I think that stretch of pavement outside the old Mecca is/was signed as shared use, so the other cyclist was using probably using a correct route. I usually use the more obvious route you took i.e. staying on the red paint on the road until that drop kerb by the lights.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
Today's rubbish cycling
(4503 posts)-
Posted 8 years ago #
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It seems from streetview that the corner opposite (what used to be) Mecca Bingo has a toucan crossing. But it's a red man all the way back into the archives on streetview so I can't tell for sure. Are cyclists expect to use the pedestrian crossing on the corner and then split off from the crossing part way to use the separate dropped kerb on the other side?
Posted 8 years ago # -
That junction has never made any sense at all for me. There appears to be random dropped kerbs, cylist traffic lights and wide pavements which don't seem to tie up into a route.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Was me.
i can't even remember what I did, but it was only slightly silly and tragically my first thought afterwards was "that's one for the thread on CCE".
Posted 8 years ago # -
Me.
Went for a wee ride on the trails at the Forth Bridge last night, took a tight turn and got stuck. Couldn't get out my pedals and fell over onto some rocks.
A few grazes and a dead leg.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Shocking cycling from a young lad on Rodney Street who thought he would blow through the red at the pedestrian crossing there, very narrowly missing a small child. Hopefully the strips that his two friends tore off him will make him think twice in future.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Watched guy today jumping lights round the meadows. We got to the summer hall junction and he went through a red crossing west East on the green man, then took sharp right and crossed north South on the green man. Maybe he thought this more responsible than taking a diagonal across a wide junction in pedestrian phase. Curiously, despite waiting for the red to change to green at that junction and the next junction I still came up behind him at the commie pool where miraculously he was only slightly over the line smokey leaning on a traffic island waiting on the light to change.
I said nothing.
Earlier I was commiserating with mountain biker going into Harrison park but not sure he picked me up correctly? He had to stop for a young lad who was not fully in control of two dogs. His mother was chiding him. I felt compelled to point out that the bigger issue was that she had parked across the dropped kerb on double yellow lines. I believe she knew this but presumably felt they did not apply to her.
Then later in the morning coming down into town from craigmillar I used the new segregated path. I again got taken the wrong way by fellow cyclist when I pointed out that he had nearly been taken out by a driver turning right to go down St Leonard's without checking who was on the bike lane and that the next driver copied him and could have taken me out if I hadn't been giving him the hard stare
Posted 8 years ago # -
Hi Gembo - that might have been me at St Leonard's. Someone came up and said something to me that I missed when I was turning off down Rankeillor St. Was that you?
Posted 8 years ago # -
Myself last night in the pentlands.
Was cycling along the side of one of the reservoirs, missed the entry to a trail, saw some MTB coming towards me and assumed I had plenty of time - did a U turn and swung across and narrowly avoided being T-boned by the quick action of very quick MTB chap! Sorry!
Also forgot my lights so was a bit of a ninja cyclist on the WOL after a 2 puncture delay.
Posted 8 years ago # -
I've managed to find the chap (I think) on strava so have messaged to apologise. Felt really bad about that.
Posted 8 years ago # -
I was a pedestrian on the WoL last night. Much bell tinging, eye contact and greeting later on, but some quite rubbish cycling from silent speedster commuters between five and six.
I see that it's standard practice for buffoons to charge flat-out at the cobbled rise on Hawthornbank Lane.
Posted 8 years ago # -
@IWRABTS I did indeed pass you using my loud rear hub as a bell as I don't tend to use that section on the racing bike but having been caught out without lights and being VERY late for me tea I was there. I did say hello and thanks to you and your dog controlling friend!
Posted 8 years ago # -
"...using my loud rear hub as a bell..."
I'm glad I'm not the only one to do that - Hope hubs are brilliant at the job (though I do have a bel, and use it where it seems it'll be more useful, and retract everything I've said in the past about bells being rubbish - I do miss it when I'm on the cross bike).
Posted 8 years ago # -
Alas! ARobComp, I blanked you! I boil with shame.
Posted 8 years ago # -
"...using my loud rear hub as a bell..."
I'm glad I'm not the only one to do that
Me too, although my newish hubs are way quieter than the old campag ones. I now resort to flicking my gear levers to give pedestrians a gentle somethings-approaching sensation. It's all a bit The Longest Day...
Posted 8 years ago # -
Another with a satisfyingly clicky rear hub which serves a useful purpose on the paths. Though my default speed setting on shared paths is "disgustingly sensible" so slowing to a little over walking speed and a gentle "on your right" or similar is my usual MO.
Posted 8 years ago # -
The rear hub is generally for when I'm going a bit slower, and there's maybe just one person ahead, so I'm not really asking them to move to let me past, rather just alerting them to my presence 'gently'.
The bell I use if there's a group ahead. It's heard from much further away and gives plenty of time for people to organise themselves, rather than having to jump clear.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Me - although properly confounded by our fair city's infrastructure by the left hand turn at the bottom of the mound onto the 'shared use' path onto Princes Street. In my defence, it was difficult to see around the pole next to said section given it's now been wrapped around with metre-wide advertising boards for the festival... I know, I know, I should have made the assumption there was someone there...
Elsewhere, the cycle path at Potterrow has just been appropriated as a pedestrian path. I fortunately had enough speed to stay ahead of the taxi who was keen to reach the next set of lights.
Posted 8 years ago # -
I cycled round that bit of Potterow this morning and knowing it was cut off later I just cycled out in the middle of the lane round the corner, a truck bearing down on me from behind. But I'll be damned if I'm sticking to the lane round the corner, then have to move right into the traffic lane with cars coming from behind round a blind corner and not expecting a cyclist to be right there.
