Uberuce - thats cos you are alternating your job as its the 'summer' !
Could be worse, you might find yourself at the Gyle instead of Gilmerton !
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
Today's rubbish cycling
(4520 posts)-
Posted 12 years ago #
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No no, I mean I was giving two Lothian drivers a headache by taking the worst possible line on the road, just after taking a corner too fast and almost slapping into the side of an oncoming car.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Two roadies heading up Leamington walk chatting away while taking up the entire cyclepath. Even my ironic 'hallo!' just got a wary 'hi' (as in, do I know you?'). yes, there was lots of room for me to go out into ped side and go around them, but just a token narrowing of the distance between them to acknowledge my existence would've been polite.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Two oddities: on way home from work, waiting at ASL at traffic lights, near to the kerb but aiming to go straight on (along the Meadows). Lady cyclist arrives to my right and, as lights go to amber sticks out her left arm more-or-less across my face and then cuts across me to turn left, like I wasn't there.
Then...
...on a Saturday recreational jaunt, coming back from the Forth bridge, I was stopped at a junction, just about to turn right out of Dalmeny main street onto the B924 back into Edinburgh. I was joined to my left by a mock-locked yoof who took off before me and got onto the fast downhill bit of the cycle path ahead of me (no problem with that) whereupon he whipped out his phone and started to make/take a call while meandering across the path, while I rode on my brakes to avoid hitting him. Finally overtook him when safe, and pootled onward, to be treated shortly afterwards to a very obvious punishment overtake (at a much narrower point on the path with little room for manoeuvre) when he'd finished his call. I guess he couldn't handle the indignity of being overtaken by a fat 55 year old while he sorted out his social life.Posted 12 years ago # -
Me.
Knocked off my stride 5 minutes into the commute by WVM passing VERY close and then parking ten yards ahead (but large, tatooed, WVM, in Bingham - I wasn't going to stop to argue) - put me in a "they're all out to get me" frame of mind.
Riding along the QBC, car stopped in ASL, so I had to sprint ahead to go past the lorry further on parked in our lane (mmmmm, quality); outside Missoni (still awful) another ASL stopper, and another lorry parked ahead - did the same, only to be confronted with stopped traffic just after the 90 degree bend at the very top of the Mound. Haul on brakes (squeal - oiled chain this morning and got some on the rear rim); I did check the cycle lane was empty before swinging into it - coming to next Mound bend and the traffic is moving again, and knowing how cars can stop suddenly or swerve into the lane I brake to hang back from the next car in line (it's also a big SUV, so I'm doubly wary) but don't notice there's someone on a bike behind me who has to brake (quite hard) obviously not expecting me to be slowing. Not sure I did much wrong, but I certainly wasn't riding terribly aware of my surroundings this morning.
Will try harder heading home.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Last night. Eejit on a flat-barred skinny-tyred (Boardman?), dressed in Europcar kit and sunnies. Tailgated me through Sustrans' St Leonards route (dog walker coming the other way at a narrow section, pedestrian further ahead on pavement section) then hit the gas when we popped out at the car park. Of course he must have thought the pace through the narrow people-strewn section was my regular pace, so seemed somewhat surprised when I also accelerated. A couple of checks as he eased by (I slowed a bit cos I just knew what was going to happen), before turning left to the top of the Innocent Tunnel, without indicating, cutting me up (as I was going straight on to take the south park road).
I shouted 'Cheers'.
Posted 12 years ago # -
I had a good one last night. Numpty emerges from the entrance one to my left WITHOUT LOOKING IN THE SLIGHTEST as the video footage will confirm when I was emerging from Orchard Brae onto the roundabout to head Comely Bankwards. Numpty proceeds to crawl eastwards in the doorzone, suddenly accelerating when my normal speed brought me level with him. He'd also forgotten to wear underpants underneath his worn-through blue cycling shorts.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Guy on bike hops off pavement (almost) into cycle lane but goes a wee bit adrift into busy Camelon road before settling into red lane and pedaling off towards Falkirk. Problem was he was travelling eastbound into Falkirk on the westbound lane. I've read posts about this in Edinburgh but never witnessed it in the provinces. Drivers who check their wing mirrors for cyclists before turning left are going to get a hell of a fright when he cycles into them from the front!
