I spent a very pleasant couple of hours this morning on the corner of Streatham Common watching this pass.
I know every car was now over one hundred years old, and the brakes leave something to be desired, but I was positioned at traffic lights, and I was amazed by the number that 'ran a red'. Not one of them (five hundred odd) hit anything while I was watching. Although I'm sure much of this was due to the reactions of the gobsmacked drivers of more modern vehicles being confronted with a side on view of something that's lasted a century or more.
Do the authorities turn a blind eye to the junctions that have cameras covering them?
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I heard of an incident that occured with a veteran car on a run (not the Brighton run although the car would be old enough to qualify). Someone I knew was a passenger in that car and apparently a pedestrian stepped onto a zebra crossing in front of the old crock, invoking a tirade of foul mouthed abuse from its driver, to the effect 'don't you realise these old cars don't have brakes like modern ones?'. Errrr..... yes, Mr. Driver, you should take that into account and drive accordingly, duurrh!!
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I think you have to bear in mind that a century ago Zebra crossings didn't exist. These cars(?) weren't built for todays' conditions. A proportion of them had to have an assisted start (push) after coming to a stop, one appeared to have no clutch.
Please don't forget we wouldn't be driving what we are today if it wasn't for the pioneers that produced these, erm, contraptions. Where do you think the current pile of re-cyclable materials that move us around today will be in another hundred years?
I just wondered if any of them receive prosecutions for jumping red traffic lights.
I've got nothing but admiration for them adjusting throttle, advance-retard/mixture/fuelling/oiling/coal supply/water feed (many steamers) while trying to deal with modern traffic.
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Wonderful afternoon watching the arrivals - who had clearance to use the bus lanes/short cuts and had a little detour into Preston Park which avoided us modern, cars nose to tail. Most were narrow enough to continue past the queue of traffic and did so - presumably one would not want to stop too often and risk not starting again. Police out in force to control traffic and allow them freer passage.
The RAC were also around in force but only saw one car getting assistance (a push, actually) although there were a few on trailers we presumed they had long finished and were on their way home.
We saw a couple of really ancient motorbikes and one motor trike, with a wonderful gleaming brass petrol tank. There was a rather grand chap on a pennyfarthing who was overtaking the traffic, too - presumably a local rather than a long distance peddler!
Brilliant weather too.
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reactions of the gobsmacked drivers of more modern vehicles being confronted with a side on view of something that's lasted a century or more.
Unfortunately, the drivers of all these old bangers may be completely plastered. Night night.
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Quote: - I think you have to bear in mind that a century ago Zebra crossings didn't exist. These cars(?) weren't built for todays' conditions.
But that does not absolve their drivers from obeying today's regulations. They cannot take for granted the fact that the 'great unwashed' are cogniscent of the fact that 100 year-old crocks can't stop like modern cars.
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>>There was a rather grand chap on a pennyfarthing who was overtaking the traffic, too - presumably a local rather than a long distance peddler
Two penny farthings passed Streatham Common. I wonder?
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 05/11/2007 at 12:49
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