22 January 2010

Thoughts of a Driver/Cyclist and Pedestrian

| TheObserver
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Over the last number of years I have both driven to work or cycled. Also, like a lot of folk I do the park and ride option – and have the pushie on the carrier, park in the Triangle or somewhere else where I don’t have to pay the exorbitant parking fees that keep Stanhope and his crew in the manner to which they are accustomed.

On that wise, whenever the redoubtable Chief Minister is doing his regular blether session on Chief Minister talkback (or rather Chief Minister dominating the airwaves, interrupting and not answering the question) he never ever indicates that he will give up his free parking and, well, you, know, lead by example, when the Parliamentary Triangle becomes a further source of $$$$ to his administration.

But I digress. Firstly let me say that there is a harmony on the roads between on-road cyclists and motorists. There are those cyclists who seem determined to die under the wheels of a car, and those few drivers perfectly happy to facilitate that outcome. Every morning I see the Armstrong wannabes weaving in and out of moving blocks of traffic – the cars are going 60-80kmh – the cyclists seem to want to do the same speed – largley by coming into congress with the cars – and they will achieve that speed, albeit for a short period of time before being turned into a piece of corned silverside. It is but a matter of time. But how often do we see the cyclists blame the drivers and vice versa? I have news for both groups – for the most part it is the two wheeled road users that are to blame -at least on my observations of relative behaviour in the last 5 years.

Me? I don’t ride on the roads as I don’t have suicidal tendencies. Nor am I so arrogant to presume that I can or should hold up traffic, ride three abreast or indeed as part of a pelleton blocking one lane of a 3 lane road and expect cars to take the evasive action. And you know, the overwhelming majority of drivers do, without complaint except for an imprecation perhaps, through clenched teeth. There is an expectation, it seems, that cars should make emergency lane changes to accomodate cyclists. For mine, the cyclists should be single file and be prepared to give way or pull over rather than have a less manouverable, heavier and faster vehicle swerving about.

And how often do we see lanes blocked by joyriding cyclists, all lycra’d up and pedalling like hell with grim determination and an aura of absolute entitlement and invincibility?

I was taught as a safety issue to not ride 2 (or more) abreast on the roads. Yet there is a couple in the Belconnen area who seem to think it fine, in peak traffic, to regularly ride in the Oh So Sexy lycras 2 abreast and basically block traffic. Not only is this selfish and arrogant it is downright dangerous, not only to the cyclists but other road users. Has it occurred to these people that only the car behind them can see them – the one behind that car probably can’t – it is a tragedy waiting to happen.

So I stick to the cyclepaths and the shared footpaths. A lot of other cyclists do the same. And apart from those pedestrians who seem to think it OK to walk along in the middle of the path with the earphones in and therefore incapable of hearing a bell until the last minute – and then upon hearing it jumping to the right instead of the left- the pedestrians are a pretty good lot – even though they have to put up with the antics of an awful lot of fellow cyclists who behave on the shared paths toward pedestrians a bit like a Commodore full of bogans behaves toward a cyclist on the Parkway – appallingly.

Scarcely a day goes by without my witnessing a cyclist passing so close to a pedestrian (who is keeping to the left, let the record show) that you’d swear if he had a car door he’d open it for 1o points. Then there are those oncoming cyclists who want to get past an annoying pedestrian and cross to the right and almost collide head on with pedestrians (or indeed cyclists) coming in the opposite direction. One such intrepid came within a foot of wiping out 2 kids from a family who were keeping to the left and the father had to snatch the kids out the way. The cyclist gave them a mouthful as he went by. And I see this at least every other day in one form or another.

I’ve even had one cyclist dismount and want to go a knuckle dance with me after he yelled at me and my then young kid to “get out of the effing way” on a shared path. This idiot would have to have been at least 65 and would walk around in the shower to get wet. I managed to persuade the silly old fool to get back on his bike and act his age. He was wearing the full lycra thing too. Maybe it is the lycra that does it – constricts the blood flow to the Commonsense Sector of the brain….maybe a neurosurgeon could tell us.

What rankles the most is that the behaviour of these morons makes life hard for the minority that are trying to do the right thing. You know, the ones who don’t run red lights, who don’t block lanes, who make eye contact with and give a cheery wave to drivers who let us cross roads and who otherwise ride with courtesy and consideration for our fellow users (mind you we are probably the same people who in cars indicate before changing lanes, don’t tailgate or speed and otherwise stay out of drama).

At the end of the day it comes down to manners – and having observed for a fair period now – every morning and afternoon, the behaviour of the cyclists is by far the worse. Most of the drivers on the morning and evening run are pretty good – although there is the odd one who does the weaver bird trick, tailgating and carrying one – but they are outnumbered by the two wheeled variety.

Do we ever see much enforcement? Nope. Wonder if this has something to do with the voting predilections of members of the various cycling groups around the place?

