Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Yet another crash
On crossing the road at a pelican controlled zebra crossing, when I had the green man, had the wonderful experience of seeing two cars jumping a red light bearing down on me.
Luckily one of them saw me and swerved, the other tried to push him back into the correct lane.
Result: two bent cars and one shaken, but unstirred, threaded who continued on his way, carrying the new toy.
Wonder: could it be the luminous jacket? I am going to call someone up to drive me home. I don't feel safe on my bicycle tonight.
In fact I don't feel safe going for lunch. They have knives in the canteen...
Luckily one of them saw me and swerved, the other tried to push him back into the correct lane.
Result: two bent cars and one shaken, but unstirred, threaded who continued on his way, carrying the new toy.
Wonder: could it be the luminous jacket? I am going to call someone up to drive me home. I don't feel safe on my bicycle tonight.
In fact I don't feel safe going for lunch. They have knives in the canteen...
Another crash
On returning to my office from collecting my new guitar, just outside the train station, two single decker buses crashed into each other.
Wonder if the drivers were distracted by the loveliness of my Xmas present?
Or by my luminous jacket?
Wonder if the drivers were distracted by the loveliness of my Xmas present?
Or by my luminous jacket?
Audi 'XX 36 ??7' knocked a girl off her bike
Saw an Audi, registration number XX 36 ??7, knock a girl off her bike this morning, right in front of me. Luckily she was only shaken up. The car failed to stop. As it so happens the car traffic in Copenhagen can be quite a bit slower than those on a bicycle, so after checking the girl was OK, I just happened to catch up with chummy at the next set of lights.
Noticed there was someone who had already given chase, and the furry faced twit was conspicuously ignoring their remonstrations, as the lights changed: he drove on.
As I do, I just laid back and watched the drama unfurl before me, and lo, caught up with him at the next set of lights, and so did the other chap who started hammering on his roof this time.
Chummy floored it and drove through the red lights.
I reckon he knows full well what he's done, hope one day they take his license, before he kills someone.
Noticed there was someone who had already given chase, and the furry faced twit was conspicuously ignoring their remonstrations, as the lights changed: he drove on.
As I do, I just laid back and watched the drama unfurl before me, and lo, caught up with him at the next set of lights, and so did the other chap who started hammering on his roof this time.
Chummy floored it and drove through the red lights.
I reckon he knows full well what he's done, hope one day they take his license, before he kills someone.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Three cars and a bike
Todays crash involved three cars and a bicycle. The cyclist was not me I hasten to add. I was watching from my office window, vicarious amusement I know: but I do like to look up occasionally and watch the rush hour traffic at a nearby traffic-light controlled T-junction whilst doing the usual morning chores, especially if there is a squeal of tires, a blowing of horns. If they just co-operated with each other they'd all get through so much quicker, but they'd rather not methinks. Occasionally the various antics drivers get up to at the junction make for a bit of a chuckle.
This mornings chuckle involved three cars and a cyclist all running red-lights, the ensuing crumple of metal, shouting match, and then the ritual exchange of insurance details.
All rather mundane, but it was raining lightly, and as time went on the rain became harder, and then harder. The harder it got the more I wondered when they'd pack in with the shouting match and get onto the exchange of details, if only to save from getting soaked.
Then, just as they exchanged details and were heading back to their cars thoroughly soaked; the rain stopped like a light being switched off.
This mornings chuckle involved three cars and a cyclist all running red-lights, the ensuing crumple of metal, shouting match, and then the ritual exchange of insurance details.
All rather mundane, but it was raining lightly, and as time went on the rain became harder, and then harder. The harder it got the more I wondered when they'd pack in with the shouting match and get onto the exchange of details, if only to save from getting soaked.
Then, just as they exchanged details and were heading back to their cars thoroughly soaked; the rain stopped like a light being switched off.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
From the lunatic car driver department
Saw, well initially heard approaching, a purple car that had recently been involved in an accident, and the occupants were making their getaway.
Front end smashed in, front bumper being dragged under the car, held on by wires for the lights.
Quite a racket, with lots of sparks flying out the sides from underneath the car. They were driving quite in excess of the posted speed limit and ignored the red light at the next set of lights. So never quite saw where they eventually must have come to a halt.
From the attitude of the other road users this would appear to be nothing too extraordinary.
"See that!" I inquired of a fellow cyclist I met waiting at the red light.
"See what?" Was the response.
Front end smashed in, front bumper being dragged under the car, held on by wires for the lights.
Quite a racket, with lots of sparks flying out the sides from underneath the car. They were driving quite in excess of the posted speed limit and ignored the red light at the next set of lights. So never quite saw where they eventually must have come to a halt.
From the attitude of the other road users this would appear to be nothing too extraordinary.
"See that!" I inquired of a fellow cyclist I met waiting at the red light.
"See what?" Was the response.
Labels: car crash, cycling, purple
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
A car crash I found amusing
On my cycle commute in to work this morning at one point the kerb protecting the cycle path stops and the road joins for cars turning right. Well, a car overtook and cut in sharply causing me to brake suddenly. The car driver then decided they didn't want to turn right but go straight on and stopped on the zebra crossing just after the lights.
As the lights were red I thought I might inquire as to the drivers mental state and if they had some mechanical or electrical issues preventing the correct operation of brakes and indicators.
They assured me they were prefectly compos mentis and there was nothing wrong with their vehicle.
I suggested they calm down a little as Copenhagen is not the sort of place to go driving too fast, considering the traffic and all the cyclists. With a cheery waves we both continued on our journeys.
A little further on I heard a dull thud and saw the driver I had recently conversed with had decided that the driver of a dump truck was someone else they would wish to strike up a conversation with. Unfortunately the dump truck was not quite as quick as myself and duly rolled over the front of the car.