Posted 12 years ago # -
I had someone cycling towards me in the cycle lane yesterday, I think it was. The other cyclist and I who were going the right way just moved out into the road. I didn't say anything. I really should have done. What would you have said/shouted?
Anyway this morning's rubbish cycling was from me - one of the useful things about taking primary is that if it fails to deter a stupid overtake you at least can move away from the close pass, instead of sticking to my line like I did... I was very good, though, and only swore at him, no hand signals.
Posted 12 years ago # -
I followed a girl on a bike east along Great Junction St this evening, with her riding bang in the middle of the two lanes (i.e. along the white line between "bus" lane (which was completely empty of anything, parked or moving) and "car" lane (which was busy)). Motor vehicles had to move out to the opposite side of the road to pass her. I pulled up alongside her at the foot of the Walk to suggest that she might have taken a position further to the left to allow vehicles to pass without let or hindrance, and her response (once she'd removed her earphones so she could hear me, sigh) was "Oh but then I'd be in the bus lane". Facepalm.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Had a chat yesterday with the chap I mentioned 6 days ago! He pulled alongside in an ASL (just after I'd got caught out behind a taxi in a bit of rubbish cycling of my own and moved back into the bike lane) and he said, "I think I owe you an apology" before proceeding to explain that he cut me up going to the Innocent and hadn't expected me to speed up as well and realised straight away he shouldn't have done it.
Kudos.
(no idea if he'd seen this thread or not, but hey, nice to have had the chat).
Posted 12 years ago # -
At 7:30 this morning was the idiot cycling EAST up the Westbound the sliproad to the A8 at the airport roundabout. Bonus points for him yelling out 'What do you think you are doing you knob!' as I moved out to go around him (As he moved even further out into the road.) It may be two lanes, but cars do actually drive down the left hand lane while decelerating from 70mph. (I was on the bike)
Posted 12 years ago # -
Saturday night / Sunday morning, c. 3AM on the QBC up Buccleuch Street. I was coming home from Perseid spotting (I spotted 2, out on the River Esk Path beyond Mussellburgh).
Female cyclist the worse for drink on an unlit bike coming down the QBC lane the wrong direction, keeping pace with her friends walking on the pavement.
I appeared round the corner, going the correct way in the lane in a blaze of dynamo light, just as a taxi was passing, preventing me from passing around her.
Protagonist recognised her dillema and tried to dismount, but the bike went one way and she went the other and being rather unsteady on her feet came crashing slowly and ungracefully down across the bikelane, to the shrieks of her companions. Fortunately by this point the taxi had already passed, as she also spilled into the roadway.
Posted 12 years ago # -
not quite today but friday, mtb, all huge fork travel complete with rear boingy bits, decided to rlj lights at Dunbarton/helensborugh road, at Milton, Just as i negotiated the junction in my artic !I slowed to a stop and he glared at me ! as if i was wrong !
He did have a helmet on but no hi vis vest..........
only half his fault then !
Is it just me, or are serious downhill mtbs on the road the equivelant of 4x4s in the city ?
tounge in cheek for the sense of humour failure brigade ! : )Posted 12 years ago # -
by lady in blue top with buff on bandit mode, overtaking 2 cyclists all heading south on cycle path @ craigleith at queensferry road underpass, just as Iam heading north at same point, lucky all good...just. Try using the lever things attached to your bars next time.
Posted 12 years ago # -
was the lycra lout who cut up my 5 year old who had to slam on her brakes although she had the right of way going down Gilmore Place. Bloke was following another cyclist, turning right down Leamington Rd. No apologies forthcoming.
Posted 12 years ago # -
If you're going to join the Innocent Path from the road at the bottom of the tunnel then please, please, slow down, probably stop, and definitely look before riding out. You're lucky I was going uphill and so at a speed that made you relatively easily to swerve away from. Something coming down the tunnel at 25mph (and yes, they should be aware people might be joining the path) might not have been so lucky, and therefore you might also have not been so lucky.
Posted 12 years ago # -
I always thought that was a dangerous bit @Wilmington. I think they need to put bollards, or a gate on there maybe?
