Thread: Cyclist aware drivers... are you one?

Absolutely no need to argue.
I ride a push bike, so do my kids.
I ride a motorbike - Dirt Bike in bush and on road.
I ride roadbikes.
I drive buggies.
I drive 4x4s and cars.
I drive trucks.
I drive emergency vehicles.
Have driven speedway and drag cars.
We have 5 registered vehicles, 3 additional unregistered off road vehicles, 1 trailer and 1 caravan. Regos for bicycles would be uncalled for. I think I pay enough rego and can still only use one vehicle at a time.
Better education is probablly the answer and the police to actually start enforcing road breaches as they do with cars.
There is room for all, all that is generally required is a bit of etiquette and courtesy on both parts. There is good and bad in all.

Originally Posted by Xul

I have no problem with cyclists in the city (probably because I am never there!), it's the cyclists in the country that bother me.

Those who live in or near Adelaide will know the roads through the hills where cyclists tend to ride in the middle of the road/2 abreast. I've nearly cleaned them up before.

In fact once while heading home along Mt. Compass - Goolwa road, around a sharp bend there were a group of cyclists, maybe 10-15 taking up a whole lane, and part of the next one! I had to lock up the brakes and still only just missed them. They got a mouthful I can tell you that.

In my honest opinion, bikes simply shouldn't be allowed on 100k windy roads, unless they are mountain bikes who ride on the shoulder.

Have not driven the roads for a bit (2 years) but can get quite interesting up around devils elbow or out on the Gorge roads. Know the area well.
Motorcycles are more dangerous on the gorge roads. More than once have nearly taken the head of a motorcyclist doing well above the speed limit on the windy bits , leaning the bike over and their head and shoulder being across the white lines.
For bikes and bicycles not too many second chances when you get hit by a car/bus/truck. Hence why when I am riding either I try to be extra vigilant.

I believe most motorists are only too well aware of cyclists but would you swim or paddle a canoe in the shipping lanes in Sydney Harbour? No, cos its stupid and dangerous. Would you fly a hang glider around any airport? No, cos its stupid and dangerous. BUT, its ok to ride on a main road at much slower speeds than the rest of traffic cos its stupid and dangerous? Come on! If exercise is what you're after, go to a purpose built facility or the backstreets where is smart and safe. Think about it. What other exercise impedes the needs of so many others? None that I can think of (but I stand to be corrected). If cyclists could keep up with traffic it'd be ok, but they can't. They're a slow moving and dangerous traffic block. If I deliberately held you up just cos I wanted to you'd become annoyed, wouldn't you? When cyclists are riding two abreast along a long, winding road such as along the coast past Stanwell Park (south of Sydney) where there are double lines for miles on end, what is a motorist expected to do? Toddle along at 25-30 behind them and be help up just because Lance and his boys want to peddle? Or do they break the law and cross the double lines and risk an accident or police fine? Yeah, consideration is the answer and it should ALSO be coming from the cyclists, and I've yet to see it anywhere I've seen them on the road. I believe no reasonable person wants to really see a cyclist get hurt in an accident but by being inconsiderate of motorists and displaying an arrogance that defies belief they foster these feelings of frustration and anger.

Originally Posted by Thommo

In the course of my employment I am required to attend and assist with the investigation of numerous incidents involving heavy vehicles. I often have the availability of CCTV (Front mounted on the vehicles).

I can say with my hand on my heart that the majority of cyclists are at fault legally or often riding in a manner that puts them unnecessarily at risk. (that means not demonstrating common sense).

When I attend such incidents (often before police or emergency services) I am amazed how everyone assumes it is always the heavy vehicle at fault.
When police arrive they always treat the driver as "guilty until proven innocent" and the rider as "innocent until proven guilty" (I usually am able to provide sufficient evidence to substantiate either way).

Now heaven forbid the media should arrive! Captions in media will always read:
"Truck/Bus/Train kills cyclist" when the headlines should read "Cyclist riding in dangerous manner killed by heavy vehicle".

The same (and I see more examples of) applies to pedestrians killed by heavy vehicles (all vehicles for that matter). The last 2 fatal pedestrian incidents I have been attended have been without question the pedestrians fault yet they are still recorded against the road toll despite no error on the part of any vehicle driver!