I pulled up to watch the dump truck driver, a couple of bin men who'd been surfing on the back, but were now picking themselves up from being unceremoniously dumped in the road, and car driver all arguing noisily with each other. It was something about mental state, brakes, and indicators.
"Keep it down." I asked, "Some people are trying to sleep here" and everyone gave each other cheery waves, although one of the bin men did more appear to be throwing a left hook at the car driver rather than waving.
As the lights were red I thought I might inquire as to the drivers mental state and if they had some mechanical or electrical issues preventing the correct operation of brakes and indicators.
They assured me they were prefectly compos mentis and there was nothing wrong with their vehicle.
I suggested they calm down a little as Copenhagen is not the sort of place to go driving too fast, considering the traffic and all the cyclists. With a cheery waves we both continued on our journeys.
A little further on I heard a dull thud and saw the driver I had recently conversed with had decided that the driver of a dump truck was someone else they would wish to strike up a conversation with. Unfortunately the dump truck was not quite as quick as myself and duly rolled over the front of the car.
I pulled up to watch the dump truck driver, a couple of bin men who'd been surfing on the back, but were now picking themselves up from being unceremoniously dumped in the road, and car driver all arguing noisily with each other. It was something about mental state, brakes, and indicators.
"Keep it down." I asked, "Some people are trying to sleep here" and everyone gave each other cheery waves, although one of the bin men did more appear to be throwing a left hook at the car driver rather than waving.
Labels: car crash
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Pedestrians and Car drivers
There I am on my bicycle waiting at a red light when a lady pedestrian runs out when the little red man is lit, promptly causing a taxi to do an emergency stop. The taxi just knocks her slightly. She bounces off the bonnet and continues to run across the road. Taxi driver shouts something, but she carries on. He waits a moment and then, with a shrug, drives on.
A chap on another bicycle by the side of me mutters something. I didn't catch what he said, so I smile politely.
The lady then runs out into the road, again, this time down the side of some parked cars. Chap besides me calls to her, incredulously, "Skal du kører bil os?" (You're allowed to drive a car?)
She looks back down the road at us with a withering look whilst opening the drivers side door, and gets in.
"Hold da kæft!" (WTF!) my fellow cyclist exclaims.
I nearly fall over laughing so much.
Later, I relate this story to some of my Danish co-workers, "Nørrebro" one of them comments, others nod sagely at this.
A chap on another bicycle by the side of me mutters something. I didn't catch what he said, so I smile politely.
The lady then runs out into the road, again, this time down the side of some parked cars. Chap besides me calls to her, incredulously, "Skal du kører bil os?" (You're allowed to drive a car?)
She looks back down the road at us with a withering look whilst opening the drivers side door, and gets in.
"Hold da kæft!" (WTF!) my fellow cyclist exclaims.
I nearly fall over laughing so much.
Later, I relate this story to some of my Danish co-workers, "Nørrebro" one of them comments, others nod sagely at this.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
How did that van get there?
Oh, not another car crash story? Sorry, but yes.
Roundabout at Høje Taastrup is the place in question. It is where two dual carriage ways cross each other. The roundabout is a sort of dome shape, covered in bushes, about 4 meters tall in the middle, obviously three spiral lanes around it. And traffic lights. (Yeah, I didn't get the traffic lights and spiral lanes when I first saw it, but then I saw the traffic using it...)
Many Danish drivers don't 'get' roundabouts in a deep and meaningful way. To be fair there are precious few roundabouts, so most drivers are just not exposed to them that often. This particular one is a 5 minute education in how many ways one can do a roundabout badly. It scares me to death on a regular basis (I've actually seen the traffic light I'm waiting at crushed by a lorry that couldn't work out what was road, what was cyclepath, and what was pavement), and many cyclist don't do it as marked as, well, they don't feel safe either. But I digress.
Saw a van with "accident tape" around it about 3/4 of the way up the roundabout. Shone my lights on it as first impression was WTF, which only made the scene more strange as there didn't appear to be any smashed bushes indicating the path to where it came to rest.
The conclusion I inevitably came to using Occams Rasor (i.e. discounting it being dropped there by a helicopter), was the van had approached from the other side of the roundabout at speed, somehow gone airborne, and landed on my side thereby avoiding smashing any of the bushes I could see.
I shall investigate by doing a full circuit of the roundabout tonight, as long as there isn't too much traffic, one shouldn't tempt the fates after all.
Roundabout at Høje Taastrup is the place in question. It is where two dual carriage ways cross each other. The roundabout is a sort of dome shape, covered in bushes, about 4 meters tall in the middle, obviously three spiral lanes around it. And traffic lights. (Yeah, I didn't get the traffic lights and spiral lanes when I first saw it, but then I saw the traffic using it...)
Many Danish drivers don't 'get' roundabouts in a deep and meaningful way. To be fair there are precious few roundabouts, so most drivers are just not exposed to them that often. This particular one is a 5 minute education in how many ways one can do a roundabout badly. It scares me to death on a regular basis (I've actually seen the traffic light I'm waiting at crushed by a lorry that couldn't work out what was road, what was cyclepath, and what was pavement), and many cyclist don't do it as marked as, well, they don't feel safe either. But I digress.
Saw a van with "accident tape" around it about 3/4 of the way up the roundabout. Shone my lights on it as first impression was WTF, which only made the scene more strange as there didn't appear to be any smashed bushes indicating the path to where it came to rest.
The conclusion I inevitably came to using Occams Rasor (i.e. discounting it being dropped there by a helicopter), was the van had approached from the other side of the roundabout at speed, somehow gone airborne, and landed on my side thereby avoiding smashing any of the bushes I could see.
I shall investigate by doing a full circuit of the roundabout tonight, as long as there isn't too much traffic, one shouldn't tempt the fates after all.
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