Another helm-cam re-prioritisation moment this lunchtime, with my first verbal threat of physical harm since 2008.
Nothing coming up Torphichen St when I turned into it to head up Dewar Place. I was going straight on and could see the lights were red, so wasn't going at full speed. By the time I reach the top there's something behind me, which splits right to wait to head west along Morrison St. Shortly after the left-hand filter goes green, Black Beemer pulls up on my left. Fortunately nothing turns up wanting to turn left before the straight-on light goes green. I'm fairly certain BB will be going straight on, so watch carefully, take off immediately and speed up quickly, then stay in a safe rut-avoiding-and-turning-west-at-Fountainbridge middle-of-the lane all the way along Gardiner's Crescent, until being forced to duck left when he overtakes just past the last curve. He was close enough to tap his back left wing without even stretching my arm, so I did so. He drops back, I stop in the middle of the ASZ then he pulls up inches from my left. A heated conversation ensues. In return for tapping his car (which I was able to do without undue strain, indicating that he was quite close) I was invited to pull over outside Cargo to have my face punched, especially seeing as he had been nowhere near me and that I'd apparently been right over on the side of the road. Didn't get a chance to glance round at his number plate when the light went green (tunnel vision had kicked in by this point) and he then turned into the car park beneath Tesco, though it's surprising he didn't try to overtake and left-hook me to get there.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
Today's rubbish driving...
(11259 posts)- Started 12 years ago by Stepdoh
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Posted 12 years ago #
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@wingpig, that sounded pretty horrendous. That sort of thing would leave me shaking.
My recent bad riding spot was on Wedensday about 6ish, a young chap coming down Morningside Road. He was not wearing a helmet (had the hood of his hoody pulled up) and had no lights. Worts of all, he was riding a fairly powererful motorbike.
Posted 12 years ago # -
On monday morning I was badly cut up by a dodgy geezer in a silver mondeo on Queensferry Road, heading toward town. Quickly followed by the 'middle finger under the rear view mirror' routine.
As we approached Craigleith junction, lights on red, I commented calmly while passing - "poor driving, son.."
The lights went green at that very moment and he tried to ram me with his car in the middle of the junction, while screaming that he would kill me.
Fortunately there's a large junction space there and I managed to veer sharply to the right towards the oncoming lane, while he then wildly veered back left and roared off down toward Comely Bank, still screaming blue murder.
Its bothered the back of my mind all week, that one.
What bothers me most is that I knew that commenting (calmly!) on his driving was going to cause aggro.. but I was unable to refrain.
I just can't seem to let motorist bullying go unchallenged, no matter what the consequences.
Posted 12 years ago # -
I just can't seem to let motorist bullying go unchallenged, no matter what the consequences.
got to admit.bit like that myself
Posted 12 years ago # -
Bax do you think you consciously/unconsciously checked your escape routes before the calm comment? There are some scary people driving around Edinburgh. Gangsters etc. some people lose it if you touch their cars as wingpig's earlier comment shows or encroach on their space either by calm comment or otherwise. I have become more blasé as I have aged. I do favour the questionnaire for building up a database on these guys and gals. And even now I occasionally try to reason with motorists. reasonable people tend to drive reasonably though some change personality when behind the wheel.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Checking escape routes -- not usually, i just let things unfold, but this was monday morning 10:30am, very busy junction, so it surprised me the extent that the guy lost it.
Tight fragile ego entwined with the power of the vehicle, a potent delusory combo, innit...
Posted 12 years ago # -
@bax Sounds like my Mitsibushi lancer guy the other day..... Sometimes the temptation to spray sweet sticky juice from my water bottle all over the dashboard gets too much........ never done it though.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Yesterday at the traffic lights at the tron / North Bridge junction Private hire taxi van raced to overtake me no room at traffic island so he pulled back in and I put my hand out to stop the van knocking me off. I slapped the side of the van and managed to get along side to see the driver texting. His passenger wndow was down so I shouted "Ho ya F***y get of the phone you just ht me with your taxi." At with point he looked up and shouted "JESUS" dopped the phone and floored it!! I caught up with him at the lights but He'd started texting again so I was in a hurry and went off down leith street. Watch out for him though.... He's totally oblivious...
Posted 12 years ago # -
should contact the Police
given you informed him that he hit you and he drove off
worth a report given you have his regiPosted 12 years ago # -
For your, and anyone else's, future reference - I believe that Wiseman Dairy drivers are rewarded for their considerate driving.
So many months without tickets or bumps and they get a bonus. The longer this goes on for, their bonus increases up to a certain level. Said bonus also disappears rapidly on violations. If the truck involved was one of those mottled black and white ones, it was from Wiseman Dairies.
Custard, you know what to do!
well interestingly enough
decided to give myself a beasting on the hills today
ended up heading along Pentland Rdfound myself facing a Wiseman van on the wrong side of the road a,after going to fast to make the turn
Posted 12 years ago # -
Riding up Causewayside this morning behind a random, we were riding just behind a slow-moving car and all passing something parked on the left near the Bike Station. There was oncoming traffic and vehicles parked on the right too, so not a lot of room.
Although there is at most half a car length between me and the guy in front, and half a car length from him to the car we're following, some numpty roars in for the overtake, simultaneously slamming on the brakes, and then has the cheek to give us the horn for some unknown reason (after which I expressed my displeasure on his front nearside wing - noisily but harmlessly).
