cassette too.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  28. lionfish
    Member

    It seems they go downhill very quickly once they start skipping. I don't really mind replacing the whole lot, as it seemed surprisingly cheap when I replaced the ones on my partner's bike. (they were very obviously 'shark-finned' and I couldn't cycle her bike to the bike-station they slipped so often, I've no idea how she was still cycling on it!).

    I was hoping to delay until after the salt etc is gone, so the new set doesn't start its life exposed to the corrosion! Maybe just oiling more often might be the secret....

    Thanks for the advice all :)

    Posted 12 years ago #
  29. Stepdoh
    Member

    ...was brought to me last night by the driver that stopped to tell myself and two other cyclists off for jumping the lights at the ped crossing at Drumbrae roundabout. (I hadn't, one of the other cyclists had).

    This is the from person who had been at a 45 degree angle angle across two lanes at the lights as she had decided to change lanes without indicating but had been stopped by presence of cyclist number 1.

    "No wonder cyclists get ran over." Charming. Always the bloody Drumbrae.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  30. kaputnik
    Moderator

    At my last drivetrain replacement point I replaced cassette and chain only to find that the big ring was so shark-finned that it was like a torque clutch, slipping unless I was already moving at a decent speed. Until I could replace it, the only way to get going was to spin up on the little ring, which I rarely use so was much less worn, before shifting over to the big ring for cruising revolutions

    Posted 12 years ago #

RSS feed for this topic

Reply »

You must log in to post.


Video embedded using Easy Video Embed plugin