King Ruddager Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 We're people too. Yesterday I got caught out in the rain riding up the hill on the way home and . There's no reason that I shouldn't be able to feel safe on the roads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chezza Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Looked like you had a good metre there king.. I would have closed the gap and opened the door Cheers Chezza.. p.s. I ride a motorcycle I know the feeling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nashibeir Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Sometimes I think its more dangerous to ride a bicycle rather than a motor bike, at least on a motor bike you can go with the traffic. I love bike riding but my days of riding on roads are over its just too crazy out there, I now drive to the trails and bike tracks with my bike in the back of my ute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brownsworthy Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 I'm a cyclists though I ride MTB as I am to scared to ride on the road these days after a couple of close calls. Get that cyclocross cross bike or a MTB and get out the bush you'll only have to worry about the roos that way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Ruddager Posted June 24, 2015 Author Share Posted June 24, 2015 Actually the camera's pretty good at making it look far less worse than it is. If you pause it as the car passes though you'll see that I'm right on the line and the car is about a foot to the right of it. Given that my bike's about 50cms wide and I'm fairly symmetrical ... that's not not a lot of room for error! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Ruddager Posted June 24, 2015 Author Share Posted June 24, 2015 I love bike riding but my days of riding on roads are over its just too crazy out there See, this is what I mean. There's no reason it can't be safe if people would just bloody take care of each other on the roads!! That's not going to happen though, is it, because otherwise that Subaru would have had to wait behind me for 10 seconds (costing him 7 because I was doing about 20km/h, not sitting still) and he's in a hurry to get home and do nothing. Bring on the robot cars - no more stupid, human mistakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Bring on the robot cars - no more stupid' date=' human mistakes.[/quote'] No don't do that, because after that there'd be robot buses and I'd be out of a job. Besides, the cyclists would still make stupid, human mistakes like they do now. Don't take that to mean I think they're all idiots and shouldn't be on the road, but I do see them doing a lot of stupid things on the roads that often put themselves in danger without any help from anyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Ruddager Posted June 24, 2015 Author Share Posted June 24, 2015 All sorts of people make mistakes and do all sorts of stupid stuff - we should all take care of each other Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 I stopped riding on the road many years ago after near misses; it just wasn't worth it to me. Now if I go for a semi-serious ride, I do it on the cycle path that runs alongside (but separate to) the M7 in Sydney. Sometimes people make mistakes. I know that there are some fools out there with a disregard for cyclists but there are times when people make an error in judgement. Cars hit cars all the time and often it is a lack of concentration or the wrong judgement call, but luckily in a car there is more protection. An accident that is relatively minor between two cars could be fatal if it was instead between a car and a bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chezza Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 It's funny you say that king, This old driving instructor I know used to say if everyone on the road cared for everyone else instead of themselves everyone would be cared for and accidents would be virtually nil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antiphile Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Consider the words of Confucious*. "Just because you're paranoid, it doesn't mean there aren't people out there trying to get you". * I lied. I think it was Sun Tzu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerlust Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Hi Ruddy. Having watched your video, I'm glad nothing more serious happened to you. Busy winding road, dark, cold, raining, poor visibility, no bike lane. I vaguely remember you mentioning losing a friend & fellow cyclist (a little while back) in a road accident of some kind? I'm betting it happened in better conditions than displayed in your video. You certainly don't mind tempting fate. I apologise for sounding harsh, but it needed to be said. Take care of yourself out there. The compulsion to ride a bike is not worth your life. Lusty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 It really looks like a dangerous road to be cycling on. There really should be rules imposed that limit what roads cyclists can use. I can't really talk for better planned areas where cyclists and motorists can coexist but I'm thinking of Sydney roads when I say this as they can barely fit the cars let alone the lycra warriors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Absolutely agree, people on/in all types of vehicles are regularly making stupid mistakes, and more often than not it's due to this stupid attitude these days of having to get wherever they're going half an hour before they started travelling there. Sure, some can be put down to a misjudgement, but most of it is just sheer stupidity from people who do know better, or being distracted by phones or makeup or whatever else, which I suppose also does fall into the stupidity category. Being on the road for 8 hours a day, mostly in the peak periods at both ends of the day, I see a hell of a lot of it. And my usual (cleaned up) reaction is, "You absolute moron..." I admit I do get frustrated getting stuck behind cyclists, but I won't do anything stupid to get past them that puts them or myself or other traffic in danger. Just the same as I get frustrated at getting stopped at a succession of red lights but I won't start running through them because of it. My biggest beef with the lycra warriors is their apparent attitude that