There was some more minor hornage but we both left him far behind heading past Bierex and into town.
Ironic as I was thinking about my non-headcamage the other day that nothing really ever seems to happen anyway...
Posted 12 years ago # -
Im really considering getting a pair of these
and seeing if I could strip them down and make them fit to the helmet
Posted 12 years ago # -
think anth got a pair? mixed results iirc.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Spyttrs did too, though I think he said his are still working.
Posted 12 years ago # -
I'm thinking of getting another pair, they're cheap as chips!
Today's rubbish driving was Mr Clio 16V Boy Racer. Clearly took exception to me pulling into the ASZ ahead of him. He absolutely floored it to get past as the lights went green, just to enter the Meadows. I knew there'd be a queue of traffic at the other side of the park. As I rode past I gave the universal signal for a tiny appendage and carried gaily on my way knowing that there was no way I'd see him again.
Posted 12 years ago # -
what happened to your last pair Anth?
Posted 12 years ago # -
Dundee 'rush hour', such as it is. A fair bit of rushing around by motors, but not as busy as Edinburgh.
Pootling along just after a school crossing on way into work. I check behind before signalling to turn right, silver car overtakes, fine. Next car still a distance away. Stick my arm out to change lanes into the right filter, clear as anything, straight out, palm broad, just like in the book. Look behind again though before moving across, and just as well.
Numptie blue Fiesta, rather tired looking and covered in muck, has decided to overtake at speed instead of yielding or even undertaking: I've still got my hand out, and have started to drift across to the filter lane. Fiesta roars past on my right in the chevron zone (ie. do not enter) up to the next set of red lights 150 yards away.
I pootle along towards my turn off, make sure the driver's checking the rear view, then a slow, well aimed, deliberate middle finger gesture in the direction of said Fiesta before I turn. Hope none of my students were watching!
To drivers: You may be running 5 minutes late for work, but that doesn't give you the right to drive dangerously just because there's a cyclist delaying by 10 seconds. You wouldn't behave like that to another car, would you?
Posted 12 years ago # -
"what happened to your last pair Anth?"
Just stopped working. Would switch on, record for maybe a second, then off.
Though I am considering something for the handlebars again. Though you lose that ability to look at what's happening....
Posted 12 years ago # -
Could the spectaclecam discern a vehicle registration plate, bus vehicle number or even a taxi permit number?
Nothing much today apart from the regular overtake-on-Lochend-roundabout. Not even an attempt to overtake joining Abbeymount from Abbeyhill, nor any left-hooks on Lauriston Place.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Yep - I had trouble reading a few, but if you get used to wearing them and knowing the camera is there then you can make sure you hold steady staring at it for a second.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Though I am considering something for the handlebars again. Though you lose that ability to look at what's happening....
I would rather have it on the hemlet TBH
In my head,what I would like
small camera to the front of the helmet
in a vent or on the vosir(fox flux)
then run wires through the helmet to battery/memory in the rearPosted 12 years ago # -
No real need for cameras with wires to batteries now.
Have you seen the tiny Veho cameras? Tough as old boots (till you lend them to couriers and they never seem the same again, then water gets in and they go kaput). Veho sell them on eBay as well, so you can get them cheaper than in main distributors. And you can get specific helmet mounts for them.
Good wide view, and the low light performance (streetlights) is pretty impressive.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Can't make out number plates with the Muvi003, though.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Really? I had a little Muvi and got loads of numberplates on it! Have they 'updated' and actually made it worse? Pah! Muppets! They had a killer little product.
Posted 12 years ago # -
The non-Pro version (seemingly non-fiddlable-via-software, which the Pro version was implied to be) seemed to work by being tinily-fuzzily-lensedly-hyperfocal then gets sharpened beyond legibility before being written. There are a couple of examples up my YouTube: "Naughty Parcelforce Man" shows the very limited range in which plates are readable. I tried the Muvi for a week then sent it back.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Here's one from my YouTube... Was on a band around my head at the time
Posted 12 years ago # -
that with a Veho?
decent qualityPosted 12 years ago # -
Yip, got it specifically so I could heidmount and look at what was happening (had an ATC 2K before that which was a narrower field of vision, much much bigger, and awful in low light).
Hmmm. I might just go for another of those (I'm sure there are places you can get it for about 30 quid).
Posted 12 years ago # -
@Anth - that has happened to me SO many times in that exact place. So frustrating.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Just outside the festival theatre heading north yesterday, a lady alongside me just started indicating and pulling over into the bus lane (to take the wee cobbled lane rat-running past the Chambers St lights).
As we weren't going particularly fast I was able to apply both foot and knuckles to the bodywork to encourage her to check the mirror... but it could have been a "cyclist on the left of HGV" moment had she been driving a larger vehicle, of course...
... speaking of which, I was riding up the multi-lane bit from Cameron Toll mini-roundabout to cross onto Esselmont last night when a huge crane truck performed a bit of a dodgy overtake - he crawled past with relatively reasonable clearance, but just started indicating and pulled into the left hand lane when he needed to (to make the filter lane before he got to the red light).
Luckily I had eased off and went around behind him, but again, not confident it wouldn't have been a classic "cyclist on the inside of HGV" moment there either, but for my own evasive action. Gave him a good shake of the head but couldn't be bothered to speak (it was a left hand driving seat as well)
Posted 12 years ago #
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