Sorry, this is a rant, and its contents could indeed have been spread twixt "Today's Rubbish Cycling..." and the earlier driving equivalent. However as it all happened on the same journey I feel justified in concentrating my firepower here.
Is there something about Friday afternoon/evening between 4:30pm and 7pm when it comes to idiotic, impatient and dangerous behaviour in/on wheeled vehicles? Okay, don't answer we all know there is.
Incident 1: 4.30pm, waiting on the tandem (solo) in ASL at traffic lights on McDonald Road/Leith Walk. Cyclist pulls up in very small space to my left. That is annoying enough, but then when ped phase starts he undertakes, bunny hops up onto the pavement at the junction to turn left and thus bypass red light. I shake my head and wait for the green light a few seconds later (they don't give peds much time do they).
Incident 2: In the process of ferrying No.1 son to football training on Leith Links, we have to navigate roundabout at foot of Easter Road. Momentarily clear, we go round the roundabout, I check for cars sneaking in from left as two lanes feeding in from Duke St. I indicate very clearly and deliberately with my arm fully out that we are turning left at next turn off to Leith Links. Still a stupid woman in a silver Toyota tries to run into us: she is in the left hand lane, cannot apparently see us even though we are directly crossing her path and indicating. I start yelling "HEEEEEEYYYY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" at about 1000dB. We are so close to her driver window that even though it is shut, she hears me, looks me right in the eye, and brakes. Thank goodness for that. Safe to ride another day, we carry on down East Hermitage Place.
Incident 3: Having returned from football and dropped No.1 son off at home, I am trundling solo on the tandem alomg Brunswick Road. Approaching the lights, a guy on a drop handlebar racer (slicked back DA hairstyle, yellow windproof jacket, orange builder's hi-viz waterproof trews) overtakes, immediately CUTS ME UP AND DISMOUNTS RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. I'm going downhill. On a tandem. It is big, and quite heavy. Thank the stars for disc brakes, eh? I brake sharply, and say, calmly as he heads to the pavement: "Next time, I'll crash into you, idiot."
Incident 4. Just past the aforementioned junction, we have the infamous McDonald Road cycle lane cut-through in a built-out pavement. I'm watching traffic for signs of left hooking me while they turn without indicating into Hopetoun Crescent. Not this time. A van slows to my right as we approach the build-out. Looking ahead, I see a driver walking round her car, parked to the left of the cycle lane, just in front of the cut-through. I get closer. She looks straight at me, then reaches for her driver door. I yell "Don't open that door!" She looks straight at me again, and OPENS THE DOOR RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. Thank the stars for disc brakes, once more. Brake, swerve to the right. Luckily the van to my right is already moving around the build-out. As I swerve back towards the cut-through past her still wide open door, I tell her she is a Stupid Cow. Quite measured I thought, in the circumstances.
Alas I quite often have to cycle with my eldest child at this time on a Friday. Stupid O'Clock.
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