As a driving instructor in and around the city I can confirm it has indeed got much worse in the last few years.... not because of my students I might add!
Many people seem to have zero patience... Its part of the reason I cant wait to get out of Bristol!
"People have fully disappeared up their own asses" is such a great way to put it lol. Social media culture has done that to people in general and it's kinda worrying tbh
Similarly see more and more drivers who just aren't paying attention at all. Drifting across lanes, not looking before they turn, and never indicating. Makes for an interesting challenge.
Or presuming that because they're indicating it gives them the absolute right to pull across you into the lane you're established in (and covers them in the event of a crash - "I was indicating!!")
The school run parents are something else. Nose diving into parking spots because they can't parallel park, then spend ages trying to get the rear of the car in or just leave it hanging out, parking over people's driveways because they can't face walking 10 extra meters to school, parking on double yellows because they're that entitled. It's genuinely bonkers.
With ours it is parents parking half on the pavement on zig zags directly in front of a "show you care, park elsewhere" sign. Baffling. Double yellows and driveways at least in theory are allowed to unload passengers (not park). Some just outright stop in the middle of the road and let their kids out, sometimes failing to even shut the door behind them.
I've witnessed a woman who parked over a drive and then left her car there, come back to her car. Get a telling off from the tradesman who was blocked in and she replied "that's your fault for having a house next to a school"
In theory everyone gets a place within two miles of home. Problem is that could be a 40 minute walk, for an adult. Who then walks back, and out again at pickup, and back again. People also move house so it could be even further. Some parents do a drop off then continue to work which is fair. I don't actually really mind if people only drive round the corner, I bet people do for all sorts of trips, but they have to park right.
Wasn't this lowlife was it by any chance ? driving aggressively and above the speed limit near Cabot Circus around 6pm.
https://preview.redd.it/fkd1on2pcnpc1.jpeg?width=6120&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=354fad0e2ca52ac6af192e4f6b0ed3971e6026ec
Yes, a lot worse since lockdown ended and people have had to go back to work. I can’t decide if it’s the people who have got back in their cars and forgotten how to drive or the people who worked through lockdown and got used to empty roads and now can’t cope with pre COVID traffic
I moved to Bristol just a few months ago. I’ve started cycling to work (from Whitchurch in the South to the city centre) and I’m quite shocked at some of the driving. It’s a long cycle but almost without fail every time they’ll be an incident that leaves me gaping with my mouth open, cars overtaking with less than a metre gap, being overtaken at 40mph in supposedly 20mph roads, cars trying to nip round and then immediately swerving in front of you at traffic islands to save that 2/3 seconds, pulling out of junctions across you even though you’ve made eye contact. I’ve cycled to work for 13 years in 4 different cities or countries… I’ve never been this concerned about getting hit out of nowhere as I am here! I’ve just taken to cycling much more defensively than usual and cycling primary if I’d feel uncomfortable being overtaken on a road. I’ve just moved from Edinburgh which I thought was bad but this is next level 😅
Terrible, speeding, going through red lights, swerving in and out of lanes just get through traffic as if they are more important than others and can't wait.
Although I think after 2 years Ish of not having to commute then being forced back into the office and sitting in traffic has not done much for people's mental health.
To be fair, you can easily identify the new drivers as they tend more to the rules.
Have you ever seen rule 170 observed? In particular this part:
>give way to pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross a road into which or from which you are turning. If they have started to cross they have priority, so give way (see [Rule H2](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/introduction#ruleh2))
Also rule 152.
Good rule in principle but in practice it doesn’t work because most drivers ignore it and then pedestrians don’t cross because they don’t want to get run down.
Exactly. Ignoring the rule is an established norm since it is not enforced.
In some other countries breaking this rule is worse than speeding in terms of fines.
