Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
Not below the limit? It is, after all, not a target, nor necessarily a safe speed for all sections of a road subject to that limit.
Just how bad are drivers, in general?
- Thread starter PedallingNowhereSlowly
- Start date
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Not below the limit? It is, after all, not a target, nor necessarily a safe speed for all sections of a road subject to that limit.
Apart from the fact that most modern cars have hill start assist...
Andy in Germany
Guru
- Location
- Rottenburg am Neckar
I wondered that too. It was of course stated as "on the limit if conditions allow" but still... I suppose you could argue that it makes people aware of speed limits and relative speeds under different limits, especially as we have a 7km/h limit in some places, but yes it's a bit strange.
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
^^ This, and you need to know how to override it temporarily if you're going to move precisely on a sloping road/driveway/ferry ramp.
To address concerns about examiner shortage and mass disqualifications (which might help increase pressure to fix our dysfunctional buses and trains but it would be a shock), I'd settle for baby steps at first and start by introducing an open-book online theory test of the recent changes every decade or so, just to increase the chance of motorists having read the highway code updates, with a facial check/recording to discourage hiring a stooge.
Fastpedaller
Über Member
That hill start assist can be a pain - I much prefer (and can control) using the handbrake and clutch and accelerator all at the same time (Wow) 
During my first driving lesson (after teaching me clutch control) the instructor said "have you driven already, maybe with family member?" I responded with "No, never" to which he expressed surprise (I wonder if he believed me? DI "but you place yourself correctly on the road and seem to be aware of other vehicles". Me "I ride a pedal bike" . DI "Ah that explains it". He sometimes pointed out I was driving a bit slowly "you're not on your bike now" and on one occasion said I shouldn't wait behind a bus, but should 'make good progress'. I said that in my experience buses often pull out before giving a signal. The next time we (very nearly) met a bus this very thing happened, and he never mentioned it again. I'd only pass the bus if I could see passengers getting on of off (and also slowed in case they walked in front of the bus.)
During my first driving lesson (after teaching me clutch control) the instructor said "have you driven already, maybe with family member?" I responded with "No, never" to which he expressed surprise (I wonder if he believed me? DI "but you place yourself correctly on the road and seem to be aware of other vehicles". Me "I ride a pedal bike" . DI "Ah that explains it". He sometimes pointed out I was driving a bit slowly "you're not on your bike now" and on one occasion said I shouldn't wait behind a bus, but should 'make good progress'. I said that in my experience buses often pull out before giving a signal. The next time we (very nearly) met a bus this very thing happened, and he never mentioned it again. I'd only pass the bus if I could see passengers getting on of off (and also slowed in case they walked in front of the bus.)
Andy in Germany
Guru
- Location
- Rottenburg am Neckar
Japan has a mandatory training day and test every five years. Unfortunately, driving there is still terrible; pedestrian crossings are pretty decorations on the road, and pavements are parking extensions. I was once admonished for driving on the speed limit "because there are cars behind, and you're holding them up".
It does seem that in our neck of the woods, there are far more cyclists of all persuasions using the footpaths than the road.
The cause of this change in habit can be hypothesised 'til hell freezes over, but it's happening.
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
Unsurprising in a country that has vending machines that sell used schoolgirls knickers.
Alex321
Guru
- Location
- South Wales
Holding it on the clutch did not involve the brake, it was throttle, and just slipping the clutch enough to hold the car stationary.
And the point I was making was that although it was what I was taught to do, I think nowadays it would be a fail.
TBH, I don't really remember for sure now whether I was told to use that method in the test, or whether I was just taught it (by a professional driving instructor) as another way to do it. But I have such strong memories of it that I think I was expected to do it in the test.
Absolutely.
Fastpedaller
Über Member
My neighbour told me he always gives cyclists plenty of room 
He then 'spoilt' my image of his driving by saying "I wish they wouldn't go along at over 20MPH in a 20MPH zone, because I can't overtake them" 
He then 'spoilt' my image of his driving by saying "I wish they wouldn't go along at over 20MPH in a 20MPH zone, because I can't overtake them"
Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
Ah so a motorist who cycles!
Or a cyclist who drives, I wonder how you work out which is which. Do you have to not own a car or driving license and only use a cycle to be called a cyclist?
Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
I suppose it’s a case of which is your primary choice of transport. What is your go to mode of travel?
If that question is aimed at me it has changed throughout my life. Personally I feel anyone who is riding a bike is a cyclist.
