anagallis_arvensis - some shocking driving there. It must be infuriating to report and get fobbed off like that. Making it up as they go along?
I am lucky that my commute is only a couple of miles of relatively quiet roads but I still see selfish behaviour from drivers on a regular basis.
Self driving cars are being developed so the next logical step would be for people to order a car when they need one rather than owning one that sits idle 90%+ of the time. This would result in fewer vehicles and so less demand for parking and charging infrastructure. The size of the vehicle that turns up would be appropriate to the number of people travelling – no more single occupants of oversized 4×4’s clogging up the roads.
This is the only real solution I can see, really.
Just nipping into town, A Citroen c1 type thing will turn up, more people plus luggage etc, you can order bigger vehicles on a sliding price scale per mile.
The vehicles simply return to regional/town hubs for recharging/cleaning/servicing etc. if required, or it's off to the next customer.
Automated taxis, basicaly.
Of course the price would have to be competetive with owning/servicing/fueling your own private car.
Here is another, TVP did not view it in time to proceed!
I suppose that ties into the wider picture of underfunded police forces... the footage needs to be reviewed by a human etc.
Self driving cars are being developed so the next logical step would be for people to order a car when they need one rather than owning one that sits idle 90%+ of the time. This would result in fewer vehicles and so less demand for parking and charging infrastructure.
Not going to happen and it'd result in more cars, not fewer - all sitting there waiting to be called out, all circling around.
It gets brought up all the time as this pie-in-the-sky "technical" solution to anyone actually doing anything to sort bad driving, bad roads, lack of cycle infrastructure... Problem is that politicians believe it all too and start looking to AI and giving money to weird start-ups looking to sell this snake oil. What they actually want to do is maintain the status quo; all carry on driving everywhere and rely on this mystical future "thing" to save us.
Get the same kind of thing in climate denial. We can all carry on as we are because at some undefined point in the future we'll have carbon capture and sustainable aviation fuel and magic fairies fixing it all.
It gets brought up all the time as this pie-in-the-sky “technical” solution to anyone actually doing anything to sort bad driving, bad roads, lack of cycle infrastructure… Problem is that politicians believe it all too and start looking to AI and giving money to weird start-ups looking to sell this snake oil. What they actually want to do is maintain the status quo; all carry on driving everywhere and rely on this mystical future “thing” to save us.
It won't be publicly funded when it does come about, It'll be Amazon or Uber or some co-lab between several tech giants.
People are not going to start driving better, or stop using mobile phones and the police cannot enforce existing laws effectivley, that much is true, so what's your solution, - who are so wise in the ways of science?
I've had numerous incidents but I've always been conflicted about reporting them and, ultimately, never have (although our local police force have a page to upload footage).
On the one hand I feel that we owe it to each other to help make the roads safer for more vulnerable road users but on the other I can't help feeling that getting someone in trouble who's already not the most considerate driver might actually turn them into a more vindictive, cycle hating moron more likely to act up around cyclists.
Here are a couple of mine from over the years:
That close pass by the van towing the black car is shocking. The trade team beer hgv is also up there.
Our local bobby , yes we have one of those again like the 80s, is pretty good.
Responds to emails , monitors the curtain twitching Facebook group, and is starting to become proactive.
One of the yoofs has removed all the silencers from his shite box fiesta. Unfortunately for this lad his driving style has put him on the watch list. Being a helpful chap and living a few hundred meters from said yoof I emailed the pc with the number plate and apparently the wheels are in motion to deal with the issue.
(although our local police force have a page to upload footage)
Mine doesn't, but that goes for the whole of Scotland - and I've just read (think it was in Cycling UK's magazine) that Police Scotland have scrapped plans for a dashcam upload portal. I've had very mixed responses from my local police when I've reported stuff in the past.
Not that clear video evidence makes a difference much of the time, IME. Only time it did for me was a driver who close-passed me then got stuck in slow traffic 15 secs later, before deliberately turned their vehicle into me as I passed them. Charged with failing to stop, failing to report incident and dangerous driving, but did a deal and pled guilty to careless driving. 3pts and £200 fine but better than nothing.
Not going to happen
Agree. Self driving cars are never going to happen with our current level of technology. At best we’ll get hands off cruise control on motorways and dual carriageways.
Do the “whataboutism” trolls on here have any idea how silly they sound repeating their tired old tropes by the way?
<anecdote> Since covid and WFH, my desk is in the front of the house and I can see the school run chaos. Our road is single yellow line during the school run and no parking on verges so I diligently report every instance of yellow line/grass verge/pavement parking I see to the council. Used to be several a day, now it's a rare occurence, one or two a month - can't say it's because of me but it's deffo better than it was.
I check offenders for tax and MOT and report that, too, if they're missing. </anecdote>
Eh self driving cars are a thing . they are legal in California and a friend works on the hardware interface for them .
