This solid central line on Girton Road is there for a reason. The law very clearly states that you must not cross the line unless you're passing either a stationary obstacle or a vehicle travelling at less than 10mph. I don't need to brag about routinely cruising at 20mph to get across the point. The idiot drivers who risk my life can see their own speed and make a sane observation.
It's just so clear that a) the line's there for a reason, b) should a vehicle approach head on you can bet your last dollar that the vehicle who's crossed the solid line to overtake a bike will pull in, to avoid the oncoming vehicle, and happily squash the bike they had no right to be overtaking in the first place!
This happens to me about once a month. :-(
Wednesday 10 March 2010
March 9th 2010
As dated above, the following vehicles drove straight through the Longstanton / Oakington airfield road, without stopping and thus violating the "No Motor Vehicles" road sign:
- W394MBJ
- GL03CRU Lilac Honda Civic overtook on sharp bend entering airfield road from Longstanton
- F951SMK Volvo blue 340
- PJ59TXR BMW grey
- AJ53NYK Ford S-max
- S584AVE
- RC04CHC Mazda red
- BL54YCR
- NH53NFP Micra grey
- VU05WFV Astra grey
- FL52LHH black
- A Police Car! I missed the plate
- AF56GXH Honda grey
- R608BDA Ford Fiesta red
- EN54WWE Seat grey
Magdalene Street and the Priority Misconception.
When I ride through the dip in Magdalene Street, having just come down Castle Street I very clearly have priority. Not only is there a huge sign telling me that I do, but you may spot the Give Way line and upside-down triangle on the other side of the dip, to let the oncoming traffic know that I have priority.
Well about once a week a car comes screaming through the dip straight at me. Today it was a bright red new model mini. As it approached the Give Way line I could see it wasn't stopping and I waved my arms at it wildly trying to tell it not to carry on into the frighteningly narrow and constricted dip. It didn't work and I had to skid to a virtual dead stop so that the car could go by without me crashing into the bollards that protect the pedestrians.
I think that just like the sign that's on my side telling me I have right of way, there should be a similar, but inversed, sign on the other side, as clearly a Give Way line just isn't explicit enough for the moron drivers in Cambridge.
Well about once a week a car comes screaming through the dip straight at me. Today it was a bright red new model mini. As it approached the Give Way line I could see it wasn't stopping and I waved my arms at it wildly trying to tell it not to carry on into the frighteningly narrow and constricted dip. It didn't work and I had to skid to a virtual dead stop so that the car could go by without me crashing into the bollards that protect the pedestrians.
I think that just like the sign that's on my side telling me I have right of way, there should be a similar, but inversed, sign on the other side, as clearly a Give Way line just isn't explicit enough for the moron drivers in Cambridge.
Tuesday 9 March 2010
Equal Opportunity Angry Cyclist
One thing that I chuckle about is that I'm just as likely to shout at another cyclist who's riding poorly as I am to shout at a driver of a vehicle who's driving poorly.
Take traffic lights, for instance. I detest it when a cyclist runs over a red traffic light. It especially annoys me when I'm doing the right thing and waiting at it at the stop line. They've come up from behind me, seen me waiting at the red light and clear thought the though look at that idiot, waiting at a red light like a lemon!.
Cyclists who run red traffic lights make all the other cyclists look bad. Since we're the minority, there's a requirement that we not stand out and make other road users think we're all damned idiots.
Though to keep things balanced I should add that my current pet peeve is car drivers who are driving along side a brightly coloured cycle lane full of bikes and then they slow down to let out some car trying to join the traffic (or worse, cross the lane to go the other way) from the left.
Why can't these drivers look in their mirrors and see if the car they're letting out would be driving straight into the path of a cyclist coming along the cycle lane behind them? What makes my blood boil about this particular infraction is that the driver doing the letting out has just driven past a whole heap of bikes and should bloody-well know that the cycle lane is full of bikes and that the car they're letting out is going to suddenly present a huge stationary metal wall to a fast moving bike.
Take traffic lights, for instance. I detest it when a cyclist runs over a red traffic light. It especially annoys me when I'm doing the right thing and waiting at it at the stop line. They've come up from behind me, seen me waiting at the red light and clear thought the though look at that idiot, waiting at a red light like a lemon!.
Cyclists who run red traffic lights make all the other cyclists look bad. Since we're the minority, there's a requirement that we not stand out and make other road users think we're all damned idiots.
Be warned: if you ride over a red light near me I will shout at you, to not do so! :-)
Though to keep things balanced I should add that my current pet peeve is car drivers who are driving along side a brightly coloured cycle lane full of bikes and then they slow down to let out some car trying to join the traffic (or worse, cross the lane to go the other way) from the left.