We are constantly bombarded (including this thread) that we need to be more cyclist aware. Well sorry boys and girls it is a two way street (pun intended) we all need to be heavy vehicle aware, they need greater breaking distances, they can not make fast manoeuvres to avoid cyclists, they take longer to move from a standing start (often commencing movement before the cyclist even comes into sight) they also will go wide or cut off corners (as oversize vehicles must do to negotiate many streets) and yes metro buses do need to hog the left and stop in bike lanes. Cyclists who ride "head down bum up" not looking ahead in a bike lane must expect a bus to be stopped at a bus stop which shares the bike lane (all part of the road rules).

We as motorists are constantly reminded to share our roads with cyclists, I am not aware of too many road safety campaigns that try to educate cyclists about sharing the road.

Now I do sometimes (not often) ride a bike and when I do, I go out of my way to use bike lanes and obey rules including using hand signals when appropriate and you know what happens? I am ridiculed by most other cyclists who openly defy the rules.

To the very few cyclists out there who do ride responsibly I offer my apologies but I am only dealing in facts!

Having worked in heavy haulage myself for a couple of years a while back, I can only wholeheartedly agree with your comments Thommo.

Running a 100 tonne float with a dump truck on it on the designated heavy haulage route through the Perth hills (The Lakes to York) and coming across a group of lycra clad idiots on bikes who refused to move over and allow this load to pass, even though requested to do so by an authorised escort / pilot vehicle, showed me just what is the mentality of some of the people we're dealing with.

I won't go into detail on how the cyclists were "removed" from the road. Discussed that on here once before and was flamed for it by the apologists for common sense. But at least none of them ended up under the wheels of the truck or float - that time.

Fortunately, not all cyclists are as stupid as some of the examples that we see.

Geez, it is going to be interesting to revisit this thread when fuel gets to $4-5 a litre and some are pushed onto bikes through necessity...
forced role-reversal is going to be a ******!

Originally Posted by windsock

Geez, it is going to be interesting to revisit this thread when fuel gets to $4-5 a litre and some are pushed onto bikes through necessity...
forced role-reversal is going to be a ******!

Very much doubt that...
Fuel pricing has escalated far faster the CPI pay rises and most continue to drive.

$5.00 per litre won't stop me driving, or riding.

It will just make people re-think a few things, or spend differently.

Originally Posted by BMKal

Having worked in heavy haulage myself for a couple of years a while back, I can only wholeheartedly agree with your comments Thommo.

Running a 100 tonne float with a dump truck on it on the designated heavy haulage route through the Perth hills (The Lakes to York) and coming across a group of lycra clad idiots on bikes who refused to move over and allow this load to pass, even though requested to do so by an authorised escort / pilot vehicle, showed me just what is the mentality of some of the people we're dealing with.

I won't go into detail on how the cyclists were "removed" from the road. Discussed that on here once before and was flamed for it by the apologists for common sense. But at least none of them ended up under the wheels of the truck or float - that time.

Fortunately, not all cyclists are as stupid as some of the examples that we see.

Brian,
Aren't Pilots now regarded as public officers? So failing to do as directed is actually an offence.

Cyclists are here to stay like it or not.

Most are observing the road rules and you will always find the odd one that is beyond the law etc.
Riding is also a very visible sport as its out there in your face and on the road for all to see.
The reason we often do ride 2 abreast is to be more visible and believe it or not, but there are riding styles where the outside rides faster than the inside lane and the lead constantly keeps swapping to take the load of the lead rider.Its also nice to swap chat to each other, quite often one does 3 hours in the seat.
How hard would it be to just slow a little and let the riders do their thing. It may take 5 minutes out of ones life but perhaps admire their determination to shed the weight to make the lycra look good or just shed the weight to ease the burden on our health system due to obesity.
Take your pick but make peace and don't let the little things irratete so much as to insult each other over a few cyclists who in general are pretty good.

Wish I could say same about your average driver on the road. Look out the window and there are so many close misses, that is truly scary and its also getting worse with a growing population.

Go on, give a rider a go, better still go join us and see why a bike path is fine for your average Repco thumper but a proper road bike its just not good enough.