I have come to the conclusion as a result of 5 years observation that cyclists are a bit like lawyers and bank managers – its only 99% of them that give the rest a bad name.

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With regards to the cyclist vs. motorist debate – there are bad apples in every bunch, the few spoil it for the many on both sides.

Slightly off topic, however…

Sgt.Bungers said :

Australia is still building roads, and we are still using roads, with a 1950’s attitude. Look at Dunlop. A new suburb, with wide open streets. Sticking to 50km/h requires concentrating on the speedo.

I would like to see these wide, open streets in Dunlop of which you speak. The only “wide” streets I have seen there would be Ginninderra Dr and Kerrigan Dr – one of which is 80km/h and the other 60km/h. In the area in which I lived, the roads are incredibly narrow – you cannot expect to keep all four wheels on the road while passing someone coming the other way, especially if they’re in a 4WD or van for example. Not only are the roads narrow, they’re fairly windy and it can be difficult to see around the corner. On such tight roads the only way to stay on your side of the road around a corner or through an intersection is if you go up the kerb – many people don’t bother and just drive straight down the middle, who cares if there’s someone else coming? If someone is parked on the “nature strip” you have to go onto the wrong side of the road – and if your neighbour is having a party you have to hope that the attendees know how to park properly or your whole street can become effectively blocked. When people move in and out the trucks block the whole street.
These types of streets are found in suburbs of a similar age – Amaroo, Nicholls, Ngunnawal, Palmerston – to name the few I’ve had experience driving around. Driving around older suburbs such as Holt, Spence, Macgregor feels like luxury due to the wide roads. It’s not a case of “sticking to 50km/h”, you’re lucky if you even get to 40km/h!

TheObserver, don’t take it personally. My intention (as perhaps those of others) was to label your comments (in summary – branding the majority of cyclists as poor) ‘trolling’. Others by extension, will perhaps label you a troll. To my mind continually or habitually trolling is what constitutes being a troll. I think you’ve got a little way to go yet.

Read the ‘Usage’ part (at the bottom) of this site http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_(Internet) it gives a good summation of ‘trolling’.

I note that you take time to hit back at those who oppose your views but don’t actually reply to or argue with their position or points they make. Ergo it is the case that you too “cannot deal with thoughts that conflict with your own”.

Oh, and nice work pointing the finger at the moderators for the content of your post! Why should we take responsibility for what we write? If you have any issue/s with anything I’ve said here, please inform the moderators immediately, because apparently it’s not my fault.

I hope in your next post you actually take the time to address the real issues being raised by others in reference to your posts (ie. stay on topic and be open to the opinions/replies of others). In return you should reasonably expect the same.

TheObserver said :

To those who called me a troll – bear in mind, ye wise Gen Yers – I originated this post – it had to go through review and moderation – thusly have a crack at the site owners/moderators if you have a problem and perhaps explain why you cannot deal with thoughts that conflict with your own.

lol

To those who called me a troll – bear in mind, ye wise Gen Yers – I originated this post – it had to go through review and moderation – thusly have a crack at the site owners/moderators if you have a problem and perhaps explain why you cannot deal with thoughts that conflict with your own.

Firstly, ‘Jim Jones’ at 29 – spot on mate! Anecdote vs fact – pure gold! +1.

This old chestnut. Always feel obliged to wade into this topic (after sighing loudly).

‘TheObserver’ – have you read the post on RA a month or so ago about the cyclist being hit by an apple thrown by a motorist (or any one of the tonnes of threads on this matter)? The points I made in that thread still stand. It boils down to the need for both motorists and cyclists to not only exercise their rights – but more importantly their responsibilities, when out and about.

We read that cyclists and motorists should do this, that and the other. In short, all they SHOULD do is treat each other with common courtesy (I know you state this above – but your point gets over-shadowed by your broad generalisations).

You seem to contradict yourself here as well. In your original post you close with your “99%” comment which you later claim is ironic. To many this comment is not clearly ironic, and to many it’s imflammatory (how you are surprised some people would find this so after you state the majority of cyclists behave poorly escapes me) hence the “troll” reference. Label a majority – expect a backlash.

Also, as you state you are a cyclist yourself – labelling the majority of fellow cyclists poor riders (or similar) is poor form. How many times have you made a mental note of good cycling behaviour? Few I’m sure.

If you only look for the worst in cyclists (or anything for that matter) that’s all you’ll see.

thy_dungeonman10:05 pm 25 Jan 10

Every post I read on this site seems to think that the wearing of Lycra is as something to attack cyclists with even the casual cyclists. Cyclists who wear Lycra are not simply doing so becuase they think it looks good or becuase the professionals wear it. There are several reasons that I will list here so that henceforth people may understand why it is worn.

1.It soaks up sweat and breaths and the right type can also be warm if the weather requires.

