CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 15years old!
Well done to ALL posters
It soon became useful and entertaining. There are regular posters, people who add useful info occasionally and plenty more who drop by to watch. That's fine. If you want to add news/comments it's easy to register and become a member.
RULES No personal insults. No swearing.
stickyG4S Security van who decided to fly past me with six inches space at Lothian Road/Earl Grey St junction whilst I'm trying to enter the Bus Lane.
Waved my arms around at him expressing my disappointment at his spacial awareness. He proceeds to sit behind me (in the other lane) tooting his horn at me.
If I was any less of a gentleman, I'd call him a ** EXPLETIVE** :P
White van man who decided I didn't have priority entering Polwarth roundabout), so that I had to slam on brakes in the middle of it, just so that he could slip in front of me and then turn right up Merchiston Ave. Like I would have prevented him from doing that?
From the way he looked at me as I went past (when he should have been looking at oncoming traffic), he knew EXACTLY what he had done.
And, no, I did not thump his panels, although it was very tempting.
Yesterday morning's: after simpering at me whilst using the right-hand lane to simultaneously overtake and turn left across me towards London Road from Marionville the wee car responsible then proceeded to jump the light after it turned red, presumably to avoid the embarrassment of me being in front of her in the ASZ demonstrating her not having gained anything from her manoeuvre.
A cracker outside Sainsbury's Murrayfield* today at the road works:
A temporary 4-way set of lights is installed, with each direction having exclusive use of one directional routes through the roadworks...
Light exiting Sainsbury's goes to green. Cars exiting Sainsbury's meet head on with someone who has clearly 'followed through' on red from Westfield Rd. Nowhere for them to go except humbly reverse...
Then because the cars exiting Sainsbury's were delayed by this MRLJ**, they meet again head on with cars setting off on green from Stevenson Rd!
I nearly fell off my bike laughing at the morons.
* Actually in Gorgie
** MRLJ = Motorist Red Light Jumper
Congratulations to the private coach (didn't get the name) who overtook me on Haymarket Terrace heading into Wester Coates at the part when the roadworks converge.
If I hadnt stopped as you swerved left to aviod crashing into the barriers then you would have crashed into me. Clearly the barriers took a higher priority.
Or of course you could have slowed down, pulled in behind me and then overtook after the barriers ended. Funnily enough, you did have to slow down anyway due to the other cyclist ahead of me who had already entered the single lane section.
What fun!
Red van came flying past me on the appraoch to the lights at ASDA on Slateford Road. I was already slowing for the lights, which had gone amber, and I expected him to stop. No, he went flying through the red. If there'd been a car turning right out of Chesser Avenue it could have been very close.
This morning, lady in a silver car turning right into her driveway on Craigcrook Road. Either she was in a mega rush or just didn't see me, AND was clearly deaf as even the hardest of hearing would have responded to my hollerin'.
Also last night on Telford Road, lady in a little red car. As I was passing the Macdonalds heading to Blackhall, she sped past me and zipped left down towards Sainsburys, leaving me to shake my head disapprovingly whilst thanking my lucky stars that I wasn't any fitter, as I would have been a few feet further down the road and under a little red car!
Yesterday, peoplecarrier taxi #1234 attempted to pass me around the outside on the southern pair of roundabouts on the Airport access. I held my lane (I was in the correct one, he was int he wrong one) and was gradually forced out as taxi realised it couldn't pass on outside as it was in the wrong lane and had to move to right. We got to the red light straight around the corner so I sat right on his bumper staring into the rear-view mirror. I may or may not have made some discreet handgestures out of view.
This morning passed on South Gyle Broadway by a mint green Passat. It's a 40 zone, I was doing 20, reckon he was doing 50. Despite a clear road with 2 lanes, and me being in primary, I got about an inch (if that) of clearance. Alas a car going so fast I had no chance to get a registration or catch up as I was hopping mad and would happily have started an argument at the side of the road and used a lot of foul language.
I made the mistake of getting a lift with a colleague to the Gyle shopping centre one lunchtime a couple of months ago. He hared around the car park to exit it, took South Gyle Broadway on his route and, I tell you no lies, hit 60mph and cruised until braking sharply for the roundabout. I said nothing at the time but won't ever be getting back in the car with him again.
