CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!

Today's rubbish cycling

(4520 posts)

  1. 559
    Member

    Heading south on NEPN, cyclist tailing me, slightly too close, but decided their call.

    Whilst crossing Roseburn Bridge he decides to overtake on the right hand side of the bridge beam upstand, odd place to overtake but, next move takes the whole packet of biscuits. He cuts across my bow and heads down the slip towards Balbirnie Place, I have to do a emergency stop/swerve as I was about to continue on path along to Russell Road.

    Cue lots of cursing. For the record if you are reading this I do not care if you are sorry !
    I do care though that you thought your overtake and cut up was a sensible safe manouvre.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  2. allebong
    Member

    Truly rotten piece of cycling that, as it appears completely calculated - presumably he either underestimated the speed you'd keep up, or else he just didn't care. Possibly one of Edinburghs fine drivers trying out this cycling thing after the top gear special?

    Posted 10 years ago #
  3. 559
    Member

    @allebong, Agree, I dont know.
    It was a manouvre I have never thought about anyone doing.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  4. Snowy
    Member

    ...was the guy with dreads on an old red 10-speed Raleigh heading west on the towpath about 8.45, overtaking other bikes at speed round blind corners underneath the bridges when there was zero chance of him avoiding anyone coming the other way. Muppet.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  5. chdot
    Admin

    This guy just kept creeping forwards -


    RLJing

    Posted 10 years ago #
  6. fimm
    Member

    Apologies to the cyclist I caught and passed at the pedestrian level crossing near Heriot Watt. Said cyclist had stopped and was rummaging in his pannier/bag. I asked if he was OK, he said he was just hunting for some fresh batteries for his front light. So, instead of waiting and giving him the benifit of my reasonably powerful front light to find them, I said "OK" and went on my way. Only somewhat later did I think that I'd been fairly rude!
    <Grovel>

    Posted 10 years ago #
  7. paul.mag
    Member

    @fimm half marks. At least you asked the question

    Posted 10 years ago #
  8. Arellcat
    Moderator

    Yesterday late evening's rubbish cycling were:

    1) the girl riding along West Savile Road, with a glow worm of a rear light that was also aimed at a jaunty angle towards the ground on her right. It was a shame, really, because her front light was superb.

    2) the guy on an orange singlespeed and light coloured clothing at Braidburn Terrace mini roundabout, whose rear light was white (and also aimed at a jaunty angle).

    Posted 10 years ago #
  9. kdstephen
    Member

    Bloke to passed me on the aqueduct last week but continued cycling as he hugged the wall and I took the canal side ON A WINDY DAY!!!!! I expected him to stop.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  10. HankChief
    Member

    ...could be me, could be the other guy....

    Coming Southbound on Maybury Road up the hill by Craigs Roads I pass a cyclist with 2 panniers and a back pack - I was fresh (and only 1 pannier), he looked like he'd done a few miles.

    We then reach the usual tailback and I start filtering down the middle. Up ahead was a narrow gap between a lorry and a bus (side by side) that were slowly moving - I didn't fancy it so held back and kept pace with them and to my surprise (without warning) the other cyclist came passed me and squeezed through the gap.

    Maybe I shouldn't have overtaken him if I was about to be cautious in my filtering.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  11. allebong
    Member

    Maybe I shouldn't have overtaken him if I was about to be cautious in my filtering.

    Doesn't sound like you done anything unreasonable to me. If you hadn't hit the tailback you'd have thought nothing of passing him. If you'd hit the tailback and judged it okay to filter then again no problems. You could make an argument that you might have expected the tailback and not being able to filter so you shouldn't have bothered, but I bet if you held back on the pass and then found a clear road or you could filter, then you'd wonder if you were being a bit too hesitant about things.

    I've actually been in a similar situation recently - overtook someone, slightly later stopped in traffic as the only filtering option was up the inside of 6 or so left turning cars, plus there was barely a gnats hair of space to do it. Person I overtook went for the filter and very awkwardly had to lean out and scoot along the pavement with a foot to avoid clipping a wing mirror clean off. 20 seconds later, lights change, yep I passed him again. What was the point?

    Posted 10 years ago #
  12. Stickman
    Member

    Woman who skipped the red lights at Gardner's Crescent and then again at Morrison Street. On both occasions I can see that it was probably justifiable, but I was a bit disappointed.

