weeclarky

roadrat - nice ride but a bit floppy... if you know what i mean

So chappies is completely closed - anyone know why and for how long?

Same thing happened to my Scott Expert - same rear triangle as the spark. Took about 2 months to get it fixed! Scott were not in a hurry...

Hey, does anyone know why this place is out of bounds for MTB? There's jeep tracks all the way up to the reservoirs which are perfect for riding - and there's hardly ever people there walking, so it doesn't seem like potential conflict is the problem. Is it just part of the general anti-cycling thing that's going on?

This is worth a read: http://www.hsrc.ac.za/HSRC_Review_Article-131.phtml It estimates 80-90% of road accidents and deaths due to 'driver factors', and speeding some 50%. Of course, pedestrians cause lots of problems themselves, but it's not as obvious as you might think: http://media.withtank.com/311fc32e73.pdf discusses poor infrastructure, planning and, of course, taxis as all part of the problem. To me it's clear: people here drive far too fast, carelessly, and dangerously for the circumstances which surround them. If there are pedestrians around, why not slow down and take care? If there's a cyclist to overtake, why not wait until it's safe? This seems absurd to lots of people for some reason, yet to me it's completely obvious. You have to have a license to drive a car for a reason, because it's dangerous for people around you.

I understand. So people can't manage to walk right, but somehow they are excellent drivers? Got it now.

Completely agree. Of course its sensible to be courteous, but it will not solve the problem at all. It's the thinking of a battered person who always blames themselves for what someone else is doing to them. SA has some of the highest pedestrian deaths in the world, and that is not because pedestrians are not being friendly enough to the lovely drivers, it's because drivers here are mostly crap, drive too fast and irresponsibly, and don't think about the implications of what they are doing. It is natural here for drivers to think that because you're going to inflict the most damage that everyone has to get out of your way - when it should be the other way around. Only sustained campaigns by interested groups like cyclists will help sort this out, together with changes in the law. Its the same as drink driving - it'll take a decade to filter into the collective consciousness that it's not fair to the rest of society, with sustained campaigning to do so.

This is more like it - rather than insisting we all ride in the gutter: PPA LAUNCHES SAFE CYCLING CAMPAIGN PPA is about to launch a major safe cycling campaign to focus attention on safe passing distance. Watch out for our branded buses, print advertising, and bumper stickers linked to a competition in which you can win one of six bicycles. Amongst others, we are looking for names of cycle-friendly coffee shops - read more on our website and send us your nomination now!

The point is that we're forced to take control of these situations because most drivers are unable to make proper decisions which ensure our safety. That means taking up the road and holding up the traffic if it is not safe for them to pass, moving in when you feel it is safe for them to do so. Much of this thread seems to be of the opinion that if we are well behaved then everything will be fine. That's simply not the case, and it's time we stood up for ourselves and make it plain that we have a right to be on the road, and we have a right to cycle safely there. Sure, some cyclists are wankers and ride all over the place, but that doesn't negate this point.

Thanks LL - I was thinking I was on a drivers forum...

You're right it's a problem, especially on narrow but busy roads. I use the "two abreast" mainly as an example of how we should stick up for our rights and am not advocating it for busy roads. But it is a bad habit of most drivers to drive too fast and too close to cyclists. In my experience, the closer I ride to the gutter, the faster and closer people pass me. What I find worse is fast but effectively queuing traffic passing without noticing they are passing a cyclist, as if we are debris on the road. A1.5-2m rule gives a margin for error, and, if it were the law, would help instil a habit for safe overtaking, and give us some legal backing. Of course it's a huge margin of error for most drivers - but no more excessive that the fact that drivers are supposed to be 2 seconds behind the vehicle in front, or not drinking and driving, and so on. It lessens the probability that an accident will happen, given that most drivers are poor and inattentive. Sure it's annoying for the drivers - but it's annoying for them to be stuck in traffic in the first place, and that's not my fault. It's annoying for so many single occupancy vehicles to be used, causing traffic jams. It's also annoying being hit by a car.

Exactly! So, if people overtook cyclists in a considerate manner, it would be fine if people rode two abreast right? Since then drivers would already leave a safe amount of space (1.5-2m), the other side of the road would be clear, trains of cars wouldn't try to squeeze past when there's no room - and there would be no problems at all. Sweet! I dream about it, I really do.

Cyclists get treated like **** in this country. Of course people who are new to cycling have a caviller attitude to riding and take time to learn to behave. But we don't help ourselves by insisting that we must ride single file. Two abreast is normal behaviour in much of Europe for example. When a car passes there it is the law to overtake properly - ie, indicate and pull over to the other lane as if overtaking a scooter or car - so overtaking two is the same as overtaking one. Not in South Africa, where the law is written by someone who has never been on a bike (eg, we must remain seated at all times). Riding two abreast is no more selfish than a single person driving a car - they take up a huge amount of room, and then hold us up at traffic lights. And they try to kill us with aggressive overtaking. Surely it's time we took a stand against the many dangerous drivers rather than bitching at cyclists?

Hi there I'd like to join in these sessions, but have to ride there and back from the southern suburbs. Are there any groups who do this I could join? I don't know that area of town, and there's certain areas I don't fancy having a flat in after dark ... thanks

Hi there does anyone who is driving to the tour de PPA have extra space for one [+ bike!] tomorrow? I'd love a lift, and would of course pay for petrol. Thanks Chris 072 174 6835

Sure, some of the new ones are excellent, but some of the older ones are awful - there's some in Newlands, for example, which are just painted lines on the pavement. It's good that they're there, but it's dangerous that we have to use them by law.

I'm new to SA and am surprised that it's the law that we have to use cycle lanes. Many of them are terrible and nearly all unsafe at speed. In the UK for example they're optional, and recommended against if you're travelling above 18mph. My question is: what happens in the case of an accident? I was in a collision with a car last week - in all respects the drivers fault, except that there was a cycle lane I could have been using. I was doing about 40kph. Who's liable for damages?