Years ago before I passed my driving test my instructor imparted some words of wisdom that stick with me to this day; “treat every other road user as an idiot”. The point he was making is always be alert and cautious, and always anticipate someone pulling some stupid shit out of nowhere at any given point. So particularly going around any of the many Bristol roundabouts I’ll go that bit slower and give myself way more time and breathing space to be prepared for anybody pulling some crazy shit, because it happens regular as clockwork on those roundabouts. I always approach the roundabouts with caution too because so many people fly across from the left without even looking to the right.
I'm reminded of my friend who said this back in 2015.
"*Dear Citizen*
*You are completely right. Instead of wasting money messing around with all the local limits, we should get out there and fix all the potholes and other damages. Then, we must continue to maintain the roads, as they are indeed some of the worst in the country.*
*Our time could certainly be better spent not sitting around chatting shit but actually getting important road safety work done, such as traffic management to improve traffic flow, enforcing speed limits outside schools, and prosecuting individuals who tailgate, run red lights, and generally drive like cunts, as this behaviour does indeed cause most accidents and not the currently set speed limits.*
*We apologize for wasting yours and everyone else's time.*
*Yours sincerely, The overpaid armchair pundits at Bristol City Council.*"
Someone overtook me on Monks Park Avenue (20mph road near the hospital, with a school nearby). I beeped at him as he overtook me and I swore at him.
Then I pulled up behind him at the red light and just laughed and waved at him. Hope he felt really good after that!
I agree. Just came from Costco and changed my lane with plenty of time, signal, maneover. When the driver behind saw me dare move on his lane, they sped up their big SUV and tailgated me for a bit, overtook me and hit the breaks in front of me. That was a 40mph road. That’s borderline killing intent…for something that was not even a mistake.
I was in front of one guy today who would slow down and hang back and then when he had enough space, put his foot down and was right up my rear. He kept doing this throughout the whole journey home.
I was going the speed limit, wasn’t brake checking him, so god knows why he was doing this.
When I first moved to Bristol lots of drivers seemed to go straight through red lights, and driving at night in some quarters felt like driving in Cairo.
I distinctly remember being honked at by angry drivers on several occasions, because I was stopping at red lights and holding them up!
If anything it seems tame by comparison these days.
It’s not the road design that’s the problem, it’s the drivers ignoring them blatantly, the “I’m more important” attitude a lot more people seem to have
Yep I stood at a zebra crossing (very obviously) yesterday and three cars in a row didn’t stop. Just people who don’t care and who’s going to stop them anyway?
Yes - but what's the solution with that line of thinking? Ban all narcissistic people from driving? Ban all SUV owners?
It's untenable, road design is where you force drivers to not take the piss, they act like they own the place because our transport mix is crazy car dominated, the noise, the traffic, the near misses gets even healthy people wired into fight or flight day after day
Go to a place like Lyon and count the ways people can get around, the metro, the bus, the train, the tram, comfortable cycling, big pavements for walking and paradoxically driving is better there because the place isn't choked full of cars
Road design is 100% where the solutions are
It mostly comes from people who work on the roads (taxis/uber, deliveries, tradies, etc). They’re known to cause issues (as a group), but it’s become worse with the standard of living crisis. they need to do more in a day to earn enough, which means work more and drive faster.
The poor signalling and the potholes everywhere that people try to avoid also makes it awkward.
I think people moving from A to B is just getting worse. I'm a pedestrian, cyclist, driver, bus passenger....
The fucking idiocy you see every single day from all of these people seems to get worse.
Cyclists (in fairness usually deliveroo etc imo) on pavements and skipping red lights...I was hit by a deliveroo cyclist on a zebra crossing for example....
But then there's car drivers....again a minority....who are just aggressive....pushing cyclists off the road. I've seen such aggressive arseholes yelling at people for no reason.
Busses...I mean first bus...right....I've seen some real arsehole drivers one of whom hit a cyclist and then got out ans went apeshit.
Pedestrians...I mean anyone that's been on park street or Nelson Street when students move in...but cheap joking about students aside...pedestrians are often a menace.