2. It is aerodynamic and does not get tuck in parts of a bicycle.

3. It is padded and has seams that cannot be felt.

4. It is highly visible.

Know one can probably understand the benefits of Lycra without having rode a fair distance of more than a few kilometers, after riding 13km in jeans you would understand how much more comfortable it is. So please stop the Lycra hating, you might as well call cyclists stupid for wearing helmets or pedestrians for using prams rather than carrying their children. Also as a cyclist, pedestrian (a fast one too) and a motorist, I have to say that a fell the most marginalized while riding a bike. Pedestrians can go anywhere short of being stopped by a fence a road or a building, motorists have a massive network of maintained two-lane roads reaching the entirety of the city with plenty of signage and signals, whereas cyclists simply straddle half of the footpaths and a tiny strip of the road, caught between pedestrians and motorists, plus they are using the energy from their body to power their vehicles which makes navigation and traffic negotiation much harder than when driving a car or walking. This in no way excuses any of the rude behavior mention above, but it would be nice if people thought about the unique difficulties that cycling poses when sharing the roads/footpaths with them.

You all must live in a parallel universe because I very rarely see cyclists buzzing pedestrians, blocking lanes or running the crossing-gauntlet. I can’t even remember the last time I was significantly delayed or inconvenienced by a cyclist whilst I was driving.

I’m not saying it doesn’t happen – there’s bad eggs in every walk of life – but some of you make it sound like it’s a daily or weekly occurrence which I find very hard to believe.

troll-sniffer said :

…the problem with the rule about cyclists demounting and walking across pedestrian crossings…
…I’ll bet you 70% are not aware of the rule…

Mate, you try jumping off your bike and walking across every crossing in morning peak hour and see how many friends you make.

Most car drivers are similarly ignorant about that and many other road rules.

Grrrr said :

cleo said :

I just wish the cyclists would follow the road rules, and get off the bikes before going across a pedestrian crossing!

I just wish cars would use their indicators properly!

Sounds petty, doesn’t it? You might say it’s different but both can have lethal consequences.

Anyway, it’s a shame that so many people don’t know the road rules, let alone follow them. However, in the case of pedestrian crossings the rule for bikes is poorly thought out. There’s 3 schools of thought:

1) Yours. However, it’s pointless for cyclists to dismount to cross an empty road. If traffic is around, it takes longer for the cyclist to cross the crossing by foot, and cars are held up longer.
2) Middle ground: Cyclists stop at crossing and give way to cars, who may choose to wait for the cyclist.
3) Cyclist crosses regardless: Some jerk in a car asserts their right of way, but breaks the number 1 road rule – avoid collisions – by hitting the cyclist.

It would make sense for the road rules to be changed to 1) allow cyclists to ride across but they have to give way to cars, or 2) recognise that cyclists are in a way both vehicles and pedestrians and to give them right of way. Perhaps with a caveat about maximum speed of 10kmh within 10m of the crossing and on it, so cars have warning of the bike crossing.

I’m also in favour of bikes being allowed to treat stop signs as give way signs.

“And there in lies a large part of the problem. Bikes aren’t “in a way both vehicles and pedestrians”, except in minds of the deluded. They are vehicles, easily capable of speeds which have the potential to be lethal to rider and/or pedestrian alike. Cyclists wanting to have a bit each way is just stupid, blatant ignorance. As for the suggestion that stop signs shouldn’t mean stop for cyclists, wtf is that all about!? Are you totally deranged?”

“It’s reasoning like that that leads to cyclists riding through red lights, or riding far too quickly on footpaths in shopping and business areas or weaving in and out of traffic as it suits them. Before you judge me a troll, I don’t actually mind cyclists on the roads, although I give them a lot of room. But if they do something stupid, they will come off far, far worse than I will on my motorcycle with the protective gear that I habitually wear. However, I think way too many of Canberra’s cyclists are a real threat to pedestrians, even those of us that keep our eyes open and don’t use ipods. Frankly, many of Canberra’s cyclists are just really, really bad riders, so the basic premise of the Observer’s post is valid.”

Re the above post by Grrrr, F#ck me dead, rational and logical thought on RA.
What next???

troll-sniffer6:42 pm 23 Jan 10

I think you’ll find that the problem with the rule about cyclists demounting and walking across pedestrian crossings is one of education and signage.

If the government was serious about getting this road rule obeyed, they would put a sign at each end of every pedestrian crossing staing ‘Cyclist Must Dismount and Walk – Penalty $50’ or something similar.

You take a random sample of cyclists in Canberra and I’ll bet you 70% are not aware of the rule concerning the pedestrian crossings, especially the casual occasional cyclist and the visiting students etc.

cleo said :

I just wish the cyclists would follow the road rules, and get off the bikes before going across a pedestrian crossing!

I just wish cars would use their indicators properly!

Sounds petty, doesn’t it? You might say it’s different but both can have lethal consequences.

