From the BBC website:
Mother releases cycle crash film as warning
Yes, the boy was being an idiot, but am I alone in thinking why the F**K did the driver not stop before hitting him!
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
Today's rubbish cycling
(4520 posts)-
Posted 7 years ago #
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I failed to see a pedestrian walking along Melville Drive. Too busy watching Toucan crossing and carrying a box.
One of these situations where a car was 'thinking' about going through on the 'almost red' and I slowed up but wanted to get going.
Guy came in from my right walking on the faintly lit pavement and almost tripped over my bike as he considered he had right of way. 'Thank you very much for not stopping etc'. I did say 'SIDSY' which is our favourite 'non excuse' for all other road users errors. Of course these crossing generally have people going in all directions. Primarily they are pedestrian crossings which cyclist are 'allowed' to cycle over in the spaces where people are not walking (?)Seconds later one of three out of control dogs ran right in front of me. I stopped with BB7 power. No apologies from dog owners offered. They seemed quite ok with their dogs belting about and just assumed I would stop dead.
Posted 7 years ago # -
LRT Bus approaching Porty Cross from Joppa was waiting to pass a
parkedcarelessly abandoned car just before the lights. Bus was indicating right to pull out and angled out to the central line, waiting for an oncoming car to pass.The TRC nominated cyclist tried to pass the waiting bus, but didn't get very far due to the oncoming car. Once the car had passed the cyclist continued alongside the bus, which had then started to pull out. Conflict ensued.
Bonus rubbish bit is that the cyclist got off his bike at the lights to berate the bus driver.
It's possible the bus's rear indicator wasn't working, but even then, from the position of the bus alone it should have been pretty clear what was going on.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Sadly, MGIF is not solely the preserve of drivists.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Possibly my worst infringement to date. Cycling west on Gilmore Place at 9 ish at around 20 mph, trying to reduce the chances of an unnecessary overtake by the driver of the car behind me, I spotted a distant cyclist rounding the corner and heading towards me. I was just preparing to indicate right for my turn onto Lower Gilmore Place and did so, judging that I would easily make the turning before the cyclist reached that point. As I was starting to turn right, my brain decided that no, I wasn't going to make it, so I slammed on my brakes and steered out of the turn to avoid a collision, uttering an expletive (at myself) and an apology to the oncoming cyclist who cooly steered around me as he continued on his way towards the King's Theatre.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Princes Street -> South Charlotte Street: guy on an MTB goes through the lights on green (fine) then heads right, across the two southbound lanes of SCS (which were empty at the time), mounts the pavement and rides north as far as George Street, slaloming past a vehicle trying to emerge from Rose Street in the process - as well as a number of pedestrians, of course.
Can only assume that he thought it was a good opportunity to avoid the wait at the traffic lights at the SE corner of Charlotte Square. Cannot conceive of another reason for doing it, given that he will already have negotiated the Lothian Road junction from one direction or the other and so would appear to have been comfortable enough riding in traffic.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Bloke on a roadie, dark clothing, no lights, heading eastbound at six pm on Princes Street. Hard enough for me and the other pedestrians waiting to cross at the Castle Street lights to see, heaven help the bus, tram and taxi drivers...
Posted 7 years ago # -
Me faceplanting at the traffic lights while exiting the bush estate after mountainbiking in the pentlands for an hour.
My commuter shorts which I'd chosen to wear are shorter than my MTB shorts. They got caught on my seatpost dropper control and wrenched the handlebars sideways. I hit the floor rather hard on my knee. Fair-thee-well skin. Rather stiff today. Hoping it'll heal up ok. Bike fine. Motorists behind confused.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Ouch, get well soon ARob. Funny how there's always a driver there to witness these things.
Posted 7 years ago # -
I didn’t think anyone could be so stupid until I witnessed yesterday’s incident.
Waiting at the pedestrian/bike crossing on Melville drive at the whalebone arch. It’d all cleared and had a green so started to pedal off only to have to slam the brakes on for some fool who decided that life was not short enough and they had to cross no matter what. I don’t know how the car going the other direction saw them and braked in time either.
