I checked the forecast this morning - it predicted showers this afternoon, so I didn't bother to take the camera with me. If it's wet, it involves putting it in a plastic bag, and I just hate carrying around two plastic bags in my shirt pockets (my wallet and phone are in the other one).
So I get to Darling Harbour, and what do I hear? Sirens. As I approach a T-junction, an ambulance zips past the street in front of me. A minute later, I am heading down the hill towards the first roundabout behind the Darling Harbour convention centre, and I find the road blocked by two ambulances, several police cars and a big red fire engine (possibly the same one that tried to run me over last year at the very next roundabout up the road). There was even a policeman's bicycle - never seen a bike mounted cop at a crash before.
I thought I was going to have to do a U-turn and get into town via a route that I just hate, but a cop was waving the cars in front of me through, so I followed them through the roundabout.
Of course the cop had not seen me, so he waved the car in front through, turned his back and lo and behold, one of the ambulances took that as a signal to come forward and almost bowl me over. I exchanged a funny look with the driver - me shrugging and pointing at the dopey cop with my shoulder, and the driver looking back with a "we almost picked up a case". I think they only needed one ambulance for the crash, so that one was spare, and it was being sent home. It would have been ironic if I ended up in the back of it.
Anyway, all the fuss and bother was over a small truck lying on its side just past the roundabout. The best description that I can think of is that it looked like a fish delivery truck - maybe 2 or 3 tonnes capacity, and a box on the back big enough to stand in with double doors. I presume he had taken the roundabout too quickly, hit the bike lane kerbing on the far side and gone over onto the passenger side. If there was anyone lying under the truck, they were a goner. Flat as a pancake.
I dislike that roundabout intensely as although it has a bike lane going around the city side of it, most cars ignore the line markings and barge into the bike lane as they negotiate the roundabout. A fast way to the hospital is to be next to a car as you enter the roundabout - the bastards never stay in their lane, and they are much bigger and heavier than me, so I always give them a wide berth. That means getting into the car lane as I go down the hill, and going around the roundabout like a car. Some drivers really get the shits when I do that (how dare a bike get in front of me), but the funny thing is that I can rip through the roundabout much faster than a car (as I can take a very straight line), so I actually never hold any cars up. If anything, they hold me up when I find myself stuck behind one. I have almost eaten a few bumperbars going into that roundabout.
Anyway, stupid truck driver obviously thought he was in an F1 car rather than a top heavy truck, and he is probably now rather banged up. Having a truck go over onto its side whilst you are inside would not be pleasant or painless.
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