Safe Speed Forums

I see them fairly often on the Dorset Way. Although I think they tend to be APCs rather than tanks, but still...

And I wouldn't call it a city road. Yet. They seem to be destroying it so it might become one.

Strangest time was when there was an APC in lane 1, I was in lane 2 about to overtake it and I noticed a couple of guys in the middle of the road fiddling with a street lamp. The middle can't be more than 2m from one side to the other! I decided it'd probably be best to slow down a tad and wait til I got past them. Of course this was a NSL road so maybe I should have continued past at 70mph...

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Andrew.

More daft or perceived pressures which people foist on themselves or even have foisted on them by bosses in the case of the sales reps.

One example from collegues in neigbouring Northumberland.

Woman driving kids to Newcastle. She intended to have lunch then take her daughters to a ballet class. Apparently some tiff broke out within the vehicle. Was something of a non-issue to me as a mere male But one of the kiddies had forgotten her kit and the mother refused to turn back. She dumped the kids on the dual carriageway and my colleagues did her for neglect.

This is of course an extreme case. of course. But at its nub, if you like -

- we have the "impatience" or the "stress caused by setting an impossible timetable for yourselves which leads to your making fatal mistakes or committing unfathomably daft acts when temper tantrums get the better of you because of setting unrealistic deadlines and targets within your own time management.

We all have to be at work for exactly the same start time of a morning. Seems daft when we can apply flexi-time/shift time or even work from home given the internet/e-mail and closer globalised economies these days That would relieve some of the pressure - especially if more used a flexi-time approach whereby people were not docked or reprimanded for being 5 minutes late.

I think this adds to the stress levels quite significantly.

As for 20 mph limits on residentials? That's not a problem to most responsible drivers who would be choosing that speed anyway given the humps/parked cars etc. But sadly, the rat runners and boy racers and wheely performing freaks - spped cams/humps do not deter them. Like the mobile phone law and drink drive laws - we really do need the personal touch and it would help if we ditched the targets set for "arrests" which undermine the collective team work.

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Take with a chuckle or a grain of salt
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Meaning lost in translation.

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Occasionally slightly trollish.

Anywhere near Bovingdon and it could be anything from a Mk. I to a Challenger II. Bovingdon tank museum is the coolest place on earth.

Tanks are fun but a bit hyperbolic here, please ignore my tank post.

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Occasionally slightly trollish.

That's Bovington. Bovindon is somewhere else.
Always fun coming round the corner to find one! Then getting waved on by the navigator(?) even though you can't really see properly...

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Andrew.

Exactly! I remember a study which scientists did many years ago on overcrowding, using the humble rat and guinea pigs etc. The research showed conclusively that too many animals in too confined a space resulted in abhorrent behaviour - in every case!

The human animal is no different. We make excuses; "he cut me up", "she's taking forever to pull out, for God's sake get on with it" etc. etc. But it's all born out of frustration from overcrowding and it manifests itself as inconsiderate or dangerous driving.

The roads are simply an extension of our environment which we all have to use and our contempt for others for 'being in our way' shows in peoples driving.

Desmond Morris moment over...

PS. I use the drawing bit in MS Word to do basic flow charts. It works okay.

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

Dondare. I know IG's more than capable of fighting his own quarter with an intimate knowledge of the law up his sleeves


But in his defence - I must ask what you say is "stress" per your post.

For example - been to umpteen market days abroad. It was a crush and very intimidating to me in a throng of people in which my steps were determined by sheer two-legged volume. Not pleasant experiences. OI felt claustrophic/crushed/overwhelmed by a surge of people who "propelled me along the market" if you like. I can say I do not feel this same "fear" in Keswick or on other local market days.


However, I take my sons to football matches and feel this same surging volume mob threat to me and mine. It's not "anarchy" but a crowding surge threat if you like. I am trying to be honest as to "gut feeling" here


I must say that on the odd occasion whereby I weave/filter or jam... I feel "smug" when I weave past the standing traffic. I do know from my own experience of being a driver in a static jam that a stress level can rise.

Dondare in fairness to IG ) and I do admit to a family loyalty as I do know the bloke as my wife's cousin) - I think he just accepts why some get all lathered up in a queue. If traffic is congested, heavy and thus slow moving, then I don't see it as a "threatening situation to me". I don't quite see what you are cycling after or trying to say here


I mean .. I find riding in slow queue very much safe. I do not feel upset if overtaken on fast rural.

I feel more insecure if driver hover behind when an overtake is perfectly safe - when I know/see the unwiser decision which does not result in a tragedy but a "near miss" I'd rather them pass than risk them trying it on at a pinch point further on.

It does not at all make me "feel any more confident about the safety of me and mine to be honest " if they hover up my backside for too long.

(Edited cos I rushed the post without reading or thinking as one of the kids was "leaping" on my lap at the time )

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But the real message? SMILE.. GO ON ! DO IT! and the world will smile with you!
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Exactly. (I use the drawing bit in MS Word as well )

But I do not know if Dondare means he finds cycling in jammed up crawling mass of traffic stressful or whether he is observing that those in those queuing cars appear to be stressed by the fact they ain't moving.

People make errors borne out of frustration. Part of the problem caused by setting ourselves impossible targets and not allowing sufficient margin in case of a hold-up - and another from all having to be at work for exactly the same times each morning.

Personally, I don't find filtering and jamming my way past queuing cars that stressful. I keep alert for someone who may change lanes on me as I weave past them either on bicycle or motorbike.

I don't actually like the sensation of cycling on a fast dual carriageway as I find folk pass me far too close for my comfort on such roads (Am in secondary in these conditions. ) But can be "worryingly close" at times. - then there's the matter of slip stream from the faster vehicles too.

_________________
Take with a chuckle or a grain of salt
Drive without COAST and it's all your own fault!

A SMILE is a curve that sets everything straight (P Diller).

A Smiley Per post
FINES USfor our COAST!

Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon - but driving with a smile and a COAST calm mind.