I rarely travel in a car as a passenger (other than my own with Mr MeepMeep in the driver's seat) anymore purely because I feel so damn unsafe and at risk from the standards of driving - "professional" driver or no.
@MeepMeep Do you think he was showing off, or is that his normal driving style?
My impression from his general demeanour in the car throughout the short journey was that it was his 'normal' driving style. He certainly made no attempt to cease exceeding the speed limit of the road by 50% at any point along the two stretches of road in question.
South Gyle Broadway has just 1 pedestrian crossing between "Lightning Roundabout*" and South Gyle Crescent Roundabout. Always see queues of pedestrians taking their lives in their hands trying to cross it in the morning, likley walked through from Corstorphine or the South Gyle Station.
Pretty shocking it's allowed to stay like that given the 2 secondary and 1 primary school in spitting distance, the housing estates and all the places of work on the other side. Not to mention pedestrian death 2 years ago on S. Gyle Crescent and numerous cyclists being wiped out on the danger roundabout.
* is it still called this? The Lightning hasn't been there for years
Taxi #1; black cab pulls out of side street (Merchiston Ave) right across me after having looked straight at me. There may have been rude words uttered.
Taxi #2; black cab has dropped a fare and set off up Spylaw Road...only problem is that he is on the wrong side of the road because he can't be arsed wiggling his steering wheel faster to get back on the correct side of the road, but hey it doesn't matter because there are no oncoming cars, right? JUST A CYCLIST, YOU BLIND LAZY IDIOT.
Bright yellow jacket etc ...there's really not a lot more I can do for my visibility that doesn't involve fireworks. Sheesh.
TAXI #3; Black cab (spotting a pattern yet?) deliberately pulls in to the kerb to stop me filtering in the traffic lights queue on Gray's Loan (you know how you can tell when it's deliberate and when it's not).
Sigh.
@Snowy #3 needs passed on the outside and given a cheery wave and blown a kiss as you pass
Wasn't working yesterday and sun was shining so took up an invite from a friend to join him on the scenic version of his commute into Manchester. He manages a bingo hall so doesn't start until 11.30am.
All very pleasant in the Lancs/Cheshire lanes. We were even being good citizens as we came into the city, letting a girl know her rear tyre was flat, and terrifying the wits out of another female by creeping alongside her Audi at the lights and yelling "get off your phone" in the window. Needless to say she dropped it like a hot potato.
Then about 100 yds before reaching my friend's workplace, woman in a silver Megane convertible pulled an outrageous left hook, which was so fast neither of us saw it coming. Fortunately we both - just - managed to avoid colliding with her vehicle or each other, though not without locking up. Loud and sweary abuse was launched in her direction. Neither of us even thought to give chase until it was too late, we were that shocked.
Left my pal at his work and headed back north out of the city on my own. Coming up to a major road junction, traffic lights, 2 lanes, one for "straight on or left turn", the other for turning right. Lights are changing to red. I'm going straight on so I'm in primary in the left-hand lane. Female (again but I'm sure there's no correlation) in a fairly old red polo steams past in the right hand lane and cuts in across me.
I could have stopped without allowing my front wheel to hit her back bumper, but then I would have had to attract her attention in a different way.
Sad to say my temper got the better of me when she got out the car to remonstrate, and I failed to maintain the calm, non-sweary demeanour that I should have when debating her opinion that cyclists should always be at the left hand edge of the road. Dave's recent video with the numpty in the black landrover is a lesson to us all in this regard.
I did redeem myself though given that when she got back in and deliberately started rolling back into me, I simply rode up alongside and asked whether she actually wanted to lose a wing mirror, rather than just kicking it off, which is what I felt like doing.
she got back in and deliberately started rolling back into me
Attempted assault with a deadly weapon, I'd say
Coming back from a Pentlands ride today, I approached the Lanark Road West lights at the B701/Gillespie Road junction in the straight ahead/right turn lane. I was slightly left of centre as I wasn't making the right turn.
Incredibly a hatchback (Micra or similar) forced its way between me and the traffic island 
and turned right! I thumped the rear passenger window out of a combination of self-preservation and disgust and followed the car onto Gillespie Road.
