Taxi drivers

[Caher]

The taxi drivers pale into insignificance beside mothers with their 4X4 on the school run. They either do not notice you as they’re above all or are in such a hurry to drop obese Tristan off that cyclists are just spam.

I used to pass by a number of private schools on the way to work and realised that I had to get away before I became a bollard.

 

[Ross Hamilton]

On Tue, 15 Mar 2005 11:03:16 +0000, Chris Wheeler wrote in
<[email protected]>, seen in uk.rec.cycling:

> Does anybody has any advice (not involving breaking the law) on how to
> deal with such vindictive drivers?

I wonder if anyone makes a small, lightweight video camera which could
be fitted to the handlebar so that cyclists could record journeys and
have evidence of poor behaviour? After all, if the police can use
video evidence...

Yes, I know, it's totally unrealistic, but I can dream.

--
Ross, in Lincoln
Reply-to address will bounce; replace "junk-trap" with "me" for e-mail

 

[Sniper8052]

Chris Wheeler wrote:
> What is it with taxi drivers? I was cycling to work this morning on the
> left side of a long, road-like car park, and a taxi (Skyline, Milton
> Keynes) was coming the other way, on the other side of the "road". All
> of a sudden he's veering all the way over to my side, grinning at me,
> forcing me right up against the parked cars.
> I'm not used to this sort of behaviour, so I panicked, yanked my right
> foot out of my pedal and slammed on my brakes because I was coming up to
> a junction (another car was going across the junction in front of me, he
> had right of way).
> Does anybody has any advice (not involving breaking the law) on how to
> deal with such vindictive drivers?
>
> -Chris

I arrested one of these fly by night taxi drivers once following just
such an incident, bailed never returned. Did a few home visits, not
there, last visit his brother was home, not very helpful but let us
through the door. Wandered about a bit and saw a jumper for a London
Bus company. This yours? Nah m'brothers. Noted name, rang bus company
who supplied his garage and shift. Went to garage and arrested same
with help of his supervisor who asked to be informed of the charges and
result after trial.
Got to court about a month later, guilty dangerous driving, no insurance
£80 + £100 costs 10 points big smile all round. How would you like to
pay? Instalments I was sacked after they arrested me at the bus garage(
Ha.. if you had turned up for your bail I wouldn't have had to arrest
you there would I? Even bigger smile

Sniper8052

 

[Sniper8052]

dkahn400 wrote:
> David Hansen wrote:
>
>
>>The other options mentioned in the thread and which you did are
>>undoubtedly the safest. The other alternative is not to be
>>frightened by the idiot and maintain your position, stopping if
>>necessary.
>
>
> I wouldn't recommned this as you are rather committing your safety to
> the skill and judgement of a moron who is actively demonstrating that
> he is not fit to be in charge of a motor vehicle. He may be /relying/
> on the fact that you will take evasive action.
>

I've tried this but I always chicken out. He's just so much bigger.

sniper8052

 

[Ross Hamilton]

On Tue, 15 Mar 2005 21:21:52 GMT, Sniper8052 wrote in
<[email protected]>, seen in
uk.rec.cycling:

[...]
> I arrested one of these fly by night taxi drivers once following just
> such an incident, bailed never returned. [...] Went to garage and
> arrested same with help of his supervisor who asked to be informed
> of the charges and result after trial.

Nicely done.

--
Ross, in Lincoln
Reply-to address will bounce; replace "junk-trap" with "me" for e-mail

 

[andrew carver]

"Ross Hamilton" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Tue, 15 Mar 2005 11:03:16 +0000, Chris Wheeler wrote in
> <[email protected]>, seen in uk.rec.cycling:
>
> > Does anybody has any advice (not involving breaking the law) on how to
> > deal with such vindictive drivers?
>
> I wonder if anyone makes a small, lightweight video camera which could
> be fitted to the handlebar so that cyclists could record journeys and
> have evidence of poor behaviour? After all, if the police can use
> video evidence...
>
> Yes, I know, it's totally unrealistic, but I can dream.

Well there is something you can use sadly it will not record your whole
journey. The Siemens M65 mobile phone has a good camera and video built in.
Its rugidised so is water resitant AND they make a bike computer attachment
so it would be handy for use. I've got the phone but not purchased the
computer bit yet.

