Petty annoyances on the road....

Commuting, Day rides, Audax, Incidents, etc.
axel_knutt
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Re: Petty annoyances on the road....

Post by axel_knutt »

oldtimer99 wrote: 11 Oct 2021, 8:08amSun so low and hurting my eyes.
The strobe light effect when the low sun shines through a hedge or slatted fence.
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mattheus
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Re: Petty annoyances on the road....

Post by mattheus »

axel_knutt wrote: 14 Oct 2021, 3:31pm
oldtimer99 wrote: 11 Oct 2021, 8:08amSun so low and hurting my eyes.
The strobe light effect when the low sun shines through a hedge or slatted fence.
... a truly beautiful site.

Sadly a bloody nuisance if cycling, sometimes :(
Postboxer
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Re: Petty annoyances on the road....

Post by Postboxer »

I have wondered how many epileptic fits that may cause, I think the higher the frequency, the more likely the fit, the higher the speed one is travelling, the higher the frequency, it's a recipe for disaster.

I'm still struggling to limit myself to petty annoyances, some of the things mentioned are serious. I've also noticed most of things I mentioned are from cycle paths and not the road, so don't qualify.

Misleading/unclear road signs and markings. Vehicles parked too close to junctions, together with road signs that severely obstruct vision when trying to pull out of junctions, hedges and trees too. Roadworks and other signs that say road ahead closed but don't specify whether cycles and pedestrians can get through. Homemade signs halfway along a road that say private road, but the road seems to be marked on Google maps, so you don't know who to believe.
colin54
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Re: Petty annoyances on the road....

Post by colin54 »

People at T junctions who look left first, when you are approaching from their right. Look right, look left & look right again.
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rotavator
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Re: Petty annoyances on the road....

Post by rotavator »

Hellhound wrote: 14 Oct 2021, 3:20pm
jb wrote: 14 Oct 2021, 3:12pm
Syd wrote: 14 Oct 2021, 2:43pm Another to add:
People who let their dogs stray off to the maximum reach of extendable leads.
Objection; thats not a 'petty annoyance'...I'm not a violent fellow but they should be made to dress tripe for a week.
Those leads should be banned fullstop!
If you can't keep your dog under control it should be on a short stout lead.
And of course the person is always on the opposite side of the path to the dog, thus obstructing the full width of the path with the lead. Why don't they think, or may be they want to slow cyclists down?
jb
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Re: Petty annoyances on the road....

Post by jb »

Extending leads are for those can't be bothered to train their dog properly. But still want it to roam free ish.
The fact you can't reel them back quickly in the event of an approaching vehicle or runner never enters there challenged little minds.
A well trained dog is a joy to behold & if it's on a lead it's because you can't risk unexpected happenings so the lead is short and your in control.
Cheers
J Bro
Postboxer
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Re: Petty annoyances on the road....

Post by Postboxer »

I'll be on the next series of Dragon's Den with a retractable lead with a reeling mechanism to wind your dog in.
jb
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Re: Petty annoyances on the road....

Post by jb »

Make sure it has a big spring...
Cheers
J Bro
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Traction_man
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Re: Petty annoyances on the road....

Post by Traction_man »

oldtimer99 wrote: 11 Oct 2021, 8:08am Ooh....get me going.

Let's start with this awful winter sunshine. Sun so low and hurting my eyes. Why can't they make it higher? :(
The strong contrast between light and shade brought about by trees and hedgerows caused by low sun really is a hazard--when I'm driving I'm really conscious of what's in the shadows, what's hidden, cyclists, walkers, potholes, and as a cyclist fearing the drivers behind can't see me, unless I pull out more into the road, put on front and rear lights, and keep a close watch on what's coming up from behind.

It's one of the reasons I prefer to cycle on a grey flat light day in winter rather than sunny days.
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Audax67
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Re: Petty annoyances on the road....

Post by Audax67 »

Low sun, yes. Must be worse in the UK than here.

Stopping at an intersection to allow a car to pass in front only for it to turn off without indicating, or indicating about 5 feet beforehand. In general, drivers and road furniture that steal my momentum to no good end. Come to think of it that's not petty, it's a capital crime.

Bike lanes in chicanes: dangerous and always full of debris.

Flies that decide to accompany me up hills.

Pedestrians on cycle tracks who wear headphones and don't react until you're bawling at them. Ditto phone zombies who stare straight through you as you go by in the opposite direction. And in general, people who ignore my cheery bonjour!

Horse riders who don't pick up their mounts' droppings. Some of the offerings take up so much of a cycle path that you have to go past in single file. NB in France, horses aren't allowed on shared paths but the police never do anything about it.

That'll do for now.
Have we got time for another cuppa?
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Cowsham
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Re: Petty annoyances on the road....

Post by Cowsham »

Traction_man wrote: 16 Oct 2021, 9:36am
oldtimer99 wrote: 11 Oct 2021, 8:08am Ooh....get me going.

Let's start with this awful winter sunshine. Sun so low and hurting my eyes. Why can't they make it higher? :(
The strong contrast between light and shade brought about by trees and hedgerows caused by low sun really is a hazard--when I'm driving I'm really conscious of what's in the shadows, what's hidden, cyclists, walkers, potholes, and as a cyclist fearing the drivers behind can't see me, unless I pull out more into the road, put on front and rear lights, and keep a close watch on what's coming up from behind.

It's one of the reasons I prefer to cycle on a grey flat light day in winter rather than sunny days.
While taking the wife to an appointment yesterday on a straight bit of road I just managed to spot a woman with a pushchair walking towards the car on our side of the road.

She was wearing all black or dark clothing and the pushchair was dark too. The trees on our side of the road coupled with the low sun through them camouflaged her perfectly. Both of us remarked on how well camouflaged she was and how there was nowhere for her to go if a driver hadn't seen her.
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LollyKat
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Re: Petty annoyances on the road....

Post by LollyKat »

Maybe pedestrians should wear flashing lights too.
Grandad
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Re: Petty annoyances on the road....

Post by Grandad »

Maybe pedestrians should wear flashing lights too.
Some runners do
thirdcrank
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Re: Petty annoyances on the road....

Post by thirdcrank »

Vaguely touching on a couple of things mentioned above, hidden in the foliage here is a STOP sign at a T junction

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.76130 ... 384!8i8192

Local authority cuts don't extend to cutting back foliage masking traffic signs, including STOP signs, made with a unique silhouette to avoid confusion.

A trip back through time courtesy of streetview shows that this sign was only visible when I managed to get Bradford council to get the secateurs out - and in Winter.

It won't be petty if there's a bad crash
Tangled Metal
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Re: Petty annoyances on the road....

Post by Tangled Metal »

Just bought a new ravemen pr1600 front light. It could be that I'm the petty annoyance on the rough, gravel road through the industrial estate past the skip recycling place. 😆
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