Driving to work at normal peak hour time on Coppins Crossing Road, a cluster of cyclists with an escort vehicle driving along at 20kph up the hill.
The queue of cars behind this bunch of inconsiderate idiots stretched all the way back over the horizon…
Needless to say, there were a few unhappy drivers when they finally managed to overtake those whackers.
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Seems pretty harsh of them to me, especially seeing they now have Uriara road closed for their personal use.
Gee you’re lucky you weren’t born 200 years ago, your life would have been a misery and by now you would have topped yourself from having to go everywhere at 20km/hr.
Mind you, I agree that this bunch of cyclists would appear to have been mindlessly inconsiderate. Generally thinking cyclists either ride in off-peak times, or show some consideration by keeping single file allowing cars to at least ease past.
From a daily cyclist on our roads, sounds like a FAIL to me.
So, how many minutes of your life would you like back?
30 seconds, 1 maybe 2 minutes?
p1 said :
Please explain??
And what did it cost you? 5 mins? And another 5 mins to log on here to complain? Get over it.
Pretty sad world we live in when people whinge and complain about being forced to be considerate of the safety of others.
Bait?? I think this thread is another bait to get some heated “discussion” going. What have we had in the last few days, speeding bikes, headlights on and now this. Oh well, sit back and watch the Internet blood flow..
Good – The group had an escort vehicle, showing consideration to other road users.
Bad – Riding during a peak traffic time, showing little consideration to other road users.
It’s probably fair enough for the pro-cyclists to ask for calmness. I think it’s also fair enough for pro-motorists to suggest that riding in a large-ish group on a road like Coppins Crossing is better suited to less busy times.
Discussion here will only get out of hand if responses are out of hand. Mind, the OP could have worded his/her words better, haha.
Could someone please tell me what the attraction is to riding on Coppins Crossing road to cyclists? This isn’t a bash on cyclists – I’m genuinely curious. I travel that road semi-regularly, and I’m always wondered why so many use it, given it’s fairly narrow, windy, and has no real shoulders. I’ve always felt as though anyone riding along it must be putting their life on the line – I’d think that it would be way easier for a cyclist to be hit accidentally along there than on other roads in the area.
So is there some special attraction to a road like Coppins Crossing that as a non-cyclist I just don’t see?
It’s only a matter of time before one gets hit on that road, it’s bad enough with all the extra cars on there due to the road works at glenlock. The RTA should ban all the Cyclists from it, there is no shoulders and it’s barely wide enough for 2 cars in some spots, surely the RTA has a duty of care… Lets start a petition to get the cyclists off coppins xing!
Just slow down and enjoy the view. All those lycra butts …
Thanks for giving us another opportunity to have another go at these 2-wheeled idiots.
For some reason, cyclists seem to think that they are immune for showing basic courtesy to other road users. Other users have the right to go about their daily business, particularly at peak times, without being stupidly hindered by inconsiderate dickheads.
KB1971 said :
It appears to be for the 2010 Junior Road Championships. There have been signs up for about the last month with the dates on them. Looks like if the weather is nice for a motorbike ride tomorrow, I’ll have to take an alternate route (this is where I would mention the Ducati, if I was rich enough to own one).
Sounds like you live in the North and work in the South or vice versa. Move closer to work or get a job closer to home.
bundyjack27 said :
While they shit me sometimes when they ride in a pack, I think your suggestion is retarded. We have other things, like speed limits, to control the safety of roads for users. If the road it that dangerous, then they should fix it or close it.
thatsnotme said :
I’m no cyclist, but I don’t mind a drive on a winding road, and I expect the same things that make that appealing in car apply to cyclists, too. That is, it’s an opportunity to enjoy a road that’s not a boring straight line. Relatively dramatic elevation changes in a short distance would also appeal to the cyclists I expect. The fact Coppins Crossing is close to town would be a benefit, too.
I agree that it can make it difficult on such roads with cyclists because by their nature such roads are often narrow, as you describe. And if it’s the usual one or two then it’s almost always no big deal, but a larger number can make it a bit tricky, especially if blind corners are nearby.
p1 said :
OK, periodical closures then, I assumed you meant a permanent closure. Sorry for the confusion. I actually agree with the closure, better off riding there than Northbourn Ave, imagine the shitfight that would cause….
Coppins Crossing road is no different in design to Cotter/Paddys River Roads with regards to shoulders. The mere suggestion of banning a group from it is silly.
Why dont we ban impatient car drivers from there? The hold up at the GDE really isnt that bad (anyone see reports of the 10 day traffic jam in China?)
My wife works at Stromlo & every time I drop her of & head back into Civic from work someone fails to give way & just pulls out (in an 80km/h zone mind you).
Surely thats inconsiderate & MORE dangerous, isnt it???
Inconsiderate people are a fact of life, I think the OP was inconsiderate with his impatience but thats just my opinion.
To be honest winging about things that go on in life is pointless.
So Aleximis, you must really hate trucks, tractors, buses, roadworks, animals, and oh yeah those pesky other cars too? I.e. “traffic”, wouldn’t the whole road system be better without the damn traffic?