Again, just a sign before the corner warning cyclists the lane would end, and warning drivers to look out for cyclists, would have been so easy....
Posted 8 years ago # -
PS, so if you hear an answering rear hub you still need to be careful.
Posted 8 years ago # -
@coxy, sounds like we did coincide. I am going to be wary on that stretch in future with two cars in a row turning right across the lane regardless of whether the cyclists were there or mot
Meant to say that exchanged nods with arobcomp and his Ridley at roseburn Monday morning
Posted 8 years ago # -
I was out riding recently with some folk who i am sure consider themselves exceedingly polite cyclists. everytime they approached a ped, the bell was rung with great clarity and vigour.
horrible.
Posted 8 years ago # -
A disappointingly pointless person yesterday evening gave me a very close pass (whilst chuffing and puffing and straining), which I didn't quite catch on camera as I'd just switched it off to retain the close pass from PX Stone Restoration's ute. Earlier clips show that it was the same chump who tried to nose in front from the ASZ at Morrison St./Morrison Link. After passing closely to my right he ceased his wobble-grunting and unseated drop-clutching, slowed down to somewhat slower than I had been planning on going and moved to the extreme left of the roadway, thence requiring to move outwards for several parked vehicles and the weird shape of the road by Orwell Place. I maintained primary but stayed back and slow to reduce the risk of him doing another stupid overtake. At the Dalry/Gorgie Road ASZ he hove to on my left, as I was going to Gorgie Road and had gone round the right of the stationary traffic. He then failed to look at the lights (or didn't know where he was going) and had to get beeped before he set off and wibblepuffed up Ardmillan.
Posted 8 years ago # -
I do undergo a complex mental calculation every time I approach a pedestrian on a shared path as to whether I ring my bell or not - taking into account the width of the path, how much meandering they are doing, whether they have dogs or children with them, whether they are between the ages of 15 and 50 (likely to have earphones in so you might as well not bother) and how much ambient noise my bike is generating anyway. Then, if the outcome is favourable, the bell gets rung from as far back as possible in the hope of it conveying the message 'hello, there is a friendly bike rider behind you who will be passing you at a slow speed but doesn't want you to jump out of your skin' and not 'Clutch your children to you and get out of my way!!!'
I still get it wrong half the time, apparently.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Have been withour bell for 6 months but have just purchased another one. The bell/no-bell and agressive/non-agressive dilemma is a pain on shared paths.
Once on the FC/Zoo junction on Pinkhill path, I slowed right down and waited behind some peds who were dallying. I thought the bell would be agressive and so would trying to barge past. So when the chap realised I was behind them, turned round and started swearing at me. So we can't win.
I told him what I thought of him, though.
Posted 8 years ago # -
I do the exact same mental calculation described by sallyhinch when on shared paths. The best approach for me, whether dinging a bell or not, is to slow down to a reasonable speed, overtake, sport a large smile and wave thanks. The nervous walkers see that you are not a speed turnip and shouty types get confused at someone being nice at them.
Posted 8 years ago # -
"shouty types get confused at someone being nice at them"
This should be lesson one in primary school. It's a universal law, and one which I cottoned on to too late in life.
Posted 8 years ago # -
I fear the use of bells has been tarnished by the inappropriate use of car horns.
These are rarely used for the correct purpose of "needing to warn other road users of your presence", instead they are largely sounded to convey various aggressive concepts: "get out of my way", "WTF are you doing?", "how dare you?", "up yours" - in effect, dissing the recipient, as the kidz (used to) say. I think a lot of peds assume bells are used in the same way, so feel their right to exist is being questioned and hence their reaction.
Of course, bellends ringing their bells in the same manner as the bad carhorners do not help either.
Posted 8 years ago # -
made a judgement call today on the canal towpath, ped was looming up, thought I might have room to pass without any mishap, but unfortuately ped then started drifting rightwards over the mid line, i stated drifting too but obviously mindful of the water. I startled the poor wpman and she called me stupid.
I think if I had rung my bell (which I am using as an indicator that I am there, not a get out of my way sort of ting a ling at all) ped would have been startled too as a. topography of the bends in the path meant we came across each other more sharply than say at a long straight bit and b. I think given the unconscious drifting she had disengaged her attention
I said nothing. On leaving towpath all the traffic lights I approached instantly turned green.
Later on way through Drummond place I came across the old cross dresser that use to rent the boats at Harrision Park in car with his long suffering driver companion. He could not sit in the passenger seat and close the door, his arms not being long enough as the door was akimbo. I asked if he would like me to close it for him and he said yes please and thank you for cycling on the road.
Posted 8 years ago # -
astute observation by PS I think - there are direct analogies with the conflict and misunderstanding between cyclists and cars, and pedestrians and cyclists. I am a supporter of strict liability as it establishes where the burden of responsibility lies, and what the strict order of vulnerability is. In the same way, bullying behaviour by cars to cyclists -- i.e. using horns and punishment passes, transitively exist in the bullying behaviour of some cyclists to pedestrians (evidenced by recent videos in the rubbish cycling thread).
Unfortunately there is no predictably offense-free way of alerting your presence to all path-users - this much is clear from all the comments above. I have had both appreciation and disdain for both using and not using my bell. I'm not sure there is an answer, but my motivation for using or not using the bell is usually to mitigate any surprise -- almost impossible in some cases, e.g. headphone wearers.
Equally, sometimes cars using their horns correctly as misconstrued by cyclists as being bullies.
Posted 8 years ago #
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