CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!

Today's rubbish cycling

(4520 posts)

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  1. steveo
    Member

    Personally I used to drive by sidelights quite happily but the new street lights are far more spotlightly and have much less spill on to the road. They're fine for pedestrians they're not great for unlit objects on the road.

    But its not about looking our for unlit objects its about insufficient lumens to pick out people amongst the flood of badly configured overly powerful headlights on modern (mostly German) cars. And while pedestrians may not be shamed for not wearing headtorches, there is plenty of suggestion that runners need be light up like christmas trees (on here too at times) and the tragic situation where kids are covered in high vis when ever they leave the school.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  2. fimm
    Member

    I hate those LED things on cars. If I were dictator, I'd ban them.
    Yesterday evening there was a bin lorry stopped on the wrong side of the road with its lights on, and I was faffing about hoping that I'd be visible against it to anything coming along behind me (I have a perfectly good rear flashing light, but I wasn't sure how well that would stand out, even).

    Posted 8 years ago #

  3. Min
    Member

    Fimm, amen to that. They look so stupid and just add to the dazzle.

    Dougal t's perfectly possible to walk out in the evening lit by streetlights -

    I am not trying to be facetious (for once) but have you seen those new spot streetlights? They make it very hard to see the pavement ahead of you in the gaps and you can't see what you are about to step in. They are horrible. I am seriously considering keeping a torch about me to walk along my street at night.

    Edit-And Amen to everything Steveo just said.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  4. dougal
    Member

    It seems that I live in the technologically backward area of town where street lights are still turned on by lamplighters at dusk! (Facetious Levels registering non-zero.)

    Posted 8 years ago #

  5. piosad
    Member

    > Is the Dundee Terrace to Harrison Gardens off-road path of any use to you?

    Now that's an idea. It's a bit of a roundabout for us to get to the Dundee Terrace end (suboptimal when running late as you tend to do with two kids...) and you still have crossings to negotiate but it's safety in numbers territory at Margiotta. Had there been access from the path to Ashley Terrace it would have been ideal but honestly this hasn't occurred to me before for whatever reason – duh, thanks!

    Posted 8 years ago #

  6. chdot
    Admin

    "have much less spill on to the road. They're fine for pedestrians"

    Many years ago I was doing 'safe routes to school' stuff at Royal High.

    There were some concerns about the long driveway and the fact that the pavement wasn't well lit - obviously the street lights were over the roadway (and the pavement is set back behind a grass verge).

    I suggested turning the cantilevered heads round, which CEC though was a good idea.

    Unfortunately the tops of the poles were triangular so it was decided not to bother.

    I went by recently. Poles and lights renewed. Lights still over roadway.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  7. kaputnik
    Moderator

    but have you seen those new spot streetlights? They make it very hard to see the pavement ahead of you in the gaps and you can't see what you are about to step in.

    I noticed this when they replaced the lights on the NEPN from Red Bridge to Ravelston or thereabouts. The lights shine a very bright pool of light below the pole, but it is too focussed, without enough spill so there are dark spots between each light. Going LIGHT;DARK;LIGHT;DARK really isn't helpful, it's more than the human eye can cope with and the overall night vision experience is worse than it would have been with olde-fangled low-power sodium lights.

    A bit less focus and a bit more spill would greatly improve things.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  8. twinspark
    Member

    Happened to be in car tonight taking son to football. Coming down Shandon Place, a cyclist pulls out in the distance. No problems far enough away.

    OK not cycling too fast. They've come out into a strong primary. That's fine OK I just ease off, they clear the traffic island and I will get past.... only after clearing the island, they pull to the crown of the road. OK are they turning right onto foot crossing? No. Going over to a flat door? No.

    OK lights are at red of junction with Slateford Road. OK they've ignored the red light, have sailed over both sets of crossing studs and have stopped at the extreme right in the right hand lane.

    Green filter comes on, I prepare to head off and they do also - but they're turning right? No!The cut across my front - I'm afraid provoking use of the horn - and now are following white centre line of Slateford Road.

    I wait until 2 completely separate lanes before passing on inside.