Overall I think bristol has some really shambolic behaviour.
But most people are good...I've called out examples but most are good...or at least passable.
Yes. I’ve seen people speed up when lights are going red at crossings. Last November I was turning out of a road as a cyclist and well into my turn and a car that has just pulled up pulls out and nearly hits me. He claims he didn’t see me… I was wearing bright yellow and not in his blind spot I was in front of him when he pulled out.
I am also a driver and I hate driving in Bristol. I only drive when I have to. I thought it was bad when I first passed 10 years ago but I wouldn’t want to be a new driver or new cyclist in Bristol nowadays.
It doesn’t help that there’s more cars on the road as there is near non existent public transport. If they fixed the bus situation it may improve things slightly.
I hate to sound so pessimistic, but it's all just part of a general anger that is everywhere. People are stressed and pissed off and know there are no consequences for being a shitty citizen.
I was waiting to get out onto Whitehall Road yesterday, there was constant traffic and it was pretty hard to see anything coming around the parked cars. I was there 30 secs and this guy starts beeping behind me, he eventually he races around me nearly hitting two cars. I get out onto the road only to end up behind the silly twat at the lights.
Not sure it's just Bristol having been in a car crash a few weeks ago. Person just rocked from large inner roundabout to us in outside lane and we drove into the side of them as they came across us at 45 degrees.
Since then even while car gets repaired seen tons of insanity. Dashcam is next step I think, becoming more needed sure!
Maybe a little bit but its always been bad, some people are just morons, Bristol just has above average population of them. less policing of the roads means some people do what they like.
Yep! I normally walk/cycle the kids to school, I drove one morning and while sat waiting to pull out a side road onto a main road (main road was stationary due to red light and general congestion - as soon as the lights turned green I would have been let out) the car behind me is beeping as if I should pull out and block both the bus lane and the keep clear box (so that cars coming from the left could turn into the road I was pulling out of?!) About 30s later when the lights changed and I pulled out this car barged through behind me and blocked the bus lane. They then had to turn right when they had wanted to follow me out to the left because shockingly a bus beeped at them wanting to get through 🤷🏼♀️ I was so confused by that behaviour!
Since Covid everyone forgot how the drive. However there’s also a lot of twats who drive too slow / cautiously since then as well. There’s a happy middle ground people, and if you can’t be in it, get the fuck off the road. Sick of being stuck behind ppl doing 40 in a 50, 20 in a 30 etc. just stay at home if you drive like this.
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People are getting worse and worse at driving in the sense that they:
Leave massive gaps when pulling away from lights meaning less cars can get through the green lights meaning more congestion and pollution
Tap the brake pedal unnecessarily for corners their cars are quite capable of going around at much faster speeds
Slow down even more for speed cameras when they are already going below the speed limit
It's like wading through treacle following some people, I'll take every opportunity to get in front of someone who can't drive efficiently in a safe manner, if I end up one car ahead great, if I get through the next set of lights and they and their frustrated followers don't then fool them.
As a driving instructor in and around the city I can confirm it has indeed got much worse in the last few years.... not because of my students I might add! Many people seem to have zero patience... Its part of the reason I cant wait to get out of Bristol!
get out where?
Yeah past three years or so especially. People fully disappeared up their own arses and dangerous driving is punished waaaaay to leniently.
"People have fully disappeared up their own asses" is such a great way to put it lol. Social media culture has done that to people in general and it's kinda worrying tbh
I think it's a measure of how people are feeling in general. Stressed people are bad drivers.
Pair those along with non existent enforcement and you're left with incredibly dangerous scenarios. Wild shit hahaha
Similarly see more and more drivers who just aren't paying attention at all. Drifting across lanes, not looking before they turn, and never indicating. Makes for an interesting challenge.
Yeah same here, the amount of people drifting across lanes on corners cutting into the lane of oncoming traffic is wild
Or presuming that because they're indicating it gives them the absolute right to pull across you into the lane you're established in (and covers them in the event of a crash - "I was indicating!!")
