I cant seem to put a post on News 24 - so if somebody can do this for me after reading and making sure it makes sense I would appreciate it. I am both cyclist and motorist - With regards to the death last week - if the law was obeyed or even educated probably the accident probably would not have happened. I do not throw blame on the truck drive but rather the authorities and the learner driver education system. Currently the law of the road in RSA says when one vehicle overtakes another vehicle it must be done in a separate lane, it also says that you you use your indicator when ever you choice to change your course of direction - so if it is just one cyclist riding a car should be over taking in the separate lane. My question is if motorist were to obey thsi law what difference would it make if they 2 or even 4 a breast - if they are driving according to the law? In point of fact possibly cyclist are their own worst enemy in this regards by riding as far left as the individual cyclist feels safe has allowed cars to overtake without changing their course of direction (much)! Cyclist are trying to get the law changed that a 1.5m gap should be left between a cyclist and a vehicle, but this concession to motorist still has not be written in the law - but even with this concession it will probably mean on a solid white line with a motorist overtaking a single cyclist would result in the motorist breaking the law as 2 wheels would need to cross the barrier line - illegal! Basically the legal way of over taking a cyclist would be indicate to overtake with the right indicator (this warns the vehicles behind that there is a obstacle in front) wait till you can do the overtaking procedure in a separate (right) lane - normally into on coming traffic, Indicate to come back into the left lane with your left indicator! How often have you or have you seen this procedure been done correctly according to RSA traffic law in RSA? Pity motorist cannot obey this 1st rule of the road (regards less of speed limit) stay left when it comes to driving on the high ways. Most motorist end up driving in the fast lane instead of overtaking in the fast lane in free flow traffic - thus other motorist end up overtaking in the left lane which can be very dangerous. Possible if motorists drove in the left lane when they eventually got to small road they would have the patients to obey the speed limit and show consideration towards other road users. In other countries like The Netherlands they have come to realise that motorist are the major law breakers and not cyclist or other road users. So basically they have put a law in place that if a motorist hit a cyclist the motorist has to prove that he did not see the cyclist (even if the cyclist was going through a red robot) or the motorist is guilty! Some other thought: 1. If motorist would show cyclist 1/10 of the patients they show to Baboons while going through Cape Point, or the evasive actions they tend to show animals / pets on roads I as a cyclist would feel 100 times safer than I do on the RSA roads currently. 2. I have never heard of a cyclist (A cyclist in cycling kit) who has caused any physical injury to another road users for going through a red robot! I do know of a cyclist who was killed in Lakeside for waiting at a red robot in the 90's while a drunk drive drove over him while going through the red robot. Please also remember a cyclist is not sitting in a air conditioned car - so when it raining stopping and starting all the time may result in physical injury to the cyclist or swine flue! Conversely when hot waiting at robot cause over heating the air flow is a cyclist radiator! Yup it is against the law but as mentioned I have yet to here that it has harmed anybody - I am not in anyway suggesting that cyclist should speed through red robot. 3. Driving in a yellow line is illegal - cycling is too! But motorist expect cyclist to ride inside a yellow line and break the law, most if not all oblige - why do motorist never complain about that - but going through a red robot HELL will Freeze over! So when rules are for the guidance of wise men and for fools to follow and it suits the Motorist - then it is OK? 4. With regards to cycle lane - sometime the are devil thrown on the new lane in Table view which mean cyclist will probably end up on the road as after one puncture you realize that cycle path is not conducive for cycling on. 5. Minor are legally allowed to ride on the public roads in RSA - which we as citizen of RSA need to know that motorist are adequately train and respect the laws they are trained in as other road users do not require road education. 6. When last or if ever did a motorist die as a cyclist killed them by cycling on the road? How often has a motorist use their vehicle as a weapon against a cyclist resulting in injury or death? I could carry on but my lunch break is now over!
