CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!

Today's rubbish driving...

(11249 posts)
  • Started 12 years ago by Stepdoh
  • Latest reply from the canuck
  • This topic is sticky

  1. wingpig
    Member

    SK12 KCZ, Stewart's Property Services, trying to squeeze past where there wasn't enough space before the last traffic-island pinch-point on Lindsay Road before the turn-off to the Hawthornvale Path. Not on camera, as I'd forgotten to twist the lens back the right way after doing some wheelbarrowcam filming yesterday.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  2. Kenny
    Member

    I will never understand the impatience shown by drivers like this. I could hear them coming up behind me and realised from the engine noise what they were about to do before I could see them, so was preparing to go into the side of their car (watch my left hand for instinctive reach for brakes). Thankfully, they realised the error of their ways just in time, and waited for me before turning left into the side street.

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    Posted 9 years ago #
  3. le_soigneur
    Member

    ‏@EdinNorthPolice 1 hr
    "Anyone seen a black mini cooper driving erratically in Ferry Gait area and cycle path towards Roseburn?
    Any information please contact 101"

    Posted 9 years ago #
  4. wingpig
    Member

    Close passes, someone not looking to their right before pulling out onto a mini-roundabout, someone not looking anywhere before backing out from a parking space, someone not looking onto a normal roundabout before pulling out and a tourist coach trying to block London Road.

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    Posted 9 years ago #
  5. le_soigneur
    Member

    Today it'll be Chubby Brown in Yorkshire who got 4 points for reading the paper in front of a mobile camera. They should have given him bonus points cos it was The Shun on his steering wheel.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  6. acsimpson
    Member

    Wednesday night I was left hooked by a stagecoach bus while leaving Rosyth. I've emailed them about it and will wait and see if I get a response.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  7. SRD
    Moderator

    You okay? I'm presuming they didn't actually hit you, or you'd have mentioned the police as well?

    Posted 9 years ago #
  8. twq
    Member

    @Kenny I had one of those on Cowgate this morning. I was 10m behind a slowing/stopped queue of traffic when a lady tried an overtake. Gave her a (polite) hand gesture to stay back, before tapping my helmet. Think ahead!

    Posted 9 years ago #
  9. acsimpson
    Member

    Thankfully I wasn't going particularly fast and neither was the bus I'm pretty sure he was indicating by the time he was along side me so I knew to slow down in time. To make matters worse he then didn't even manage to turn into the side street and stopped blocking both roads.

    Stagecoach seem to be taking it seriously though and are going to speak to the driver.

    Apparently they have a vulnerable road users training module which they have introduced and all drivers will be put through it before the end of the year.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  10. CJC
    Member

    I was driven into just over a week ago. It was a very slow speed "hit" but it was fully intentional. I have it on video but I am waiting to pass to the police before I post it on YouTube.

    I am fine except from being a bit shaken and now a bit timid to ride again (I managed to stay upright) and the bike seems ok except for an SKS mudguard which will need replaced.

    I was turning left into a side street and was aware of a joiners van very close behind me. I signalled to turn and also held up my hand in a "back off" type motion hoping that the driver would give me some space. After turning the corner (onto a cobbled street), I had to turn right and again signalled both to turn and for the driver to give me more space.

    There was a vehicle blocking my right turn, so I waited for them to move. I was very aware of the van very close behind me (so much so that in the video you can see me constantly turning to look at him).

    The van stopped behind me, waited and then rammed straight into the back of me.

    I stood where I was for a few minutes so I could get his face, his registration and company name on camera. Another very rough looking driver (I presume a friend of the first) went to talk to the van driver at which point I felt very intimidated so I moved out of the way and phoned 999.

    As soon as I got connected to the police the van driver drove off. He never got out of van and never spoke to me.

    The police said they would come round to my office to take a statement. They phoned me back later in the afternoon to say they were too busy and took a brief statement over the phone. They said it would take a few weeks for it to be assigned to someone to deal with. The initial person I spoke to said they were considering it a hit-and-run.

