A shout out to the following three lightless-ninjas from last night.
Cyclist A - eastbound at Haymarket, I had passed Ninja A - resplendent in a fluo yellow beanie hat - back at Donaldsons. You have to turn off left before the station and go round the diversion onto Roseberry Crescent. He must have bumped up onto the pavement and carried straight on because I found him again as I waited at end of Grosvenor Street as he rode across the pedestrian crossing. He then bumped off the pavement right infront of me into the traffic without looking - forcing me to avoid and into the path of a car that had more than likely run a red coming from Dalry and found itself mixing it with the traffic exiting Grosvenor Street on green. Car honked but I gave it a frustrated WHAT AM I MEANT TO DO sort of a gesture (basically, flipped him off without raising any fingers!) and went about my way. The ninja wobbled about in the bikelane, jumped the red to go up Torphicen but then sort of wobbled very slowly around (faux track stand) while traffic coming off of Palmerston Place blocked his way. This meant he couldn't see the lights so when they did change once again he wobbled into my path without checking behind. I was steering well clear this time, but I could have been a bus and he could have been flattened.
Cyclist B - A trendy type in a checked shirt on a my-first-fixie type bike with no bar tape. I was approaching lights near junction of Lonsdale Terrace and Melville Drive. He had obviously filtered down the outside and turned sharply inbetween 2 cars where he found himself stuck and not able to get into the cycle lane on the inside (which I was in). The lights had already changed to green and cars were slowly moving off. When the car infront of him moved slightly, without looking he just moved forward to pull into the cycle lane. He got an "easy!" and a palm in the direction of his face. Disaster avoided.
Cyclist C - ninja bike, ninja clothes including black beanie. He was coming up Meadow Place, I was going left off of Marchmont Road then first right onto Marchmont Crescent to get to Scotmid. He would have passed safely like an unlit ship in the night, if he hadn't suddenly tried to cut across the front of me (signalling) and onto the pavement to go up Marchmont Road, narrowly avoiding a T-boning.
I restrained myself from any confrontation with any of these idiots. But when I got home I was annoyed with myself for not having a go. If they wan't to act like idiots and take their own lives in their hands through how they choose to cycle, that's their issue. But if they are doing it in a way that not just inconveniences those of us following the rules of the road but can put us in danger then next time they are going to get a proper bawling. Even if they look well 'ard - because they will have to catch me before they can beat me up, and they won't be able to recognise me without any lights :D
The fortnight of forgiveness for not lighting up is over.
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