    During all this, they never looked behind them, signalled or appeared to be aware of the presence of any other road users.

    Maybe she was a student - looked like a supermarket "Mountain Bike" rear tyre looked low. Anyway as a cyclist, I'm bike aware - she may not last too long on Edinburgh's mean streets amongst the EEN brigade!

    Posted 8 years ago #

  9. wingpig
    Member

    Racing-turnip trying to play a game of mudguards down the hill from Pollock to Rockstar, after speeding up to catch up to me after I emerged from Parkside. Volubly requested to desist and back off or get past, but he didn't. If he likes pretend racing why would he hang off the wheel of a heavily-laden bike whose operator didn't even bother to engage the largest chainring?

    Posted 8 years ago #

  10. cc
    Member

    I was out last night in the car with the other half. Darkness, lots of rain, heavy traffic, loads of buses, parked cars galore, etc. Quite a few hardy souls were out cycling. Lots of them seemed to have no lights. One idiot particularly enterprising bloke was cycling an unlit bike down the wrong side of Home Street from the King's Theatre towards Tollcross. In the dark, in rain, in heavy traffic.

    I suppose it's no coincidence that the students have just started back at the universities.

    I don't like the "blame the victim" mentality, but honestly, please make some effort to be seen through wet windscreens in the dark. Those who did have lights were definitely noticeable.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  11. Klaxon
    Member

    Me wobbling home this morning in almost darkness on a road bike with clipless pedals that I've not ridden in 12 months, normal shoes, no lights (just about justifiable but still rather would have had them)

    Nothing too dangerous but not the level of comfort I've been accustomed to on a fat tyred steel framed city bike. Considered getting myself checked out for HAVS after suffering over the cobbles on Calton Rd.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  12. wingpig
    Member

    "clipless pedals that I've not ridden in 12 months, normal shoes"

    I accidentally ended up in normal trainers on a pair of M540 clippypedals in the sudden downpour last Sunday. I was fortunately only going to Porty and back along non-motor infrastructure and wasn't in a rush but it's a useful reminder to go non-clipless every now and then, the same as how cycling when under the influence of viral infection is good for maintaining empathy with slower people.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  13. Fountainbridge
    Member

    Cyclist through red light on Princes Street almost colliding with taxi

    https://youtu.be/bhah1zrfAJg

    Posted 8 years ago #

  14. davidsonsdave
    Member

    Ninja cyclist in the pitch dark of the Barnton Link path a little before 11pm last night. Fortunately I was able to make them out and had already slowed down in case there were any ninja dog walkers about.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  15. Stickman
    Member

    Cyclist came out of Roseburn Gardens this morning without looking right and went straight into my path. I had to shout, pull on the brakes and swerve behind her. No harm done as we were both on bikes but if either of us were in a car then it would have been a very different story.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  16. jules878
    Member

    11pm last night I had joined pavement just below "squiggly path" and was about to turn right when cyclist came flying down the steep bank from the Roseburn Path above (the direct route without using squiggly path).

    He almost crashed into me, and I was quite shaken by the experience.

    :-(

    Posted 8 years ago #

  17. Greenroofer
    Member

    Me. I'd stopped at the temporary lights at Myreside heading south (as an aside, the two cars behind me as the lights changed went through the lights on red: I'm assuming they were actually cyclists in disguise). The lights went green. I did my lifesaver look before moving off and noted two bikes behind me. Knowing that the ascent of Craighouse Hill was coming up, and knowing that this was the last commute on the summer bike, and knowing that I had two bikes behind me, I thought I'd give it some beans. Not all my beans, but definitely quite a few.

    I have climbed that hill over 1,500 times in over six years of commuting. I've spent a summer doing interval training. I'm fully recovered from a 500 mile bike ride, so there is a certain amount of power in my legs. I fully appreciate that I'm not as quick up it as some people on here (Uberuce, I'm looking at you, in particular, and Hankchief I would be looking at you but I don't know if you've set a time up that hill) but I'm definitely quite quick at it.