    I hope they deal with it seriously. Particularly since I have the whole thing on video.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  11. twinspark
    Member

    Given how wide Braid Hills Road is, with nothing coming the other way, why did the driver of Blue Peugeot(*) SA06 JYP have to pass so close I could have touched the side of their car? Oh and *THEN* having passed me, decide to have a little random meander into the hatched central area?

    (* Answering own question, because they drive a Peugeot!)

    Posted 9 years ago #
  12. Luath
    Member

    @CJC that sounds pretty awful. Thankfully these incidents seem very rare so hopefully you can regain your confidence soon. I also hope the police take it seriously.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  13. gibbo
    Member

    They phoned me back later in the afternoon to say they were too busy and took a brief statement over the phone. They said it would take a few weeks for it to be assigned to someone to deal with.

    What sort of nonsense is this?

    Posted 9 years ago #
  14. Roibeard
    Member

    What sort of nonsense is this?

    The sort that will say, "we've spoken to the driver, they remember seeing you, but have no recollection of a collision."

    "There's been no injury, so nothing the Procurator Fiscal will pursue, and anyway it's just your word against theirs as we can't view your video/can't see an impact on your video..."

    Nice to be proved wrong, but I doubt it!

    Robert

    Posted 9 years ago #
  15. geordiefatbloke
    Member

    Going along Russell Road 5:30 last night, keeping pace with car in front, dark coloured Audi AR05 DNJ (I think) on my tail edging to overtake but unable to as there's no space in front of me to go into. Car in front overtakes a cyclist as do I, at this point Audi thinks it's a good idea to overtake me leaving me approximately 4 inches of space and pulling across my path once past (driver is looking at me at this point so it's a deliberate manoeuvre IMHO). I catch up at Roseburn Gardens/Corstorphine Road junction and pull alongside to suggest he perhaps should give people more room and he's straight out of the car, calling me a c**t, how he's sick of me (first time I'd met him, I presume "me" represented the cycling community) "wobbling all over the road" - I was doing approx 20 mph when he overtook me so I doubt I was wobbling - wagging his finger in my face and generally being deeply unpleasant. Not sure why he was so angry, I was the one who nearly got taken out. Not a nice person, and clearly an axe to grind with cyclists. Beware.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  16. CJC
    Member

    Nice to be proved wrong, but I doubt it!

    Unfortunately, I don't think you'll be proved wrong. I'm going to give it until next week and phone them for an update.

    At the very least I'd like the police to get the driver to pay for new SKS mudguards.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  17. ARobComp
    Member

    "dark coloured Audi AR05 DNJ "
    @Geordie fat bloke. I cycle along there a fair amount and think I've come across this guy before (will take a note of the numberplate next time) . Very keen to overtake all the time especially at the corner where people can cross and join the roseburn cycle path.

    I've taken to riding relatively slowly around that area as I'm keen to be able to hop out of danger/ brake quickly!

    Posted 9 years ago #
  18. Roibeard
    Member

    I'm afraid the Police are unlikely to even supply the driver's insurance details, so you'll need to get your insurance company on to that, or pay £4 to http://www.askmid.com then threaten the company/their insurer with a small claims action (including expenses)...

    Robert

    Posted 9 years ago #
  19. geordiefatbloke
    Member

    @ARobComp I 'phoned 101 about him last night, I ordinarily wouldn't bother but his whole attitude seemed very actively and dangerously anti-cyclist rather than just being a (still bad but slightly less unacceptable to me) rubbish driver. Unfortunately they wouldn't do it over the 'phone and I was told I'd have to attend a police station to report it, so will aim to do so when I get a chance. Hopefully if he's got form someone else may have reported other incidents ...

    Posted 9 years ago #
  20. chdot
    Admin

    "Hopefully if he's got form someone else may have reported other incidents ..."

    I think that's the 'best' reason for reporting such.

    To hope that more than incident (of same car/person) is co-ordinated/noticed/acted on may just be hope...

