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Driving in Shetland


Outdoor69
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Over the last few months I have witnessed some appalling driving on the roads in Shetland the worst offenders seem to be from the new Gas plant either Petrofac or Morrison Construction pick ups .I don't know how they have been allowed out on the roads they don't know how to dip head lights or signal and they insist on driving so close behind you that you can't see the headlights in your wing mirrors trying to bully you out of the way .They also seem happy to overtake in crazy places on corners in to on coming traffic pulling in so close to you that you have to brake to let them in before they crash in to the oncoming traffic .I have tried to get the numbers of the offenders but have not managed yet the main reason being they don't hang about they speed of at well over the speed limit.

 

The second type of Bad Drivers are local Taxi drivers they seem to think they own the roads bullying you to get past for example the other day in the town .I was driving along following a car when it suddenly braked and indicated to turn left so I had to brake so as not to run in to it the taxi following me the flashed his lights blew his horn and shook his fist at me for stopping suddenly maybe if he had not been so close to me he might have seen the car in front .I have also seen them driving well over the speed limit when you are doing 60mph and they fly past and disappear in to the distance it's a rare day you see a Police car on the roads it's just a matter of time until some poor sod is killed on the roads .I have just invested in a small dash camera for my own peace of mind you can pick one up online for as little as £12 not much but it could save a lot of arguing about who's in the wrong if some halfwit crashes in to you .

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Yes the petrofac guys are bad but so are many of the locals. Several mornings lately I have been overtaken by a boy racer who has proceeded to overtake the cars in front of me into the face of oncoming cars or around blind bends or crests of hills, not long before he kills someone!

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Outdoor69..

 

You have seen bad driving for months?  I have seen it for years and I certainly wouldn't pick on Petrofac employees as the main culprits.

 

1st off, their vehicles are (or should be) monitored and if they exceed 60mph, they are disciplined (?).

 

Biggest culprits  I have seen over the years have been locals.

 

eg:  This week I watched 'local' with a 4x4 Range Rover type vehicle pull away from outside the Thule bar.  Loads of 'wheel spinning' ,tyre screeching and clouds of exhaust smoke just to get into a gap in the traffic.  Pathetic..

 

2nd. As others have said, some of our taxi drivers seem to think that they own(?) the roads and, as they have a job(?) to do, all must give way to them..  Time that 'plod' earned it's wages and 'culled' a few of them.

 

3rd.  The other 'extreme'.  Pensioners and old 'crofters' who pay occasional visits to the town.  A LOT of them just do not know how to deal with 'normal' traffic and modern road design (like roundabouts etc).  It's all to fast' and 'complicated' for them so, they just plod along at 15/20mph.

 

Add some of Petrofacs 'south drivers' to this little mix and you don't have bad driving, you have appalling driving..

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Have to agree that some driving in Shetland is worrying at the moment, and the huge increase in traffic is very noticeable.

 

My bug bear is some of the local taxi drivers, who think they have a God given right to stop in the middle of the road to pick up or drop off pasengers, when there is a parking place to pull in 20 feet away. They seem to think it's ok to hold up other traffic as their pasengers have a conversation. Just this morning I came up to a parked car, and a taxi stopped opposite it blocking the road and the conversation with the passenger seemed to go on for ever. Then I noticed a car comming from behind me to overtake, just to realise the road was blocked, yip you guessed it, another taxi.

The first taxi could have pulled in either in front or behind of the parked car, which would have been safer for their pasenger and would not block the road.

 

However it is worth mentioning that when walking the dogs, I find the majority of drivers to be very aware of me on the road, they usually slow down and give a wide berth, usually with a smile and wave. Interestingly the minority who fly past me well over the speed limit seems to be young women. "Girl racers" :-(

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Over the last few months I have witnessed some appalling driving on the roads in Shetland the worst offenders seem to be from the new Gas plant either Petrofac or Morrison Construction pick ups .I don't know how they have been allowed out on the roads they don't know how to dip head lights or signal and they insist on driving so close behind you that you can't see the headlights in your wing mirrors trying to bully you out of the way .They also seem happy to overtake in crazy places on corners in to on coming traffic pulling in so close to you that you have to brake to let them in before they crash in to the oncoming traffic .I have tried to get the numbers of the offenders but have not managed yet the main reason being they don't hang about they speed of at well over the speed limit.

 

.........

 

That's odd, because I've been driving past SV and around Brae for over two years now and I can only think of one 'incident' that involved an obvious sub-contractor.

The only crime I would accuse some of the guys there of is taking it a bit too steady on the main roads because they're spinning out the driving time in between jobs/destinations. 45 all the way from the Brae Co-op back to Mordor, (whilst munching a cheese roll and a Yorkie) on an open road gets a bit tedious if you cannot get past them because of oncoming.

 

In fact, re-reading your comments (posted above), I have sneaking suspicion that maybe you're not making enough progress and that they're getting hacked off with being held up by you?  :thmbsup

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Sorry to say that's not the case I don't care how long it takes to get to town the time off day I travel might have something to do with it very early and very late going to and from work when the roads are busy . The sub-contractors  are the worst offenders yes some of the locals are bad too but when they have a company name down the side of the pick up they are easy to spot .You say I'm hacked off at being stuck behind them yet you say you find it tedious when you get stuck behind them and can't get past .  

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Don't forget the "one gear, one throttle position" crowd either.

 

On the flat they're cruising nicely in top making the higher 50's, and that's fine. But instead of gunning it a little more as they come in to a climb, or knocking back a gear as soon as they lose revs climbing, that gear stick and right boot stays exactly where they were, and their speed drops off to 50, then under 50, then further, until they finally crawl out the top maybe barely more than 40 and probably with tappets rattling like a tin bucket of bolts, or, they don't quite make it and have to dip the clutch to prevent stalling, and have to do a standing start in first to get going again.

 

Hard work every rise to be stuck behind, and difficult to take unless with luck and a sizeable chunk of empty road, unless you gun it to something bordering on silly a good chunk over the limit.

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OK two fairly recent examples of poor driving.  First was only a few days ago when a small red car drove from Toft to Lerwick holding up other traffic on the slower bits of road and then speeding up on the straighter bits so people found it hard to overtake.  Other example was a cop car not using the blue lights which overtook approaching a blind dip causing the driver of the big vehicle I was in to brake just in case something was coming the other way.  So not only contractors who are a bit naughty.

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There is only one solution to all your moaning.

 

GET THE BUS !! No seriously! Take the bus!

All of you.

Including the copper!

 

Or buy a motorbike.

 

Sorted!

Care to explain why "taking the bus" is a solution(?)

 

Are buses safer?  If you think that, then perhaps you should try "taking the bus".

 

I already "take the bus" but, that hasn't stopped me witnessing "motoring mayhem" on a daily basis..

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First thing Scorrie I drive at a steady 60mph I believe that is the speed limit unless I'm stuck behind someone going slowly if I can I overtake if safe to do so  .As for taking a bus the times I travel to work there are no buses so I have to drive I don't have any option.

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