My first bollocking in the elise!

[ganglandboss]

Took my S1 Elise on the Cat and Fiddle yesterday. For those of you not familiar with it, it runs between Buxton and Macclesfield and often tops polls of being the most dangerous road in britain.

I went at it from the Macc' end and had a reasonable run at it, however, towards Buxton, I got stuck behind traffic for a while. I turned round in Buxton and went at it the other way. Back in Macc', I saw a side road to turn round in.

When in my Elise, I always abide by these rules,

• Never drive faster than you can stop
• Slow down for kids, cyclists, sheep, horses (shouldn't be on the road, but that's another matter), and when meeting oncoming traffic
• Know your limits, and the cars'
• Never race or time your runs
• Use speed appropriately - save speeding in built up areas for tts in Saxos
• Use your noggin!

When I turned around, I noticed a copper hiding under the shade of a tree, who pointed at me to pull in,
"Drive past me like that again, and I'll put three points on your licence!"
"What?!"
"When you passed me before, you fing leathered your foot down! Do that again, and I'll put points on your licence!"
"OK ."

Now I appreciate he was only doing his job, but it is a ct's job and only a ct would do it!

I could understand it if I had been doing something wrong, but I was in traffic where I passed him. I wanted my first bollocking in the Lizzie to be a milestone, and for something good, not just some jumped up little Hitler taking it out on me because I'm driving an amazing car, he's working and his missus is getting banged by the local drug dealer!

When I made my second run 10 minutes later, the tosser had moved to a hiding place further up, but I spotted him a mile off this time!

[S Works]

Probably you 'sounding' faster than you actually were. Watching an Elise corner or accellerate often sounds and looks a lot quicker than it really is, because they corner so well.

Ah well, chalk it down to one guy being a bit of a dick. Most plod I've come across have been very complimentary about the car.

[ganglandboss]

I was on a straight piece of road at the time and cruising in traffic, so I don't think I would have appeared to be going fast, plus it was a traffic cop so he would have had a camera with a reading of my speed!

A mate told me later that the probable reason he didn't put points on my licence is because he had no evidence.

[piooly]

The cat and fiddle is one of the best roads in the country. Even has its own website !!! although I cant find it now...


The police reguarly use helicopters to catch speeders, its the only way.

[jondude]

If he spoke in the way you say and with that language, then he most certainly did not have any evidence.

You can always report him for bad manners and state your case he was wrong - the police are so politically correct now he will have to be hauled in and explain himself, and your complaint will be held on file. 3 like complaints and he is in serious danger of demotion. ( So you should only do it if you have a bona fide complaint really )

The Cat & Fiddle is a favourite haunt of bikers, and the very fact many bikers use it means you will get tons of police - so you have to be extremely careful.

Haven't been that way for years, but there was a time when the police practically admitted their massive presence was to take the joy away and frighten bikers away, too.

Well, with me it worked!

[S Works]

ganglandboss said:

I was on a straight piece of road at the time and cruising in traffic, so I don't think I would have appeared to be going fast, plus it was a traffic cop so he would have had a camera with a reading of my speed!

A mate told me later that the probable reason he didn't put points on my licence is because he had no evidence.

His word alone is evidence submissable in a court where your word vs. his would mean his word is King. The assumption that if a Policeman has no laser or VASCAR unit you can't be prosecuted. You can be, even if they're off-duty they can arrest/report you.

[kinetic]

Yep, experienced this on several occassions.

- If they give you a bollocking then they have no evidence!
- if they are 'nice as pie' your gettin a ticket!

They nolonger apply discretion or common sense to these situations and frankly most of 'em ain't that bright.
Shame really.

[Gooby]

Sounds like the "couldnt catch a cold" coppers that keep on pi$$ing me off.

[shangani]

It does help when you have a running video recorder that records both the speed you were doing and the words the cop used. Got me out of a ticket recently. Cop was extremely rude. When he had finished his tirade, I pointed out the camera. He then decided I should go with a warning. I contemplated following it up, but couldn't be asked.

[jondude]

Cop was extremely rude. When he had finished his tirade, I pointed out the camera. He then decided I should go with a warning. I contemplated following it up, but couldn't be asked.
[/quote]


Pity. We really do not need coppers like this out there.