the road rules don't apply to them so they can just do whatever the F they want. If I did that I'd have a crash in about 2 minutes. And yes I know there are drivers of motor vehicles who share this attitude, and I personally think they should be stripped of their licences. Whether this is a majority or minority attitude, it does exist, and I do see it on the roads regularly. Most times, it doesn't result in anything bad happening, but I have to say I have no sympathy for anybody, whether they be in a car, bike, truck or just a pedestrian, who willingly does the wrong thing and gets injured or killed as a result. Edit: Just watched the video. What that car did is a perfect example of the stupidity I'm talking about. That moron has risked a number of lives there for what, not having to wait a few seconds longer? I must agree it doesn't look the safest road for cycling on but that is no excuse for car drivers behaving like that. As a sign says in one of the bus depots here: BETTER LATE THAN DEAD ON TIME. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Ruddager Posted June 24, 2015 Author Share Posted June 24, 2015 Having watched your video' date=' I'm glad nothing more serious happened to you. Busy winding road, dark, cold, raining, poor visibility, no bike lane. I vaguely remember you mentioning losing a friend & fellow cyclist (a little while back) in a road accident of some kind? [img']unsure[/img] Quite different. Dan was descending Old Freeway in far worse conditions and lost control coming around a corner - no vehicles involved. It really looks like a dangerous road to be cycling on. There really should be rules imposed that limit what roads cyclists can use. Ordinarily the road is fine but on rainy days I usually drive down and take my bike from the bottom. Yesterday' date=' however, I got caught out and didn't have another option. There is a "commuter path" nearby, but it has a gradient over 20% in places - average Joe can't do it on the best of days and it would be [i']impossible[/i] to ride up in slippery conditions as there'd be no traction. I would have to walk a couple of kms in socks to get up that one in conditions like that! You can't limit cyclists to certain roads if there's no other options nearby. I would have to ride an extra 10kms at least to get where I need to go ... and that's if they'd even let me out the driveway where I live, which is at the beginning of another road which would almost certainly be "black-listed". Most of the time I actually feel safer riding that part road than I do on the flat part later on when there's two lanes and nobody is paying attention. I usually ride with confidence and if necessary direct traffic coming up behind to either pass or wait (which always seems to be appreciated), but the conditions made me nervous so I was hugging the edge too closely (cars tend to progressively push you towards the edge when a string of them pass like that) and I didn't signal for the nice person in the Subaru to wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brownsworthy Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 I do empathize with you Otto, In your position, which obviously requires the utmost responsibility on our roads, I'm sure you've seen it all and have maybe felt a little handcuffed, with your responsibilities, whilst everyone else is taking risks and possibly putting others or themselves in danger. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 I do empathize with you Otto' date=' In your position, which obviously requires the utmost responsibility on our roads, I'm sure you've seen it all and have maybe felt a little handcuffed, with your responsibilities, whilst everyone else is taking risks and possibly putting others or themselves in danger. Cheers [/quote'] In a way I suppose, but at the same time, it isn't part of my behaviour or mindset on the roads to want to do that, whether I'm in a bus carrying 100 people or my own private vehicle. I jokingly say it's because I don't want to fill out paperwork, but yeah I'd rather just stay in one piece really. I am a little handcuffed in venting my displeasure at stupidity though. Of course, there are times when I feel like running idiots off the road into a ditch or driving straight over the top of them, especially in one instance recently where this stupid woman just carelessly sailed across three lanes of traffic right in front of me and nearly ended up under the front of the bus as a result. I wish I had the video footage of it actually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerlust Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 Hi Ruddy. On a very rare occasion I was awake & watching the early morning news programs this morning. And what should be one of the stories aired & discussed, but this one. In Victoria they are reviewing a host of ideas & proposals to try & reduce the amount of accidents involving cyclists on the roads. I thought yourself & other concerned cyclists might be interested in this. The article can be found HERE. Although I don't live in Victoria, it should be interesting to see if anything truly positive comes from it, & whether any of the chosen reforms etc. are eventually adopted by the other states. Cheers, Lusty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brownsworthy Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 I do empathize with you Otto' date=' In your position, which obviously requires the utmost responsibility on our roads, I'm sure you've seen it all and have maybe felt a little handcuffed, with your responsibilities, whilst everyone else is taking risks and possibly putting others or themselves in danger. Cheers [/quote'] In a way I suppose, but at the same time, it isn't part of my behaviour or mindset on the roads to want to do that, whether I'm in a bus carrying 100 people or my own private vehicle. I jokingly say it's because I don't want to fill out paperwork, but yeah I'd rather just stay in one piece really. I am a little handcuffed in venting my displeasure at stupidity though. Of course, there are times when I feel like running idiots off the road into a ditch or driving straight over the top of them, especially in one instance recently where this stupid woman just carelessly sailed across three lanes of traffic right in front of me and nearly ended up under the front of the bus as a result. I wish I had the video footage of actually. Yeah, I'd probably end up hanging out the side of the bus hurling abuse at imbeciles if I spent as much time on the roads as you do. In saying that though I'm quite patient and responsible on our roads I'm a member of the Newcastle Sporting Car Club and have that outlet if I do want to drive flat out or have a bit fun and I encourage more people to get involved as it gives you more respect for how dangerous a vehicle can be and with instruction become better with car control. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winston Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 I agree. That was pretty hairy and I would of hung up the bike for good after a trip like that. Unfortunately, its not only cyclists, but motorcyclists and trucks are being disregarded by a lot of Adelaide drivers. A truck needs room to stop at lights, a motorbike shouldnt be pushed into bike lanes or shoulders, theyre entitled to ride and take up the entire lane. Cyclists need to adhere to the road rules too, though. I unfortunately witnessed the poor guy who was riding on the Port River expressway and was run down by a garbage truck. He was supposed to exit and wait til clear, then ride away from the merging lanes, he didnt and paid the ultimate price for a small mistake. We all seem to be in such a hurry and god forbid we get held up. We cant be that desperate to get home in record time that we put ourselves and others at risk to do so. That being said, our roads are pretty poor for cyclists. We need more bike tracks and maybe a dedicated bike track for enthusiasts who ride the hills. Im sure that a small lane could be developed along side Gorge road or North East rd to Gumeracha. We have become an arrogant state recently and thats reflected by the motorists. The number of road rage incidents that I have been involved in and seen the past few years is disgraceful and we have all forgotten how to merge, too. Like a zipper, we should be able to form one lane from two without slowing down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winston Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 All sorts of people make mistakes and do all sorts of stupid stuff - we should all take care of each other Spot on, but we cant seem to do that.. I used to drive a garbage truck and service Henley, West Beach and through there on a Saturday morning. It would be around 7:30 and there was always groups of cyclists on Seaview rd I think it is, the road Ramsgate and all thats on. Although theyre required to ride single file, I would coast at 20kmh behind them and let them ride in the group and actually enjoy being out there. I knew that soon enough I would turn off and they would continue on. No harm done. I dont want to instigate vigilantes or anything, but I have seen a few people in distress, whether its road rage, a small accident or whatever. I'll stop and help if I can and thats something that never happens anymore. Years ago a motorist and cyclist stopped at the lights and the driver jumped out and hit the cyclist and tried to take his bike. The number of people that got out and helped was overwhelming, you wouldnt see that anymore. Ive had mates get king hit and robbed at the train station and casino, in front of a crowd and they all just watched. If you outnumber the trouble makers and see them assault or rob someone, then help out. What if that was your mum, sister, mate, brother, grandad. You would appreciate the help. Youre too right, we all make mistakes, no one is perfect. Prepare for driver error, dont tailgate, look twice before you speed off. We SHOULD all take care of each other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 They recently changed the laws surrounding cyclists in Queensland. The cynical side of me says that they only changed the laws to suit the stupidity of some cyclists, or to cater for what they were already doing when it was against the law. One I agree with is the minimum clearance motor vehicles are supposed to allow. However, a lone cyclist is now legally allowed to take up a whole traffic lane if they so wish, which I personally think is BS. It will not help the "us vs them" mentality on the road one bit, and may well lead to more incidents occurring. As for merging, nobody knows how to do that anywhere in Australia from what I've seen. It isn't helped by the fact that lanes end in two different ways. In one instance you have the left lane clearly ending with those little dotted lines that trail off to the edge line. These are give way lines. This situation is no different to changing lanes - you must give way to anything in the lane that you are moving into. Unfortunately you get these smartarse idiots who scream up the inside lane and attempt to push in, which just creates problems for everyone. Or they sit level with the vehicle in the continuing lane and expect to be let in at the last second. Not on my watch they don't. The other instance is where the lane markings just end, and both lanes end simultaneously. In this case, whoever is in front has right of way and there is no need for cars in either lane to use indicators, as neither side is actually changing lanes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Ruddager Posted June 27, 2015 Author Share Posted June 27, 2015 I thought yourself & other concerned cyclists might be interested in this. The article can be found HERE. Presumed liability was the single most important thing in changing the overall attitude towards cyclists in many European countries. The Netherlands, for example, hasn't always been a cycling-friendly place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Ruddager Posted June 27, 2015 Author Share Posted June 27, 2015 Although theyre required to ride single file' date=' ...[/quote'] No they're not. Cyclists can legally ride two-abreast, and to overtake others they can ride three or four abreast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Ruddager Posted July 9, 2015 Author Share Posted July 9, 2015 Norton Summit road laced with tack and oil booby-traps for cyclists ... but that's fine judging by the comments on the article, cyclists deserve it. See, this is why I get defensive about cycling. In no way can this kind of attack be seen as ok, but as a cyclist I get treated like a second-class citizen and shown all this rabid, bigoted hatred. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.