Chaos this morning!!

JustRidecp

On my commute there's a crossroad junction that's never a bother (Junction by Odeon Lothian road for those in Ed).

This morning as I was coming up to the junction to go straight over, an ambulance past me lights ablaze. I'm still about 50-100m from the junction and the majority of the car drivers do the usual thing when faced with an emergency vehicle - stop in the middle of the road and make it even more difficult for the ambulance to pass. Anyway, as the ambulance went through, the lights for straight ahead turned green. Fine you might think but and MPV and a van had jumped the lights coming from right. The whole junction was now jammed as there were still cars stationary from when the ambulance past. I think you can guess what happened next - lots of peeping, shouting, swearing. The MPV driver slots into reverse and ploughs into the van behind him. :oops: More peeping, swearing, shouting. At the risk of sounding smug, I slip through the chaos, leave behind the puffed up red faces and get into uni feeling refreshed. Wonder how the drivers caught up in it felt when they got to work!

Hairy Jock

When I first read Odeon I thought Clark St, there is no crossroads there, then I realised you meant the the ABC. No wonder I keep missing films.

Yep, there is nothing like blue lights and sirens to panic feeble minded drivers, I often wonder how so many managed to get a driving licence.

Jacomus-rides-Gen

Hah! The worst part about blue lights and sirens is that dirvers suddenly and blindly start throwing their cars all over the road. If I work out a siren is coming from behind me I usually stop and get on the pavement, or at least duck into a side turning.

The usefulness (not sure thats a real word!!) of this was shown on the London -> Canterbury sportive. I was riding with 2 other guys from work, and I heard sirens coming from behind. I ducked off the road into a gateway shortly before an ambulance roars past, it swerved so hard to avoid my collegues and negotiate an oncoming car that the inside rear wheel lifeted slightly off the ground, and a puff of smoke and a squeak came from the outside rear wheels.

graeme_s-2

I agree with Jacomus, if I hear sirens coming my way I get the hell off the road pretty damn quick. In my experience, it's rarely the emergency vehicle itself that's the problem, but the other idiots who panic and start throwing their cars all over the shop.

I do love that smug feeling of getting through totally grid locked junctions and continuing on my way with little or no delay. Last time it happened to me was when the campus I work on flooded and caused several mile long tailbacks in every direction, gridlocking the crossroads which is used to get onto campus. I was 10 minutes late for work (having had to back track and take a different route due to the flooding). One of my colleagues who drives gave up after 3 hours in a traffic jam and went back home!

Eat My Dust

Had a muppet this morning half overtake me AND pull into the side of the road at the same time for an oncoming ambulance!!! Nearly came a cropper, I think she was so stupid she though I was pulling over from a primary position to let her past, never mind that the ambulance had been visible for a fair distance. Yes dear, there is a world past the front of your bonnet!!!

flattythehurdler

Even better. This morning when I was cycling to work there was a large not moving tailback at the level crossing. As i got to the front I saw that 3 barriers were up, and one still down with the light s all flashing and warning sirens on etc. It meant that the traffic coming in the oppsite direction could cross, and that going my way couldn't. I wiggled around it and then realised that at some point fairly soon the express was due which really shifts. I rang 999 and it took them 15 minutes to realise which crossing i was talking about even though I gave them the area, and name of road. They would have found it in 1 minute with a A-Z. I am not joking. The chap at the other end of the phone said he was having trouble working the new system. This was a 999 FFS. Someone is going to get badly hurt or killed because the police can't use a f@cking map.