It’s not as if there’s a long wait at these lights either. I hope that this gave them a good enough fright to make them think twice as it could have got very messy.Posted 7 years ago # -
@ARobComp
Ooocha. TCP and alcohol mate.
Posted 7 years ago # -
forgot about me this morning. that little narrow path near the golf course ...between Barton Ave is it?
i had my bike light on full flash and two other riders coming opposite had to almost stop as it was not nice for them - my head was daydreaming about something to switch it back to steady by the time i'd seen them and after being on the road - sorry to you both!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Posted 7 years ago # -
I will be mildly blinding anyone heading west on the canal towpath this evening given that I appear to have failed to put my patent pending pudding pot front light 'blinker' in my pannier (either that or I have lost it, in which case I will need to attempt to find particular Gü puddings).
Posted 7 years ago # -
hmmm was i rubbish going home? seemed the gentleman in front thought so but it was not intentional.
Under the bridge in Inverkeithing is road works and its a long stretch, i joined the road from the end of the cycle path and as he was already on the road i let him by, then followed hime into the roadworks but as he passed and then i did it turned orange so i belted it up to him because i was worried about it being so long and getting cars coming the other way...
we got out of the roadworks (oncoming car had to stop) and the guy in front slowed down quite a bit and did a really hard look to his right at me and that spat hard to his left - just as i was going to go by another cyclists who must have really gone through on red came blasting past us both and the guy who i was behind then decided to get his foot down and draft that guy - dunno if he thought it was me or not - anyway as we were in traffic it mattered little.
so if its anyone on here - was not my intention to make it look like i drafted you as i rarely keep up with anyone anyway ;-)Posted 7 years ago # -
Cyclist dealing with the traffic island pinch point on Mayfield Road at Kings Buildings by going round the right hand side of it. They did manage to filter far enough up the queue to get through the Liberton Road junction in one phase of lights, though, whilst I had to wait for a second green light.
Posted 7 years ago # -
More irksome than rubbish cycling on the towpath today.
A guy with an empty child seat on his bike overtook me at speed, but with a bell ring, prior to barely slowing (but with another bell ring) for the blind bridge prior to Meggetland. He then proceeded into the far distance. I then quickly caught and passed him at Wester Hailes, despite progressing at a fairly constant rate. I'm not really sure why he felt the need for speed previously...
A lady either didn't see or maybe just didn't care about the two cyclists heading east on the Slateford Aqueduct, and/or realise that I had specifically slowed down as I was approaching it to allow them to exit. Moments after the first cyclist exited, I head a bell ring from behind me as she overtook. I shouted that I was cycling slow so as not to block the second cyclist so she then proceeded to stop on the path at the end of the aqueduct, partly blocking it. The cyclist exiting the aqueduct thanked me in passing after negotiating the lady half blocking her. I then found myself very quickly passing the lady again after we managed to reach the far end of the aqueduct...
Finally, a guy on a racing bike exited the Scott Russell Auqeduct at speed as I slowed down on the outside of the corner to give him space. I'm glad that he didn't slide on the metal strip else he would have hit me at speed...
Posted 7 years ago # -
Forgot to reattach my bell after taking it off to replace some bar tape. Helpfully shouted "I forgot my bell" loudly at each bridge on the canal on the way in.
Will repeat on way back.
Posted 7 years ago # -
More annoying than rubbish but lots of it on Gilmore Pl eastbound to NMW this morning. Studenty types mostly. One undertook me just past Viewforth, and then proceeded to pedal away furiously in what I thought was ridiculously low gear. Once I'd overtaken them I had to deal with a very wobbly cyclist approaching the King's lights. There I was behind someone already in the ASZ, but a third cyclist squeezed in front of me, with both of them then proceeding to RLJ to the right just after the left turn arrow came on. I was then leading the pack to Valleyfield St/Melville Dr lights (including the undertaking one and the wobbly one), where I stopped on the left-hand side by the button and everyone else (including a third cyclist) just piled onto the pavement. They were therefore all ahead of me onto NMW. The undertaking one then proceeded to take off their helmet and gloves whilst still riding (in the very low gear), wobbling all over the path. Minor things all but coupled with some usual unnecessary car-MGIFery it wasn't a very nice commute this morning.
