Yes fair enough. And on occasion companies actually do what they should and progress internally.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
Today's rubbish driving...
(11458 posts)-
Posted 1 month ago #
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Especially with footage.
Posted 1 month ago # -
Had cause to cycle through Holyrood Park for the first time in years as kids are at the Dynamic Earth Summer Club. Shocking amount of dangerous overtaking going on downhill on Queen's Drive. I was going down at ~22mph, cars in front of me going faster probably around 30mph, and I was overtaken twice by cars which passed not just me but the car in front! It's a 20mph limit... I'll maybe use the separate cycleway next time, skipped as it was full of large groups of European teens wandering around.
Posted 1 month ago # -
Normal for that stretch of road, I'm afraid. I always get overtaken when I'm on the bike, even when I'm doing 30-odd mph on the steepest bits (and even then not catching the motor vehicles ahead of me). On the rare occasions when I'm driving I stick to 20mph (actually not difficult with cruise control) despite intimidation from drivers (often of commercial vehicles, which shouldn't be there) who tailgate aggressively until the merest hint of a whisper of a gap appears in the oncoming traffic, at which point they have to pass at ~twice the limit to get their overtake completed in time.
(Actually, though, the experience I've had on that road which was closest to resulting in collision/injury was at the Dynamic Earth roundabout, when a driver approaching from DE failed to see a 6ft tall bloke on a bright green bike wearing a hi-viz yellow jacket and helmet ditto coming until the very last second. We both braked hard to a stop, and he did have the good grace to apologise before we each went on our respective ways.)
I don't think enforcement is the solution on that stretch of road, given the polis' apparent reluctance/lack of resources for meaningful enforcement of any road traffic laws. Occasional clampdowns don't seem to prevent it being essentially a jungle out there. Just ban motor vehicles (with the possible exception of emergency vehicles on a shout) from roads through parks.
Posted 1 month ago # -
I was pleasantly surprised to find a driver doing <30mph the last time I went that way, even though they certainly weren't doing 20. Then I realised that the reason they were going "slowly" was that they'd been taking photos of the Crags out their window.
Posted 1 month ago # -
RE: Queen's Drive - that's on my daily commute to work, and I also always get passed by drivers well in excess of the 20 mph limit during rush hour.
I tried contacted HES, who shrugged and said there's absolutely nothing they can do (Apparently closing the road to motor vehicles isn't an option because Edinburgh City Council are concerned about traffic being displaced onto side streets (which are also 20 mph...)), and I should contact Police Scotland.
Police Scotland say they can't do anything about speeding with video evidence because there's no proof what speed they were going at (which is nonsense), and they don't have the resources to just sit there all day, and told me to report speeding to 101 every time it happens, so they can get an idea of how bad the speeding is. When I said that'd mean making 3-4 reports every day, they said that's fine. I tried twice and both times the call handler arranged a diary appointment for 2 officers to come to my house, look at the footage, and then tell me that they can't do anything about speeding based on video footage. A complete waste of everyone's time.
I now make do with shouting certain 4-letter words and showing them the number 2 with my index and middle finger, and then the number 0 by slowly shaking my mostly-closed fist.
Posted 1 month ago # -
Why can’t large and frequent speed bumps be introduced?
(With a metre or so gap from the kerb.)
Posted 1 month ago # -
The whole of Holyrood is a scheduled monument so any changes such as speed bumps have to go through onerous approval, including the road apparently. (Source: Car Free Holyrood ). Plus HES would have to fund it, and they're a bit cash strapped. Though why they're happy to maintain a road through the park at no gain to them that I can see is beyond me.
Closing to through traffic really is the best thing to do, using the existing infrastructure.
Posted 1 month ago # -
Thanks
Obviously I agree with this!
“Closing to through traffic really is the best thing to do, using the existing infrastructure.“
Posted 1 month ago # -
Not to derail the thread but I was incorrect on the scheduling - https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/apex/f?p=1505:300:::::VIEWTYPE,VIEWREF:designation,SM13032
The top 50cm of all roads, pavements and car parks are excluded from the scheduling to allow for their maintenance. The scheduling excludes all structures, fences, fittings and street furniture built after 1950, all flights of steps built after 1950 and the top 30cm of the ground beneath such steps.
