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CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » General Edinburgh
Today's rubbish walking
(230 posts)-
Posted 5 years ago #
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Walked in and out of town today. Had forgotten just how rubbish it is. Cars flying around at forty, gutters all full of filthy water getting sloshed onto the unwary. Pavements way too narrow. Just nasty.
Posted 5 years ago # -
The cycle lane at Haymarket is bad enough but yesterday in the rain, an older lady, heading towards town who was cutting across the taxi drop-off here swung a large shopping bag out into the bike lane as I approached. Bit like someone crossing on a red man and remonstrating with a driver going through a green.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Haymarket is a great place to spot twuntish road users of all flavours. You could probably tick most of them off in your eye-spy book (anyone else remember them?) in a couple of hours.
Yesterday, while waiting for a tram, I became aware of the siren of an emergency vehicle approaching along Haymarket Terrace from the west. At the same time, a trendy dude wearing big red headphones started to cross at the Haymarket Yards lights in a fashionably laid-back, no-hurry manner. The siren switched from slow to fast* and source - an ambulance - became visible, passing the stopped traffic on the wrong side of the road. Still Master Switched-On-Tunes continued his leisurely saunter across the road in front of it. Even when the ambulance driver gave him a big dose of his (admirably strident) horn, Mr Too-Cool-For-School did not appear to make any attempt to hasten his pace.
I'm not sure he was actually aware of the ambulance's presence even when it was practically on top of him. If he was, he was an utterly selfish, arrogant idiot. If he wasn't then he was just an idiot.
* Thanks to whoever posted that video of the emergency response driver the other week, I now know that little bit more about the tools that such drivers have at their disposal!
Posted 5 years ago # -
@ejstubbs
Spend some time at the Lady Road/Craigmillar Park junction. That's where ERI ambulances turn right for the Southside.
You ain't seen nuthin' yet bro.
Posted 5 years ago # -
I have to wonder what racket he was listening to that a siren didn't cut through it.
Posted 5 years ago # -
I rather suspect that he did hear the siren, but just DGAF. Or at least thought "I'll be across before it gets here", which is hardly the point. All the semi-armoured motor vehicles just stopped while the ambulance went by. The nice soft, squishy pedestrian didn't.
Funny how you can (or think you can) judge a person's demeanour from the way they walk...
Posted 5 years ago # -
In a totally slapstick moment, a chap carrying scaffolding poles along the pavement on Duncan St nearly wiped me out by turning himself and his load 90 degrees without checking the road was clear. I'd anticipated he might do it, luckily.
Posted 5 years ago # -
got an earful for turning left without indicating from Bruntsfield Place onto Bruntsfield Terrace. Pedestrian about to cross the road didn't see my indication and so walked out aggressively, chastising me for putting my child in danger. I tried to explain that it's not possible to turn with only one hand, but he just ranted further.
The reason this upsets me is that it was typical reactionary anti-cyclist behaviour - waiting on Bruntsfield place for pedestrians about to cross is completely infeasible due to the traffic potentially behind you - ordinarily, in other safer places I often stop and wait. So now unfortunately despite my attempts to remain calm and explain, I'm afraid I've just cemented his view that we are all reckless law-breakers.
Posted 5 years ago # -
@algo it seems to happen a lot, particularly at this time of year.
I sometimes think its because people have hoods up, quickly look/listen to ensure no car coming but miss us.
I almost took out a wee wummin the other day (in the frost) turning off Grange Road - similar to you, gave me daggers despite the fact I had signalled well ahead of the turn.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Thanks @Nelly, I appreciate the empathy. I'm annoyed with myself because I fell into the classic trap of thinking stopping to explain will do anything other than make everything much worse and more shouty. (In this case explain that one handed braking and slow speed turning is pretty tricky at best, and definitely foolhardy on a major road).
Posted 5 years ago # -
Around here it's hoods up and heads down
Got it the wrong way aroundPosted 5 years ago # -
@algo Think I passed you then on Bruntsfield Place. Could hear the raised voices and your bike but the ped was doing a good impression of a ninja, couldn’t see them at all. Peds like that are a nightmare, think a moment’s glance a foot from the kerb absolves them of all further care or attention. Given the number of cars who turn without any indication, it amazes me they survive long enough to get up in cyclists’ grills...
Posted 5 years ago # -
@Murun Buchstansang - almost a spot then :-) It was a childish spat really - he claimed I I didn't indicate, I claimed I did... handbags etc...
Posted 5 years ago # -
Tonight cycling along George Street, as I stopped at one of the pedestrian crossings to allow some pedestrians to cross, one member of the group decided to run over and shout that cyclists have to stop and obey the rules of the road. This was ironic given I was stationary before he even started shouting and running over to me, and yet the car that passed us both was very much in motion. All passed cheerily enough - something must have imparted some @gembo zen at some point today... potentially the virtually unblemished Boardman CX comp (yes really) I picked up donated to Bikes For Refugees from a generous Leither
Posted 4 years ago # -
I couldn't find and can't be bothered starting a today's rubbish running thread so this will have to do - I slowed down and rang my bell before passing under the canal bridge between Hermiston House Road and Gogar Station Road, but was startled by a runner who came hurtling towards me from the other direction when I was half-way through, resulting in me emergency braking and shouting involuntary. Luckily we managed not to collide and nobody ended up in the water either, somehow, but it was a fairly close call.
Posted 10 months ago # -
@jdp - people who are running are an interesting group of towpath users. Many of them travel nearly as fast as people on bikes, but seem to think they are pedestrians. Most I've seen don't appear to slow down on the blind bridges (or, as in your example, make their presence known). On the aqueduct a majority seem to expect to have priority over everyone, and to keep running past people walking, and to be given way to.
I don't know if I think that's right or not. Where does someone's who's running sit on the hierarchy of vulnerability: are they on the same level as me on a bike, or are they between me and the people who are walking?
Posted 9 months ago # -
Runners are faster over the aqueduct we should defer. Runners should not run down the white line on the meadows path That is a dick move
Posted 9 months ago # -
Two runnists on the NEPN this morning doing their best to take up the full width of the path. Approaching them from behind I stopped pedalling to slow down as I passed and used my stupid loud rear hub to alert them to my presence. They refused to move over to let me through, instead chirping that I should have a bell, despite hearing the hub and looking round to see that someone was there. FML.
Posted 9 months ago # -
That's an interesting application of a non-existant law.
Posted 9 months ago #
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