lovely "leisure ride" today, well of to the bank actually, spoiled by a white van man. I am heading through grangemouth town centre, a white van is awaiting a right turn into the police stion area, it waits for me, but growling noises from the drivers window are, I don't care, am in the sun. Later on up the hill, at the lights, I can feel something behind me, just know somethings close, I look and its same white van, I adopt even more of a primary, island on my right, on coming traffic, soon as we are past the island the van very slowly, and clearly deliberately comes past me, I can see the driver clearly looking at me and the front left corner of his van , so at least he knows I am here, but I could have punched him had the window been down !I went to wave at him , but as I wobbled , I suspect my hand might have looked like it was indicating another message .Got his company, it might even be local authority ! will see ! Ten mins later a tanker belonging to W Nicol, I think, held back at an island, and waited till lots of clear space, wide and safe pass. Still another ten minutes and I was eating free brambles by the side of the road sweet !
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
Today's rubbish driving...
(11311 posts)- Started 13 years ago by Stepdoh
- Latest reply from gembo
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Posted 11 years ago #
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Close pass yesterday up the hill at Elphinstone.
Heard it behind me revving up the hill, thought it was a motorbike at first. Sped past and into the distance before it really registered.
(Note: video screengrab, still figuring out my video editing software and uploading vids.)
Posted 11 years ago # -
@paolobr I've taken to uploading full cam videos to youtube, making them private, then you can use the online editing tool (youtube.com/editor) to cut.
Posted 11 years ago # -
@Paulobr if you'd rather do it offline (my videos come out at 1GB for a 25min commute), MS Movie Maker has enough basic functions to chop videos down, add captions, fades, speed up, slow down etc. and include the all important backing music
Posted 11 years ago # -
@twq Thanks, I might take a look. Will probably want to process/edit/convert them on my own machine before uploading (those HD ones can be quite big).
Posted 11 years ago # -
Hoping I've got today's texting driver on camera. I was waiting to come out of a junction as he drove past in a 25-30mph queue of traffic, glancing up and down at the phone. Very obvious from my high position, but camera might be a bit low (time to revisit the helmet mount, but centre and top this time).
Posted 11 years ago # -
Very obvious from my high position
It wasn't until I watched my first helm-o-vision video of my own, where the camera is mounted near enough at eye-level, that I appreciated just how high a cyclist's vantage point is. Much higher than most cars (excepting Range Rover type things) and somewhat simialr to a white van's.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I don't except the Range Rover type things... ;)
Posted 11 years ago # -
Woman in Loanhead pulled out on me last night despite flasher and high beam being on, clearly just didn't look more than a glance. She had kids in the car so good excuse. Anyway I raised my high beam for a moment to explain that she had just almost caused an "accident" and got a confused shrug. I imagine she felt I was performing some sort of bike appearing illusion.
Anyway I carried on behind her and it turns out we're going the same way. Down to polton.... Her driving gets faster, and I can easily keep up. Her driving gets more erratic - I'm confused - why is she driving like that.... Oh... She thinks I'm chasing her.... Whoops. Sorry lady. I wasn't even that annoyed. Also if I'd wanted to catch you up on those bendy roads I could have a dozen times.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Loads of niggly little things going through the Meadows this morning (drivers desperate to get past before the next queue of traffic; driving slightly in the cycle lane cos you're turning left ahead; pulling out from a junction because the motorised traffic is stuck without checking the cycle lane), so when I got almost to Tollcross and saw the little girly in her white Ford Focus either texting or checking something on the net as the traffic now moved forward, all with a passenger girly in the car who could quite easily have been doing that checking for her....
In fairness my simple shout of "Get off you phone!" didn't involve swearing, but did get the attention, though the amused slightly baffled defiance in the look from the driver and passenger was depressing.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Two ridiculously close HGV passes on the road this morning. Just like most other mornings.
What can you do except hang on grimly and hold your line.
I'd tweet @KeithBrownMSP about it, as he's really interested in this kind of thing, but the @HGVRespect defence bot would immediately start spouting nonsense.
Posted 11 years ago # -
@o_O I'd find another route :)
"there are drivers out there outside the mould of normality"
Posted 11 years ago # -
It looks like cars should have their headlights on in this gloom. Wonder how many will on the cycle home?
Posted 11 years ago # -
Lomond Foods lorry heading illegally up Johnston Terrace this morning, flooring it at around 50mph, passed me on the bend, within a foot of my shoulder.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Contacted the company o_0?
@twq, in fairness most of the cars on my commute home last night had their lights on (as did I).
Posted 11 years ago # -
"on my commute home last night had their lights on (as did I)"
Lights seemed a good idea about 3:00 yesterday!
Posted 11 years ago # -
Run into the gutter today by some prat turning right from a minor road into a steady stream of 30mph traffic, of which I was a part (tailwind...).
Pleasingly his passenger window was down, so I was able to provide a potted summary of his idiocy as I bounced along over a drain.
In related news, Schwalbe Ultremos have excellent grip should you have to swerve in the wet.
Posted 11 years ago # -
@paolobr, I saw that funny orange car on Sunday too. The driver was wearing a crash helmet. Maybe thinks he's the Stig.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Contacted the company o_0?
Sure. No reply thus far. Template response in due course, i expect.