I signalled the car to pull over, which it did, and came alongside as the driver rolled down the window. A woman in her late 60s or older looked round at me and I calmly told her what she did was dangerous in the extreme and that she should never pass someone in the same lane, inches away from them, let alone with a traffic island on the other side. She apologised, which I accepted and asked her to be more careful and considerate in future. She again apologised but said she didn't think I "needed to hit her car". I asked how else I was going to attract her attention and made it clear it was an act of self-preservation before I did a u-turn back to the lights and home.
Some people are clearly Sunday drivers any day of the week and I think she is one of them, oblivious to the danger she poses to others.
(Just to be clear, for anyone who doesn't know, the left lane is for left turn only).
Going to work, cop car exiting Drylaw police station thanked driver on right who let him out, ignored me on left (on bicycle) who let him out.
Going home, cop car exiting Drylaw police station pulls out dangerously when I had *not* let him out, and drives off without apology.
Clark Contracts white van this morning stopped at the only exit from my cul-de-sac, and just stayed there, despite me sitting waiting to get out of said exit. He decided to stop beside a parked car making it impossible to squeeze out on either side of his van. Eventually, he decided to open his eyes and slowly moved his van. No sign of an apology.
"Oink" Van last night going from Holy Corner up to Churchill last night at 5.40. First he tried to overtake me leading up to the red light at Holy Corner from Bruntsfield, but misjudged it and much to his annoyance had to drop in behind while we waited at the lights - cue revving of engine. Then as lights go green I stayed in the primary and he proceeds to gun the engine and overtake me in the right turn lane and cut in forcing me to the kerb heading up to Churchill. All fairly low level and to be expected, but it got my goat. I had been talking about the company with colleagues yesterday and planning a trip up for pork butties at lunch time next week, so I decided to call the company. I get the driver and he proceeds to launch into the usual guff about cyclists should be on the left (presumably in the gutter) and how he was revving the engine to stop it cutting out and then hangs up. Not good business, as colleague trip now cancelled and recommedation for hog roast for parents big wedding anniversary do is not going to be made. I never understand why businesses with name and reputation to protect drive with such lack of care and consideration and immediately go on the defensive if you point this out to them. I guess 'cos they know there is s*d all I can do about it other than spout off on this forum and advise no one to visit their shop on Victoria St. It's a shame, cos I have a craving for sausage buttie...
Saw the van yesterday. http://www.oinkhogroast.co.uk/
Was thinking about using them for a party coming up - but won't now. There are plenty of other companies in Edinburgh doing the same thing.
And yes - it always amazes me why company vans are driven so badly.
Thanks for the warning. I shall certainly avoid Oink Hog Roast like the plague.
Just a quick update on my "Oink" post above. I've just had the owner of the company 'phone me - he was genuinely apologetic and explained that the driver had been spoken to and warned about his future conduct. I would like to withdraw my "avoid Oink" type comments above and I feel that a company have responded quickly and decently to me and I don't want anything further said about it. There are many companies who seem to give cyclists who complain about bad driving, the "brush off" or a standard form letter and I really appreciated the call and the expressions of regret. All in all a silly incident and lets leave it at that. No need to avoid Oink.
Nice, glad you heard back in a positive way Basecut. :-)
Glad to hear it!
I would say it's worth supporting oink - they';re a good local business and great guys in general. I've used them before for events and to mop up a hangover and they are excellent.
They acted fast and got it sorted. Well done them (but boo to the driver in the first place!)
SN59 JAU or thereabouts, a black Qashquai which sped up deliberately to be able to left-hook a cyclist heading west towards Seaview Road.
Thanks to the private-hire driver who rear ended me this morning. Not a big hit but enought to break a spoke. He didn't hang around though.
In a box junction waiting for a gap to turn right at traffic lights. Car in front of me turning right too.
Anyway - I got your nuber and the police station was only 100 yards away.
Coxy, that's awful, and a bad show from the PHC driver.
Not a big hit but enought to break a spoke.
A hit big enough to break a spoke is big, unless your wheel was in poor condition already.
A funny near-radial paired-lacing 24 spoke wheel. I had trued it 6 months ago and it semed OK.
Never liked the wheelset though (came with the bike). I'm more of your 32 spoke chap!
You must log in to post.
Cycling in Edinburgh Flickr group
Video embedded using Easy Video Embed plugin
posts