I've had a Karrimor Iberian flop off onto Morrison St at rush hour, before I replaced the hooks with Vaude QMR.
I saw the sunglasses courier on the actual road yesterday, albeit still doing something stupid enough to warrant being beeped at.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
Today's rubbish cycling
(4520 posts)-
Posted 5 years ago #
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The person behind me on NMW making noisy freewheel sound (which I find mildly irritating) then went straight when I turned left to cross Melville Drive at the lights, but due to relative timing ended up cutting between vehicles and not looking as they reappeared right in front of me on the cycle lane on Brougham Place, forcing me to have to brake. They were then very nearly taken out by a van driver who was trying to turn left onto Tarvit Street as the cyclist was proceeding straight ahead up the inside.
After waiting for a cyclist to exit from under the canal bridge to the east of Harrison Park, I rang my bell and proceeded under, only to find that another cyclist was now heading towards me. Given that it was nice and dry under tyre, I went wide to give space on the inside, at which point they had an excessively wobbly moment which forced me to come to a complete stop to let them past.
As I was rounding the long, blind, narrow corner prior to Kingsknowe Railway Bridge, someone came haring around the corner towards me at an incredible speed. They were either on an e-bike or just pedalling frantically, but I didn't really have time to take in any detail as I moved as far to the outside of the path as I dared for safety.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Dear person commuting on the towpath this morning,
When there's lots of rain around, and big puddles on the towpath it's a bit thoughtless to time your 'Bike on your right' shout until the second before I was going to pull out round a puddle. You gave me no alternative but to ride through it as I couldn't be sure where you were. You might perhaps have waited a little, particularly given that I was travelling at 17mph at the time (I'd just looked at the speedo), so I wasn't exactly dawdling myself.
Furthermore, when you have completed your overtake, it's even more thoughtless to pull in right in front of me and then ride through a puddle, when you have no mudguards.
Clearly you are very important and all that, but maybe spare a second to think of lesser mortals on the towpath.
Yours aye
Greenroofer
Posted 5 years ago # -
I think I'll need to check tomorrow that my wheels are still round - I hit some monster potholes tonight which were hiding under puddles !
Posted 5 years ago # -
Probably me - coming eastbound through Haymarket this morning - intending to go right up Torphichen street - both lanes completely full of traffic. I want to find a place in the right hand lane but the ASL is full as is the entire junction. I filter between the two lanes and attempt to fold into the right lane, but the van behind has other ideas and I'm squeezed into a tight space between a coach passing on the left and the belligerent van driver passing on the right. I end up filtering on the outside of this lane somehow to get to the front of the ASL- Torphichen street not any easier. This whole stretch is an utter nightmare. I don't really know what the right decision is there, but I wish belligerent drivers would realise that while they might view my choices as bad, all the other choices are equally bad, and I'm just trying to make a judgement all the time on how not to get killed but still somehow make progress. I'd like to take Edward Mountain MSP 4th Baronet and Nick Cook and anyone else on a ride this way and then ask their advice on how best to tackle that junction.
Posted 5 years ago # -
@algo
I asked the council what the recommended bicycle routes north and south through the west end were but they never replied, presumably out of concern that they might become liable for me being ground into meat paste.
I have a task to do and as a reward once it is done I think I'll e-mail Police Scotland and ask if the tour bus business model of driver-guide is legal given the Public Service Vehicles (Conduct of Drivers, Inspectors, Conductors and Passengers) Regulations 1990. We know that the west end is fatal.
Posted 5 years ago # -
@algo: that stretch was particularly horrendous today - I think there was a problem with the lights.
Posted 5 years ago # -
I tweetled the travel team about that this morning...
Posted 5 years ago # -
Friend and I were chased by some youths on BMXs on the Water of Leith this evening. That was a new one...
Posted 5 years ago # -
@cyclealex whereabouts?
Posted 5 years ago # -
@gembo Near the bridge from Westfield Avenue on the way to Balgreen Road/Saughton Park. Apparently a somewhat dodgy area!