Anyway, it’s a shame that so many people don’t know the road rules, let alone follow them. However, in the case of pedestrian crossings the rule for bikes is poorly thought out. There’s 3 schools of thought:

1) Yours. However, it’s pointless for cyclists to dismount to cross an empty road. If traffic is around, it takes longer for the cyclist to cross the crossing by foot, and cars are held up longer.
2) Middle ground: Cyclists stop at crossing and give way to cars, who may choose to wait for the cyclist.
3) Cyclist crosses regardless: Some jerk in a car asserts their right of way, but breaks the number 1 road rule – avoid collisions – by hitting the cyclist.

It would make sense for the road rules to be changed to 1) allow cyclists to ride across but they have to give way to cars, or 2) recognise that cyclists are in a way both vehicles and pedestrians and to give them right of way. Perhaps with a caveat about maximum speed of 10kmh within 10m of the crossing and on it, so cars have warning of the bike crossing.

I’m also in favour of bikes being allowed to treat stop signs as give way signs.

A pointless discussion.

Situation before latest argument on Riot Act- lots of bicycles on roads
Situation after latest argument on Riot Act- lots of bicycles on roads
Long term outlook- lots more bicycles on roads
Very long term out look- lots and lots more bicycles on roads
Options available for cyclist-haters to stop cycling on roads- none- zero- zilch
Options available for cyclist-haters who don’t want to share- give up driving or leave Canberra

If you don’t like the future you may as well leave now.

I just wish the cyclists would follow the road rules, and get off the bikes before going across a pedestrian crossing!

OpenYourMind10:30 pm 22 Jan 10

TheObserver’s post really isn’t adding anything new that hasn’t been covered before.

We are lucky in Canberra to have such fantastic cycling facilities. Quite a few more of my workmates are cycling to work now because of all the benefits. Most adult cyclists are also car drivers and many are also motorcyclists. In fact I think that being a motorcyclist or a cyclist makes for being a better car driver as you are more aware of road conditions and dangers.

As a car driver, it is so rare that a cyclist causes me even the slightest inconvenience. Certainly, I am placed in far more peril by unthinking, inconsiderate fellow car drivers. I really just don’t get all the angst. I wonder if all this reference to lycra etc. shows some of the underlying cause. That is, a sense of remorse that these drivers weren’t also out getting a little fitter.

Oh, and lycra is awesome!

Wah wah wah, how many whinging posts do we have here on bikes whether pro or con.
Find another forum to have your whinge or even better, get over it.

I actually feel a bit bad now I’ve contributed to this waste of time…

I can’t believe this post, “I am so good, I obey all the road rules when I drive my car and doubly so when I ride my Bike”. FFS get a life.

Have any of you ever ridden a bike anywhere except Canberra? You wouldn’t last 5 minutes on Sydney roads, listen to yourselves!

For what its worth, Canberra motorists and cyclists are no worse or better then elsewhere in Australia. Just expect the unexpected, don’t get uptight and we’ll all be better off.

TheObserver said :

I do get to see things from all perspectives

No, you don’t. You have admitted that you don’t commute on the road, and also that you don’t wear lyrca. You’re ignorant of the reasons and benefits for doing so, and you don’t realise how singular your perspective is.

Anyway, this post is really just an excuse to provide an example of a Sgt.Bunger’s bike friendly city .. enjoy:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=N55.17671+E11.79430&sll=56.897004,9.052734&sspn=3.852449,14.128418&g=denmark&ie=UTF8&t=h&layer=c&cbll=55.216587,11.756434&panoid=gcBBp82csR7fhPWPUcSdMw&cbp=12,210.89,,0,18.94&ll=55.216588,11.756444&spn=0.003574,0.022724&z=16

For further reference, see http://www.copenhagencyclechic.com/

I have no idea what this post says, other than the 15 secs I spent scanning looking for something interesting. I’m sure I’d give it a B+ mark for 9th grade essay writing, judging by it’s extreme length.

I look hot in lycra.

Mr Observer – go back to the road rules specifically in relation to bicycles and read them. When you have done that re-read your post.

Don’t think it’s precious luvvies so much as people irritated by someone who condescends to the majority of cyclists and calls them arrogant and can’t see the irony. See, I’m taking irony supplement pills.

Someone who picks at contentious issues, and makes derogatory remarks and sweeping generalisations = troll. Look it up, and look up irony too while you’re about it, Alanis. If you wanted sensible debate, maybe you should’ve led by example.

The reason so many cyclists wear lycra is that it’s really comfortable to ride in.

Are there other comfortable things to ride in? Yes, but lycra really is one of the nicest in feel, non-flappiness and breathability.

Do European team names plastered all over them indicate egotistical wanabee-Cadel’s? Often yes, but that doesn’t make the lycra itself any less comfortable.

Does asking “do you wear Mantyhose?” add anything useful to the conversation? No, but it certainly makes you sound like an arrogant SOB. Why don’t you try it before you sneer? Might give you some valuable perspective.

