Safe Speed Forums

could also be titled, "There is a God"...

So, trundling to work today. Going past a school where they paint those nice yellow lines on the road that act as speed humps for bikes. I can see a few hundred metres ahead that the lights are red and theres a queue of cars.
As such, I decide to ride around yellow lines to save myself some jarring. Next thing I know Mr Angry is leaning on his horn. I've obviously held him up for about 1.3 seconds. So I get past the lines and move over. He's yelling abuse as he *rockets* away... and joins the queue.
So I ride up to him at the lights and say "hmm, that got you a long way". At this point he jumps out of his car, still screaming abuse and now threatening physical harm. Great. Not hanging around for that so I take off.
I figure if I gun it to the next intersection I'll be ok as nearly everyone turns right there.
What's this I see? Oh look, 2 police cars are parked about 50m past the intersection. Score! I check behind, and yes, it really is my lucky day. It seems Mr Angry has gone straight on. If only he would learn to look ahead!
I pull up to the BiB and say, "Guys, you may want to have a chat to this nutter" pointing at Mr Angry's car (a small white thing with a flower on the back!).
BiB1 wastes no time, jumps in front of him and asks him to pull over. BiB2, strangely wearing a Royal Mail jacket and carrying a post bag (I think it was some sort of a sting as it looked like they were bundling someone into car #2 when I pulled up), asks me what had happened and if I wanted to take it any further, saying that they'd be checking his details regardless.
"No, I think your chat will be enough to wake him up. Just ask him to calm down and give us cyclists a little bit of room."
Ahh. A happy start to the day after all.

Sorry, but were you on a motorcycle or a pedal cycle?

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

well I'm somewhat surprised you need to ask given what I've written, but I ride a bicycle.

On similar lines...

On my bike on the way to work, travelling down Stricklandgate past the Library in the cycle lane towards the lights at Sandes Avenue (before the redirection).

I'm passed by a green Punto, the fsp of which while in deep conversation with the driver flicks a lit cigarette out the window which hit and bounced off me. I shouted "OI!" at which she turned round, obviously realising what she had done, put her hand up to her mouth covering a slightly embarrassed smirk, but they continued down to the lights, stopping about three or four cars back at the lights.

Fuming (not literally), I pulled up alongside her window, and, trying hard to restrain myself, I asked if she had spent a long time practicing to be a prat, or was it something which just came naturally to her. Older sister in the driver seat leaned over and started to give me a load of verbal - "f**k off, it was just a f**king mistake, pick on someone who gives a f**k next time!"
"Quality attitude, good to see!" say I as I move forward to the lights, looking back to clock the reg plate.

The lights change to green, and I set off, only to be passed by the Punto again. This time the passenger shows the middle finger out of her window, at the same time as the driver indicates and turns right into Busher Walk (where the police station is). I slow down to watch what she intends to do and notice that they've parked outside the police station and passenger looks like she's going in to produce documents.

In I trundle into the back yard, get my kit on pronto, grab my oppo and run down to the front office. She's next in the queue, so I tell the counter officer that I'll sort this one out. She hands over her docs, producer shows she was in a collision the day before. Docs are OK, but she doesn't recognise me.

Because I knew about the accident from the day before (her fault), I asked her did she not think she was in enough trouble with the careless driving charge which was likely to be brought against her, that she was content to add to her woes by causing litter by throwing lit cigarettes out of cars at cyclists, then committing public order offences when pulled up about it - at the same time I showed her my middle finger to remind her of her actions. She looked up at me and wilted.

After a satisfactory dressing down I walked out to the car with her, and in earshot of the driver I said, "I just want a chat with your mother" "She's my sister" "Oh, right".

So sister got the same ticking off, and in a cursory check of her car we found a very illegal front tyre earning her £60 and three points.

There are times when I love my job.

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Fixed ideas are like cramp, for instance in the foot, yet the best remedy is to step on them.

Ian

ah, I often wish I could do that. Well, either that or being allowed to drive a tank on public roads. Instant punishment for junction creepers

Nice one Ian. Hard way for her to find out that courtesy comes a lot cheaper than giving someone a mouthful and finding out they're plod.

