Nothing substantial will change with regard to cycling safely. Online debating is a circular debate and it allows for some to rant, vent and let off some steam as there is, naturally a current of shock, pain and fear coursing through the community of cycling.
The yellow shoulder is not a road design feature intended for cycling. It is, however, a cyclists’ saving grace and a cyclist’s ways of showing grace to faster road users.
The 1.5 metre rule is a good concept and stays an abstract idea as it is requires spatial awareness, patience and, above all else, care from the motorists.
The metropole of Cape Town with its population density and the implications for its infrastructure and road network is a heavy contributor, I suspect, to road rage and negligent driving.
When I throw my leg over the top tube of my Aeroad on a Saturday morning to meet my chain gang on the street corner 4 kilometres away, I recognise, appreciate and understand that I may not return home safely.
I choose popular cycling routes, bright lights, rolling in a bunch and eye contact and coordinated hand signals with motorists. The rest is me allowing the chips to fall where they may.
The lack of care for others and recklessness in these times is a global phenomenon. Sadly, it has become so normalised. Road user behaviour is but a microcosm of this carelessness and lovelessness.
May you be safe out there, Peoples. 🤎