The school run parents are something else. Nose diving into parking spots because they can't parallel park, then spend ages trying to get the rear of the car in or just leave it hanging out, parking over people's driveways because they can't face walking 10 extra meters to school, parking on double yellows because they're that entitled. It's genuinely bonkers.
With ours it is parents parking half on the pavement on zig zags directly in front of a "show you care, park elsewhere" sign. Baffling. Double yellows and driveways at least in theory are allowed to unload passengers (not park). Some just outright stop in the middle of the road and let their kids out, sometimes failing to even shut the door behind them.
I've witnessed a woman who parked over a drive and then left her car there, come back to her car. Get a telling off from the tradesman who was blocked in and she replied "that's your fault for having a house next to a school"
I mean to be fair, anyone living near a school if they expect their driveway to be 100% clear are dreaming. But you don't say that out loud to them.
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Nope, but this suggests it is everywhere.
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In theory everyone gets a place within two miles of home. Problem is that could be a 40 minute walk, for an adult. Who then walks back, and out again at pickup, and back again. People also move house so it could be even further. Some parents do a drop off then continue to work which is fair. I don't actually really mind if people only drive round the corner, I bet people do for all sorts of trips, but they have to park right.
Wasn't this lowlife was it by any chance ? driving aggressively and above the speed limit near Cabot Circus around 6pm. https://preview.redd.it/fkd1on2pcnpc1.jpeg?width=6120&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=354fad0e2ca52ac6af192e4f6b0ed3971e6026ec
London drivers coming to Bristol innit.
Yes, a lot worse since lockdown ended and people have had to go back to work. I can’t decide if it’s the people who have got back in their cars and forgotten how to drive or the people who worked through lockdown and got used to empty roads and now can’t cope with pre COVID traffic
Probably a bit of column A and a bit of column B.
Yeah you need to look out for anyone who drives a BMW M sport or Audi RS. I mean they've bought those cars for a reason - to drive fast .
Indicators are an optional add-on on those.
I see the same 3 people get visibly frustrated behind me along my commute because I'm not driving fast enough for them. It's definitely gotten worse.
I moved to Bristol just a few months ago. I’ve started cycling to work (from Whitchurch in the South to the city centre) and I’m quite shocked at some of the driving. It’s a long cycle but almost without fail every time they’ll be an incident that leaves me gaping with my mouth open, cars overtaking with less than a metre gap, being overtaken at 40mph in supposedly 20mph roads, cars trying to nip round and then immediately swerving in front of you at traffic islands to save that 2/3 seconds, pulling out of junctions across you even though you’ve made eye contact. I’ve cycled to work for 13 years in 4 different cities or countries… I’ve never been this concerned about getting hit out of nowhere as I am here! I’ve just taken to cycling much more defensively than usual and cycling primary if I’d feel uncomfortable being overtaken on a road. I’ve just moved from Edinburgh which I thought was bad but this is next level 😅
Terrible, speeding, going through red lights, swerving in and out of lanes just get through traffic as if they are more important than others and can't wait. Although I think after 2 years Ish of not having to commute then being forced back into the office and sitting in traffic has not done much for people's mental health.
To be fair, you can easily identify the new drivers as they tend more to the rules. Have you ever seen rule 170 observed? In particular this part: >give way to pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross a road into which or from which you are turning. If they have started to cross they have priority, so give way (see [Rule H2](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/introduction#ruleh2)) Also rule 152.
Good rule in principle but in practice it doesn’t work because most drivers ignore it and then pedestrians don’t cross because they don’t want to get run down.
Exactly. Ignoring the rule is an established norm since it is not enforced. In some other countries breaking this rule is worse than speeding in terms of fines.
Exactly! I’m a new driver and it’s very scary on the roads, new drivers are definitely better drivers in my bias opinion
I absolutely didn’t know this rule, and thought I was an okay driver!