Why can't these drivers look in their mirrors and see if the car they're letting out would be driving straight into the path of a cyclist coming along the cycle lane behind them? What makes my blood boil about this particular infraction is that the driver doing the letting out has just driven past a whole heap of bikes and should bloody-well know that the cycle lane is full of bikes and that the car they're letting out is going to suddenly present a huge stationary metal wall to a fast moving bike.
March 8th 2010
As dated above, the following vehicles drove straight through the Longstanton / Oakington airfield road, without stopping and thus violating the "No Motor Vehicles" road sign:
- K917GAN
- N694SCU Peugeot blue
- P1RSA VW burgundy
- KU59AEV Truck
- AF06KYJ Toyota silver
- DS54NKP Astra
- LL51NYZ silver
- J7JLD Hyundai grey overtook on bend with oncoming traffic!
- EF06JXD Vauxhaul mpv blue
- KA07YJK VW Golf black
- AM51RGZ VW Beatle turbo black
- KE51HVW?
March 3rd 2010
As dated above, the following vehicles drove straight through the Longstanton / Oakington airfield road, without stopping and thus violating the "No Motor Vehicles" road sign:
- R917GAN Fiat black
- P482EFC Ford Escort blue
- KP53OHG Golf silver
- BK53TXB
- S414LER Renault Megane red
- GN06RWW Truck no missing rear license plate
- SC04WFE Peugeot 207 silver
- P834CAV VW Polo green
- AA08UVN Mini
- KY54WDA Peugeot grey
- WD04WZX Peugeot 307 blue
- KF54FLP Van white
March 4th 2010
As dated above, the following vehicles drove straight through the Longstanton / Oakington airfield road, without stopping and thus violating the "No Motor Vehicles" road sign:
- Y252UBF Vauxhaul Corsa
- KB05KNX BWM grey
- R371TFL Ford Escort estate blue
March 5th 2010
As dated above, the following vehicles drove straight through the Longstanton / Oakington airfield road, without stopping and thus violating the "No Motor Vehicles" road sign:
- B1MAW
- L999DAY Mercedes silver
- AC08CTY yellow
- AB08YFM Citroen red
- K892LTR
- E929MJD Micra grey
- P693RVL
Tuesday 2 March 2010
March 2nd 2010
As dated above, the following vehicles drove straight through the Longstanton / Oakington airfield road, without stopping and thus violating the "No Motor Vehicles" road sign:
- Y167HNP Vauxhaul Astra Van White
- YV02OYH Ford Focus Black
- AP02SKX Vauxhaul Corsa Blue
- AJ59CFZ
- MF57WRE
- AO55XUW
- AE04GZM
- KP07UUF VW Golf Black
- AE05NBX BMW Black, 1 series
- KJ04ZMK Citroen Picasa, grey
- KP57JUX Mercedes blue
- AP02SKX
Just one thing:
If you're close enough for me to hit your side window with my fist you're too bloody close, move away NOW!
There's this common event where a car decides to overtake me but doesn't care whether there's anything that's going to stop them from completing the manoeuvre. If this impediment is that there's traffic coming, it's even worse, because the end result is always that when the car is abreast of me, it sees the oncoming vehicle and simply pulls over to the left to avoid hitting it head-on. Of course all it then achieves is to drive into me, squashing me to the kerb and nearly killing me. A vehicle from the Wheelie Bin Cleaning company did this to me once, only it was their bin cleaning trailer that they drove into me!
There's this common event where a car decides to overtake me but doesn't care whether there's anything that's going to stop them from completing the manoeuvre. If this impediment is that there's traffic coming, it's even worse, because the end result is always that when the car is abreast of me, it sees the oncoming vehicle and simply pulls over to the left to avoid hitting it head-on. Of course all it then achieves is to drive into me, squashing me to the kerb and nearly killing me. A vehicle from the Wheelie Bin Cleaning company did this to me once, only it was their bin cleaning trailer that they drove into me!
February 30th 2010
As dated above, the following vehicles drove straight through the Longstanton / Oakington airfield road, without stopping and thus violating the "No Motor Vehicles" road sign:
- S900ACP Ford Focus Grey
- T810GNM Renault Laguna Gray
- P693RVL VW Golf Blue
- AM02O?F Toyota
- R842NMO Chrysler People Carrier Purple
- BU56FVO Ford Van White
- R833VAV Ford Escort Grey
- AJ51UEF Vauxhaul Corsa Blue
- SY59UHT White Van "Vulcan"
- LM53GVY
- GGS860 White Van - Italian Plate Vehicle - Overtook me on sharp bend at exit of airfield road, very scary
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