[shangani]

Maybe I have been lucky, but the majority of coppers I meet seem like really decent, hardworking people. That was my only odd run-in and was on my way to Bournemouth - maybe they thought I was Gooby.

[KatrinaH]

ganglandboss said:

horses (shouldn't be on the road, but that's another matter

And where exactly do you propose they go? All land is private and in Cheshire most farmers will not let horses on their land - in the south it's different.

[21TonyK]

KatrinaH said:

ganglandboss said:

horses (shouldn't be on the road, but that's another matter

And where exactly do you propose they go? All land is private and in Cheshire most farmers will not let horses on their land - in the south it's different.

Not trying to be antagonistic but this is a subject very much at the top of my agenda.

My opinion is that horses should not be on roads and if that is the only place you can ride them then you shouldn't own one. It's like a dog, don't own one if you can't walk it. Same principal. Roads are not suited to horses and in my experience the majority of riders are not competent enough to ride on roads. I recently saw a 15 year old girl thrown because her skittish horse was startled by a car beeping as it came around a blind corner on a single track lane. Fortunately she was not seriously hurt but she should not have been there. I could give you 4 or 5 examples from the past 2 weeks.

[plasticpig]

If he is a traffic cop covering the Cat and Fiddle hes probably just a bit jaded from having to scrape up the dead and injured off the road. It is a great road but the last time I went on it there were far too many tw:cencsored:ts on it. One biker off and one Honda CRX off within 1 mile of each other.

[Gooby]

21TonyK said:

KatrinaH said:

ganglandboss said:

horses (shouldn't be on the road, but that's another matter

And where exactly do you propose they go? All land is private and in Cheshire most farmers will not let horses on their land - in the south it's different.

Not trying to be antagonistic but this is a subject very much at the top of my agenda.

My opinion is that horses should not be on roads and if that is the only place you can ride them then you shouldn't own one. It's like a dog, don't own one if you can't walk it. Same principal. Roads are not suited to horses and in my experience the majority of riders are not competent enough to ride on roads. I recently saw a 15 year old girl thrown because her skittish horse was startled by a car beeping as it came around a blind corner on a single track lane. Fortunately she was not seriously hurt but she should not have been there. I could give you 4 or 5 examples from the past 2 weeks.

I am not a horse rider but I respect those who do so, perhaps the grade 1 moron who beeps at a horse should be stopped from getting on the road. Now caravans, there is something that should be banned.

[jondude]

I have no objection to horses using the road, but I do wonder why the owners don't have to clean up the sh-it when the horse relieves itself.( Even if it just means kicking it into the gutter )

Coming around the corner to a few sackfuls of fresh horse-shit is bloody lethal.

Car drivers can get done for littering - yet leaving stuff which is as slippery as diesel and often in huge amounts is, apparently, fine and dandy.

[21TonyK]

Gooby said:

21TonyK said:

KatrinaH said:

ganglandboss said:

horses (shouldn't be on the road, but that's another matter

And where exactly do you propose they go? All land is private and in Cheshire most farmers will not let horses on their land - in the south it's different.

Not trying to be antagonistic but this is a subject very much at the top of my agenda.

My opinion is that horses should not be on roads and if that is the only place you can ride them then you shouldn't own one. It's like a dog, don't own one if you can't walk it. Same principal. Roads are not suited to horses and in my experience the majority of riders are not competent enough to ride on roads. I recently saw a 15 year old girl thrown because her skittish horse was startled by a car beeping as it came around a blind corner on a single track lane. Fortunately she was not seriously hurt but she should not have been there. I could give you 4 or 5 examples from the past 2 weeks.

I am not a horse rider but I respect those who do so, perhaps the grade 1 moron who beeps at a horse should be stopped from getting on the road. Now caravans, there is something that should be banned.

They weren't beeping the horse but beeping before the corner which is a common practice to warn other cars and pedestrians that you are coming when you cannot be seen. This young girl should not have been on such a road with a horse which she was unable to control or was not used to vehicles.

Point taken about caravans though... (include motor homes as well).