Andrew




>
> --
> Ross, in Lincoln
> Reply-to address will bounce; replace "junk-trap" with "me" for e-mail

 

[Tony Raven]

Chris Wheeler wrote:
>
> Does anybody has any advice (not involving breaking the law) on how to
> deal with such vindictive drivers?
>

Apart from getting a description of the company and car and phoning the
company/council, the other one is counter intuitive but can work. On
the assumption he wants to frighten you, not kill you, look at him and
move out, not in. I've done it once or twice and they suddenly panic
because its not what they expected and now they might hit you with them
on the wrong side of the road - bad news. You then get a sudden panic
swerve back to their side of the road. Hopefully the surprise will make
them think twice about trying it again.

Tony

 

[Ross Hamilton]

On Tue, 15 Mar 2005 21:48:01 GMT, andrew carver wrote in
<[email protected]>, seen in uk.rec.cycling:
> "Ross Hamilton" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
[...]
> > I wonder if anyone makes a small, lightweight video camera which could
> > be fitted to the handlebar so that cyclists could record journeys and
> > have evidence of poor behaviour? After all, if the police can use
> > video evidence...
>
> Well there is something you can use sadly it will not record your whole
> journey. The Siemens M65 mobile phone has a good camera and video built in.

My Sharp GX-15 will video, although it's neither ruggedised nor has
any attachments, but I think that any phone simply doesn't have
sufficient recording time.

I think you'd really need at least 60 minutes recording time to be
worthwhile. I suppose it might happen in years to come.

--
Ross, in Lincoln
Reply-to address will bounce; replace "junk-trap" with "me" for e-mail

 

[Danny Colyer]

Tony W wrote:
> This seems to be an increasingly familiar 'game'. It happened to me
> recently (on a side road, chav points car at me and grins, veers off in good
> time) and on a country lane last summer (ditto).

It happened to me this evening as I was riding home from the S Glos
cycle forum. I was riding up a fairly steep hill (Alma Road, for anyone
who knows Kingswood) when a carload of chavs veered into my lane and
headed straight for me. Said chavs received an earful of AirZound,
which they cheered.

--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
<URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/>
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

 

[Andy Morris]

Ross Hamilton wrote:
>
> I think you'd really need at least 60 minutes recording time to be
> worthwhile. I suppose it might happen in years to come.

Wouldn't just the last three minutes do?


--
Andy Morris

AndyAtJinkasDotFreeserve.Co.UK

Love this:
Put an end to Outlook Express's messy quotes
http://home.in.tum.de/~jain/software/oe-quotefix/

 

[Andy Morris]

dkahn400 wrote:

> Rule number 1 is to survive. He's probably only trying to scare you,
> not actually kill you, so your best bet is to do more or less what you
> did. Slow down or stop and get over to the side but leave yourself a
> few more inches in case he misjudges it. In particular he may have
> forgotten about his wing mirror so watch out for that.
>

When people park on pavements, I always take extra care to be sure not to
bump into their mirrors with my hips as they fold over really easy.
--
Andy Morris

AndyAtJinkasDotFreeserve.Co.UK

Love this:
Put an end to Outlook Express's messy quotes
http://home.in.tum.de/~jain/software/oe-quotefix/

 

[Ross Hamilton]

On Wed, 16 Mar 2005 00:57:11 -0000, Andy Morris wrote in
<[email protected]>, seen in uk.rec.cycling:
> Ross Hamilton wrote:
> >
> > I think you'd really need at least 60 minutes recording time to be
> > worthwhile. I suppose it might happen in years to come.
>
> Wouldn't just the last three minutes do?

What, as in the three minutes leading up to an 'incident'?

I wish I could see three minutes into the future so I knew when to
turn the thing on... Then I could learn how to increase my skill so
that I could eventually see 75 minutes into the future, giving me
enough time to ascertain the week's winning lottery numbers, get down
to the shop and buy a ticket. ;o)


Besides, given the quality driving practiced by two many of our
motorised 'fiends', I think 60 minutes worth should provide plenty to
keep the boys and girls in blue busy for a while!