My brother has been driving around in one and said it was surreal and uncanny...but the technology is in use
The worst close pass I have had recently was by a Ossett brewery van. The van had quite a lot of damage on the near side. It's first go was coming up to some traffic lights the second was when we got to the next traffic lights he did another close pass and then nearly hit my front wheel as he drove into the left turn lane.
The first might have been poor judgement the second was deliberate.
I really don't think reporting does any good. I don't want to ride about with a camera so no evidence and emailing to company gets at best we will talk to the driver.
Just put the Ossett brewery on my list of companies I won't by from.
I am trying not to be Mr Angry and stay calm but its not always easy.
Eh self driving cars are a thing . they are legal in California and a friend works on the hardware interface for them. My brother has been driving around in one and said it was surreal and uncanny…but the technology is in use
It’s in experimental use in very limited urban areas in California, at eye watering cost, with questionable reliability, and no plausible route to scaling up or reducing costs using current machine learning methods which rely on collecting massive data sets for every possible scenario.
I would say its worth reporting both to the police and employers - I have done both and had good responses. In 2 cases the police checked CCTV and phoned me back to let me know the reg no ( which I did not have) was not captured on the CCTV. Three employers told me staff were disciplined altho I know that could be a fob off.
Seems like reporting to police is very much a postcode lottery. Here the cops are helpful, sympathetic and do try.
However its not worth getting upset or irate or too invested in the complaints. Make the complaint and move on
@Bruce Might be worth emailing the brewery anyway and just saying that this reflects badly on them and puts off potential customers. Even a quiet word from the boss to the driver might improve matters.
It would have to be a particularly belligerent driver to be asked to drive a bit more carefully and think "no, I'm going to carry on driving like a ****". As someone once said, no-one goes to work to do a bad job.
We've reported a couple of bad drivers with good results.
One particular car was parked on the zebra crossing outside a primary school at picking up time, this particular driver pulled out in front of me without looking. There was good footage from the front camera and the Derbyshire police followed up my complaint.
Yes it's staggering how many selfish drivers are in moving traffic texting, talking on their phones or playing games, with children sitting in the vehicle.
I don't know about the quality of the driving at the time, but I assume it must have been bad, my sister's ex got caught exposing himself to two women whilst driving because he was in a work's van with the name and telephone number of the company that he worked for on the side of it.
it’s the actual DRIVING that’s the offence, not the parking.
In and of itself, parking on the pavement isn't unlawful outside of London (and now Edinburgh).
What are offences are variously: parking on the pavement in a 7.5 tonner or larger; contravening road markings and signage (double yellows are considered to extend back to the nearest wall/property); blocking a dropped kerb; causing an obstruction; probably others.
I was having a chat with a traffic warden the other day because I am sick of all the folk blocking the cycleway on leith walk with delivery vans. He said since the new regs in Edinburgh they are going to have a real crackdown on illegal parking. Great. I can hear the whining from entitled car drivers already 🙂
“Rubbish parking” is a council issue I believe.
So I need to report this to the council and not the police then although have a feeling the police may not be interested in it either way...
In her defence everyone parks on the pavement as it is the only stretch of pavement (around 30 metres) in a 600 metre road and if they didn't the passing cars would probably drive into my fence on the left so I am good with it.
So I need to report this to the council and not the police then although have a feeling the police may not be interested in it either way…
I think this is exactly the type of thing we should be making a noise about. If the police are to be seen doing it in completely unnecessary circumstances, then it is going to be seen as acceptable by the public. And if people don't voice otherwise, then it will be.
I think this is exactly the type of thing we should be making a noise about.
Common sense would suggest not perhaps. If he/she parked on the road then no other vehicles could get past!
That road looks more than wide enough for 2 vehicles.
You're also reinforcing the argument that it's OK to block the pavement but not the road.
That's a very sweeping generalisation. Are you saying the driver of that vehicle was unable to ever park safely?
What's worse is that right in front of the police van is a side road that people need to get out of!
(that is why I have posts there as delivery drivers tends to reverse out and drive straight into my fence)
No I meant park safely on that bit of road *rolleyes*
That close pass by the van towing the black car is shocking.
According to Thames Valley Plod it's not a close pass as there's no bike in the images!
I really don’t think reporting does any good. I don’t want to ride about with a camera so no evidence and emailing to company gets at best we will talk to the driver.
I disagree, look at how drivists slow down at speed cameras, if they start to thinking all bikes have cameras on then behaviour will improve.
I uploaded some footage of a extremely close pass to the police. A couple of inches closer and I would not be here now!
2 boy racers doing 70+ in a 40, they were prosecuted. I have lost count of the close passes and drivers on phones. Due to injury and so many close calls last year I am taking a year off riding and concentrating on hiking this year.