When you choose to use any of the single lane rural roads out that side of town you have to realise they are not freeways, and big delays happen for a range of stupid reasons and a few extra minutes have to be factored into the trip, or go round another way. If your car isn’t good enough to safely pass a group on the straight, then tough luck you just have to wait the FEW MINUTES to the next one or other end of the road. What’s that… couldn’t pass, cars coming the other way … there’s that pesky ‘traffic’ concept again. How many PEOPLE riding bikes in the group and how many PEOPLE driving were held up?
Definitely not the most considerate way to ride – if this really was peak time and there were no signs warning of delays. (but I know there are on nearby roads for the weekend) There would be far worse delays to the whole west side of canberra if they rode single file with no vehicle escort and someone got hit! If a group of riders were actually trying to be disobient, they could have chosen the parkway or northbourne, then watch the chaos.
thatsnotme said :
Could someone please tell me what the attraction is to riding on Coppins Crossing road to cyclists?
The main attraction is hills. Being strong on climbs is essential for racing. There are many other attractions though – it’s regularly used as a race venue, the roads out past the cotter are generally quiet and are of a similar standard to race venues elsewhere. Then there’s the peace, quiet, fresh air, good spots to stop and admire the view…
They wouldnt need an escort vehicle if people drove safetly around cyclists.
Davo111 said :
On a road like that you can come around a corner at less than the speed limit, and if you come across a cyclist while there’s a vehicle coming the other way the cyclist is going to get squished. Laws of physics, unfortunately.
Having an escort vehicle meant that while it was inconvenient to other road users, it really shouldn’t have been a safety issue. And that’s the main thing.
Oh goody another opportunity for the twats of this world to queue up and tell us all how incompetent they are at using our roads.
Wow, some cyclists with an escort vehicle, on Coppins Crossing Road no less. Incredible! Who would ever have thunk it?
If other road users bother you, I suggest you stop using the road.
Ok, fair enough then – I guess most other roads with decent shoulders just cut through many hills, so one of the few hilly roads in the area will be fairly popular.
Maybe because I’m not a road cyclist, I still can’t understand why anyone would take the risk on Coppins Crossing, when the relatively quiet Cotter Road and Uriara Road are so close. I’m a confident driver, but still cringe at times overtaking cyclists on Coppins Crossing…I can only imagine what they’re feeling!
On a road like that you can come around a corner at less than the speed limit, and if you come across a cyclist while there’s a vehicle coming the other way the cyclist is going to get squished. Laws of physics, unfortunately.
This is clearly rubbish, because if a collision with the un-escorted cyclist is inevitable, then so is a collision with the escort car in the same situation.
That’s what the advisory speed signs on corners are all about, by the way – it’s the speed at which you’ll have enough time to stop if you come across something unexpected, like another car stopped in the road (the speed is calculated to give you something like 5 seconds of visibility).
Consider it training pal, ’cause when the occupants of 20,000 new houses in Molonglo start getting in their cars at 8am you’re gunna be goin’ everywhere around there at 20km an hour..
I enjoy cycling and driving, and I think your post title says it all. This does seem to be a bit of an antagonistic approach, cycling on such a narrow road during peak time. Don’t get me wrong, kudos to the cyclists for having the forethought to get an escort vehicle, but it seems like a pretty inconsiderate time and place to go riding. While I think us drivers need to get used to (and embrace) more cyclists on the road, likewise us cyclists need to be sensible and considerate. The inertia in my car is always going to be greater than that of my pushie.
As a bit of an aside, what exactly was the escort vehicle. Surely there’s some sort of regulations (a QUICK Google didn’t find anything ACT-specific) on the application of escort/pilot vehicles, and I’d suggest that grabbing a flashing orange light and chucking it on top of your Prius doesn’t give you a right to do 60km/h under the limit.
kambahkrawler said :
Haha, that’s probably the best response here so far.
I suspect that the riders in question may have been a squad from out of town having a morning ride before the comp (previously mentioned Junior National Road Race) this weekend.
It makes me wonder if, while they have taken all care (chase vehicle), they may have unintentionally chosen one of the busiest rural-ish roads in the ACT. Perhaps the local organisers of these events could consider this when inviting lots of out of state cyclists to town? It is the local riders who have to deal with the agro caused by the actions of their visitors.
… I’d suggest that grabbing a flashing orange light and chucking it on top of your Prius doesn’t give you a right to do 60km/h under the limit.
I’m not sure that you need to rely on a ‘right’ to ‘do 60km/h under the limit’. On the other hand, I’m almost certain that you have no ‘right’ to expect to drive at the posted limit. You do however, have a responsibility to drive to the conditions – and in this case that would mean waiting patiently for the other road users to do their thing and then over-taking them when it was safe to do so. Pretty straight forward really.
If you want to bang on about ‘rights’, then it should be pointed out that, according to the law, cyclists have as much of a ‘right’ to use roads as any other vehicle.