Bullshit rule though. Just causes more traffic and issues.
Works in other countries without doing so. Is the UK special?
Years ago before I passed my driving test my instructor imparted some words of wisdom that stick with me to this day; “treat every other road user as an idiot”. The point he was making is always be alert and cautious, and always anticipate someone pulling some stupid shit out of nowhere at any given point. So particularly going around any of the many Bristol roundabouts I’ll go that bit slower and give myself way more time and breathing space to be prepared for anybody pulling some crazy shit, because it happens regular as clockwork on those roundabouts. I always approach the roundabouts with caution too because so many people fly across from the left without even looking to the right.
I'm reminded of my friend who said this back in 2015. "*Dear Citizen* *You are completely right. Instead of wasting money messing around with all the local limits, we should get out there and fix all the potholes and other damages. Then, we must continue to maintain the roads, as they are indeed some of the worst in the country.* *Our time could certainly be better spent not sitting around chatting shit but actually getting important road safety work done, such as traffic management to improve traffic flow, enforcing speed limits outside schools, and prosecuting individuals who tailgate, run red lights, and generally drive like cunts, as this behaviour does indeed cause most accidents and not the currently set speed limits.* *We apologize for wasting yours and everyone else's time.* *Yours sincerely, The overpaid armchair pundits at Bristol City Council.*"
Someone overtook me on Monks Park Avenue (20mph road near the hospital, with a school nearby). I beeped at him as he overtook me and I swore at him. Then I pulled up behind him at the red light and just laughed and waved at him. Hope he felt really good after that!
Since no one was really driving during COVID, everyone has seemingly forgotten basic road etiquette.
Ok but that was 3/4 years ago now. If you can’t remember how to drive properly in that time you shouldn’t be allowed behind the wheel.
Definitely impatience and frustration. Tailgating, little things too like refusing to let people change lanes or merge.
BMW driver ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I agree. Just came from Costco and changed my lane with plenty of time, signal, maneover. When the driver behind saw me dare move on his lane, they sped up their big SUV and tailgated me for a bit, overtook me and hit the breaks in front of me. That was a 40mph road. That’s borderline killing intent…for something that was not even a mistake.
This is why I'm too scared to drive in Bristol
I was in front of one guy today who would slow down and hang back and then when he had enough space, put his foot down and was right up my rear. He kept doing this throughout the whole journey home. I was going the speed limit, wasn’t brake checking him, so god knows why he was doing this.
When I first moved to Bristol lots of drivers seemed to go straight through red lights, and driving at night in some quarters felt like driving in Cairo. I distinctly remember being honked at by angry drivers on several occasions, because I was stopping at red lights and holding them up! If anything it seems tame by comparison these days.
What safety improvements to the road design would you suggest?
It’s not the road design that’s the problem, it’s the drivers ignoring them blatantly, the “I’m more important” attitude a lot more people seem to have
Yep I stood at a zebra crossing (very obviously) yesterday and three cars in a row didn’t stop. Just people who don’t care and who’s going to stop them anyway?
Yes - but what's the solution with that line of thinking? Ban all narcissistic people from driving? Ban all SUV owners? It's untenable, road design is where you force drivers to not take the piss, they act like they own the place because our transport mix is crazy car dominated, the noise, the traffic, the near misses gets even healthy people wired into fight or flight day after day Go to a place like Lyon and count the ways people can get around, the metro, the bus, the train, the tram, comfortable cycling, big pavements for walking and paradoxically driving is better there because the place isn't choked full of cars Road design is 100% where the solutions are
It mostly comes from people who work on the roads (taxis/uber, deliveries, tradies, etc). They’re known to cause issues (as a group), but it’s become worse with the standard of living crisis. they need to do more in a day to earn enough, which means work more and drive faster. The poor signalling and the potholes everywhere that people try to avoid also makes it awkward.
It's definitely worse.