Posted 5 years ago # -
@CycleAlex Good to know - that's my route to take the mini-DDs to the skatepark.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Apparently is me!
Cycling along Colinton Road past the barracks. As some may know there are road works in the lead up to the mini roundabout just after Elliot Place.
Huge queue and I filter up to just short of Elliot Place and then wait to cross the road on to the shared use path, including waiting for the car waiting to turn right out of Elliot place and which had been waiting a long time to go first.
As I start cycling along the shared use path I get shouted at by a cyclist waiting at the red light that I gave cyclists a bad name. I assumed that he was referring to me cycling on the "pavement" so I pointed out the blue circular sign with the pedestrian and cyclist on it and asked if he knew what it was.
No his gripe seemed to be that I'd gone through the red light! Now I always understood that the stop line at temporary traffic lights was at the sign saying "When Red Light Shows Wait Here" which he was at, however I'd crossed over on to the shared use path at least a couple of car lengths before this (i.e. before Elliot Place). If I understood him correctly (he descended into profanities) the red light extended to the shared use path too? - I always understood it only extended across the carriageway.
What's the hive mind view on this? Are cyclists meant to stop on a shared use path for a red light on the road.... are pedestrians supposed to obey it too or do they get to walk past the stationary cyclist?
Thoughts?
Posted 5 years ago # -
I doubt you're breaking the letter of the law and certainly not the spirit of it. I've done something similar at temporary lights elsewhere before. Probably the same sort of person who objects to walking your bike on the pavement to skip lights/junctions and best ignored.
I'm sure it will frustrate some drivers - which is probably his fear - but is there anything that won't? I imagine they'd prefer it to being 'held up' by you in the single-lane section.
Posted 5 years ago # -
I agree, that sounds like a very bizarre interpretation to me.
Posted 5 years ago # -
What others said. The road and shared path are separated by a wide grass verge - if the red light was meant to apply to users of the path as well, then there'd be a second light - just as if these were two parallel roads. You wouldn't stop at a red light on a different parallel road, so why would you stop at a red light which is on the road, when you're on the shared use path?
Posted 5 years ago # -
Thanks folks. I'd started using the shared use path thanks to Morningsider (I think) as despite cycling that way most days I'd never twigged its existence. Really good when coming from Colinton and turning right at the mini-roundabout you avoid the cars coming from the left who don't want to give way to a mere cyclist already on the roundabout.
Posted 5 years ago # -
@twinspark, there is a whole separate thread on here somewhere to do with me being driven at consistently on the roundabout and then Morningsider pointing out the path which I now use when going that way.
I do tend to cut on to the shared path early to avoid the traffic lights if this is feasible you just have to watch for drivers coming into the barracks.
I am maybe at this point cycling on the pavement? Not sure how far the shared use bit extends?
However, the whole roadworks shenanigans on this road is a total nightmare.
The guy was presumably shouting at you because you are wiser than he is? He will either now follow your example or stubbornly plough on in his own way.
I do so times resent when I am at the front of the queue at the Kings theatre junction, another mess and someone comes cycling through the traffic and plonks themselves in front of me etc but I do try to Be Zen about these things nowadays (however see my Sciennes primary school argument)
Posted 5 years ago # -
So if chap thinks temporary lights on the road mean that a cyclist should stop on a shared use path alongside, is he under the impression pedestrians should have to stop too?!
Posted 5 years ago # -
Agree with all above: there is no logical argument to support the assertion that cyclists on the shared use path have to obey the temporary traffic lights. Totally bizarre. (Although to Trixie's point: pedestrians are not legally obliged to obey traffic lights, not even pedestrian ones. But then I'm sure we all knew that.)
It does remind me of a time back in the dim and distant past* when someone told me that I couldn't dismount and wheel my bike the "wrong" way down a one-way street - not really the wrong way IMO because I was at that point a pedestrian. I never did follow up on that to see whether there was any smidgen of validity in their viewpoint. Anyone on here know for sure?