    As I got to the top, I did a shoulder check before turning off and noted that one of the two cyclists was still right behind me. I mean right on my wheel behind me, rather than coming up the hill behind me.

    So the rubbish cycling was me and my excess of hubris.

    If you were the chap in a blue top who followed the fool in head-to-toe B'Twin gear up the hill this evening, I doff my grey Vulpine cap to you.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  18. gembo
    Member

    Nice story Greenroofer, alas I have fallen out with vulpine and will not be sporting the matching grey cap

    Posted 8 years ago #

  19. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @Greenroofer

    I always check for electric assist now, after the Minto Street Incident (me coughing a lung into a lady's wicker basket).

    Posted 8 years ago #

  20. algo
    Member

    I encountered someone doing less than 4 mph up the mound on a very fancy looking mountain bike, in entirely the wrong gear, hence at an unbelievably low cadence. Quite impressive he managed to stay upright, but unbelievably irritating to follow - he was all over the place. I had the trailer and was loathed to slow down so was pretty much forced to either give up and stop, or go for it and overtake - I did the latter, unfortunately at the same time as the appropriately titled "Necrobus" tried to overtake me over the junction with Market Street; appropriate both for its appalling driving and the sheer amount of particulates we all inhaled...

    Posted 8 years ago #

  21. Stickman
    Member

    algo: was it a grey-haired man on the mtb going up the mound? If so, might be the same guy I saw on Friday going in the outside lane on Lothian Road in the wrong gear at walking pace. I was genuinely worried for him going at that speed amongst traffic.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  22. algo
    Member

    @Stickman - no this guy was probably in his 30s and shaven headed. I'm fairly sure it was a good hard-tail mountain bike - with *I think* XT groupset - which seemed incongruous with someone not being able/knowing how to ride it. I say no more.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  23. Klaxon
    Member

    I had a colleague like that. Had a fancy MTB but didn't know how to lock off the hydraulics for road riding (until shown) and went everywhere at the downhill end of the gearing.

    Cycling is supposed to be hard don't you know.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  24. Stickman
    Member

    algo: ah, the guy I saw was in his lowest gear yet still doing a low cadence.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  25. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    There's a guy makes his way to our local pharmacy every morning by 'mountain' bike. He's the slowest and possibly also the friendliest cyclist in all Christendom. I have no idea why he doesn't just fall over - perhaps he floats on optimism and good cheer? His appearance suggests he has cycled himself out of somewhere pretty bleak.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  26. piosad
    Member

    I was waiting a good way back from the cycle box at the King's Theatre junction this morning because a big articulated lorry was signalling right (though it was actually in the left lane, probably to give itself space to turn), so I left a good amount of empty space in front of me. Someone felt the need to pass me at high speed and very closely to avoid the oncoming car on their right, though the light was still red. Good thing they didn't have to swerve at that moment.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  27. jdanielp
    Member

    Upon reaching the King's Theatre junction this evening as it was starting to become reasonably dark, I realised that my rear light had switched off at some point on the towpath. I tried switching it back on again but it didn't last long. It is now on charge to avoid a repeat performance.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  28. Rob
    Member

    It's that time of year again ...

    [+] Embed the video | Video DownloadGet the Flash Video

    Posted 8 years ago #

  29. Hopey
    Member

    Have to confess it was certainly me giving cyclists a bad name last week. Knackered from work, rushing to a meeting. Backpack was too far up my back and took the casing from a van side mirror off on the way up Leith walk whilst foolishly trying to squeeze through the road works. Offered to pay but driver wasn't too fussed, thankfully (work's van).

    Then at George street I was half asleep waiting at lights and saw them go green. Cycled forward almost into a pedestrian who shouted "THE GREEN MAN'S ON." I was looking at the wrong set of lights.

    Couple of weeks ago almost went into someone with a lovely CAADX Tiagra model coming out of the innocent railway as I stupidly sped round the corner into it. New brakes were well and truly bedded in after that. Lesson learnt. Apologies.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  30. SRD
    Moderator

    @hopey a LOT of us have been caught out/seen others caught out by those George st lights. talk abut bad design!

    Posted 8 years ago #

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