# Gandalf corner Larndon.



## postman (13 Nov 2021)

I have been watching a lot of YouTube videos of this part of London.Cyclingmikey puts up his videos of takling motorists who cut this corner.Got to say I support him.How hard is it understand they are driving on the wrong side of the road in to oncoming traffic which includes cyclists,plus pedestrians who are not really expecting motorists to be driving the wrong way even for a short distamce,and approaching a busy junction on the wrong side of the road.CM is getting a lot of stick,it would be better if the local council laid out direction on the road surface with yellow paint ie a box junction and a very large no entry sign on the road.Any London CC members any thoughts on CM and his campaign.


----------



## Slick (14 Nov 2021)

Not London based but I have seen a lot of his videos and I do think he can be a bit extreme at times. He does some great work and can stand his ground with the best of them, and should probably get a medal for sorting out number of self entitled drivers.


----------



## HMS_Dave (14 Nov 2021)

I have seen some of his "gandalf corner" vids too. He's doing what the law should be. They don't have to put plod there these days, but a camera with ANPR should be enough. I do worry he is going to stop the wrong person one day and he is just going to be chopped up and stuffed in a suitcase with cyrillic writing on it...


----------



## ianrauk (14 Nov 2021)

Cyclingmikey used to be a member of this forum back in the early days and used to ride with with us Sunday London Riders. He's a thoroughly all round good guy though can be a little sanctimonious at times.
In regards to him bring attacked he has been a few times and yes he stands his ground. He has no worries about being able to handle himself in any physical confrontation and is under no illusion that he won't be on future altercations.
Yes the police should be doing the job at Gandalf corner and sometimes they do, but not enough.
The pure self entitlement of some of the drivers he stops is staggering.
More power to his elbow.


----------



## steveindenmark (14 Nov 2021)

I think someone needs to look at the signs if it is causing that many problems at that junction.


----------



## winjim (14 Nov 2021)

In case anyone hasn't seen it, it's this keep left sign that drivers are ignoring to shortcut the wrong way past the island and turn right. It's very obvious and they know they shouldn't be doing it. Most probably think they're just being a bit cheeky. The best way to solve it would be to reduce overall traffic on the Outer Circle so there's no queue to jump.


----------



## postman (14 Nov 2021)

It's the blatant arrogance of the drivers I am too important to wait in a queue.Some of them come from way way back so they know exactly what they are doing.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (14 Nov 2021)

winjim said:


> In case anyone hasn't seen it, it's this keep left sign that drivers are ignoring to shortcut the wrong way past the island and turn right. It's very obvious and they know they shouldn't be doing it. Most probably think they're just being a bit cheeky. The best way to solve it would be to reduce overall traffic on the Outer Circle so there's no queue to jump.
> 
> View attachment 617684



Indeed it’s points on the licence time for them for disobeying a traffic order.


----------



## KnittyNorah (14 Nov 2021)

Some sort of barrier which is soft/harmless/non-existent when driven over/through in the correct direction (and which can be remote-controlled to be safe in any direction by emergency vehicles responding to a call out) but which has damaging hooks, spikes or solid bollards which appear when driven over or through in the _wrong_ direction would be perfect ...


----------



## glasgowcyclist (14 Nov 2021)

steveindenmark said:


> I think someone needs to look at the signs if it is causing that many problems at that junction.



The signs aren’t the problem, it’s impatient dicks in cars.


----------



## steveindenmark (14 Nov 2021)

glasgowcyclist said:


> The signs aren’t the problem, it’s impatient dicks in cars.


They should put those metal rocker ramps down where you can drive over them one way, but not the other .


----------



## oldwheels (14 Nov 2021)

steveindenmark said:


> They should put those metal rocker ramps down where you can drive over them one way, but not the other .


Problem with that is it could hamper emergency vehicles. Yesterday an ambulance with blues and twos 
came from behind but due to a lorry unloading scaffolding on the left causing cars to stop for oncoming vehicles plus a traffic island forced it to the oncoming carriageway where traffic stopped to let it through. Perhaps we are more tolerant here.


----------



## slowmotion (14 Nov 2021)

I find the reactions of the miscreants on CM's clips to be fascinating and amusing. Lord knows why they don't just put their hands up and admit they were fairly rumbled instead of digging themselves into a bigger and bigger hole.


----------



## PeteXXX (14 Nov 2021)

And the video


----------



## hatler (15 Nov 2021)

It did appear that the driver in this one had little clue as to how to reverse such a ludicrously large vehicle.


----------



## fossyant (15 Nov 2021)

I've seen some of these videos - one woman got out to argue for a significant amount of time. Blooming obvious they shouldn't be doing it.


----------



## Alien8 (15 Nov 2021)

Whilst not Gandalf Corner, Mikey meets Chris Eubank is superb.


----------



## rogerzilla (16 Nov 2021)

Everyone cuts corners round here. A few weeks ago, a knobber in a Mini turned into a side road on the left of me (I was waiting to emerge and turn right) because he couldn't be arsed to go round me.