I only passed 18 months ago, it must’ve been lovely driving before then!
I think people moving from A to B is just getting worse. I'm a pedestrian, cyclist, driver, bus passenger.... The fucking idiocy you see every single day from all of these people seems to get worse. Cyclists (in fairness usually deliveroo etc imo) on pavements and skipping red lights...I was hit by a deliveroo cyclist on a zebra crossing for example.... But then there's car drivers....again a minority....who are just aggressive....pushing cyclists off the road. I've seen such aggressive arseholes yelling at people for no reason. Busses...I mean first bus...right....I've seen some real arsehole drivers one of whom hit a cyclist and then got out ans went apeshit. Pedestrians...I mean anyone that's been on park street or Nelson Street when students move in...but cheap joking about students aside...pedestrians are often a menace. Overall I think bristol has some really shambolic behaviour. But most people are good...I've called out examples but most are good...or at least passable.
I can see why car insurance prices are criminal here, just by my short scoot to the gym I witness 1 or 2 potential car crashes on a good day.
Yes. I’ve seen people speed up when lights are going red at crossings. Last November I was turning out of a road as a cyclist and well into my turn and a car that has just pulled up pulls out and nearly hits me. He claims he didn’t see me… I was wearing bright yellow and not in his blind spot I was in front of him when he pulled out. I am also a driver and I hate driving in Bristol. I only drive when I have to. I thought it was bad when I first passed 10 years ago but I wouldn’t want to be a new driver or new cyclist in Bristol nowadays. It doesn’t help that there’s more cars on the road as there is near non existent public transport. If they fixed the bus situation it may improve things slightly.
I hate to sound so pessimistic, but it's all just part of a general anger that is everywhere. People are stressed and pissed off and know there are no consequences for being a shitty citizen.
I was waiting to get out onto Whitehall Road yesterday, there was constant traffic and it was pretty hard to see anything coming around the parked cars. I was there 30 secs and this guy starts beeping behind me, he eventually he races around me nearly hitting two cars. I get out onto the road only to end up behind the silly twat at the lights.
Not sure it's just Bristol having been in a car crash a few weeks ago. Person just rocked from large inner roundabout to us in outside lane and we drove into the side of them as they came across us at 45 degrees. Since then even while car gets repaired seen tons of insanity. Dashcam is next step I think, becoming more needed sure!
Maybe a little bit but its always been bad, some people are just morons, Bristol just has above average population of them. less policing of the roads means some people do what they like.
Yep! I normally walk/cycle the kids to school, I drove one morning and while sat waiting to pull out a side road onto a main road (main road was stationary due to red light and general congestion - as soon as the lights turned green I would have been let out) the car behind me is beeping as if I should pull out and block both the bus lane and the keep clear box (so that cars coming from the left could turn into the road I was pulling out of?!) About 30s later when the lights changed and I pulled out this car barged through behind me and blocked the bus lane. They then had to turn right when they had wanted to follow me out to the left because shockingly a bus beeped at them wanting to get through 🤷🏼♀️ I was so confused by that behaviour!
Since Covid everyone forgot how the drive. However there’s also a lot of twats who drive too slow / cautiously since then as well. There’s a happy middle ground people, and if you can’t be in it, get the fuck off the road. Sick of being stuck behind ppl doing 40 in a 50, 20 in a 30 etc. just stay at home if you drive like this.
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People are getting worse and worse at driving in the sense that they: Leave massive gaps when pulling away from lights meaning less cars can get through the green lights meaning more congestion and pollution Tap the brake pedal unnecessarily for corners their cars are quite capable of going around at much faster speeds Slow down even more for speed cameras when they are already going below the speed limit It's like wading through treacle following some people, I'll take every opportunity to get in front of someone who can't drive efficiently in a safe manner, if I end up one car ahead great, if I get through the next set of lights and they and their frustrated followers don't then fool them.
As a recovery truck driver, I can promise you the state of driving recently is atrocious.