Posted 12 years ago # -
A couple of years ago I was heading to work and as I got the flats at the town end of the tunnel there was a road club gathering. I continued on my way and entered the tunnel before them. I was pedalling, not freewheeling, but a couple of them decided to overtake me. Eventually three or four of them had overtaken me on the downhill in the tunnel, and then, with all the sense of the white van man who assumes that once he's overtaken you you don't exist, the three or four of them suddenly stopped at the bottom entrance of the tunnel, completely blocking the path. I didn't have time to shout anything more than "SHIIIIFFFFFFFFFT!" and one of them moved to give me room to get through, as I hauled on the brakes.
I was really cross.
Posted 12 years ago # -
I know someone who emerged too incautiously from that side-path and got lightly crunched by someone coming out of the tunnel a few years ago.
This morning I saw someone poking quite a lot of their body and front wheel out from behind a bus whilst another bus was rapidly approaching unseen in the oncoming lane.
Posted 12 years ago # -
I see a lot of people emerging from there. Hardly any of them ever so much as slow down, never mind look. Give way lines are obviously something that happens to other people. Accident waiting to happen.
Posted 12 years ago # -
I've actually got this morning's interaction on video, be interesting to see if it's as close a call viewed through the wide angled lens.
Posted 12 years ago # -
I was really cross.
I could sense your foot stamping while typing even as I read that Kirst...
Posted 12 years ago # -
Posted 12 years ago #
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Yeah, I'd say even on a wide angle lens that looks pretty close. Might be worth switching to the right hand side of the path, if there's nothing come down, to get a better sight line on the junction.
I almost got rammed by another cyclist yesterday on the little path by the side of the tram tracks at Haymarket. Guy's pedalling along, one handed and fixing his hair in the reflective windows of the ICAS building as I turn the corner. Once he'd been shouted at he had time to stop.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Yesterday morning I was on the park-road-side path heading anticlockwise past St. Anthony's Chapel behind someone churning away slowly in too high a gear. They looked a bit wibbly and there was another cycle approaching from the west (on the outside edge of the path) so I stayed back out of the way. As the approaching cyclist drew nearer the wibbler drifted over to the right-hand-side of the path, causing the approacher to bark "Wake Up!" at them, whereupon the wibbler wibbled startledly and just managed to swerve out of the way. Fair enough that people should not sleep when cycling but the bloke approaching from the other direction might have paid more attention, noted that the wibbler wasn't paying much attention and perhaps slowed down a bit himself.
Posted 12 years ago # -
One of the problems riding up that bit is that cyclists in the tunnel aren't actually very visible - it's worse when the outside is so bright, quite a few times I've been riding up and noticed quite late on that someone is emerging from the tunnel.
I guess they can see me riding up on my right, so could switch sides, but the majority are already riding on their left (and if they switch it puts the much faster person into the position of possible conflict with that entrance).
Would all be academic if people joining the path there would pay attention! ;)
Posted 12 years ago # -
A young male astride a bicycle who could in certain quarters be termed a 'hipster' (red Buddy Holly glasses) was nonchalantly meandering across foot of Marchmont Road at the pelican crossing on green, heading to Bruntsfield.
I am going downhill.
He is chatting to a female pedestrian on his right, not looking where he was going at all, wobbling slowly but surely right into my path.
Me: Bell, brake, yell, swerve to right, curse as I pass.
He: still chatting away not looking where the hell he is going.
Fume! *
*((c) DC Thomson - Dennis the Menace/Bash St Kids/Minnie the Minx/Desperate Dan/etc.)
Posted 12 years ago # -
I was guilty of going through an amber turning red on Lothian Road with junction with Bread Street. Uncle and nephew (Heriots) was crossing as pedestrian went green and pointed out I was an idiot (yes... I was wrong)
He could have been seriously hurt on his way to get the 4x4...!
That's one of the nice democratic things about cycling - people feel safe to walk close to you and make comments. Don't get that in a car!Posted 12 years ago # -
Students. Lots of students. They're in danger of providing more instances of witnessing cycling-illegals than motor-vehicle-transgressions on my commute over the past couple of days.
Posted 12 years ago #
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