    I just thought Croix de Fer owners had a bit more class.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  13. allebong
    Member

    Woman going past Haymarket this evening. Good back light, front light also appeared to be good from how much it was lighting up the shopping in the basket immediately in front of it, leaving precious few photons for the task of actually being seen.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  14. SRD
    Moderator

    Red Paperbike heading along Polwarth terrace/grove etc this afternoon in the wrong direction/against the traffic.....

    Posted 10 years ago #
  15. chdot
    Admin

    Sitting in the middle of the North Bridge ASL box I'm joined by a youngish guy on a Harley - so close I could feel the vibration.

    We set off together for Leith Street - he has the power advantage.

    His line takes him across me to the centre of a bus rear, mine takes me to his left.

    Bus moves, I move too and stick my hand out for overtaking the bus and he doesn't compete for the gap.

    Continue down to the John Lewis lights and arrive about the same time.

    He goes through, just behind two pedestrians still crossing on flashing green.

    Clearly he doesn't know the Highway Code.

    Later I'm overtaken by a car that 'has' to overtake on the section of Calton Road towards the back of the Station.

    But he doesn't have the speed/skill to get round the corner ahead of me so we go round together. He passed adequately wide but fortunately nothing was coming.

    He was about a second ahead of me as I turned up New Street.

    Of course in both cases I should just have accepted that I'd been 'beaten'.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  16. Greenroofer
    Member

    Sitting in primary in the ASL at the George Street/Hanover Street lights this evening, recovering from a climb up Dundas Street. Lights go green, I do a left shoulder check before pushing off, which was lucky because a fit-looking bloke on an MTB came blasting past on my inside without any warning at all.

    I follow him across Princes Street and we head up the Mound. He moved pretty smartly on the downhill bits, but I find myself catching him* as we climb. We get to the junction with Market Street and I'm pretty close behind him. The lights are red. He goes straight through. I don't mean 'they went red', I mean 'they are red'. I don't mean 'he makes his way carefully and apologetically across the red lights, as some are wont to do'. I mean 'he just rides across as if they weren't there'.

    ---
    *I was on a 6-speed Brompton, and yes, I had decided that I was trying to catch him.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  17. ARobComp
    Member

    Lady tonight with a red light on her front and the back. Didn't realise that this was the case and pulled out assuming she was going the other way in the middle of the road.

    She then proceeded to run every red light she came to. Good job she was wearing a high vis and helmet...

    Posted 10 years ago #
  18. wingpig
    Member

    Man on the Roseburn had a rear light tucked at the back of his helmet hidden under his scarf, visible only from the side.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  19. Bhachgen
    Member

    Out on my fairly ancient MTB yesterday afternoon. I don't normally assume that roadies on pro-team kit are actual pros, but given I had just passed the abode of Sir Bradley of Wiggo I thought it could just be the man himself that I could see in the distance. On the basis that he could have got beehind with his laundry and been forced to head out in a 2-yr old GB Champs jersey from the bottom of the wardrobe...

    That scenario seemed less and less likely as I made up the ground pretty quickly but I still held out hope and told the unsuspecting dawdling MAMIL how disappointed I was when I passed him.

    Not bad cycling as such, more inappropriate clothing choice but how is it always those with loads of cash and minimal ability that buy the National and/or World Champs replica kit? Really does open them up for ridicule...

    Posted 10 years ago #
  20. deckard112
    Member

    @wingpig - these things can happen by themselves sometimes unbeknownst to the rider. I found my rear light obscured when I got home last night as my saddle bag had slipped down and dropped covering my rear light.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  21. Snowy
    Member

    Bloke on an old blue road/hybrid with fresh red handlebar tape who initially stopped at the red light on Ashley Terrace, and then decided to set off through it regardless.
    Bearing in mind those are temp lights reducing width to a single lane, I hope next time you meet something large and heavy coming the other way at speed.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  22. wee folding bike
    Member

    And I just noticed yesterday that my Brompton back light is broken. The voltmeter says it's getting Volts so I've ordered the B&M Line tec with a brake light. That's my second Brompton tail light which hasn't lasted a year. They don't let you spec anything else on the order form.