----------



## figbat (16 Nov 2021)

fossyant said:


> I've seen some of these videos - one woman got out to argue for a significant amount of time. Blooming obvious they shouldn't be doing it.


I remember this one - she was the passenger and she and the driver were doctors off to urgently see patients. So urgently that they could waste 5 minutes arguing the toss about moral and legal rights and wrongs. Not urgently enough to need a blue or even green light though...


----------



## fossyant (16 Nov 2021)

figbat said:


> I remember this one - she was the passenger and she and the driver were doctors off to urgently see patients. So urgently that they could waste 5 minutes arguing the toss about moral and legal rights and wrongs. Not urgently enough to need a blue or even green light though...



Oh there was another lady in a Merc (I think) - younger..


----------



## Drago (16 Nov 2021)

figbat said:


> I remember this one - she was the passenger and she and the driver were doctors off to urgently see patients. So urgently that they could waste 5 minutes arguing the toss about moral and legal rights and wrongs. Not urgently enough to need a blue or even green light though...


I remember that one. I seem to recall that as the car eventually backed away the female alleged healthcare practitioner was making thinly veiled threads towards the chap. 

That sort of behaviour is incompatible with employment as a healthcare professional, particularly as they have gone out of their waymto identify themselves as a healthcare professional, and in that position id had shown the footage to the GMC/Nursing Council/Sphincter Doctors Association (delete as applicable). 

I doubt anyone would have lost their job over it, but it would be a very unpleasant entry in red pen on their record and would likely have consequences for lateral or vertical career moves in the future. Even better, the apology they would have been forced to give in order to escape with only an official reprimand would be a painful, bleeding stain on their soul.


----------



## DRM (16 Nov 2021)

There was one with a bloke that was really aggressive in a BMW I think that kept running into Cycling Mikey, the police showed up and the blokes whole attitude changed, but when he went to get in the car and drive off because ”he was late for work” one of the met’s finest told him in no uncertain terms to come with me and pointed out the keep left sign and read the riot act to this idiot.


----------



## CXRAndy (19 Nov 2021)

hatler said:


> It did appear that the driver in this one had little clue as to how to reverse such a ludicrously large vehicle.


No she used the car as a weapon to ram Mikey.


----------



## Bonefish Blues (19 Nov 2021)

I so wonder if this is not about lawbreaking itself, it's more about some personal drive that Mikey has, and his need for 'trophies' - something I hear him repeating to other drivers. I also worry about the implications of his activity for other cyclists v-a-v the attitude of drivers towards them as a result of his widely-publicised videos. 

This location is easy to police, were there the will, and would be a perfect location for a fixed camera. The action is obviously illegal, and deeply antisocial, for sure, but I do wonder how much actual danger there is, and what the accident record is there. Does anyone know?

Retreats to bunker, hopes its recent reinforcements will prove effective


----------



## winjim (19 Nov 2021)

Bonefish Blues said:


> I so wonder if this is not about lawbreaking itself, it's more about some personal drive that Mikey has, and his need for 'trophies' - something I hear him repeating to other drivers. I also worry about the implications of his activity for other cyclists v-a-v the attitude of drivers towards them as a result of his widely-publicised videos.
> 
> This location is easy to police, were there the will, and would be a perfect location for a fixed camera. The action is obviously illegal, and deeply antisocial, for sure, but I do wonder how much actual danger there is, and what the accident record is there. Does anyone know?
> 
> Retreats to bunker, hopes its recent reinforcements will prove effective


I think Mikey's father was killed by a drink driver which might go some way towards explaining his motivation.


----------



## Bonefish Blues (19 Nov 2021)

winjim said:


> I think Mikey's father was killed by a drink driver which might go some way towards explaining his motivation.


I had heard that.


----------



## simongt (19 Nov 2021)

HMS_Dave said:


> They don't have to put plod there


One of the videos shows a traffic car just round the corner which assisted CM's case - !


----------



## HMS_Dave (19 Nov 2021)

simongt said:


> One of the videos shows a traffic car just round the corner which assisted CM's case - !


Yes i think i watched that one. The driver was using his car to ram CM if i recall.


----------



## topcat1 (21 Nov 2021)

One of the reasons Mike is so vigilant


----------



## Bonefish Blues (21 Nov 2021)

He's so famous, it's actually now _his_ corner, I note:

https://road.cc/content/news/cycling-live-blog-18-may-2021-283419


----------



## simongt (21 Nov 2021)

topcat1 said:


> One of the reasons Mike is so vigilant


Precisley the point.  But most of the offenders appear to be rich b*****ds who think they can do as they please.


----------



## CXRAndy (22 Nov 2021)

simongt said:


> Precisley the point.  But most of the offenders appear to be rich dumb fooking b*****ds who think they can do as they please, in my humble opinion


Edited


----------

