2.3 miles of stationary traffic

[magnatom]

I've posted a filtering video before on this stretch of road. It isn't as bad as that every day, but it's not unusual during school term. However, today was even worse. In 2.3 miles I must have passed multiple hundreds of cars (over 500 I reckon, does anyone want to count?)

[media]

]View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq_ce0D9eMQ[/media]


Madness. Yet, despite all of this it is the cyclists who are often portrayed as being mad. How often have we heard people say to us, '...you must be mad to cycle...'. No. You are mad to drive!

What I find most bewildering is that the road comes from the affluent suburbs of Glasgow (I live in a slightly poorer village!). People pay a premium to live in areas where they have to sit in traffic like that day in day out. Marvelous!

So when will it dawn on these drivers that driving just isn't worth it, that there has to be a better way? Of course, cycling won't suit everyone. I can't imagine my wife or myself cycling the kids 8 miles to the nursery on route to work! But for a large majority, it is a viable, faster, more enjoyable way of getting to work.

My favourite part of the video is at 1:06 where a woman who was at the bus stop accepts a lift from one of the drivers in the queue. maybe I should have offered her a backie!

 

[4F]

Nice

 

[skudupnorth]

I feel all nice and warm inside.....or is that just smug mode kicking in !

 

[magnatom]

Someone on youtube has spotted the same Range Rover in both videos!

Range Rover @ 5:20 in part 2 is in part one @ 1:26.

 

[magnatom]

So that is the challenge to spot the same cars in the two videos!

The video in the newer one probably looks a little more out of focus. I think the camera got knocked and I need to refocus the camera. It'll make your job that wee bit harder!

 

[As Easy As Riding A Bike]

My favourite part of the video is at 1:06 where a woman who was at the bus stop accepts a lift from one of the drivers in the queue.

That's the problem with traffic that bad. In the absence of bus lanes, public transport suffers as well.


And of course if more people cycle, congestion eases, and people get tempted back to their cars

 

[potsy]

Great stuff Mags,makes me glad I work shifts when I see traffic like that.I hardly ever get to do any filtering

 

[magnatom]

Forgot to add. My wife texted me at work and asked if I was caught up in the traffic because of the accident. What accident I asked. A car had crashed into the lights in Milngavie apparently (hopefully they were ok!). No I was was past that, so it must have happened after I past. So more tailbacks behind me apparently!

Those traffic lights had only just been replaced last week.....ouch!

 

[upsidedown]

Love it, I get to do about a mile like that riding in the deserted oncoming lane.

 

[HLaB]

So thats where all the Traffic was; where I was this morning in the West End of Edinburgh City Centre in the so called peak hour there was hardly any traffic.

 

[Moodyman]

I have a mile every morning where I filter just like your video Maggers.

It feels kinda smug, but I'd rather the traffic was moving at normal speeds so I could go faster.

I filter at 7/8 mpg due to cars constantly changing lanes. I'd otherwise be cruising at 22/23 mph.

 

[Brandane]

Ahhhh, Anniesland Cross and the approach to the Clyde tunnel. That brings back horrible memories of commuting to Anniesland Business Park about 9 years ago. From Largs, so again cycling was out of the question. I tried to do it by motorbike as often as possible but after a year I had had enough and left the job.

 

[Brains]

I have done over 6 miles of stationary traffic before now, only overtaken by two vehicles in the entire run
I work on 1,000 cars to the mile as a calculation

 

[jonny jeez]

612

 

[jimboalee]

There's a black Porsche 911 and a light truck from Crucial Trading ( they make furniture ). There's an Audi, VW Passat, Honda Civic and a couple of Ford Focuses all going to Aston Martin Assy Gaydon. A couple more others I can't remember.
That's about it. These are all regulars. A dozen or so more make up the total.