Driving standards

[boxbrownie]

14 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

Just where the photographer is standing there is a bridge over the Southminster branch which is not only narrow but weight restricted (there is a similar chicane on the other side). The back of the road signs about the weight restriction and priority over the bridge can be seen to the right of the car.

7.5 tons………I have seen a large truck go over the bridge then realise they cannot get through the restriction and had to reverse back across the bridge……not an ideal situation.

[boxbrownie]

11 hours ago, duncan said:

The dinghy trailer is too wide to fit through these bollards   

You’ll have to go the long way around……arrr ship mates 

[TheQ]

15 hours ago, duncan said:

The dinghy trailer is too wide to fit through these bollards   

Must be a big dinghy, my boat trailer will go through  (just) and my 16ft sailing boat weighs half a ton...

[PhilJ W]

10 hours ago, boxbrownie said:

7.5 tons………I have seen a large truck go over the bridge then realise they cannot get through the restriction and had to reverse back across the bridge……not an ideal situation.

I'm not sure that the signs are near the bridge, they may well be at the entrance to the road. 

[boxbrownie]

14 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

I'm not sure that the signs are near the bridge, they may well be at the entrance to the road. 

They are as you approach the bridge…..the bridge is a single carriageway restricted lane.

 

Edited October 17, 2021 by boxbrownie

[duncan]

Hi The Q, it's not a big dinghy, only 12 ft, but it is 2 metres wide & the road trailer is wider to protect the boat - a National 12 racing dinghy, short & can bite !

some figures - hull < 80kg, carbon mast 2.5kg & 20 ft high           national12.org

 

or just lift it over the bollards   

Edited October 17, 2021 by duncan
spelling

[PhilJ W]

2 hours ago, duncan said:

Hi The Q, it's not a big dinghy, only 12 ft, but it is 2 metres wide & the road trailer is wider to protect the boat - a National 12 racing dinghy, short & can bite !

some figures - hull < 80kg, carbon mast 2.5kg & 20 ft high           national12.org

 

or just lift it over the bollards   

If its two metres wide it should go between the bollards with five or six inches to spare.

[PhilJ W]

Here is a pic of the old McEwan Pratt works. The end gable of part of the works can be seen above the conservatory on the left.

[Guest]

Not only do you have to worry about racking up fines when people clone your plates you now have worry about random strangers' jumpers...

 

https://metro.co.uk/2021/10/18/surrey-writing-on-womans-jumper-landed-couple-with-fine-when-she-walked-in-bus-lane-15439916/

[leopardml2341]

3 hours ago, 30801 said:

Not only do you have to worry about racking up fines when people clone your plates you now have worry about random strangers' jumpers...

 

https://metro.co.uk/2021/10/18/surrey-writing-on-womans-jumper-landed-couple-with-fine-when-she-walked-in-bus-lane-15439916/

Now that has given me and idea........... 

[TheQ]

16 hours ago, duncan said:

Hi The Q, it's not a big dinghy, only 12 ft, but it is 2 metres wide & the road trailer is wider to protect the boat - a National 12 racing dinghy, short & can bite !

some figures - hull < 80kg, carbon mast 2.5kg & 20 ft high           national12.org

 

or just lift it over the bollards   

Blue Moon

Draft 3ft,

Beam 4ft,

 LOA 16ft,

Mast 23ft,

Keel weight, 170Kg..

All up weight inc me 500kG.

You won't be lifting that over a bollard..

 

So your N12 weighs less than half the weight of my keel...

 

I once I started sailing, was always too big for a N12...

[F-UnitMad]

6 hours ago, leopardml2341 said:

Now that has given me and idea........... 

NO!!!!!     

[duncan]

Hi The Q, I have a boat, raise you a ship !

Philj, the boat would go through, but not the trailer, over 2.1m wide, with steel struts (covered in reflective tape) at the front to protect the boat from oncoming traffic.  Fun towing it on a narrow road (or any road with dozy drivers) using a 1.5m wide car. 

