Just how daft are some drivers?

On 13 Sep 2004 04:47:37 -0700, [email hidden] (Mark

Stammers) said:

Just venting some spleen.

Cycling into work this morning, using the pavement cyclepath as the
road is all snarled up as usual (funny how it was clear all through
the summer holidays). Ahead of me a silver car is parked in the cycle
path. Annoying but not insurmountable.

I then watch open mouthed as a woman in a 4x4 pulls of the road and
parks alongside the silver car. Her passenger side pushing into the
hedge and her driver side wing mirror almost hitting that of the
silver car. I'm not sure I could fit between the two vehicles on foot
let alone with a bike.

As she is peering out of her open door, obviously wondering how she's
going to get out into the tiny gap, I pull up behind her and observe
mildly (honestly I did-I was too astounded to be irate) that she can't
park there due to the fact that she's completely blocking the pavement
and cyclepath.

"Oh" she says, pulling off to park futher down the pavement.

1: Woman (now watch the insults fly)
2: 4 x 4

Quoted message said:

Aaarghhhhh!!!

But the sun's shining here so it's all alright now

Mark

Note: Page 27 of the Women Drivers 4x4 manual ........ " It is
perfectly reasonable to park your 4x4 anywhere you wish, in order to
get you nearer to your destination thereby negating any excess
exercise"

Page 27 Subsection 4: "Indicators are an option only"

Jack Ouzzi said:

Note: Page 27 of the Women Drivers 4x4 manual ........ " It is
perfectly reasonable to park your 4x4 anywhere you wish, in order to
get you nearer to your destination thereby negating any excess
exercise"

It is after all an off-road vehicle and what could be more off-road than
the pavement

Tony

Jack Ouzzi said:

1: Woman (now watch the insults fly)
2: 4 x 4

In my experience, the problem is the car, not the gender.

Eugenio

--
If it's stupid and it works, it ain't stupid

with the amount of speed bumps and other bits of [censored] the council likes to throw in the road. It wont be long now before we all need a 4X4 just to get to the shops.

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

with the amount of speed bumps and other bits of [censored] the council likes
to throw in the road. It wont be long now before we all need a 4X4 just
to get to the shops.

If a speed bump causes you to lose traction from the drive wheels then
you should definately slow down... wonder if there's a link there? The
only time we'll _need_ a 4x4 to go to the shops is if the council digs
up the roads and replaces them with ploughed fields. At which point the
Hammersmith Tank will be useless as it has doesn't have the clearance to
cover ground off-road nor the power / control to do so safely.

Jon

I took my dog out for a walk.
While it was pissing on Jon Senior's leg, he seemed distracted by:

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

with the amount of speed bumps and other bits of [censored] the council likes
to throw in the road. It wont be long now before we all need a 4X4 just
to get to the shops.

If a speed bump causes you to lose traction from the drive wheels then
you should definately slow down... wonder if there's a link there? The
only time we'll _need_ a 4x4 to go to the shops is if the council digs
up the roads and replaces them with ploughed fields. At which point the
Hammersmith Tank will be useless as it has doesn't have the clearance to
cover ground off-road nor the power / control to do so safely.

Jon

The faster you go, the less speed bumps matter. It's an energy thang.
Speed bumps on a motorcycle are like having an adventure playground down
every street.

--
Despite appearances, it is still legal to put sugar on cornflakes.

In article said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

with the amount of speed bumps and other bits of [censored] the council likes
to throw in the road. It wont be long now before we all need a 4X4 just
to get to the shops.

If a speed bump causes you to lose traction from the drive wheels then
you should definately slow down... wonder if there's a link there?

Except that in previous threads it's been well established that "4x4"
tends to mean "big heavy thing with lots of ground clearance" more
than it means "any four wheel drive vehicle (including Fiat Pandas,
Subaru Justys and Audi quattro models)".

In article <[email hidden]>, punter1
@btspamworld.com says...

Quoted message said:

The faster you go, the less speed bumps matter. It's an energy thang.

It is indeed an energy thing. The speed bump will do its upmost to turn
forward energy into upward energy. To maintain traction, your suspension
must be able to cope with the force. If it can't, you'll lose traction.

Quoted message said:

Speed bumps on a motorcycle are like having an adventure playground down
every street.

But they're fun because... you lose traction. Hence the original
suggestion of slowing down.

Jon

complience said:

with the amount of speed bumps and other bits of [censored] the council likes
to throw in the road. It wont be long now before we all need a 4X4 just
to get to the shops.

You could always use a (wait for it...)

Bike!

