This morning's commute and other commuting stories

I'm sure some people can ride these scooters when they buy them

Not legally on the road though and regardless of helmet/license/insurance provisions. Many/most/all of them can't be compliant as there's no category (and therefore no set of requirements they need to satisfy) for them to be compliant. The PLEV category they sit in specifically rules them out for on-road (or on-pavement) usage as they are not powerful or fast enough.

Sorry, I should have been clearer. I meant 'have the skill to ride them'.

Things I didn't expect from my morning commute: a crazy lady getting in my face with a baseball bat.

Once again, I'm glad I don't live in the US, as according to the cyclists' accounts I've read it would have been a 50/50 chance of being a gun instead.

please elaborate

riding through primrose after regents yesterday at about 8 am, a lady crossed the road in front of me, then wandered into an adjacent garden and proceeded to kneel over and take a shit in the plants. I was a bit surprised and nearly rolled into traffic in my shock.

It's the classic story, she tried to squeeze me off the road in a huge SUV, I banged the back of her car, and her bubble of safety apparently burst very suddenly and she couldn't take it. Was swerving back and forth ahead of me several times waiting for me to catch up (of course I'm not stupid enough to go alongside of someone with homicidal tendencies in a 1.5ton car), almost got into an argument with another cyclist until she realised that was not me, got out of the car further up the road.

I have a U-Lock, she went to get the baseball bat, and finally withdrew after a few semi-attempts at batting my head. Not without a lot of screaming about me and how I should 'never get close to her or her kids again'. Like, maybe don't manoeuvre the car that contains your kids into my handlebars then?

In hindsight, I should have remained calmer because really it was more funny than anything else, but that's also easier to say in hindsight. Also, she's clearly got mental issues because while I have definitely got extremely angry at people before, I've never tried to assault anyone with a car or a baseball bat.

I'd be calling the cops on her for threatening assault by baseball bat, myself. She sounds seriously unhinged and might need help with that before someone gets hurt (kids with her, you say?). Glad you're ok though.

Thanks, yeah I'm fine, it just took me a minute or two to get rid of the adrenaline. 'Seriously unhinged' hits the spot, I mean I've dealt with some road-ragers before but fuck me, never seen a woman get aggro with a baseball bat. Kind of expected some older fat dude shouting at me, but serves me right for stereotyping higher-end SUV drivers I suppose.

I saw a man stop his Land Rover in front of Waterloo Station and was standing in the middle of the road going berserk at the driver behind him, also in a Land Rover. She was just staring at his shouty, extremely red face .

#teamlandbrover

crazy ! 10/10, would read again

crazy! the fact that she's driving around with a baseball bat to hand would seem like she's got a screw loose, or severe anger issues, or she's driving around actively looking for a fight...

did you get her plates? i'd deffo be calling that one in

might be an urban legend (like... did u kno that if u put an aspirin in full fat Coke u get totally off ur hed m8?) but I’ve actually SEEN a guy take one out of the boot of his car during a “my right of way” barney with a van driver. It was still in the shrink wrap. This giving the driver a supposed out - that it’s an innocent gift purchased for his baseball-mad nephew and not a dangerous weapon used for threatening other road users.

God, if people carrying around weapons in case of road rage incidents isn't a damning indictment on the whole thing of driving and roads, I don't know what it is. Why do people get so angry the minute they get behind the wheel of a car?

@SwissChap Glad you're ok though, could have been worse.

Until Popo says provide proof of purchase within a reasonable time frame. How long would you have it in your car if it was a gift? A week?
No receipt or bank statement, no proof.

Australia managed to automate most of the speed camera stuff so I don't see why, oh yeah we're in England, yeah, zzzz... ooh look plastic bank notes.

Hidden speed cameras, most cop cars have built in speed cameras, 0 tolerance policy and a government happy to have income from fines unlike the Tories who just get rid of police to save money.

Haha yeah - I did think not too long afterwards "well at least it's a good story to tell". Then I remembered that my gf is nervous about me cycling in London anyway so I decided not to tell it to anyone who'd mention it to her, so she isn't even more on edge about it - I think she might struggle to see the funny side of it for a while.

I mean on the one hand, it's scary and the main feeling left in my head afterwards was "what the actual fuck just happened", on the other hand, it's worth remembering I just happened to meet one of the few actual psychos out there: it's not a regular occurrence at all.

@bigshape

I did not, maybe time to fast-track that plan to get cameras. Also I suppose it is possible it was her kids' baseball bat, but even that would not make her behaviour any less psychotic. "Don't ever get near my car or my kids again" - lady, you're not in an American gangster movie, you're driving on Chelsea Embankment and making a complete ass out of yourself. And if your car and your kids never get that close to me again, I'll be very grateful.

doing shoulder checks and the like.

On a scooter? LOL.

They're all wearing their Beats by Dre headphones that provide a force field on the left and right so they don't need to.

"Don't ever get near my car or my kids again"

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RE the e-scooter stuff earlier.....Maximum speed allowed by law for E-bikes on open roads (I mean land open to the public) is 15mph. And it's imperative for the rider to be pedalling.

Considering these things don't have the best of brakes nor is there much chance of an effective emergency stop on one the max speed allowed should be way less than 15 mph. 10 might be more reasonable perhaps.

Pretty sure they only have a rear brake. Front brake would be useless on the tiny front wheel as you’d immediately flip it over.
So I imagine they’re pretty terrible at stopping an adult travelling 20mph

psychotic

Don't misuse terms--psychosis means that people have 'an abnormal condition of the mind that results in difficulties determining what is real and what is not'. I can't see any evidence of that here from your report.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychosis

She became very angry and quite possibly very frightened, which can be neurotic behaviour.

Glad that it didn't escalate.

I'm sorry, next time I'll just go for "cray cray".

So is enforcement in Australia also done in the dense cores of older cities? That's obviously where it's most difficult.

I've never read up on enforcement in Australia, so don't know much about it.

As you know, there are speed cameras in the UK, too, e.g. on motorways etc., but they have come under fierce political attack in the past and form part of a very sorry saga.

That's obviously where it's most difficult.

Is it? Pretty sure that the same cameras that do red light runners get speeders. Piece of piss basically. I don't know what the cameras cost but I bet they pay themselves off pretty bloody quick.