No part of the boat side is straight so it is very difficult to judge the angle of the trailer from the back or front, making it quite deceptive.

 

ok, the car

 

Edited October 19, 2021 by duncan

[Titan]

And I raise you...

 

 

Her fire is my avatar.

Edited October 19, 2021 by Titan

[Compound2632]

I had a close call yesterday, on the M40 approaching Stokenchurch from the High Wycombe direction. Seeing traffic slowing in the middle lane - as usually happens when someone decides that the 60 mph they were doing in the inside lane should be maintained when they pull out to overtake a 56 mph HGV - I prepared to move into the outside lane. Fortunately I saw that others ahead of me in the outside lane were braking and pulling into the middle lane, so realised something was up: a little Mazda or similar being driven wrong way in the fast lane. I've not found any news report yet but it's not the first time it's happened on this stretch:

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-47210249

 

and the year before that, tragically with a fatal outcome:

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-45878215.

I can't help feeling there must be something seriously wrong with the layout of one of the junctions. The layout at Lewknor, J7, with slip roads from T-junctions onto the B4009, could lead to someone taking the wrong turning but quite how you then cross two lanes of fast-moving heavy traffic coming towards you to get into outside lane is a mystery to me. One of those articles suggests that the wrong-way driver had joined the M40 from the A40; unless they were already driving wrong way on the dual carriageway, one has to suppose they were confused by the double-roundabout layout of J8A. With the greatest respect to the late Stuart Richards (who I am sure was driving within the law), the outside lane of the M40 has more than the average number of ton-up boys so that anyone drives the wrong way in the outside lane and lives is fairly miraculous.

[big jim]

Got knocked off my bike earlier in town on a roundabout, I was going straight on (2nd exit)  a car stopped at the entry ahead of me (1st exit to the left) then decided to pull out in about 20ft in front of me, had to do an avoiding manoeuvre but my front wheel hit his front wing/wheel and by the time he saw me he’d come to a stop with me level with his window which was 1/2 open and he had a right go at me! 

 

i suppose it was because I was blending in with my surroundings with the clothes I was wearing and was a bit inconspicuous to other road users (it was daylight btw) 

He didn’t stop either just drove off, I’ve got an slightly buckled wheel now though! 

Edited October 21, 2021 by big jim

[chris p bacon]

If you got his reg no report him for not stopping at a collision. Your buckled wheel is proof enough that contact was made.

[Guest]

8 minutes ago, big jim said:

i suppose it was because I was blending in with my surroundings with the clothes I was wearing and was a bit inconspicuous to other road users (it was daylight btw) 

 

I drive past MOD Lyneham a lot and there are many cyclists there in full camo gear yet I somehow manage to see them...

[big jim]

I didn’t get it unfortunately

 

ive got a go pro mount on the bottom of the headlight bracket and I’ve got a cheap generic Amazon go pro that I may mount on the front for town driving!

[Michael Hodgson]

Check the location to see if there is any CCTV JIm.

[big jim]

9 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

Check the location to see if there is any CCTV JIm.

I did think about that, plus other cars about with dash cams, too late now though

[Pete the Elaner]

16 hours ago, big jim said:

Got knocked off my bike earlier in town on a roundabout, I was going straight on (2nd exit)  a car stopped at the entry ahead of me (1st exit to the left) then decided to pull out in about 20ft in front of me, had to do an avoiding manoeuvre but my front wheel hit his front wing/wheel and by the time he saw me he’d come to a stop with me level with his window which was 1/2 open and he had a right go at me! 

 

i suppose it was because I was blending in with my surroundings with the clothes I was wearing and was a bit inconspicuous to other road users (it was daylight btw) 

He didn’t stop either just drove off, I’ve got an slightly buckled wheel now though! 

