Yesterday, sixish, northbound out of Leith Street. As usual, I wait as far to the left as possible, behind the sign, so that I'm not in the way of anyone heading south. As usual, someone steams past and through the red light. This one was garbed as a professional racing hipster - giant beard and enormous sunglasses, but matching two-part skintight bicycle-racing costume with pretend sponsors' logos. He turned round to make some noises and gestures after I'd warned him he was heading through a red light, but only after he'd had to stop to avoid going straight into the path of a car emerging from Greenside.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
Today's rubbish cycling
(4520 posts)-
Posted 6 years ago #
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i hate that light. it is incredibly long, and surely to goodness, after 7pm they could just make it flashing ambers all around unless a pedestrian hits the button?
but yes, either wait for the green, or get off the bike and walk...
(mutter mutter mutter.)
Posted 6 years ago # -
people who cycle wrong way on one way roads because it saves 45 seconds on the legal route--on very narrow roads. (and their less brave cousins who cycle on the sidewalk...)
Posted 6 years ago # -
I've seen a few cyclists wait there for a few minutes before giving up and going through the lights - presumably thinking the sensor isn't picking them up...
Today's rubbish cycling was me.
North along Gilmerton Road, approaching the primary school, there was a queue for 3 cars with the car in front doing 20 mph (the 20 mph restriction wasn't on at this time, so it's a 30 limit). The 2 cars behind were dithering around and not overtaking, but also hogging the right hand side of the lane so I couldn't easily overtake because of traffic islands.
So I went into the terrible cycle lane and up the inside of all 3 cars - which the car in front of me seemed to object to, since they veered into the cycle lane as I passed them on the inside, and missed me by maybe an inch. I'm not sure it was deliberate, since there was no honking or anything, maybe just bad timing.Not my brightest idea. Also I'm not sure on how legal it is to do - a cycle lane is another lane, and the highway code rules about undertaking don't apply to multi-lane carriageways, right? It's like a bus using the bus lane to pass slower moving traffic in the main traffic lane. Or does that not apply to cycle lanes (ignoring the fact that it's dangerous and stupid to do in the first place).
Posted 6 years ago # -
Me after having been distracted by a shout of 'Daniel!' as I crossed Leamington Lift Bridge (by gembo (at least I think it was he from a brief sideways glance, although it may well have been Adam from Sustrans who I believe is supposed to be helping out at the stall today...) who appeared to be helping the police with their enquiries), then being slightly surprised to find someone turning left from the towpath onto the bridge as I tried to turn left onto the towpath.
Posted 6 years ago # -
@edinburghcycletraining; legally you can pass a queue of slower moving traffic on the inside if you are in a cycle lane - that appears to be their only purpose, to legitimise that. Otherwise you cannot undertake in a HWC compliant manner, although no doubt someone will be along to claim that the warning in the HWC to drivers to watch out for cyclists doing that makes it somehow alright (as if an instruction to watch out for people going through red lights would make RLJ-ing a legal thing).
Posted 6 years ago # -
@mgj: That's what I figured, thanks! And yeah, I wouldn't try to undertake traffic in the same lane, unless we're talking about filtering through stationary (or extremely slow moving, < 5 mph) traffic.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Not actual rubbish cycling, I think, probably just theoretical. I was having an argument a few days ago where all the old anti-cycling tropes were coming out - RLJs, road tax, cycling on pavements, the lot. Including the old story about badly-behaved cyclists causing accidents and then cycling off without a care. It's theoretically possible, but I think it's entirely an urban myth. Any know of an actual documented occurrence?
Posted 6 years ago # -
A new Captain of Impatient Morons on the NEPN this morning, wearing a grey T-shirt. I came up from the West Granton Access path, then encountered him as a whirring in my right ear whilst going round the left-hand bend, just before the widened path, where the sightlines are still poor. Every overtake thereafter (of which there were about ten) was textbook impatient idiocy, with someone approaching in the opposite direction every time who had to slow down or be run into. He also steamed straight through the Craigleith crossing without slowing or looking properly, having to waggle to avoid people approaching from both sides. He might have fractionally slowed between Queensferry Road and Ravelston Dykes, perhaps having finally realised what a twerp he was being, but then sped up again, yet somehow only reached the Murieston Crescent/Dalry Road junction a few seconds ahead of someone cycling politely and safely.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Maybe me, I was on the meadows path but had made it to the cop shop. Pressed the light to cross towards st Leonard's and as I made it to the other side a cyclist was moving at a fair lick to catch the light. We did not collide but he told me not to cut the corner. Which was fair enough. I laughed and refrained from suggesting he should not be smashing along so fast at a crossing. Maybe 50/50?
