What on the roads has annoyed you today?

[Parafox]

38 minutes ago, Lcfc_lass10 said:

My mum was took into hospital on Sunday afternoon. Was a pretty scary experience for me as I was the only one with her at home. I followed the ambulance up to the Royal, as much as I could anyway. It wasn't just one car, but I was shocked at how many cars don't actually realise an ambulance is right behind them. I get that you might not see it in your mirror instantly but it took some people a good few minutes to actually realise. 

Welcome to my world Lass. It happens on every single job.

 

Not just when we approach from behind, but also when we approach a side road and a car is about to pull out, often they continue to pull out and the have to move over to let us pass. Why not just wait?

 

I've seen people move to the right into the flow of oncoming traffic, seen them mount a pedestrian refuge at traffic lights, had people stop in the outside lane of a motorway when there's room to move into lane 2. Often people travelling on opposite side of a nice wide A road, perfectly correctly, will stop even if there's room for us to pass down the centre and even when we don't have to pull out to pass vehicles on our side they sometimes stop. Generally it's the elderly who do this. Also very often as we approach a line of vehicles travelling the same direction we will see one or two cars pull over, having seen/heard us but the last car in the line, the one we are going to have to pass first,will then pull out to overtake those slowing in front of them. Clearly no use of mirrors and that's the key in many situations we come across, people not using the mirror first, or at all.

 

Last week I was in the response car on blue lights and sirens going up Welford Road when a young woman with her phone to her ear walked out from behind a parked van, pushing her buggy in front of her. The first thing I saw was the buggy. It was such a near miss that I was shaking for some time afterwards thinking what could have happened. She was oblivious until the screech of brakes.

 

It's scary at times.

Edited 20 September 2016 by Parafox

[Lcfc_lass10]

39 minutes ago, Parafox said:

Welcome to my world Lass. It happens on every single job.

 

Not just when we approach from behind, but also when we approach a side road and a car is about to pull out, often they continue to pull out and the have to move over to let us pass. Why not just wait?

 

I've seen people move to the right into the flow of oncoming traffic, seen them mount a pedestrian refuge at traffic lights, had people stop in the outside lane of a motorway when there's room to move into lane 2. Often people travelling on opposite side of a nice wide A road, perfectly correctly, will stop even if there's room for us to pass down the centre and even when we don't have to pull out to pass vehicles on our side they sometimes stop. Generally it's the elderly who do this.

 

It beggars belief what some people will do when there's blue lights and sirens coming.

 

Last week I was in the response car on blue lights and sirens going up Welford Road when a young woman with her phone to her ear walked out from behind a parked van, pushing her buggy in front of her. The first thing I saw was the buggy. It was such a near miss that I was shaking for some time afterwards thinking what could have happened. She was oblivious until the screech of brakes.

I feel for you I really do. People don't wait because they think they're in a rush and are just selfish. 

 

Like you say, I think a lot of people just panic. But it really bugged on Sunday when they just don't realise for minutes what's actually behind them and the driver doesn't have anywhere to go. God knows how you must feel when it happens. 

 

Hats off to you and the job you do. Trying to get to a job as quickly as you can whilst looking out for absolutely clueless people must take some skill. 

[Julian Joachim Jr Shabadoo]

Tbh though if you're going to get run over make sure it's an ambulance

[Smudge]

4 hours ago, Julian Joachim Jr Shabadoo said:

 

... Why is that 6 mini roundabouts and not 1 standard sized one? Is someone taking the piss?

The reason is that you can turn left or right at the mini roundabouts and it has two way traffic.

 

Videos too long but you'll get the idea 

 

[Julian Joachim Jr Shabadoo]

13 minutes ago, Smudge said:

The reason is that you can turn left or right at the mini roundabouts and it has two way traffic.

 

Videos too long but you'll get the idea 

 

It takes minutes to navigate that monstrosity. 1 big roundabout with traffic lights would have done absolutely fine

[Izzy]

35 minutes ago, Smudge said:

The reason is that you can turn left or right at the mini roundabouts and it has two way traffic.

 

Videos too long but you'll get the idea 

 

Can't believe there's a YouTube video if it 

Brings back many painful memories of being late for work and listening to Chris Moyles on Radio 1. Thanks for sharing 

[Babylon]

The fat bloke on the moped going down the A46 at 30mph every day at 4.30pm... I appreciate you're doing nothing legally wrong. But FFS, you're causing a tailback of a mile at least and you're adding 10 minutes to my journey every day.  How about pulling in to the lay-by every now and again to actually let traffic past safely without causing grid lock.

[Bellend Sebastian]

1 hour ago, Babylon said:

The fat bloke on the moped going down the A46 at 30mph every day at 4.30pm... I appreciate you're doing nothing legally wrong. But FFS, you're causing a tailback of a mile at least and you're adding 10 minutes to my journey every day.  How about pulling in to the lay-by every now and again to actually let traffic past safely without causing grid lock.

That must be terrifying for HIM.  Why would you do it?

[Babylon]

1 minute ago, Bellend Sebastian said:

That must be terrifying for HIM.  Why would you do it?

Absolutely no idea, trundling along with his L plates on and about 5 bloody cameras poking out at every conceivable angle from his bike / helmet.

 

The thought crossed my mind he was doing it intentionally to get some angry drivers on camera.

[los dedos]

1 hour ago, Babylon said:

The fat bloke on the moped going down the A46 at 30mph every day at 4.30pm... I appreciate you're doing nothing legally wrong. But FFS, you're causing a tailback of a mile at least and you're adding 10 minutes to my journey every day.  How about pulling in to the lay-by every now and again to actually let traffic past safely without causing grid lock.

