Can you see me? See whom?

[Bicycle]

Boy the younger just rang from his bus stop. He'd forgotten a school book. AAAAAARGH! PANIC!!

It was a job for the fixopholous bike. Found the book, found the courier bag, found the bike.

It is slippery out there (-1C) but rideable, although 700c x 20 at 110 psi were not ideal.

But... (and this from a lover of motor cars and virtual hugger of all road users)....

There were a LOT of cars out there being operated through frosted glass. Many, many cars with frosted side windows and a few with just a little clear space scraped on the offside of the windscreen.

I abhor (or just laugh at) some of the tosh from the minority of seriously anti-car contributors on this forum, but one of the actions that imperils my love for all humanity is the driving of motor vehicles through frosted glass on a winter morn.

My commuting days are now behind me, but it scared the wits out of me then and it scares me still.

Most car drivers and most cyclists are courteous, skilled, lovely and thoughtful. But if I were Stalin and had his power, Mr and Mrs. Frosty-Window Driver would be the late Frosty-Window Driver family.

Anyway, boy got his book and I'm safely home with my cup of tea.

 

[summerdays]

Yes ... I had a similar problem on Friday ... my house is just beyond a side road, in which I see a neighbour about to pull out and looking the other direction to see if it was clear but not out his misted up side window. I do the neighbourly thing and stopped to let him out. He pulled out and then opened the window to chat - his words ... "Didn't see you there" .... well I wanted to hit him but I just smiled and suggested he cleared the window before going any further!

 

[screenman]

It is another thing speed camera's cannot do. More policing needed on the streets.

 

[yello]

More policing needed on the streets.

Is it too naive of me to hope that people didn't need telling? I mean, certain things seem to be obvious... IF people would just take a moment to think about it before acting. (Rhetorical question btw)

I personally would not want more police on the streets. I'd prefer that people thought about it and acted responsibly rather than acted out of a fear of being 'told off'. One can dream eh?

Frosted windscreens, side windows, etc; frightening isn't it? People peering through a dinner plate sized gap in the ice and wiping furiously as they drive because that gap is misting up. Driving conditions are bad enough as it is without drivers further hindering themselves. All because they have to get to work or take the kids to school. How long would it really take to clear the windows properly?

 

[GrumpyGregry]

One such cretin put a friend of mine in a wheelchair.

 

[Norm]

How long would it really take to clear the windows properly?

20 minutes. Don't ask how I know...

 

[akb]

How long would it really take to clear the windows properly?​

20 minutes

Not if you have a Ford! ​

 

[fossyant]

Or a kettle with warm (not hot) water in - just flip the wipers and all done in less than a minute !

 

[TheDoctor]

​

​

Not if you have a Ford! ​

Do Fords have heated side windows then?

 

[Norm]

Do Fords have heated side windows then?

No, they just don't start in cold weather.

 

[Dora]

I've seen a good few who haven't even bothered to clear their windscreens - they're just driving along with the wipers going furiously over the ice.
I'm thinking of starting a USA style windscreen clearing service - I'll clear your windscreen of ice while you're sat at the lights, and in return, you can pay me the fine you didn't get for having limited vision, the court fees you didn't have to pay and the tiny fine you didn't have to pay for murdering that cyclist you never saw - because you saw hir. I'd say it's win-win because you won't get the points on your licence and you won't have to go to prison.....but let's not be silly.
I'm thinking this time next year I'll be set for life.

 

[VamP]

Yep. It's a worry.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Or a kettle with warm (not hot) water in - just flip the wipers and all done in less than a minute !

man up and pee on the windscreen

 

[akb]

No, they just don't start in cold weather.

Haha!
Nope, but takes about 60 seconds to loosen the ice; so it falls off when the window is open!

 

[Bicycle]

Or a kettle with warm (not hot) water in - just flip the wipers and all done in less than a minute !

I used to run a fleet of vehicles that were parked outside overnight in -15 Celcius and colder.

Hot water is not the answer. It freezes again very quickly and if it's not cold enough for that to happen it's not cold enough to do more than just scrape.

Run the thing for a few moments (in -15C or colder I mean a few minutes) with the heater on and the fan blowing northward.

Then get to with a good scraper. It is the work of a few minutes to scrape all the windows and mirrors and is bracing into the bargain.

I still have the scraper I pinched from my employer on that job.

That was all I pinched, in case they're monitoring me online. And it just happened to be in my luggage....