I keep thinking – having recently signed up to the nascent Slow Bicycle Movement – that I ought to write more about my thrice-weekly trips down to Papershop Village. But the problem is, they’re largely uneventful. Stonehead has had enough run ins with cars on his bike to make me think that Scottish rural drivers were at least as unpleasant – and therefore good sources of blogging material – as their London equivalent. But I meet very few vehicles and apart from the odd person going too fast, everyone’s been courteous to a fault – giving me as much room as there is on these narrow roads, and slowing down too as they pass me when it’s a tight gap. I try and return the compliment, pulling over to let the tractors past (there really only is just room for a tractor on the road that makes up most of my route), timing my approach so I meet the cars where the road widens, and doing all the waving, returning of greetings and generally being polite that I can muster. The other day, not one but two tractors pulled over and waited a good few minutes to let me past. And today a driver – on his mobile too – waved me on through a gap when I had pulled aside already to give way. Is it something in the water?
I’ve been trying to figure it out. I don’t really think that country people are necessarily nicer – or even less stressed – than city folks (after all, I’m still me). It could be that I see few enough cars that I’ve just got statistically lucky and the real dickheads are still out there, waiting for a wet miserable day* to send me careening into a hedge. But my theory – developed as I ride unhindered past glorious damp scenery looking at all the cows and birds and loping hares and squashed hedgehogs – is that it’s just human nature. I’ve done the ride enough times now that I’m getting to be a fixture on the road. The cars that use this back road are likely to be locals, as are the tractors. The chances are high that anyone I meet on the road, I’m going to end up meeting socially at one event or another. And nobody wants – once the introductions have been made, and we’ve worked out who we are – to be greeted with the words, ‘oh so you’re the arsehole who …’
*oh no, wait …
July 7, 2008 at 5:10 pm |
People in cars are generally courteous in these parts as well-except for that Borders’ menace: the Boy racer. Like the hackers who pollute the public tennis courts during Wimbledon (the Murray brothers have started some thing of tennis craze in Scotland)they have periods of intense activity, particularly around the Jim Clarke Rally. Even White Van drivers get off the road when they see a BR on their rear view mirror
July 7, 2008 at 6:43 pm |
I have the misfortune of living on a fairly busy back road that’s used as a shortcut from the A96 to quite a few destinations. Couriers (aka White Van Man) use it a lot, as do many non-locals.
Most locals were already fairly good, but almost all are very good now as everyone knows I have a bike cam and will report mad, bad drivers.
All the farmers know me and almost all give the bike plenty of space. There was one recently who cut me up with his tractor and trailer, but as he sheepishly admitted later, “I didn’t realise you could go so fast on that thing”.
Boy racers are a problem everywhere, but we also have a couple of geriatric racers, too.
And don’t forget, I mainly highlight the numbskulls on my blog but for every one of them there are 20-30 ordinary drivers and 1-2 noticeably good ones (who I mention, too).
July 7, 2008 at 8:43 pm |
The roads are pretty deserted around us too but the real surprise is that car drivers actually stop to chat when we are walking the dogs. When one of them was injured and not on the walks, they were even asking if he was okay!
The Jim Clark Rally goes right past the house but the friendly marshals have a speed gun on the recce days, so they all tootle past at 19mph.
Luckily we know the local BR, and more importantly his mum, so he passes us extremely slowly
July 7, 2008 at 8:55 pm |
I thought stonehead was a woman.
July 7, 2008 at 9:05 pm |
He looks like a chap to me…
We must have some boy racers round here because we’ve seen the odd abandoned car in the middle of field, but so far not on the road
Just you wait, my next post will probably be from in traction
July 7, 2008 at 10:20 pm |
Yeah, I’m a bearded lady!
One of our local boy racers ended up with his car on its roof inside the steading and his female passenger dead when she was thrown out the rear window.
A local girl racer drove into the stone wall at the back of steading at 50mph and was thrown onto the road. She escaped with bruising.
A local teacher drove his car at 50mph into the very, very large stone that marks the end of our stone dyke—and walked away. The stone sits two feet in the ground and was lifted out by the impact…
Then there was the Transit mini-bus full of drunk footballers that rolled on its side and slid in between the trees, just missing them. It was rolled back on its wheels and they scarpered into the night.
And there have been many more. It’s much more interesting here than it was in E17.
July 7, 2008 at 11:27 pm |
I grew up in the ruralburb and the principal reason I don’t drive is that I spent many an evening blasting around B roads (as a passenger) in a Ford Escort Popular and had so many near death experiences that I began to play Russian Roulette to relax. Potential social embarrassment was no disincentive because, fundamentally, my chauffeurs had no control over their vehicles.
July 8, 2008 at 7:55 am |
OK OK,I’m frightened again now…
July 8, 2008 at 8:29 am |
Although we have the BR under control, the more sedate residents are oft more dangerous.
Here are the photos of the crash – http://countrystrife.blogspot.com/2007/02/car-crash-at-todheugh.html
July 13, 2008 at 8:34 pm |
Sorry, I only just found your comment lurking in my spam filter.