Used be a guy that i swear used a JCB to commute home on the A46 around that time.

If  Mr Moped is on the western bypass part he could use the ring round.Which would be a lot safer for him!

[Parafox]

21 hours ago, Babylon said:

Absolutely no idea, trundling along with his L plates on and about 5 bloody cameras poking out at every conceivable angle from his bike / helmet.

 

The thought crossed my mind he was doing it intentionally to get some angry drivers on camera.

Maybe he's creating his own version of Google streetview?

[Babylon]

38 minutes ago, Parafox said:

Maybe he's creating his own version of Google streetview?

Google Twatview.

[Thracian]

Warnings of road closures when you get there rather than beforehand so you can more easily avoid them. 

[pSinatra]

Road closures with diversions that don't lead anywhere.  You get one diversion sign that leads you out into the countryside & then nothing.

 

The one diversion sign may as well include the message 'Good Luck'

[DB11]

Was driving on the M1 yesterday and there was just a van stationary in lane four with its hazards That had the potential to be very dangerous - vehicles swerving to avoid it and almost hitting vehicles that were in the next lane.

 

Rang 999 though and as someone who does not use their mobile phone whilst driving it felt very weird to be using it on the roads

[Trav Le Bleu]

One of my pet peeves. You're driving on a single lane road at the speed limit at an appropriate distance behind the car in front, when a car behind thinks that that distance is enough space to squeeze into, thereby requiring me to drop further back. Would they cut in at a checkout queue? Probably not.

 

The guy today added insult to injury by doing it on a blind bend, having spent at least 2 miles riding my offside bumper.

[Benguin]

On 18 September 2016 at 23:02, Steve_Walsh5 said:

On the way to the Manchester airport last Tuesday we were on an A road. Two lorries in the left hand lane one decides to pull out and tries to overtake the other. He couldn't get enough speed to get past him though so they sat side by side for a good mile as the other one wouldn't slow down and the lorry in front of us wouldn't drop his speed to drop back behind. 

 

He finally managed to get in front of the other lorry and when we went past him I gave him the wànker sign. Fvcking idiot should be done for dangerous driving. 

This happened so much last time I drove up the a1

[Carl the Llama]

Driving down a single carriageway with stop-start traffic and a bike path clearly marked on the pavement then watching some jeb-end on a road bike cycling on the road and only using the bike lane as a means of overtaking temporarily stationary vehicles before re-joining the road in front of them and obstructing traffic further once we get moving again.

[Trav Le Bleu]

Driving on the M1 in torrential rain where and adverse camber had turned the outside lane into a river, yet people were still ploughing though it at top speed. Saw several near misses and thought I was going to get rear ended if I had to brake suddenly for any incidents ahead.

 

[Wymsey]

Those parking site bollards that lift up and down.

 

Thought my car was going to get crushed when one nearly touched it by going down quite a lot, despite pressing the button for a ticket and moving forward.

Much prefer sliding gates.

[Babylon]

This morning alone:

 

• Someone doing 40 mph on the motorway.

 

• People who indicate to change lane, then think that one indication is enough to sweep from the outside to the inside lane on the motorway in the space of three seconds because they haven't left themselves enough time to get off the motorway safely.

 

• People who clear a junction / roundabout / lights etc... then don't close up to the car in front, meaning nobody else can get clear of the junction because they've decided they are the only person who matters.

[adam1]

23 minutes ago, Babylon said:

• People who clear a junction / roundabout / lights etc... then don't close up to the car in front, meaning nobody else can get clear of the junction because they've decided they are the only person who matters.

Not forgetting those who drive slowly through a green light. After all the light sequences are designed to let x number of vehicles through. But there is always one tw@ who f#cks it up for those behind him. Especially in rush hour.

 

Another pet hate is those who slam their brakes on the first sign of amber when there is time for you and them to go through. Same also goes to those who drive slowly approaching a green light.

[DB11]

1 hour ago, adam1 said:

Not forgetting those who drive slowly through a green light. After all the light sequences are designed to let x number of vehicles through. But there is always one tw@ who f#cks it up for those behind him. Especially in rush hour.

 

Another pet hate is those who slam their brakes on the first sign of amber when there is time for you and them to go through. Same also goes to those who drive slowly approaching a green light.

If the light's been on green for a while then surely you're preparing for it to change? Good forward planning to prevent an accident or sudden braking imo.

[RonnieTodger]

Anyone that parks on the very corner of a street deserves to lose a wing mirror. 

Edited 4 October 2016 by RonnieTodger

[Julian Joachim Jr Shabadoo]

3 hours ago, adam1 said:

Not forgetting those who drive slowly through a green light. After all the light sequences are designed to let x number of vehicles through. But there is always one tw@ who f#cks it up for those behind him. Especially in rush hour.

 

Another pet hate is those who slam their brakes on the first sign of amber when there is time for you and them to go through. Same also goes to those who drive slowly approaching a green light.

Both of these drive me fvcking mental. Luckily I'm usually on a motorbike so I can zip past them but it seems like obvious common sense that during high traffic, you should keep gaps to a minimum and try to keep up with traffic on busy roads so as to keep traffic moving

 

When the light has turned green and the dumbass in the 6th car from the front takes 10 seconds to put it into gear, then the lights change again (and of course that same twat drives straight through the red light) means that cars 7, 8, 9 and 10 have an extra minute added onto their commute because some chump can't be bothered to keep his eyes open