If you don’t want to go the whole chamois-crotch route (although you should) then pick up a pair of runner’s lycra shorts from Sportsmans Warehouse. Plain black, no logo. $25. Guarantee you’ll never go back to cycling in shorts.

nevermind those bleeding cyclists – at least we can ram them with our cars and then sue them for the damage they caused to the duco!!! what about those stupid old people who drive 20km/hr down northbourne avenue… ffs don’t they know they know they should be driving 60km/hr??! they are holding me up zipping along at 70km/hr (i know it’s a 60km/hr speed limit but hell it’s 3 lanes, and i’m a GREAT driver and we all will get to our destinations a lot faster if we just drive a bit faster) – i am a very very VERY important person with very very VERY important things to do, a lot more important than everyone else. get the hell out of my way everyone else!

rant rant etc.

oh no that’s right, there are lots of different drivers on the roads and footpaths using all different kinds of vehicles and transport – and maybe if we all just treat each other with a little bit of respect, we can all get along.

+1 to ahappychappy “A wanker will be a wanker no matter which mode of transport he decides to use.”

TheObserver said :

. What some of you cannot seem to deal with are a series of observations, based on fact and experience that have … blah blah blah

The plural of ‘anecdote’ is not ‘fact’.

TheObserver said :

See, it is too easy to use emotive language like “rant” etc, accuse a blogger of trolling and sling off insults various rather than dealing with a particular issue … Deal with it like a grown up eh?

… do you wear Mantyhose as well?

Go on, back under your bridge!

Gee Whillikers there are some precious luvvies on this site.

Yes I am a cyclist – but that isnt a disclaimer – actually it is nothing more than a matter of fact. I don’t think it adds validity or detracts – although I do get to see things from all perspectives, not just one – although I would be hard pressed to convince some on this site who seem to be in the enviable position of never being wrong by dint of lacking logic or reasoning skills.

Hmmmm, a rant that covers up deficiencies in driving? Well the last time I got rear ended while stationary in a line of traffic I don’t know there was much I could have done. And the last P plater who drove right up my backside when going the speed limit and then gave me the finger when able to pass – yes, I can see how I was deficient.

Perhaps we could reverse that argument – and the last time you as a cyclist got flipped the bird by a bogan driver, perhaps that was due to your deficiencies as a cyclist?

See, it is too easy to use emotive language like “rant” etc, accuse a blogger of trolling and sling off insults various rather than dealing with a particular issue. What some of you cannot seem to deal with are a series of observations, based on fact and experience that have built up over a number of years as a driver, cyclist and pedestrian. Deal with it like a grown up eh?

And yes, perhaps I should be more accepting of lycra – tell, me, those of you that are purveyors of such fashion statements, do you wear Mantyhose as well?

Grrrr said :

Oh look, another rant from someone who – despite their “I’m a cyclist too” disclaimer – is obviously just another jerk who needs to boss around people who behave differently from himself.

Good to see a bit of venom put into the ignorant generalisations about; anyone who wears lycra, or rides in traffic, that bikes are usually at fault in a collision, that only the minority of cyclists are “trying to do the right thing”, that a smaller percentage of drivers break rules than cyclists, etcetc.

+1 to Sgt.Bungers .. and Clown Killer.

PS: Go read all the other cycling threads.

+1 for me to.

See you on the next cycling/driving thread guys.

I too hate cyclists.

However, they are not as bad as those damn immigrants coming into our country and taking our jobs. Send them home! Wouldn’t you agree, TheObserver ?

Clown Killer12:48 pm 22 Jan 10

Au contraire observant one. I would argue that your bog paper missive is anything but a contribution to a debate of the merits of cars, cyclists or pedestrians and their behaviour. It’s a topic that has been done to death here on RA over the years and your long winded diatribe simply rehashes the same tired old rubbish that has become so dull whenever this issue raises its head.

The sad reality – and one that few road users are prepared to accept – is that when someone comes along with a big long whinge about cyclists doing this and that, or p-platers getting up to what-not, or j-walkers or whatever – all that they are doing is telling the world that their own driving skills are probably inadequate to deal properly with the full range of road users out there. It’s a simple fact that moaning on and on about on-road cycle lanes says absolutely nothing about their worth – it’s simply an admission on the part of the whinger that they aren’t a good enough driver to deal with the situations those traffic arrangements might throw up.

Bleating endlessly about this indiscretion, or that misdemeanour with the sort of pompousness that only comes from misguidedly believing that the payment of registration fees or the possession of a drivers license grants some form of expertise doesn’t confer any degree of validity to the petty gripes raised- it merely alerts others to a over inflated sense of entitlement.

Like I said in my earlier post. Learn to drive properly and what other morons get up to on the road will no longer be an issue. Keep banging on about it and you mark yourself out as part of the problem not the solution.

TheObserver said :

A troll is someone who tends not to focus on the issues but aims to be offensive to provoke a reaction. Either engage sensibly or get back in your box, eh?

This from the man who uses phrases “Lance Armstrong wannabe” and “Oh So Sexy lycras.” Hypocritical much?