So it doesn't seem like that would be a barrier to adding speed bumps.
Posted 1 month ago # -
Good find
Posted 1 month ago # -
There's currently what appears to be a mobile speed camera in Holyrood Park. Near the Meadowbank car park end, which isn't where I'd put one if I wanted to catch as many speeding drivers as possible, but still good to see.
Posted 1 month ago # -
A taxi driver going straight ahead from the right-hand eastbound lane at the Princes Street/Waverley Bridge junction, when only the right turn filter had a green light. Drove straight through the pedestrian crossing on the other side, at which people were crossing on the green man.
Posted 4 weeks ago # -
At the Crossgateshall junction above Musselburgh, driver of a blue Audi took out Mr fimm on his bicycle. Driver claimed that her traffic lights were not working. So if you go through lights that are not working, at a junction with very poor sightlines, you go through slowly, don't you, keeping a careful eye out?
Or not.Mr fimm has some bruising, and the front wheel of the bike was bent (he bent it back sufficiently to ride home). The driver did stop, but Mr fimm didn't think to get any details from her. As well as damage to person and bike, he has lost a days' wages.
Posted 3 weeks ago # -
Driving like that at that junction is utterly incomprehensible even if the traffic lights are working. Hope Mr Fimm recovers well.
Posted 3 weeks ago # -
Oh no, hope he recovers quickly.
It's a legal requirement for drivers to exchange details if there is damage or injury.
Do take it up with CycleLaw or some other solictor, check for CCTV etc...
Posted 3 weeks ago # -
As Neddie says, failing to provide details is an offence. IMO Mr Fimm should report it to the polis anyway. Given that he knows the time and place* of the incident, make and colour of the car and the gender of the driver, they might be able to track the driver down.
CCTV might be obtainable from a passing Lothian bus? (I think you need to be quick, though, ISTR that they overwrite it fairly quickly.)
* I'm not familiar with Crossgateshall junction. Is that the big one on Sir Harry Lauder Road/Milton Link?
Posted 3 weeks ago # -
@fimm: So if you go through lights that are not working, at a junction with very poor sightlines, you go through slowly, don't you, keeping a careful eye out?
Yes. HIghway Code Rule 176:
If the traffic lights are not working, treat the situation as you would an unmarked junction and proceed with great care.
Reference https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/using-the-road-159-to-203
Posted 3 weeks ago # -
I don't think he can be bothered. There's no CCTV. Yes, I'm aware that the driver has broken the law, but there's nothing we can do about it. I don't think we gain anything other than hassle from trying to report to the police.
Crossgateshall is not that junction, ejstubbs. It is up Carberry Hill above Whitecraig. It is on the 196 cycle route close to the start of the Pencaitland Railway Path.
Posted 3 weeks ago # -
While it is undoubtedly a hassle considering it will almost certainly lead to no outcome with the driver, I'd say if you possibly can muster up the energy to deal with the bureaucratic nonsense please do, as at the very least putting it on record means it becomes part of the recorded stats for that junction which *might* have some impact down the line somewhere if attempts are ever made to make it safer.
Posted 3 weeks ago # -
Well, he decided he could be bothered to report it, and, to my surprise, a police person is coming round on Thursday evening to talk to him.
Posted 3 weeks ago # -
How did that go?
Posted 2 weeks ago # -
The police person phoned him up, and nothing more is going to happen (not really surprising given the lack of information that we had) but at least it has been recorded.
Posted 2 weeks ago # -
The cynic in me says - now watch as he gets a stiff custodial sentence, because the only hi-vis the system really gives a hoot about are jackets with POLICE written on the back.
Posted 1 week ago # -
"Hood ran off from the scene before later being found outside a pub. He stated to police: “These things happen, mate.” "
Plenty of remorse then though that might have been the coke talking. Hopefully this nasty piece of work is dealt with to the full extent available to the law and those officers who were injured eventually recover.
Posted 1 week ago #
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