    Posted 9 years ago #
  21. earthowned
    Member

    @geordieFB - I've had a similar looking car* try to overtake as the road turns right underneath the bridge. There's not enough room to do that safely there so I looked the driver in the eyes and indicated to stay back. Straight after the bend he overtook into oncoming traffic. Nutter.

    (*same make but could have been completely different model)

    Posted 9 years ago #
  22. chdot
    Admin

    This the road that was quite nice when the tram works were on??...

    Posted 9 years ago #
  23. algo
    Member

    @CJC good luck with the police, but moreso I hope you get your confidence back soon - sounds horrible.

    @geordiefatbloke - also sounds pretty horrendous, but I agree that it's worth reporting so that there is a record of such things - as you say he seems like actively anti-cyclist rather than just a rubbish driver.

    Yesterday as I cycled towards Gilmore Place on Tarvit Street a car passed me racing for the lights a bit close, but came ridiculously close to the cyclist in front right next to the railings outside the King's Theatre. Cyclist seemed to get a fright but stayed on the bike - I can't remember the reg number of the car. I wondered if the cyclist might be someone on here...

    Posted 9 years ago #
  24. neddie
    Member

    @CJC - perhaps if you mentioned to the police that the driver appeared drunk they might take more notice.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  25. Mandopicker101
    Member

    This morning at the Restalrig Road/E Hermitage Place junction. Coming down Restalrig Road I had the green light and was beginning to cross the junction to enter Links Gardens. Unhappily for me a black hatchback affair decided to try turning right directly into my path.

    Thankfully the driver noticed that there was, after all, oncoming traffic (i.e. me) and engaged brakes sharply. By this point I was convinced I was going down and had one hand instinctively raised (cos I'm actually Tony Stark and will vapourise cars that get too close...).

    No acknowledgement from the young woman driving the hatchback (and as she was only a few feet away from turning into me, I got a pretty good look at her).

    Posted 9 years ago #
  26. 559
    Member

    Re the you were "wobbling" comment from drivers. i have had this a few times, it comes from a perception that any deviation of the bike from the vertical and/or being out of the saddle is a wobble. Missing the point that the wheels are generally in a straight line.

    In driver land logic, this seems to justify the overtake as they won't be behind us if we fall off due to excessive wobbling.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  27. kaputnik
    Moderator

    What appears to be "wobbling" or "weaving all over the road" to the car gliding along behind, with its wide, low-pressure tyres, full suspension, shock absorbers and comfy seat is 999/1,000 not a drunk or incompetent cyclist, but someone attempting to negotiate a tortuous path over broken surfaces, poor road repairs, broken glass, gravel, cobbles, oil and other such vehicle-induced damage to the road surface.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  28. dougal
    Member

    Turning left up South Charlotte Street from Princes Street about 3.30PM today, the gf and I in the right hand lane heading ultimately for George Street and another cyclist in the left lane going straight on. Car coming in the opposite direction crossed over in front of us heading round the square and nearly slammed into the side of the cyclist in the left lane. I hope it was none of you on the receiving end of that driver; it was almost a textbook SMIDSY.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  29. dougal
    Member

    Same damn route as above, 9.45PM, was overtaken with about 3 inches to spare by someone in a low, dark, fast-moving vehicle making throaty engine noises. I was in the centre of the lane but that didn't stop the worst overtake of the day. The guy didn't even pause.

    Posted 9 years ago #
  30. pixelmix
    Member

    An obvious award today for the bus driver who drove into the side of an eastbound tram at Atholl Place.

    I use the junction daily (spending my life sitting at the lights towards Canning St) and have always that the the road layout there looked like an accident waiting to happen: any buses going towards Shandwick Place need to move from the left lane into the right lane which includes the tram lane.

    Right enough, one dozy bus driver clearly moved across without looking this morning, with predictable consequences.

    At a glance, it appears only to be a bit of a crunch so hopefully no injuries. Worth avoiding the area in the near future though.

    Posted 9 years ago #

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