--
Ross, in Lincoln
Reply-to address will bounce; replace "junk-trap" with "me" for e-mail

 

[LSMike]

LSMike wrote:
> Chris Wheeler wrote:
> > What is it with taxi drivers?
>
> What a swine, Chris. I've had that or similar happen to me, my
> sympathy for your feelings. Get his number? I'd report the incident
> to police and the taxi company.

OTOH, the taxi driver I met yesterday was a wonderful contrast. He was
friendly and chuffed to see me cycling with a trailer, and was
flabbergasted when I waved him in front of me (mega queue at the
roadworks). We had a great couple minutes conversation, he told me he
used to be a pro cyclist when he was younger. They're not all bad, and
I can understand their frustration with cyclists. It still doesn't
excuse the terrible behaviour of the driver in Chris's taxi experience.

 

[Alan Braggins]

In article <[email protected]>, Ross Hamilton wrote:
>On Tue, 15 Mar 2005 11:03:16 +0000, Chris Wheeler wrote in
><[email protected]>, seen in uk.rec.cycling:
>
>> Does anybody has any advice (not involving breaking the law) on how to
>> deal with such vindictive drivers?
>
>I wonder if anyone makes a small, lightweight video camera which could
>be fitted to the handlebar so that cyclists could record journeys and
>have evidence of poor behaviour? After all, if the police can use
>video evidence...
>
>Yes, I know, it's totally unrealistic, but I can dream.

I'm quite sure it's realistic. Now if you had included "cheap" in your
requirements, that would be another matter ("rugged" is already implicit,
I think).

I'm even fairly sure I've seen adverts for such a thing (solid state,
only keeps a short time and continuously overwrites it until you press the
"stop and keep that" button).

 

[Alan Braggins]

dkahn400 wrote:
>Chris Wheeler wrote:
>
>> Does anybody has any advice (not involving breaking the law) on
>> how to deal with such vindictive drivers?
>
>Rule number 1 is to survive. He's probably only trying to scare you,
>not actually kill you, so your best bet is to do more or less what you
>did. Slow down or stop and get over to the side but leave yourself a
>few more inches in case he misjudges it. In particular he may have
>forgotten about his wing mirror so watch out for that.

A colleague has said he finds that holding a heavy U-lock in his right
hand makes oncoming drivers tend to remember their wing mirrors and
the tendancy of cyclists to wobble when passed too closely. You can
use the weight of the U-lock held out to the side to help your
balance in somewhat the same way as a tightrope walkers pole.

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>, Ross Hamilton
('[email protected]') wrote:

> On Wed, 16 Mar 2005 00:57:11 -0000, Andy Morris wrote in
> <[email protected]>, seen in uk.rec.cycling:
>> Ross Hamilton wrote:
>> >
>> > I think you'd really need at least 60 minutes recording time to be
>> > worthwhile. I suppose it might happen in years to come.
>>
>> Wouldn't just the last three minutes do?
>
> What, as in the three minutes leading up to an 'incident'?
>
> I wish I could see three minutes into the future so I knew when to
> turn the thing on...

Thats the point. This has been done. There was an article about it on
Slashdot about six weeks ago. Digicam records continuously on a 'loop'
about five minutes long. When you press the button, the last five
minutes is saved to a permanent file. The device in the article was
mounted on the wearer's glasses, with a belt-pack I think holding the
hard disk and batteries.

It was a hack, not a product you can buy off the shelf - but it would be
useful in all sorts of situations, not just cycling, so I'm pretty sure
someone will productise it before long.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

:: Wisdom is better than weapons of war ::
:: Ecclesiastes 9:18 ::

 

[Ross Hamilton]

On Wed, 16 Mar 2005 08:54:46 -0000, Mark McNeill wrote in
<[email protected]>, seen in
uk.rec.cycling:
> Response to Ross Hamilton:
>
> > > > I think you'd really need at least 60 minutes recording time to be
> > > > worthwhile. I suppose it might happen in years to come.
> > >
> > > Wouldn't just the last three minutes do?
> >
> > What, as in the three minutes leading up to an 'incident'?
>
> If there's one with automatic looped recording of the last minute or two,
> I'd be tempted to try it myself.

That would certainly be a good thing, yes, and I'd be tempted to get
one as well.