@gembo: However, the whole roadworks shenanigans on this road is a total nightmare.
They were originally scheduled to take three weeks, starting 20th May:
The TTLs were supposed to be gone yesterday. They're still there, as are the holes in the road. Don't SGN get penalised for overstaying their occupation of the road like this?
* Way back in the days when I used to take my bike on the train and ride along happily in the guard's van, and I used to listen to Radio 4 on an old valve radio. (Reference the “an age where cycling is treated almost as a religion” thread.)
Posted 5 years ago # -
Ah, you were not a pedestrian - you were "in charge of a carriage", so were not allowed to go the wrong way. The same applies to what someone above referred to as walking your bike on the pavement to avoid a red light. Would they see it as acceptable for a motorcyclist to do the same? I suspect not.
Whilst the carriage rule may be scorned as outdated it is what entitles us to use of the public highway so should not be abused, we can't expect to have it all ways.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Do you have a reference for that? Just out of interest. Googling has so far only found references to cycling the wrong way down a one-way street.
Posted 5 years ago # -
No, but it is a well known court decision (the case reference I can not recall) which the CTC had to use in the relatively recent past to establish the right to use the highway in a dispute.
No doubt a bit of googling will find it for you, ask the now Cycling UK if you can't find it.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Really not sure about this "right to use the highway". My understanding is that pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders have the right to use the highway, whereas all other traffic has to be licensed (which still doesn't give you the right, it just gives you permission so long as you obey the rules - something which many motorists could do with being reminded of). Given that cyclists are not legally allowed to use the footway (I know, I know: exercise discretion blah blah...let's not go there) what other part of the highway are we supposed to use?
If you are referring to this case: Cyclist who refused to stay in the gutter wins re-trial then I think that's a significantly different issue, and a bit of a red herring.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Ah, you were not a pedestrian - you were "in charge of a carriage", so were not allowed to go the wrong way.
I'm pretty sure that only applies to if you're riding it (Including using it like a scooter). If you're walking alongside and pushing it, it's basically luggage, surely?
Otherwise the same could be said about dismounting and pushing your bike on the pavement to get to cycle parking, or pushing your bike through a red light on the pedestrian crossing.
For vehicles (including motorbikes), if the engine is running you're in charge of it - so to push a car or motorbike through a red light you need to turn the engine off and put it in neutral. Once the engine is off, it's parked, or at least street furniture.
Posted 5 years ago # -
How would you get you bike into your house if there wasn't a dropped kerb? Makes no sense at all I'm afraid.
Posted 5 years ago # -
@EdinburghCycleCam: If you're walking alongside and pushing it, it's basically luggage, surely?
I'd have thought so. No different really to pushing a loaded barrow, or rolling along one of those wheelie suitcases with the four infernal wee casters on the bottom, which people have taken to wheeling alongside themselves (and thus taking up pretty much the same width of pavement as wheeling a bicycle) rather than towing them behind like you pretty much had to when wheelie cases just had two, sensibly-sized rubber-tyred wheels.
Posted 5 years ago # -
I'm sure that there's case law that a person pushing a bicycle is legally a pedestrian (something to do with a person pushing a bicycle over a pedestrian crossing who was hit by a car; it was agreed that the fact that they were pushing a bicycle was irrelevant). Note that I can't remember details or if this was in EnglandAndWales.
Posted 5 years ago # -
The law is somewhat confused (and confusing) - there's this infamous case from down south (below) that makes me think the prig (stet) at the Colinton lights is possibly right if one had the misfortune to encounter the wrong polis/fiscal/sheriff.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Perhaps you're not allowed to drive down motorways if you are 'in charge' of a bicycle tied to the roof? If not, do cyclocross lifts count? Are 'cyclists dismount' signs actually entrapment?
All sounds a bit EEN commenter internet lawyery to me.
Relevant to earlier discussion:
https://twitter.com/imogen_oneill/status/423829184130330624?lang=enPosted 5 years ago #
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