    Deutsche ordnung.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  23. wingpig
    Member

    Actually an instance of unexpectedly acceptable cycling, but there's no thread for that. The City-Sprint-logo-bagged presumed courier I generally mentally refer to as Never Knowingly Legal Man, who is more commonly spotted on the footway, going the wrong way along one-way streets or jumping lights, was cycling legally on the road along Queen Street westbound on Wednesday morning.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  24. Focus
    Member

    Monday, around 5:30pm, I'd nipped into the Dalry Lidl on the way home and joined Dalry Road from the car park. Looking to my right, I saw a hipster-type with black shirt and black baggy shorts sail through the red pedestrian light (with people crossing).

    I forget my exact words to him as he zoomed past but he then did that sort of "I'm free as a bird" wide weaving from side to side just before squeezing pat a stopped bus and traffic coming the other way. No sign of lights fitted either, so if he had much further to go than me he soon wasn't going to be too visible. Idiot.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  25. MrTea
    Member

    Cycling down the right hand side (attempting to avoid potholes) of the Leith walk bus lane yesterday, doing a reasonable pace (about 20mph). A chap on a road bike squeezed past between me and the traffic right next to me. There were millimetres between us. I caught up with him at the next set of lights and said 'that was a bit tight eh mate?' expecting a 'oh yeah, sorry about that. I misjudged it a bit' type reply then we could talk about the weather before moving on with our lives. Instead he laughed and completely ignored me. Numpty.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  26. allebong
    Member

    Leaving the bikestation this afternoon with someone just behind me also cycling out onto Causewayside heading North. I'm grinding my way up to the Grange Rd crossing with him behind me and note the lights have been green for some time, so expect them to change and ease off, sure enough they do change and I have to do a fairly hard but not white-knuckle brake. No problems.

    The lights are now at red and my foot is down, then the guy behind me decides the red isn't for him and goes past me on my left and then onto Grange Rd. If that's someone here, or someone who reads here, then sorry that wasn't acceptable in my eyes. Given the delay between me stopping and you going past, I'd evidently been going quite a bit faster but still managed to stop, you had to slow a lot for taking the corner anyway but still thought you'd slide round even though there's tons of peds waiting at the crossing.

    Yeah I know it's far from the worst cycling ever noted here, but it annoyed me all the same, as let's face it to the people there that was another RLJ cyclist, and god help us if someone had stepped out onto the crossing while he was going round and there was a collision....the fact I was stopped as was the cyclist opposite me going the other way wouldn't have been noticed I'm sure.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  27. wingpig
    Member

    I was turning right at the south end of Marchmont Road last night, so waited for the two cars and one bicycle I could see coming up Kilgraston. The cyclist turned out to be a roadie-thin man in a woollen-looking cap and a woollen-looking top. Although he looked potentially fast and was pedalling in a quite stylised way he was going more slowly than I had been planning to, but in case he turned out to be one of those get-you-back people I just stayed behind, as I was in any case undecided about whether to go up Whitehouse Loan or Greenhill Gardens. In the end I went all the way to the end of Strathearn Road, moving out to the right in plenty of time to head right. The man in front eventually looked back, signalled, moved over but then spoiled it by going the wrong way round the Keep Left sign. He similarly looked and signalled before going left up Chamberlain Road but neglected to observe the Stop sign and barely even slowed.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  28. Dangerous
    Member

    West Maitland Street - Lunchtime Tuesday March 11th.

    Wannabe Organ donor on hybrid or electric bike heading eastbound.

    Cyclist was heading east with a tram fairly close behind. Decided that it was best to move over to the westbound tram track to let the east bound tram past on their left.

    Cyclist then realised they were facing a head-on collision with a westbound airport bus and returned to the eastbound tram track again just in front of the tram.

    Tram driver anticipated this and went through the lights at Palmerston Place whilst the cyclist RLJ'ed and went up Torphichen street,

    Posted 10 years ago #
  29. ARobComp
    Member

    REminds me - was cycling up past Evans cycles and saw 3(!) bikes going the wrong way up the one way to East Fountainbridge so they could turn left/right at the end. I think they came from the student accommodation there. Cycled all the way up past the iceland while there was oncoming traffic. Do they just not realise that there is rules against this?

    Posted 10 years ago #
  30. Dangerous
    Member

    @ARobComp

    I saw 3 members of staff leave Evans. All three RLJ'd at Semple street and two did the exact same thing that you saw and went the wrong way up East Fountainbridge.

    What was that you said about rules ?

    Posted 10 years ago #

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