Posted 11 years ago # -
"Template response in due course, i expect."
Oh absolutely, but I guess it sounds like this driver probably does that all the time, so if there are enough complaints over time... *ponders sitting on Johnstone Terrace on the morning commute*
Posted 11 years ago # -
I've had a bit of a close pass from a Lomond Foods truck, I see it quite often on Cowgate in the morning. Never been impressed with the driving, but not bad enough to report.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Witnessed some sort of altercation between a cyclist and a car this evening on Queen St. I was a passenger in a car at the time and I wasn't paying that much attention to start with, I think this was at the Frederick St junction.
Anyway there's a bike in the ASZ towards the back of the box and a white car (single female driver) sitting behind him very close at the lights. First thing is the bike slams down to the ground, nearly taking the guy with it (I think he was clipped in). Immediately he turns round and starts gesturing at the driver. Obviously I can't hear what's being said, but I could hear the other cars behind immediately start beeping and inching forward with impatience. The guy gets his phone out of his pocket to snap the number plate, at which point the driver steers sharply out of the ASZ and guns it past him and all the way across the junction down Queen St Gardens West. We pulled off and away while he was still in the box, speaking to some peds who had come across to him from nearby.
I *think* what must have happened is she let off the brakes while he was just trying to get moving, with predictable results on that slope. Whatever defense she might try to put up won't be helped by her immediately leaving when it became clear the guy wasn't going to let the incident slide.
Dunno what the chances are he'll ever see this but that's what I saw.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Merc SUV driver got a deserved earful from a cyclist this morning. Hadn't seen how he'd ended up not only in the ASL, but beyond the second stop line at the first lights. The cyclist had positioned in front. Lights go green and naturally Merc person floors it to get past.
Next lights are definitely red long before they get to them. Same position. Cyclist again filters to the front, starts waving at the driver. Lights go green, Merc comes very very close to the cylist in pulling away (99% certain it was a punishment pass).
Posted 11 years ago # -
Alas not captured on camera, but complete unmentionable in VW Golf passed me on Russell Road heading north, going through the arches of the viaduct. I actually couldn't believe it when I heard the car behind, and could see the nose alongside my rear wheel.
Just kept on coming and squeezed through. Must have been really hard on the accellerator to get up to speed after coming around the sharp corner from Murieston Crescent.
I've had enough bad experiences on this route that I'm mindful to fire off a few letters to councillors about this awful rat run.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Yesterday, Winchburgh Main St, heading west. Small silver hatchback revs up and overtakes just before a traffic island. Then has to swerve violently to negotiate it, with severe lean as a result (I thought it might go at one point). Only to have to brake to join the back of the queue of traffic in front.
A little later, on the B8020 nr Faucheldean, driver starts to overtake two cyclists going in opposite to direction to me just as I pass them, on a slight bend with restricted view. I know my daughter is some metres behind me, and indeed as I look back I see the car pass between the two cyclists on one side and my daughter on the other.
Some people have a severe lack of patience.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I've had enough bad experiences on this route that I'm mindful to fire off a few letters to councillors about this awful rat run.
Yes I often have drivers trying to overtake me on that corner. It is a horrible road, in both directions.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Every morning I get the same drivers doing the same thing on Palmerston Place, but I'm not sure I can blame them.
I'll be sitting at the (traffic-light controlled) T-Junction on Grosvenor Crescent and there will be a number of cars waiting to turn right on Palmerston Place, into Lansdown Crescent (bit hard to describe See map for clearer indication).
The problem is that there is only one light, south bound, and you end up with six or seven cars beyond that light. So, when the lights go red and the usual amber/red light jumpers going north get past, we have been on green for some time and these cars just continue to turn right across us.
I've just learned to live with it now - I doubt the council is going to erect another traffic light.
Posted 11 years ago # -
@kaputnik
I agree - it's time the Russell Rd rat run was closed off at both ends. Now is a good time to strike, with Haymarket reopening soon etc
Roseburn Gds should be made one-way, Northbound only, to prevent rat running along Roseburn Place (a connecting cycle route btw the Corstophine path & the Roseburn path).
At the other end of Russell Rd, some thing should be done to the Muirestons to prevent through traffic...
Posted 11 years ago # -
it's time the Russell Rd rat run was closed off at both ends.
I think it just needs closed in the middle to stop use as a through route. Will be hard/impossible to convince the council seeing as they have a fleet depot in the middle which uses either direction as a point of entry/exit.
Agree entirely about Roseburn Gardens. If you think about the setup (no right turns in from the main road), no lights to go through from Russell Road to Roseburn Terrace via Roseburn Street) it actually seems like an officially ncouraged route to avoid waiting at the lights at the Roseburn Bar for westbound traffic.
It was much nicer (and the world didn't end) when it was closed for 2-or-so years for trambles works.
Posted 11 years ago # -
black alfa romeo hatchback S009 CXY
drove over stop line into ASZ on red, while texting.
If it hadn't been for the texting, I might not have pointed it out to him.
he didn't appreciate my helpful pointer as to how many points he could have run up. nor my admonition that he should grow up.
stopped further up the road as though he wanted to get out and have a go at me. I swung well out around him to avoid door and kept going.
To be fair, he honestly did not have a clue what an ASL was.
Posted 11 years ago #
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