The Recession Is Over - Official

These are hard times, but the end is apparently in sight.

As part of our ongoing Product Placement series, we see a new enterprise in the Gloucester Road. The photo is taken during the fit-out period, but it is good to see a new independent on Bristol's most famous street. Providing the sort of service and products so necessary in this part of town. Even better that this is taking place during a recession.

Notice how the new entrepreneurs have settled in seamlessly with their new neighbours, allowing their frontage space to be immediately occupied by the drivers of T8CKX and XZ4CCX in a real expression of community spirit.

We do wonder, however, just how long they expect the shopper to protect their escape route. Or is this performance art?

Here at Bristol Traffic we can't wait for the opportunity to sell our gold for cash and then buy a phone with the proceeds.

Product Placement: Turner Buses

Normally when this site covers school coaches, we feel sorry for them. It's not their fault, for example, that people have parked vehicles like in the coaches-only bit of Cotham Road, and so they are forced to double park to let schoolkids on and off safely.

No, it is the councils fault for failing to provide designated parent parking zone outside the school across the road -more on that another day, with the "Mum Rage" video.

But today, a bit of a focus on one vehicle, particularly this Turner Bus we see some distance ahead of our parent-and-child bicycle

But which we soon catch up with, giving us the photo that includes the registration number and the telephone number to call to raise a bug report against their understanding of the "When it is safe to overtake" rules.

In particular, if you are a bus only doing 12 mph up a hill, and there is a bicycle doing 10mph up a hill, then you should not attempt to pass the aforementioned bicycle while there is an oncoming car. fortunately, the oncoming car and the bus both agreed to slow down, and the bus could then wait to pass the bicycle safely, but for a moment it felt that there was a bus that wished to occupy the space currently used by a bike.

This is very inconvenient to the parent, as one does not want to teach the child about swearing, and yet with actions like this, well, they get to learn.

It is time to call Turners on 955 9086 -providers of school buses to council and independent schools in the city, and ask them exactly WTF the bus 3138DP was doing at 08:22 this morning.

Updated: phoned up, reported, they will tell the driver off, the office apologised. Probably on the Colston's school run, apparently. This is a reminder why a camera is so handy on your bike, keep it on a handlebar bag. Get one that powers up fast, and which lets you take pics one handed while your son goes "daddy, what did those words you said mean?"

Update 2: forgot to put the reg# of the landrover in the posting. M525YPX. With the hi-viz gear in the back, they are probably part of the sanska "Caring constructors" team rebuilding the school here. More on them another day.

Product Placement: DHL

We are pleased to see that the DHL deliveries company is able to successfully deliver packages to people cycling to work or school down the Cotham Hill contraflow at 08:42 on a weekday morning.

Clearly there is no other reason why the DHL lorry reg # FJ05XEH would cross a solid white line and park on double yellow lines, not just preventing downhill cycle traffic but removing all visibility for passing on this road, not during the peak traffic period.

This integrated on-line shopping/delivery on the school-run/commute will increase the value of cycling-city initiatives, as it provides extra value from bike lanes.

Hopefully the cyclist they were waiting for came along, picked up their package and the lorry could then go off to block another bike lane.

Monty Road Rage

A reader "S" writes in with some breaking news

"do you do road rage coverage?"

Yes, but we'd rather things were peaceful out there.
they continue

I was chased by a van through Montpelier today, I had to hide in someone's house to get away.

That's scary

I have a photo of the van

In that case, your contribution is welcome.

I was cycling up Stokes Croft, waiting to do a right turn onto Ashley Road. We had a green light but there was two lanes of cars heading in to town, so I just stayed where I was -in the right hand lane waiting. Suddenly this van that was waiting behind me swings left and then goes in front of me, almost turning on top of me. This is not only dangerous, as there is still two lines of traffic, pointless. I go forward, shout "what the fuck are you doing", get in front of him, and then, when there is a gap, cross the road. I then turn off onto Picton street and carry on. Before I do that I look back, and there is the driver of the van swearing and shouting at me. I carry on.

As I get to the end of Picton Street, past where the famous Range-Rovers live, I look right down the road to Herbert's Bakery (ed: Wellington Ave) and what do I see? I see the van coming up the road. The driver of the van was now chasing me into Montpelier. That gave me a fright. I was wondering if I should turn round and use the shortcut to Richmond Avenue to avoid the van, when I saw someone I knew getting their bike out of their house. I ran up to them and tucked my bike inside.

The can driver stopped, got out the van and was screaming at us "not so brave now, all words, come on then!" -he really did want a fight. But I don't understand why. All I know is that I was waiting at the lights to turn, he swung round and over me, and when I got upset at that he chased me round Montpelier.

We said we were calling the police and waited inside, then, as he got back in and started to drive out, I grabbed a photo.