Now, there's an amazing thought!

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Mark Stammers said:

"Oh" she says, pulling off to park futher down the pavement.

On Friday I night I saw a chip shop with a pelican crossing right
outside the door. This pelican has pedestrian guard-rails along the
kerb line each side of teh pelican (which seemed a bit odd to me - and
probably a safety liability since they must restrict visibility to
some degree). A car drove up the kerb, and behind the guard-rails to
park with the drivers door such that said driver could get out and
step directly into teh chip shop front door.

A pedestrian would have managed to squeeze past between car and
railing, but I doubt a pedestrian with push-chair would.

regards, Ian SMith
--
|\ /| no .sig
|o o|
|/ \|

Quoted message said:

A car drove up the kerb, and behind the guard-rails to
park with the drivers door such that said driver could get out and
step directly into teh chip shop front door.

Mirage, obviously. Ask Guy, he knows that over on uk.tosspot it's *fact* that
motorists never do such things.

Cheers, helen s

--This is an invalid email address to avoid spam--
to get correct one remove fame & fortune
h*$el*$$e*nd**$o$ts**i*$*$m*m$o*n*s@$*a$o*l.c**$om$

--Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off--

"complience" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

with the amount of speed bumps and other bits of [censored] the council likes
to throw in the road. It wont be long now before we all need a 4X4 just
to get to the shops.

I find my road bike and my hybrid are both fine. I could use the MTB but
luggage space is at a premium and it is more likely to attract the local
tykes.

Alternatively, the bog standard car is OK. Less convenient to get to the
shops, more difficult and expensive to park -- but better carrying capacity.

T

In news:[email hidden],

Jack Ouzzi said:

On 13 Sep 2004 04:47:37 -0700, [email hidden] (Mark
Stammers) wrote:

1: Woman (now watch the insults fly)
2: 4 x 4

3: Man
4: BMW, clearly taking the 'phone ban badly, as he was having to have a
shave while driving, just to give his 'phone hand something to do.
--

Martin Bulmer

Ian Smith <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

A car drove up the kerb, and behind the guard-rails to
park with the drivers door such that said driver could get out and
step directly into teh chip shop front door.

A pedestrian would have managed to squeeze past between car and
railing, but I doubt a pedestrian with push-chair would.

I've seen moves like that lots of times. I'm *very* tempted to climb over
the car, but my sense of self preservation has kicked in soon enough to
prevent me from getting beaten up by an irate driver (so far).

Doing similar on a bike would at least allow a quick get away but would
require far more skill than I have.

Graeme

"Graeme" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

.... I'm *very* tempted to climb over
the car, [parked on the footway / psyclepath...]

A friend of mine, a schoolteacher, used to do exactly that - and so did the
pupils who were with him!

--
MatSav

dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers said:

Quoted message said:

A car drove up the kerb

Quoted message said:

Mirage, obviously. Ask Guy, he knows that over on uk.tosspot it's
*fact* that motorists never do such things.

To be fair I was just trying to ward of the Nugentoid of Kager IV ;-)

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington
University

Jon Senior <jon@restlesslemon_DOT_co_DOT_uk.remove> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

If a speed bump causes you to lose traction from the drive wheels then
you should definately slow down... wonder if there's a link there? The
only time we'll _need_ a 4x4 to go to the shops is if the council digs
up the roads and replaces them with ploughed fields. At which point the
Hammersmith Tank will be useless as it has doesn't have the clearance to
cover ground off-road nor the power / control to do so safely.

"Hammersmith Tank"? Surely you mean "Chelsea Tractor" (copyright K.
Livingstone)? ;-)

David E. Belcher

your all mad..

but feel free to drive over your local speed bumps at 30 miles an hour in your cars. the sooner you are off the roads the better.

Martin Bulmer said:

In news:[email hidden],

Jack Ouzzi said:

On 13 Sep 2004 04:47:37 -0700, [email hidden] (Mark
Stammers) wrote:

1: Woman (now watch the insults fly)
2: 4 x 4

3: Man
4: BMW, clearly taking the 'phone ban badly, as he was having to have a
shave while driving, just to give his 'phone hand something to do.

I got Hoeyed this evening by a (rather attractive) young woman in a
sports car. She was finding it difficult to follow the golden rule
that all cyclists must instantly be overtaken as she was holding her
phone to her left ear with her right hand at the time. Come to think
of it she must have taken her other hand off the wheel for a moment in
order to toot the horn. Stupid cow!

--
Dave...

Get a bicycle. You will not regret it. If you live. - Mark Twain