MartinPV

Most cyclists get hit from behind because they are riding on the legally prescribed side of the road. What you are arguing is tantamount to the conclusion that most shark attacks happen in water.

Your reasoning is flawed. It is not legal to hit cyclists anyway. The only people who will ever be accused of not abiding by the 1m passing regulation will be those who have hit a cyclist, and as you say, must have been within a 1m. What you will end up with is the case where the motorist is accused of hitting a cyclist and the new law will be tagged on. As always, "BECAUSE IT IS WRITTEN DOES NOT MAKE IT SO".

There is no regulation that could protect us from being hit by drunken drivers. As to the speed issue, we are slow moving vehicles, I would prefer that I be overtaken as such.

I agree that all laws only function if all parties are being attentive and courteous, and that the onus is on us to protect ourselves. My problem is that someone has chosen to enact these regulations that have been shown to be ineffective, so why put them in?

Current research suggests that a physically separated cycle lane is best. Not sure we will be seeing too many of those. The next best thing is for us to act and respond as cars would. We should be riding in the lane the same way we would on a motorbike.

I agree that this may provide people the illusion that they are safer, but provides no additional protection.

There are two major flaws with the new regulations that were brought to the attention of Malcolm Watters, earlier this year. 1. The mandatory passing distance has been tried an rescinded even in Australia because it did not add any protection for cyclists. 2. Being obliged to ride as far left as possible has also been shown to reduce the safety of cyclists. They have added laws that make cycling less safe

It also helps a lot if you regularly replace the fluids, about every 80hrs. They are cheep to buy and simple replace. The fox service site as all the details.

I am not sure how far the new regulations have come, I know they were being reviewed a few months ago, and I really hope that they have not been passed in the state they were in then. Yes, they new regulation was trying to impose a mandatory passing distance, but they are only looking for 1m, not the 1.5 that most cyclists are looking for. The real problem comes in with an additional clause in the regulation that will force cyclists to remain as far left as possible. Also, don't get me wrong. I am very much opposed to the mandatory passing distance. It is not enforceable in any way. All that new regulation will do is open the door for cyclists to be harassed by traffic police for not keeping completely to the left of the road. This will severely limit our ability to avoid things like gravel and glass and will also encourage motorists to pass us without slowing down, which is the real problem.

If this question is, 'how do we as cyclists best protect ourselves', there are several things we can do. Firstly, try be as predictable as possible. People tend not to see what they don't expect, most drivers are not cyclists and have no feeling for the way we move in traffic, they expect us to react the way they would. This means abiding by all the same traffic regulations that cars and other road users typically follow. Stopping at stop streets, not riding between cars to get to the front of a queue, things like that. The same is true of the sidewalks, we are not pedestrians and should not be there unless it is designated as a cycle lane. A pet peeve of mine is cyclists selectively switching between being a slow moving road vehicle, and a fast moving pedestrian. Now that we are all on the road cycling in the generally accepted direction, a popular idea for improving the safety of cyclists is to legislate a mandatory passing distance. This has been tried elsewhere in the world, the best documented cases are California and Australia. In both cases the regulations have been rescinded because studies showed that there was no reduction in the number of accidents involving cyclists. Furthermore the regulations are not enforceable in the spirit of protecting cyclists, in California only two people were charged with breaking this regulation, both only after they had hit cyclists. The prevailing wisdom is to embrace the fact that we are slow moving road-going vehicles and ride in the traffic lane. The current recommendation is that a cyclist is safer riding 3 feet inside the lane than attempting to ride right on the edge of the lane. This allows motorists to recognize you for what you are and encourages them to reduce speed and wait for an opportunity to pass. This way they are less tempted to try squeeze between you and oncoming traffic, inadvertently pushing you off the road or clipping you.

Well, not sure that is true at all. Flats allow for a reasonable power transfer, especially if you choose to ride good quality pedals with a purpose made shoe.

Exactly my question. Service implies some sort of interim maintenance step. The best you can do is clean it.