 

Some drivers appear to see red mist at the sight of cyclists. I've seen claims that 98% of cyclists are bad. It seems to be that the majority get the blame for the minority who are fine, just like BMW & Audi drivers.

 

So let's get this straight...you were already on the roundabout & the driver was entering. How about giving way to the right?

You were wearing that bright orange top & he had the nerve to give you a bollocking! Wow.

 

I was knocked off in August 2020 on a roundabout. Apart from some expletives from me as I was flying through the air, no bad words were exchanged. I went off to hospital with a broken leg & wrist & from what the police have told me, the driver gave an accurate account...she did not see me. Accidents happen but at least this was dealt with as well as possible.

On reflection, our speeds kept me in her A post blind spot. Understandable but still her fault & it didn't alter the fact I now have 2 screws in my leg.

 

I had a similar incident a couple of years earlier too, but on this occasion, I actually made eye contact with the driver & he still pulled out in front of me, but I was able to avoid that one & just managed to stay upright. I felt that was worse because the **** looked straight at me.

[ejstubbs]

30 minutes ago, Pete the Elaner said:

I had a similar incident a couple of years earlier too, but on this occasion, I actually made eye contact with the driver & he still pulled out in front of me, but I was able to avoid that one & just managed to stay upright. I felt that was worse because the **** looked straight at me.

 

I had someone do that to me when I was in the car just the other day.  Fortunately a collision was avoided, but it reinforces the unfortunate fact that, just because someone is looking straight at you and appears to have made eye contact*, that still doesn't mean that:

a) they've actually seen you i.e. consciously registered your existence, and/or

(b) they won't be the type who decides to chance it anyway (especially if you're on a pushbike because, you know, bikes are always reeeally slow...er... ).

 

* With regard to "making eye contact", I remember a piece of advice offered once in a management course, for people who find it difficult to look other people in the eye when having conversations (difficult or otherwise).  Some people do feel that making direct eye contact can come over as being aggressive or challenging.  The advice was for uncomfortable person A to look instead at person B's hairline above the eyes.  Person B usually can't tell the difference, and will think that person A is making (friendly) eye contact with them, while person A won't feel so uncomfortable.  Moral of the story: just because the other person seems to have made eye contact, don't assume that they have!  As a corollary: don't assume that they are therefore going to react in the way one would expect of someone with whom you have made eye contact.)

 

Edited October 22, 2021 by ejstubbs

[Ryde-on-time]

19 hours ago, big jim said:

I didn’t get it unfortunately

 

ive got a go pro mount on the bottom of the headlight bracket and I’ve got a cheap generic Amazon go pro that I may mount on the front for town driving!

I would recommend a 360 degree camera and have an Insta360 one I use when cycling

 

It takes an all round picture and you can then edit the footage to show any angle, the quality is good enough to easily read a number plate. Jeremy Vine has an Insta360 and he has in the past put up several videos which show what you do such as this:

 

 

I have even found a use for it for trains!

 

 

[big jim]

3 hours ago, Pete the Elaner said:

 

So let's get this straight...you were already on the roundabout & the driver was entering. How about giving way to the right?

You were wearing that bright orange top & he had the nerve to give you a bollocking! Wow.

 

 

a picture paints a 1000 words as the my say, had to collect my other bike from Halfords earlier and walked past the said roundabout 

 

I was coming from the same direction as the picture, left lane marked to go left, right marked to go straight on or right, nothing entering from my right at the time, positioned to the right of the centre line (about level with the door of the fiesta) 

 

I pulled into the roundabout and kept to the left of the straight ahead route so anything behind me could go right as there was slow traffic on the bridge ahead that I was going to merge into (as per the photos)

 

 

 

I was just about level with the island with the sign on, positioned to the left (almost as if in the above picture I’d be exiting the roundabout behind the white car) when he pulled out from the exit going straight on (basically across my path) and hitting me with his front wing

 

hope that gives you a better idea