Post by johnofgwent on Jan 31, 2023 8:25:08 GMT
I could have sworn I posted what I’m going to say earlier ….. but ….
I worked partly in the life sciences faculty at Cathays Park Cardiff s and partly at the University Hospital at the Heath. Being in those days a mere ten stone and mostly muscle a pushbike got me between the two on the back roads faster than the bus and parking the car anywhere was a bloody nightmare.
Moira worked at the Welsh Office across the road from the University. Her HEO was a C5 fanatic.
I had the dubious pleasure of witnessing the very problem referred to above. I don’t think we even had bus lanes back then. Bus stops in the main road yes. Bus lanes, no.
Anyway
I’m on the Raleigh twenty coming down the ramp off the life sciences building when I almost fall off laughing. Out on the main road Moira’s boss is sweating profusely pedalling his C5 at about three mile an hour if that (the battery has clearly let him down again) in front of a big orange double decker that clearly isn’t amused.
But things go sideways very, very quickly after the bus which has crawled behind this arsehole stops at the bus stop by the registry office.
At this point Moira’s boss has to do a right turn in the traffic from Column Road (the second busiest main road into and out of Cardiff heading north / south into a side road that runs between the life sciences block and the old buildings, that will take him to Museum Avenue and the ramp to the Welsh Office Car Park
The problem ? He’s in front of the south bound bus and totally invisible to the traffic behind it waiting for a pause in the north bound flow to overtake the bus while would be passengers get their wallets out and buy their tickets from the one man operated bus driver.
I’m waiting for that same northbound stream of cars to go so I can turn north, cycle up Column Rd and Woodville Rd / Cathays Terrace
The transit van that has been stuck waiting for a while behind the bus and is focussed on the lack of northbound cars totally fails to see the guy as he pulls into his right turn ….
There is a sharp crack.
That’s the transit hitting the C5 broadside, tipping Moira’s boss into the path of oncoming traffic as the C5 is crushed under the vans engine.
Fortunately the car leading the next batch of northbound cars was stopped by the lights at the pedestrian crossing by the main university entrance where students crossed between the old college and students union. So nothing ran him over as he rolled across the northbound lane.
After the fractures healed he went out and bought a bright red Raleigh Twenty Shoppabike like mine. He got into work a lot earlier after that.
I worked partly in the life sciences faculty at Cathays Park Cardiff s and partly at the University Hospital at the Heath. Being in those days a mere ten stone and mostly muscle a pushbike got me between the two on the back roads faster than the bus and parking the car anywhere was a bloody nightmare.
Moira worked at the Welsh Office across the road from the University. Her HEO was a C5 fanatic.
I had the dubious pleasure of witnessing the very problem referred to above. I don’t think we even had bus lanes back then. Bus stops in the main road yes. Bus lanes, no.
Anyway
I’m on the Raleigh twenty coming down the ramp off the life sciences building when I almost fall off laughing. Out on the main road Moira’s boss is sweating profusely pedalling his C5 at about three mile an hour if that (the battery has clearly let him down again) in front of a big orange double decker that clearly isn’t amused.
But things go sideways very, very quickly after the bus which has crawled behind this arsehole stops at the bus stop by the registry office.
At this point Moira’s boss has to do a right turn in the traffic from Column Road (the second busiest main road into and out of Cardiff heading north / south into a side road that runs between the life sciences block and the old buildings, that will take him to Museum Avenue and the ramp to the Welsh Office Car Park
The problem ? He’s in front of the south bound bus and totally invisible to the traffic behind it waiting for a pause in the north bound flow to overtake the bus while would be passengers get their wallets out and buy their tickets from the one man operated bus driver.
I’m waiting for that same northbound stream of cars to go so I can turn north, cycle up Column Rd and Woodville Rd / Cathays Terrace
The transit van that has been stuck waiting for a while behind the bus and is focussed on the lack of northbound cars totally fails to see the guy as he pulls into his right turn ….
There is a sharp crack.
That’s the transit hitting the C5 broadside, tipping Moira’s boss into the path of oncoming traffic as the C5 is crushed under the vans engine.
Fortunately the car leading the next batch of northbound cars was stopped by the lights at the pedestrian crossing by the main university entrance where students crossed between the old college and students union. So nothing ran him over as he rolled across the northbound lane.
After the fractures healed he went out and bought a bright red Raleigh Twenty Shoppabike like mine. He got into work a lot earlier after that.