Oh look, another rant from someone who – despite their “I’m a cyclist too” disclaimer – is obviously just another jerk who needs to boss around people who behave differently from himself.

Good to see a bit of venom put into the ignorant generalisations about; anyone who wears lycra, or rides in traffic, that bikes are usually at fault in a collision, that only the minority of cyclists are “trying to do the right thing”, that a smaller percentage of drivers break rules than cyclists, etcetc.

+1 to Sgt.Bungers .. and Clown Killer.

PS: Go read all the other cycling threads.

Sgt.Bungers said :

Your post demonstrates why we need shared spaces as opposed to streets, roads and shared paths. (As I’ve said before, not on main roads, but on residential and city streets.)

Your post also demonstrates the elitist attitude that many people poses as soon as they get behind the wheel of a car. Calling cyclists “arrogant” for “holding up traffic”, is a perfect example. Bicycle riders do not hold up traffic, they are part traffic. IMHO, any driver/rider of a motor vehicle who expects not to be held up by someone if they’re not in a car, is arrogant and selfish.

On high speed roads, on road cycling is a bad idea. It is dangerous. Despite this, ACT Gov has implemented on road cycling on high speed roads as it was cheap. Even in the most cycle friendly countries in the world, bicycle riders are not permitted on high speed roads. Instead of on road cycling, a direct, viable cycle route must be available for cyclists to utilise alongside or near main roads, rather than the scenic, indirect bike paths Canberra tends to have.

Yet in Europe’s bike friendly cities, with high speed motorways where cyclists are not permitted, when a driver turns onto a residential/surface street, the speed limit is 30km/h, there are ample cycle facilities that give priority over cyclists. Cycle facilities that were built for cyclists, not just tacked onto a road that was designed for people in motor vehicles to travel at high speed as we have here. Traffic lights are synchronized for cyclists riding at 15km/h so they don’t have to stop. No more riotact posts about cyclists red light running! People choosing to drive cars in these areas must cope with this. This is the norm. Road rage is low. Not in Canberra though.

Australia, Canberra in particular, is stuck in the motor vehicle golden age. It is unsustainable, we cannot continue building cities and suburbs that completely rely on the car. It causes problems. We are officially the fattest country in the world for a reason.

The fact that people are expected not to utilise their own residential streets, unless they are in a car, so as to keep the street clear for people in cars to travel at 50km/h, is IMHO, disgusting. Yet, I will sound like a lunatic for suggesting this, as we’ve become so accustomed to it in Australia.

Australia is still building roads, and we are still using roads, with a 1950’s attitude. Look at Dunlop. A new suburb, with wide open streets. Sticking to 50km/h requires concentrating on the speedo. The fact that the ACT Gov is still building open, wide residential streets, despite overwhelming international evidence that wide open residential streets are dangerous, is nothing short of downright ignorance. This MUST change.

Slowing drivers down further in residential streets, by designing streets with all road users in mind, is not just about safety, but also community. A quote from the living streets page on wikipedia:

“For much of the twentieth century, streets were designed to ensure traffic flow, but it has become apparent that streets have many social and recreational functions which are severely impaired by fast car traffic. The living street is an attempt to design for all the functions of streets.”

Plenty of photographic examples of shared spaces from around Europe can be found here:

Also read:
and:

For anyone thinking I must ride a bicycle, I don’t. I would love to, however the agressive, backward, bogan, anti-bike attitude adopted by too many Canberran motorists and city planners, means cycling is not a viable option for me.

Give this person a gold medal with a standing ovation.

I am the most hated person on the road, not only do I cycle the 30km to work abusing everybody in my path, I am a murduring drug smuggling motorcyclist with a 4WD who trolls school zones looking for unsuspecting kids to flatten with my bull bar (I hope my scarcasm is coming through here).

Mr Observer, there are many different types of people out in the world with many different interests. While I dont condone the abusive behavior by certian people (wether they drive, ride, walk or crawl) I do wish people like yourself would just get on & live your life & stop winging. You cannot control other peoples actions.

ahappychappy12:13 pm 22 Jan 10

Jim Jones said :

blah blah blah cyclists bad blah blah blah car-drivers good blah blah blah

Reverse cyclists and car-drivers and you’ve got your argument.

When will you guys all just give this crap up and realise it’s not worth arguing/debating/trolling or whatever you want to call it? A wanker will be a wanker no matter which mode of transport he decides to use.

Postalgeek Yes – a large number – but they are a minority – and I am part of that minority. The 99% comment – do you have an irony deficiency? It was a joke, Joyce.

Calling someone a troll is a poor substitute for argument or sensible debate. Do you actually have anything to add or are you merely trolling yourself.

And yes, cyclists do hold up traffic if they block a lane rather than keeping to the left – as cars are supposed to do.