Posted 7 years ago # -
To the guy who collided with the lady in front of me under a canal bridge this morning, if you insist on wearing headphones so that you cannot hear a bell-ring, and combine that with shooting under the bridge at speed, this probably isn't going to be your last collision.
I simply don't understand the headphones thing. You wouldn't deprive yourself of a major sensory input by wearing a blindfold, so why do it by wearing headphones when you know your journey involves multiple blind corners?
</rant>
Posted 7 years ago # -
For good measure, this was followed by the mad woman who appeared to be ranting at the sky while carrying two large bags from her handlebars and following 50 metres behind her out of control dog.
Truly one of those days.
Posted 7 years ago # -
not rubbish exactly, but i was told last night i was cycling illegally at the bit of shared pavement where the lothian road meets princes street.
i was quite shocked, but managed to point out that it was in fact, a shared area--which i didn't know when i first started using it, so always walked through. i don't think he believed me, and as he appeared to be following me while i walked through the pedestrian crossing and towards Queensferry road, it was rather freaky.
(yes, i know you can go back on the road and use the right-turn light to get on to queensferry, but i always arrive there just as it turns red, and it's a long red light.)
Posted 7 years ago # -
You wouldn't deprive yourself of a major sensory input by wearing a blindfold, so why do it by wearing headphones when you know your journey involves multiple blind corners?
because deaf people drive and cycle, doncha know? exact same situation, amirite?
</also rant>
Posted 7 years ago # -
I think the council have explicitly clarified that bit of pavement between Lothian Road and Princes Street isn't shared use. It was designed to be, but they changed their mind. Is there any signage which suggests it is?
Posted 7 years ago # -
there was! that's what started me cycling across it. previously i'd just been swearing quietly at all the other cyclists doing so. there are also several dropped curbs that only make sense for cyclists going ON to the pavement, as well as three of those red tram-crossing lanes.
will have a look again monday.
Posted 7 years ago # -
there are also several dropped curbs that only make sense for cyclists going ON to the pavement
As @jonty said, it was designed to be shared use, but (I believe following objections from the Huxley) the council changed their mind.
I've asked a couple of times for this to be changed, but been told it won't be.
Posted 7 years ago # -
"following objections from the Huxley"
That would be the Huxley that plonked tables and chairs on it for a couple of months, 2 or more years ago (presumably paying the council for the privilege) and never have again. Time the space went back to its original shared plan.
Posted 7 years ago # -
because deaf people drive and cycle
Absolutely, and I suspect that people who are deaf have a much better awareness of the risks since they have to factor it into 100% of their daily lives, and thus are a lot less likely to behave as this feller did.
Posted 7 years ago # -
a friend used to work as an intervenor for a deaf/blind association back home. she claimed that deaf drivers had better insurance rates because they did more mirror/blindspot checks and were more aware of/responsive to changing road conditions.
i've never seen official confirmation of this, but it seems logical?this 'deaf people cycle' line of argument makes me want to box people's ears.
Posted 7 years ago # -
People wearing headphones are not like deaf people, they are listening to music and distracting themselves, I ran once in 1983 with my Walkman, and became oblivious to the environment. People who are deaf are more attuned to the environment, people wearing headphones are less attuned to the environment.
Posted 7 years ago # -
2 gangs of kids on bikes around george and princes street about an hour ago. No lights on any of them
The first group were following a clearly stolen scooter that one kid in a bandana was trying to jump start rolling down dundas street. White scooter with an L plate and the front panelling missing. Followed by 2 more kids on foot and two on bikes.
Second group trying to punch a tram or something at the west end. Felt sorry for he tram driver. Both groups of boys looked about 13-15.
Good they're out on their bikes. Bad they're literally being little turds.
Posted 7 years ago #
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