Here is a photo of the van (ed: T455LBO) -it had Roman Windows written on the side.

This was very frightening. My journey only has one bad bit -Jamaica Street and Stokes Croft- and then I'm the safe quarter of Montpelier. I was good to pedestrians and didnt cycle through the pestrian crossing period, instead I waited patiently. And this is my reward -a mad white van driver chasing me through Montpelier.

Our local contacts reassure us that David who runs Roman Windows on Stokes Croft is really nice, and they checked this out. The vehicle is actually being borrowed by A&M motors this morning. So this incident must be because one of their drivers is having a bad morning or something, going off the deep end. Possibly they felt that you weren't waiting patiently for a green light, but instead blocking them, so while you were happily waiting, they were getting more and more worked up -so when you pulled past them and asked them WTF they were doing, they finally exploded. That doesn't excuse his actions, only gives us a possible explanation.

We can understand why this scared you, it must have given you a fright to see the van coming after you instead of going on to wherever it was going. In situations like that it is good to have a good "exit strategy" -you were lucky you know people in Monty. Otherwise, any bike-only option is good, as is doing a full U-turn on the road and heading off in a random direction. This can leave you with a new problem: how to get where you are going when there is a chance that somebody mad is after you.

The thing to remember though, is there are people like that. If someone does something aggressive like overtake you while you are waiting to turn right -it may be easiest to let them. Take a photo (discreetly), think of something witty to say, send it in. Rather than escalate the situation, which is exactly what you ended up doing, sadly.

Returning to the van in question, it's being driven dangerously by someone from A&M motors, known for their war-on-trees in St Werburgh's. We shall chase this up.

London

Contributor "TG" posts in a couple of pics from London, showing what innovation they have for bicycles under Boris Johnson.

First, an area where you can train for Europe cycling on the other side of the road, where a short stretch of lane switches from one side to the other. It is a pity that the photographer did not stop and video this junction in use during the rush hour, as it cold be, well, entertaining.

Elsewhere, we can see how vendor-sponsored junctions give product placement opportunites to London companies.

This reduces costs and enables more bike lanes to be rolled out.

Safety Warning

There is a warning sign in the middle of the cycle lane in Stokes Croft. This could be dangerous.

But not here.

The TNT delivery van DK57EHB is stopping anyone from cycling into the sign.

Product placement policy

As one of the leading media outlets in the city, we are often asked what our product placement fees are.
1. Individual contributors are free to mention any local vendors of food, alcohol or other items of interest, with or without money or gifts in kind changing hand. If someone were actually to pay any contributor for a product placement, we could start think about tax deductable expenses, which could include cameras, computer bits and review visits to stokes croft massage parlours

2. We will also gladly advertise local companies and organisations that come to our attention. Here, for example, is a van WN05ZVB, from David Fear Electrical, across the bike lane at the top of Nine-tree hill.


That is David Fear Electrical Ltd, Back Stoke Lane, Westbury on Trym, Bristol, BS9 3QT, tel (0117) 962 1787, according to the information painted on the side of the vehicle.

No fee was taken for this placement.

Ashton Court work

The Cabot Circus marketing organisation has spent lots of money entertaining the local printed and TV media. However, despite PR Bristol listing Bristol Traffic as part of the city's new media, no invitations. Which is a shame, as all forms of bribery will be accepted, though the sponsor will be listed.

This posting is sponsored by the Bristol Trails Group, who, in combination with the weather, have bribed us with the best mountain biking conditions since February, only now its warmer and stays light later. The trails group are looking for funding for the Leigh Woods trail improvements, so perhaps the Cabot Circus marketing team could consider having a nationally renowned trail named after their project.

Look at this: a dusty surface under-wheel

And you don't need to wash your bike when you get home (though clearly checking the fork suspension before riding would have been good)

Here is a biker called Liam on his way home. I'd hoped the flash would have gone off, but no, we get a silhouette of him on a trials bike.

The golf course was just picking up a layer of fresh mist for the evening.

Night riding there would be fun tonight. Which is good, as a few miles south, the Cheddar Challenge is running a night session

Effective Advertising

Anyone who works in advertising must dream of an advert so compelling that passers by stop and look at it, to give the advert undivided attention for long enough to read the text and take in the message. Here, Ed P. posts in a dockside advert by Linden Homes that did just that. Stopped him walking up the pavement to look at the ad.

Admittedly, the main reason he stopped going along Gasferry Road was that he was trying to push a small child along in a pushchair, and the Linden Homes house marketing signage prevented him from proceeding safely on the pavement. Stopping was the only option, followed only by pushing the pushchair out through parked cars and continuing along the road, the road that provides the sole pedestrian route through this part of the Bristol City Docks. But from an advertising perspective it worked! He read the sign. He took a photo. He emailed it to us and now we've stuck it online. That is success!