What some are missing in this debate is that I count myself as a cyclist too – I cycle every day and most weekends either as a work commute, for pleasure or to get the papers, maybe a bottle of plonk. And the behaviour of the majority of cyclists that I see either on the roads or the shared pathways (where they are supposed to give way to pedestrians) is appalling and leads to those doing the right thing being tarred with the same brush. It is not good enough and in my opinion, this being a free country, I think that the lycra brigade and a number of others need to lift their game – and the cycling organisations should be doing more to encourage better behaviour rather than just banging on about cyclists ‘rights’.

Colourful Racing Identity – the gist of the manifesto is merely to share some observations of how I have seen cyclists behave – from the perspective of a cyclist, driver and pedestrian. Do you often find yourself asking people to explain punchlines?

blah blah blah cyclists bad blah blah blah car-drivers good blah blah blah

So what is it, TheObserver? “a large number of cyclists who do try to do the right thing – and I have seen them too. But the moron fringe are becoming ever more numerous” or the “99% of them that give the rest a bad name”?

Clown Killer said :

Another mindless troll.

+1

Mike Bessenger11:13 am 22 Jan 10

I could go on for hours in response to this article. But I can already see the the response’s from the OP are going to be one sided and immature. So I won’t bother.

Your post demonstrates why we need shared spaces as opposed to streets, roads and shared paths. (As I’ve said before, not on main roads, but on residential and city streets.)

Your post also demonstrates the elitist attitude that many people poses as soon as they get behind the wheel of a car. Calling cyclists “arrogant” for “holding up traffic”, is a perfect example. Bicycle riders do not hold up traffic, they are part traffic. IMHO, any driver/rider of a motor vehicle who expects not to be held up by someone if they’re not in a car, is arrogant and selfish.

On high speed roads, on road cycling is a bad idea. It is dangerous. Despite this, ACT Gov has implemented on road cycling on high speed roads as it was cheap. Even in the most cycle friendly countries in the world, bicycle riders are not permitted on high speed roads. Instead of on road cycling, a direct, viable cycle route must be available for cyclists to utilise alongside or near main roads, rather than the scenic, indirect bike paths Canberra tends to have.

Yet in Europe’s bike friendly cities, with high speed motorways where cyclists are not permitted, when a driver turns onto a residential/surface street, the speed limit is 30km/h, there are ample cycle facilities that give priority over cyclists. Cycle facilities that were built for cyclists, not just tacked onto a road that was designed for people in motor vehicles to travel at high speed as we have here. Traffic lights are synchronized for cyclists riding at 15km/h so they don’t have to stop. No more riotact posts about cyclists red light running! People choosing to drive cars in these areas must cope with this. This is the norm. Road rage is low. Not in Canberra though.

Australia, Canberra in particular, is stuck in the motor vehicle golden age. It is unsustainable, we cannot continue building cities and suburbs that completely rely on the car. It causes problems. We are officially the fattest country in the world for a reason.

The fact that people are expected not to utilise their own residential streets, unless they are in a car, so as to keep the street clear for people in cars to travel at 50km/h, is IMHO, disgusting. Yet, I will sound like a lunatic for suggesting this, as we’ve become so accustomed to it in Australia.

Australia is still building roads, and we are still using roads, with a 1950’s attitude. Look at Dunlop. A new suburb, with wide open streets. Sticking to 50km/h requires concentrating on the speedo. The fact that the ACT Gov is still building open, wide residential streets, despite overwhelming international evidence that wide open residential streets are dangerous, is nothing short of downright ignorance. This MUST change.

Slowing drivers down further in residential streets, by designing streets with all road users in mind, is not just about safety, but also community. A quote from the living streets page on wikipedia:

“For much of the twentieth century, streets were designed to ensure traffic flow, but it has become apparent that streets have many social and recreational functions which are severely impaired by fast car traffic. The living street is an attempt to design for all the functions of streets.”

Plenty of photographic examples of shared spaces from around Europe can be found here:

Also read:
and:

For anyone thinking I must ride a bicycle, I don’t. I would love to, however the agressive, backward, bogan, anti-bike attitude adopted by too many Canberran motorists and city planners, means cycling is not a viable option for me.

Talking about yourself there Clown Killer? A troll is someone who tends not to focus on the issues but aims to be offensive to provoke a reaction. Either engage sensibly or get back in your box, eh?

Hacktually when driving I do try to show cyclists the courtesy, as a fellow road user that I would expect if on two wheels or four. Unfortunately there are far too many (and on my observations they ARE a majority) of cyclists who treat other road users, and pedestrians (to whom they are legally obliged to give way) with (aggressive) contempt. And I will not shrink from saying so.

colourful sydney racing identity11:02 am 22 Jan 10

Can someone give me the gist of this manifesto? is it a 1000+ word troll? if so I admire the dedication but I believe that trolling should be short and sweet to catch a good fishie.

icantbelieveitsnotbutter11:01 am 22 Jan 10

Clown Killer said :

Another mindless troll. Learn to drive and the cyclists wont be an issue.

and cyclist could learn to obey the road rulesand cars won’t be an issue… All in all, i’m a bit over this topic on here.