[Beachbum]

I still dont see why horses are anymore special than any other user/equipment used on the road. If you are going to take a horse on the road, it should be trained to deal with cars passing it and the inherant noise associated.
People seem to slow down to rediculous speeds when passing horses, purely beacuse for some reason they are allowed on the road untrained.

Many years ago I had the mis-fortune to pass a horse, that then decided to kick out and hit the car, where upon I was blamed. The fact that I was doinf less than 10mph and that the only reason I was close to the horse in the first place was that it was a single track road and the horese had turned perpendicular to the direction od travel, was irrelevant to the rider. Just in case anyone is interested, you actually have to report accidents with horses to the Police.

[TIPPER]

Can't let the comments re the horses go.
If we all take a step back and think for a minute then it's clear we have to share the roads with lots of other traffic be that heavy lorries, cars towing caravans, motorhomes, horses or even pedestrians. Most of us on here like to drive our cars enthusiastically and I'm not shy of the odd rant about some of the idiots we have to share the roads with BUT I don't think we're really in a position (think speedlimits!!) to chastise other legitimate road users.
Now to horses in particular. I won't pretend for one minute that there aren't ignorant or just plain stupid horse riders using our roads but in my experience (and my part of Devon and my local lanes can be like 'Horsey Central' on occasions) most horse riders go about their business with commen sense and courtesy. Unfortunately the only place you can give a horse true experience of the road is on the road (just like learner drivers) but if the rider/owner is sensible the horse would have been introduced to traffic on a quite lane and then gradually exposed to greater volumes. Yes, horses are twitchy and very unpredictable but then so are quite a few car drivers. The sensible thing to do when approaching a horse is to slow to a walking pace or even stop to allow the horse and rider to pass you. If I meet a horse on one of our local lanes I'll often turn my engine off so the burbling exhaust doesn't frighten it (I'd rather not have my car kicked or a horse and rider on top of it). An exchange of pleasantries and both parties continue on their way. Helps the world go round.
Just think in a parallel universe someone is muttering about noisy sports cars and their drivers 'Only ought to be allowed on track and trailered there and back at 40mph!'
Chill out guys, we live in what appears to be an increasingly smaller world and we have to share it

[21TonyK]

TIPPER said:

Can't let the comments re the horses go.
If we all take a step back and think for a minute then it's clear we have to share the roads with lots of other traffic be that heavy lorries, cars towing caravans, motorhomes, horses or even pedestrians. Most of us on here like to drive our cars enthusiastically and I'm not shy of the odd rant about some of the idiots we have to share the roads with BUT I don't think we're really in a position (think speedlimits!!) to chastise other legitimate road users.
Now to horses in particular. I won't pretend for one minute that there aren't ignorant or just plain stupid horse riders using our roads but in my experience (and my part of Devon and my local lanes can be like 'Horsey Central' on occasions) most horse riders go about their business with commen sense and courtesy. Unfortunately the only place you can give a horse true experience of the road is on the road (just like learner drivers) but if the rider/owner is sensible the horse would have been introduced to traffic on a quite lane and then gradually exposed to greater volumes. Yes, horses are twitchy and very unpredictable but then so are quite a few car drivers. The sensible thing to do when approaching a horse is to slow to a walking pace or even stop to allow the horse and rider to pass you. If I meet a horse on one of our local lanes I'll often turn my engine off so the burbling exhaust doesn't frighten it (I'd rather not have my car kicked or a horse and rider on top of it). An exchange of pleasantries and both parties continue on their way. Helps the world go round.
Just think in a parallel universe someone is muttering about noisy sports cars and their drivers 'Only ought to be allowed on track and trailered there and back at 40mph!'
Chill out guys, we live in what appears to be an increasingly smaller world and we have to share it

What about when you come up behind a horse on a single track lane and the rider doesn't move over or stop to let you pass for 15+ minutes. Rides down the middle of the road and then calls you "ignorant" when you suggest they could have moved a little faster than a walking pace! Thats my trip home from the shops every feck'in day!

We've actually got more bridle paths than roads around me and stupid middle aged women with an horse fetish seem to take great delight in meeting for lunch and then going for a ride in "packs" blocking every road in the vicinity!

One cheeky bitch even suggested that the roads were unsuitable for cars as there was no room to pass her!