> I'd certainly be more inclined to
> report seriously **** driving, if I had a record of it.

AOL.

I'd like a small camera, long-life (as in at least two hours worth of
video on one [set of] batteries and one card/tape) for work - I see
that much misuse of the railway and a video record would actually make
it worth reporting the things we're supposed to report but don't
usually bother (trespassers, for example).

--
Ross, in Lincoln
Reply-to address will bounce; replace "junk-trap" with "me" for e-mail

 

[Ross Hamilton]

On Wed, 16 Mar 2005 14:12:25 +0000, Simon Brooke wrote in
<[email protected]>, seen in
uk.rec.cycling:
> in message <[email protected]>, Ross Hamilton
> ('[email protected]') wrote:
> > On Wed, 16 Mar 2005 00:57:11 -0000, Andy Morris wrote in
> > <[email protected]>, seen in uk.rec.cycling:
> >> Ross Hamilton wrote:
> >> >
> >> > I think you'd really need at least 60 minutes recording time to be
> >> > worthwhile. I suppose it might happen in years to come.
> >>
> >> Wouldn't just the last three minutes do?
> >
> > What, as in the three minutes leading up to an 'incident'?
> >
> > I wish I could see three minutes into the future so I knew when to
> > turn the thing on...
>
> Thats the point. This has been done. There was an article about it on
> Slashdot about six weeks ago.

Do forgive me, looping simply hadn't occurred to me. I was thinking
along the lines of a traditional video camera with "switch on, start
recording and you have 60 minutes of battery charge if you're lucky"
operation.


> Digicam records continuously on a 'loop'
> about five minutes long. When you press the button, the last five
> minutes is saved to a permanent file. The device in the article was
> mounted on the wearer's glasses, with a belt-pack I think holding the
> hard disk and batteries.

That would be an excellent product.


> It was a hack, not a product you can buy off the shelf

Shame.


>- but it would be
> useful in all sorts of situations, not just cycling, so I'm pretty sure
> someone will productise it before long.

I hope so. I'll probably be one of the first on the order list if they
do.

--
Ross, in Lincoln
Reply-to address will bounce; replace "junk-trap" with "me" for e-mail

 

[Alan Braggins]

Simon Brooke wrote:
>in message <[email protected]>, Ross Hamilton
>>
>> What, as in the three minutes leading up to an 'incident'?
>>
>> I wish I could see three minutes into the future so I knew when to
>> turn the thing on...
>
>Thats the point. This has been done. There was an article about it on
>Slashdot about six weeks ago. Digicam records continuously on a 'loop'
>about five minutes long. When you press the button, the last five
>minutes is saved to a permanent file. The device in the article was
>mounted on the wearer's glasses, with a belt-pack I think holding the
>hard disk and batteries.
>
>It was a hack, not a product you can buy off the shelf - but it would be
>useful in all sorts of situations, not just cycling, so I'm pretty sure
>someone will productise it before long.

http://www.mydejaview.com/ keeps only the last 30 seconds, but even that
could be useful in some cases, especially if you could arrange an
accelerometer to trigger it instead of a manual button.

Years ago a schoolfriend of mine was in a car accident. From the evidence
it appeared likely that it was the other driver's fault, but my friend was
knocked unconscious and couldn't remember what happened when he recovered,
and the other driver was killed. To be useful in a case like that, you
need to not rely on a button, or to save a much longer time.

Of course there are far more incidents of bad driving where the outcome
isn't so bad and you _are_ in a position to press a "save" button, but
the cases where there is injury are more likely to have the police care
whether you have a recording of the events leading up to it or not.

 

[Not Responding]

Andy Morris wrote:
> dkahn400 wrote:
>
>
>>Rule number 1 is to survive. He's probably only trying to scare you,
>>not actually kill you, so your best bet is to do more or less what you
>>did. Slow down or stop and get over to the side but leave yourself a
>>few more inches in case he misjudges it. In particular he may have
>>forgotten about his wing mirror so watch out for that.
>>
>
>
> When people park on pavements, I always take extra care to be sure not to
> bump into their mirrors with my hips as they fold over really easy.

I have to be very careful with the metal poppers on the wrist of my
coat. I have to take extra care not to let the sleeve rub against the
bodywork as I squeeze past.