Glad to see you have the obvious answer Clown Killer. I have spent nearly 20 yrs driving and cycling on the roads of Canberra and although not to the extreme (99%) views of THEOBSERVER, have to agree that I am a lot happier with the attitude and thoughtfulness of my fellow drivers as opposed to fellow cyclists.
Firstly Most drivers obety the road rules as they had to read a book and pass a test. For some reason when getting on a bicyce ‘some; people either forget or seem to think these rules do not apply to them.
I agree with THEOBSERVER regarding the pelletons that are becoming increasingly more abundant on our roads and highways. An incident from an early morning mid August last year comes to mind when driving north on Barton Highway and wanting to turn left into Ellenborough through the light fog i noticed a large group of cyclists also travelling north. Maybe 50 of lycra clad cyclists, not the athletes but the ones who think wearing the lycra will make them look like athletes. This ‘pelleton’ was travelling at about 15km/h single file down the bikelane and even though i saw them and slowed down accordingly i had to brake in the left lane of the highway and wait about 1 minute to let them all go past. I know 60 seconds is not a long time but at 6am on a foggy morning noone wants to be sitting still on an 80km/h road. I used my emergency lights and l;uckily there were no other cars but any vehicle that might have come bustling over the rise would have had to do one of those drastic manouvres THEOBSERVER was talking about. I like that i can ride on the side of the road as these lanes are a lot more direct than the paths but i also understand that if i am going up a long hill and crossing a exit lane i either put in the extra effort to get across it faster or i slow right down or even stop to let the cars past. I have a mirror on my bike and notice that so many of the Canberra riders who use the roads don’t. I think they should be made mandatory as some cyclists need to be more aware of what is going on around them.

troll-sniffer11:00 am 22 Jan 10

I hereby sniff at Clown Killer whose comment did not add one iota to the discussion at hand.

Holden Caulfield10:38 am 22 Jan 10

I encountered a pedestrian on the road this morning, in the left lane walking in the same direction as I was driving. She was 1-2m away from the kerb and had headphones plugged in that, presumably, affected her hearing of the traffic around her. Which might explain why she didn’t hear me approach. Either that, or she did hear me and felt it was still okay to be walking on the road in the way of approaching vehicles.

So, never mind the trolling by the OP, even though I might agree with most of it, haha, I think we all need to realise that the world has a certain number of dickheads intent on making a nuisance of themselves, no matter what the situation happens to be. Best be prepared to deal with such folk on a daily basis and be ready to have a nice deep sigh and relax a little…

To sum up, most people suck.

There are way to many people out there who need to pay more attention to what’s going on around them, need to take responsibility for their own actions and generally just need to take a chill pill

outdoormagoo10:22 am 22 Jan 10

One such intrepid came within a foot of wiping out 2 kids from a family who were keeping to the left and the father had to snatch the kids out the way. The cyclist gave them a mouthful as he went by.

I had one of these such morons actually run into my son as we were walking around the lake (on the left side of the path and my son and wife actually walked off the side of path to make room for him to pass)and then jump off his bike and proceed to have a go at a seven year old. When my wife said ‘Excuse me’ he had a go at her and pushed the pram out of her hands which contavined our 10 week old daughter.

I am 6’4 and 115kg and fiercely protective, so needless to say, I got my back up and he proceeded to push me twice then try and punch me. Well about 45 seconds later his bike was in the lake and he followed it not long after that. Of course, I was just giving him a hand to get to his bike.

I also must congratulate bike manufacturers, those bikes are really light. It flew for about 3 metres before it hit the water, but that Lycra wasn’t the best thing to go swimming in.

Clown Killer10:04 am 22 Jan 10

Another mindless troll. Learn to drive and the cyclists wont be an issue.

Hey Snarky – you actually COUNTED the words? Get a life man…..

And Braddon Boy – I am talking about the ones that I have watched -whether it means all I don’t know – but I would give a fair guess that there are a fair whack of them.

Having said all that I do agree there are a large number of cyclists who do try to do the right thing – and I have seen them too. But the moron fringe are becoming ever more.
numerous.

Best cyclist post ever. It sums up the attitude of cyclists in Canberra perfectly.

TheObserver says “Over the last number… (plus another 1111 words)”

Bit windy in here this morning, eh?

I’m sure this post will bring up the same arguments regarding the rivalry between cyclists and drivers that we have all seen far too often on this site.

I’d just like to say, before the slinging match starts, that I think your observation of MOST of the cyclists acting like idiots is a little unfair.

I will agree that there are a higher proportion of moron riders on the roads than drivers, but I think they are still far and away the minority. All I can say is, it’s probably just a case of noticing the bad apples then extrapolating that to the entire population. I’d go as far to say that it’s only about 15% of riders that have a death wish and flout the laws.

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