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Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler - Einstein

I concur. However, its such a shame that the other 99.99999999999% of all such encounters result in the oxygen thief with the stinking attitude disappearing unchastised having learned that giving someone a mouthful of abuse is the best way to solve issues or differences . No wonder this country is such a complete trainwreck

Johnsher,

I don't really think I am being thick as your post:

- uses the abbreviation "bikes" which can be used to describe either pedal cycles or motorcycles.
- uses the expression "gun it" which I don't immediately associate with pedal cycles.

I do have to admit, however, that you do use the word "cyclists" at the end which, although could be ambiguous, is clearly intended to refer to pedal cyclists.

And, yes, I agree that you got a good result with this rude individual.

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

Wasn't daveyboy was it ????

well that and I can't imagine too many motorcyclists having to avoid yellow paint because it's too bumpy - too slippery, maybe - or getting harassed for moving too slowly.


I just hope he learns from it.

so

Because they contributed square root of bugger all in this eejit having a severe talking to by the BiBs?

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Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler - Einstein

next time I'll try making a report to one of the nearby cameras and see what happens.

How in the name of gods underpants would the bird in the punto got her cumupence with a camera? Would the camera have beckened her over for a quite word in her shell like? Would the camera have noticed the dropped fag end? Would the camera have noticed the illegal tyre?

Do we have to spell it out?

night

I know, it may as well be though for the good you lot do for safety!

Oh, there's that defence again!! Maybe that is why you are a poor poor substitute for proper policing. Even if it was in your remit you'd be damn all use at it.

any body would think that SCP's have come in and every traffic cop has

no, just the majority of them - and you're a very poor substitute as the two cases mentioned here prove.

I can't match Ian's tale of comeuppance, best "there is a God" one I can manage offhand is this:

Four years ago we had just moved back to Kendal during the winter, and during a particularly vicious cold snap decided to take the kids for a walk to Fellfoot, as it was one of those gorgeous clear winter days.

Now the visitor car park there usually employs a one way system, but on this occasion they were only using one access road in and out, due to the amount of shot ice on the other. Big clue number one for any driver willing to take heed...

Ok, so in we go to the car park which slopes gently from left to right. I decide to park to the left, on the uphill side so's I don't get stuck. So I drive past the space and start to reverse uphill into it. Now it is very icy and my car is rear wheel drive, so obviously this is a bit tricky. So with some very very gently clutch work and a light application of the handbrake I manage to get enough traction to gently ease the car uphill into the space, but obviously very slowly.

...which it seems REALLY irritates this woman who is wanting to leave, and is being held up behind me. Whilst I'm manoeuvring she is gesticulating to me to hurry up, and even sounded her horn, presumably to chivvy me along. At the time I couldn't decide whether (1) she was one of these misguided individuals that believes higher revs = better traction, or (2) whether she was simply too inert to realise how slippery it was underfoot, but either way I carried on reversing gently into the parking space until she could get past. Which she did, whilst mouthing an obscenity at me.

At this point I realised that she fell into the category described by option (2) in the previous paragraph, as she punted off down to the end of the car park at what would have been a generous speed in dry conditions, let alone on a surface littered with shot ice. I got as far as saying "she'll never get round that cor..." as she shot into the hedge at the opposite end of the car park.

"Fantastic" I thought. Now I get to go and help her out of the ditch, and can smugly rub her nose in it in the process! But no - with the application of about 5000rpm and reverse gear she managed to drag the thing back up onto the road, albeit with a load of scenery embedded in the grille, a spectacular hole in the hedge and a comprehensively wrecked front bumper which was now fouling both the road and one front wheel.

Her shame must have been more than she could bear, as she never even got out of the car to inspect the quite considerable damage, but instead limped off out of the car park with the front spoiler scraping along the ground, driving past us with a firmly fixed "thousand yard stare"!

A couple of minutes later the Park Ranger came walking past and asked "Did you see that car that just left?", worried that a writ would be on its way, trying to pin the blame on the NT, despite the notice at the entrance warning about the slippery conditions. Needless to say, JT's independent witness service was more than happy to offer their help, should it be needed (it never was).

I tried to work out how many old proverbs covered that situation, but lost count...

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CSCP Latin for beginners...
Ticketo ergo sum : I scam therefore I am!