Winding up boy racers

downfader

NitrousOxide wrote:

When I do commute by bike, I use Hill Lane for less than five seconds... Going between the Common and Bellemoor Road!

Some other fun hills to descend in the Bitterne area are Lances Hill (if not rush hour, otherwise its gridlocked traffic to cautiously squeeze between); Chessel Avenue (lucky if more than two cars pass you on a five minute ascent); Athelston Road (at the Peartree Avenue end, rediculously steep); Mouse Hole Lane (West End Road end); Witts Hill (another evil one close to an estate "rat run"; Meggesen Avenue... The list goes on, plenty of choice for hill training variation!!!

I know, southampton is VERY hilly for a southern town. I often wonder if we didnt slide down from the pennines OK perhaps thats going too far

Bassjunkieuk

I was riding home late on last Friday evening and consequently a large section of the bus lanes on the A23 from Brixton to Streatham were now able to be used for cars etc as they are just bus lanes between 7am and 7pm.

Had a few close calls as I was doing my normal "ride in primary in avoid the crap gutters" only for a few oiks to come racing past :evil:
Needless to say I normally caught them at the next set of lights (they are every 1/2 - 3/4 on this stretch!) so just assumed a nice position just ahead of them! I know it was probably quite a silly thing to do but I get rather irked when some tw4t who fancies himself as the next Lewis Hamilton (not a good analogy as that young man can drive properly fast cars really well!) feels the need to nearly knock me off to get 2 cars ahead at the next lights!

Also like Downfader I have a couple of hills in my area where exceeding 30 (or getting nearly 40) is quite do-able and I think it really shocks drivers as I fly past them!

downfader

Lewis Hamilton is both talented and professionally trained - something your average person in an average car doesnt have the benefit of. I encounter a LOT of drivers who tell me how advanced their braking system is and how they can bring it to a stop under the government research distances (which they always moan are 40 years out of date)

When/if (sometimes it has been a WHEN) they have an accident they get no sympathy from me. Same for speeding

chuckcork

downfader wrote:

Lewis Hamilton is both talented and professionally trained - something your average person in an average car doesnt have the benefit of. I encounter a LOT of drivers who tell me how advanced their braking system is and how they can bring it to a stop under the government research distances (which they always moan are 40 years out of date)

When/if (sometimes it has been a WHEN) they have an accident they get no sympathy from me. Same for speeding

I find it more frightening to hear of people complaining about how they might get a ticket for speeding due to a moments inattention.

Given the time it would take a car to accelerate from 30mph to say 39mph, and the distance it would cover in that time, I would hope that these moments don't result in a collision, given that as my motorbike instructor used to say, time is distance travelled, and you can do a lot of damage to a lot of poeple while not paying attention over a short distance like 100 metres on a high street.

But if of course it did it would be not their fault and they definitely weren't speeding, officer....

whyamihere

downfader wrote:

Lewis Hamilton is both talented and professionally trained - something your average person in an average car doesnt have the benefit of. I encounter a LOT of drivers who tell me how advanced their braking system is and how they can bring it to a stop under the government research distances (which they always moan are 40 years out of date)

When/if (sometimes it has been a WHEN) they have an accident they get no sympathy from me. Same for speeding

That argument always amuses me, because I can easily outbrake them on any of my bike, by a long long way.

downfader

Chuck, I prolly told this story already but here goes.

Sat down on break to hear one of the women moaning about a speeding fine she'd got and the inconvienience of the points. "I was only a little over the limit" was her objection, so thinking that she meant 1-2 mph I enquired why she hadnt contested it.

Turned out she was doing 45 in a 30 zone. "No bl**dy wonder I said" and laid into her about why she'd gotten the ticket. Her excuses came thick and fast about how hard it is to keep an eye on your speed, etc, blame the gov, etc, etc. One of my complaints to her was that a pedestrian crossing that road wants to know how long they have before a car may reach them, if everyone is speeding then crossing gets very hairy. I also said that if it was THAT hard to monitor the speed then maybe she shouldnt be driving.

graeme_s-2

downfader wrote:

Lewis Hamilton is both talented and professionally trained

While broadly speaking I agree, I'd have been interested to see Timo Glock and Mark Webber's views on this statement after the last GP

Bassjunkieuk

downfader wrote:

Chuck, I prolly told this story already but here goes.

Sat down on break to hear one of the women moaning about a speeding fine she'd got and the inconvienience of the points. "I was only a little over the limit" was her objection, so thinking that she meant 1-2 mph I enquired why she hadnt contested it.

Turned out she was doing 45 in a 30 zone. "No bl**dy wonder I said" and laid into her about why she'd gotten the ticket. Her excuses came thick and fast about how hard it is to keep an eye on your speed, etc, blame the gov, etc, etc. One of my complaints to her was that a pedestrian crossing that road wants to know how long they have before a car may reach them, if everyone is speeding then crossing gets very hairy. I also said that if it was THAT hard to monitor the speed then maybe she shouldnt be driving.

Bl00dy hell! That's isn't just a little bit over and her excuse is utter bull. I've been driving for long enough now to know without looking when I'm speeding. Admittedly a while back part of my job did involve a lot of driving, which benefited my driving habits & skills a lot.
I know what 30mph feels like and have got to the point where I can pull off in my car and without even looking at the speedo lift off around 30-31mph!
Good job for having a go at her, she certainly deserved it and I think she got off quite well with just points as in my opinion 50% over the limit should involve a ban of some sort.

cougie

Only 50% over the speed limit. What an idiot.

Thats the same as doing 105 on the motorway - would she try and get away with that too ?

FWIW - I dont think its a good idea to wind up boy racers - just let them go about their business with their crummy music blaring out until they park their dodgy cars into a lamp post somewhere.