Posted 6 years ago # -
Definitely me. Turned onto the B road to head into town yesterday after two blissful weeks cycling in France. Distressed and annoyed that the car coming round the bend did not pull back onto the correct side of the road on seeing me (people do like to take a racing line on that road). Realised I was cycling on the right. Pulled over and composed myself and waited for an empty road before setting off on the correct side. Ooops
Posted 6 years ago # -
A wheelchair was being wheeled down the hill of leith street. i hope that the cyclist i met coming up the hill understood my 'wheelchair!' shout because he was really motoring up the way.
(he muttered something in reply but i'm not sure what it was.)Posted 6 years ago # -
A couple of evening's ago two chaps exited Grove Street from wrong direction, and turned left onto Fountainbridge.
One cut the corner a little too finely and cycled straight into the large black bollard on the pavement/edge of street.
Shame on me for giggling as I cycled past. He took in good humour and said it was "That's what happens when you've drunk too much beer!".
Posted 6 years ago # -
How much had the bollard had do you think?
Posted 6 years ago # -
Chap riding at speed down the canal saying "GOOD MORNING" with exasperated and insincerity as he passed a number of pedestrians far too quickly with oncoming riders.
Think he was either
a) Trying to get away with being a twit by being overly polite
b) Was trying to make some sort of a point about pedestrians not getting out of his way
c) Hard of hearing and completely unironically un-self aware about his poor etiquette and therefore saying Good morning far too loudly.I suspect it was a or b.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Posted 6 years ago #
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I've experimented with using "Good morning/afternoon" as an alterative to ringing a bell as a means to alert other people to my prescence. I do slow down as well.
Posted 6 years ago # -
For some reason I can't display the video clip in @Ed1's post, but are these organised triathlon events run on open roads?
Posted 6 years ago # -
There was a chap wearing big cans riding an upright bike on the canal yesterday pm being very huffy and puffy that pedestrians were in his way as he swooped and swerved all over the place at high speed on the busy section between the lift-bridge and Gibson Terrace. He then proceeded to swerve completely over to the right of the road on Gibson Terrace approaching the junction with Dundee Street, then did a massive sweep to the left just about taking me out as they turned left onto Dundee Street.
Posted 6 years ago # -
ih
http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=7059&page=119#post-285285
Some triathlons (e.g. last weekend's 70.3) are run on closed roads. Most are run on open roads. See my comments in the post I've just linked to and the discussion in the posts following for further details.Posted 6 years ago # -
@fimm - I don't have anything against "good morning" or "hello - just popping past" - in fact use them myself regularly especially this week when the pinger (?) came off my bell leaving me with just a metal mushroom on my drops.
The aforementioned chap was very specifically shouting "GOOD MORNING" as he swerved past everyone with the idea that noone could possibly have an issue with his terrible cycling if he was being overly polite.
Posted 6 years ago # -
The Deliveroo cyclist pelting down the pavement at Leith Street last night, doing about 10-15 mph, weaving between pedestrians because the cycle lane was shut.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Yesterday morning I think I was one of two cyclists that walked the Leith Street stretch. Countless others just cycled it.
I'm tempted to try avoid as much as possible as it's bad for my blood pressure.
Posted 6 years ago # -
@ARobComp - perhaps there are more than one or I've encountered the same fella. His oncoming weaving caused me to just stop til he was past cos I was water side and he made me twitchy. I'm sure he heard Mr's none-too-friendly retort to his "Good Morning!".
Posted 6 years ago # -
@Juanito I was walking my bike up that stretch this morning about 7.30 and workies were laying cones out again in a possible cycle-lane configuration.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Yep, open again. Not sure about access to Calton Road but it looked promising from the top?
Posted 6 years ago # -
@jonty I'll be heading down that way around 5-ish to enter Waverley from Calton Road so hopefully it will be smooth sailing.
Posted 6 years ago # -
The cyclist passing the inside of a truck waiting to turn left from Lower Gilmore Place onto Gilmore Place. They got away with it. Possibly a different cyclist then passing me (I passed them on Gilmore Place, then considered warning them about their pass while in the ASZ, only to be distracted by dangerously driven busses) on NMW despite oncoming cyclists. They got away with it.
Posted 6 years ago # -
leith street much better today--wider cycle lanes, and cones with ropes rather than those horrid walls so you can actually see oncoming cyclists.
have had a few of the workers stationed at the junction wave me through when there's no car traffic and no pedestrians. always a nice feeling.
Posted 6 years ago # -
@paulmilne Thanks, yeah was open again both last night and this morning which was a relief.
Generally speaking I've actually been pretty impressed with the management of this lane. It's also proved an interesting study in segregation I think, as it shows that you need quite hard lines (ropes and tightly packed cones) to prevent too much pedestrian / cyclist conflict.
Posted 6 years ago #
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