The Time to Act is Now!

[Johan Bornman]

Hubbers, the time to act is now.

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There?s a huge hullabaloo in the press ? especially 702 Talkstation, about motorists who were arrested by the Jhb Metro Police for driving in the yellow line and driving over the white line. They were summarily chucked in goal and seems to think this is unfair.

 

As you all know, yellow driving kills cyclists, the incident in Allendale road two weeks ago is the freshest in my memory, but my yellow-line body count in <?:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Gauteng (gleened for Beeld only) now stands at nine in just over a year.

 

Motorists are up in arms about this. As cyclists we understand the danger of yellow line driving and I want to suggest an quick intensive campaign to a) show the Metro Police that we?re 100% behind us and b) show the press a different perspective on the dangers of yellow line driving.

 

I recently wrote an essay on the topic and post it here as background info. It is a long piece ? apologies, but it?ll refresh your memories.

 

May I suggest that you call the Metro Police call centre now on (011) 375-5911 and voice your support. Urge further arrests. Also call the press and voice your support and put your perspective as a cyclist forward.  Phone Radio 702 on (011) 506-3588 or send them and SMS to 330702.

 

Unfortunately I?ll be offline until Monday morning. I?ve already baffled the Metro cops with a compliment ? the first they ever had. Please do the same.

 

 

Backgrounder:

 

 

False security

Dated February 2007-11-16

 

Most of you would have heard the news and read it in some of the papers this morning but do the names Graham Cooper, Sybrand van Dyk, Marko Pretorius and  Piet Boer mean anything to you? I?ll let you have the answer without delay because this is a solemn matter and I don?t want it to degenerate into a guessing game. All four of these men died recently whilst out cycling. They were all aged between 17 and 52, arguably all in the prime of their lives. Yesterday another cyclist was killed when a motorist plowed into the little grupetto of three making their way to Deneysville on a Sunday morning ride. Within a matter of two months in a black period over the cusp of 2006/2007, half a dozen Gauteng cyclists lost their lives in traffic accidents where the circumstances are chillingly similar. Last weekend two cyclists were hit whilst riding near Klipriver, but survived. Yesterday the yet to be named victim wasn?t that lucky.

 

As far as I can ascertain from reports in the only newspaper that seems to bother with the death of cyclists ? Beeld and, fellow fellow cyclists who attended a memorial ride in honour of two of thse cyclists killed on one day in the same area south of Johannesburg, it appears as if all four were killed whilst cycling in the false safety of the yellow line. I?m very familiar with the one particular stretch of road connecting Alberton with the old Vereeniging road. It?s a very good road, two lanes on each side with a wide grassy island in between. Each direction is blessed (or should that be cursed, based on my new take on yellow lines) with a wide shoulder demarcared with a bright  yellow line.

 

According to Beeld, Piet Boer was killed on the Bakwena N4-toll road connecting Pretoria en Rustenburg ? apparently also whilst riding outside the yellow line in a zone all of us assume to be safe.

 

Safe it isn?t. These four incidents prove that and I think it is time we reasses the perceived safety of roads with wide shoulders. Wide shoulders ostensibly allow us to do what we like to do at the beginning of a ride before the pace is stepped up, which is to ride abreast and chat. On the particular Alberton stretch I know so well, it is perfectly possible to ride three abreast and still not cross the line into the car zone. Judging from the shoulder on some of our toll roads, at least two cyclists can ride abreast on most sections and still keep out of harm?s way...or can they.

 

This weekend Michael, my riding partner and I, found a nice hilly route through the northern suburbs of Johannesburg all the way to the to the west rand, where we stopped for coffee before returning home. Much of the route boasts wide shoulders and a yellow line and two, sometimes one lane for cars. This is seemingly ideal, but thinking of Cooper,  Van Dyk, Pretorius and Boer, I got nervous and started to keep to the extreme left of the shoulder. I observed the behavious of motorists and motorcyclists (plenty of those on Sunday mornings) and of course taxis. They all consider the shoulder as a sort of neutral zone where, although not using it as a fully-fledged lane, as zone they can safely move into to, at the exrtreme end of the anti-social behaviour scale, overtake, but mostly just to get a view of traffic ahead.

 

And the wider the shoulder, the safer they feel to use it for heads-up information and, like I observed, overtaking. Remember that these are all right-hand drive cars who are moving out to the left in order to see ahead. By the time the driver has a view down the shoulder, he or she has completely taken over the lane. The last thing they expect to find there is a slow-moving biycle in the middle of the lane. But as we know, at least four times in recent months in Gauteng alone, such motorists came across cyclists in that lane. Beeld described the encouter between bicycle and taxi in one of these incidents as a collision whereby the cyclists and his bicycle stuck to the front of the taxi and were dragged tens of meters before the taxi could stop.

 

I don?t want to dwell on the gory details of this encouter but I do think it is time we write off wide shoulders as safe zones. They?re in fact the opposite and require more caution than roads with a mere yellow line at the edge.

 

I suggest we treat them as car lanes and stick to the extreme left. Yes, you heard me, right there in the sand, debris, glass, grassy overhang stones and bits of roadkill.

 

Perhaps this is also a time to revisit the technique for riding on very narrow roads ? roads so narrow that a truck takes up the entire space from white line to yellow edge. Instinct wants us to ride as close to the edge as possible, with the effect that everything, including wide trucks, simply squeeze past. You all know that feeling of holding on for dear life whilst a speeding truck passes within millimeters of your right, the road?s uneven eroded edge millimeters from your left and a strong suction force pulling you towards the truck.

 

Traffic behaviourists and cycling advocates suggest that in situations like this (they are after all, relatively rare) we take up more space ? much more than we actually need. This forces traffic to slow down and perform an overtaking maneuvre, which?ll then give you space to breathe. The trick is to not be intimidated by trucks laboriously changing gears behind you whilst waiting for a gap in the traffic to overtake. It does require guts though.

 

I?ll understand if you have reservations for this technique but I can?t urge you enough to change your outlook on the false security of wide shoulders.

 

Johan BornmanonName>

 

 

 

 

[Brakkies Sport Fotos]

Just phoned, They are very surprise to hear that we do support what they do.

 

 

 

great stuff, lets all phone and say thanks

[Christie]

I've sent an SMS to 702, will phane the Metro, too Christie2007-11-16 04:06:48

[pbp2007]

The SMS number is 31702

[Cois]

Hope they do the same in Pretoria

[slowpoke]

i've just phoned JMPD. i sent 94.7 an sms this morning. will send to 702 as well.

[Robotech]

I tried to phone, but was put on hold...

 

 

 

[DRIVETRAIN]

 

I called - they were also surprised but if it helps then so be it ... & sent an sms as well. I hope it continues because the dis-regard for the law is out of hand ....

 

"DT"

[slowpoke]

robotech, i was also put on hold - for a whole approx 10seconds - well worth the wait - you could hear the smile and relief in the dude's voice when he realised i was calling to say thanks, not to complain.

[AndreZA]

I tried to phone' date=' but was put on hold...

 

 

 

[/quote']

 

Maybe they just knew you were up to no good and wanted to trace the call.

 

 

[Robotech]

Ok...I got through...

 

The dude I talked was very appreciative for the call...

 

 

 

[dfm1]

Lets be carefull how we go about this, I am all for enforcing the law, however in dealing with the metro police i get the feeling of a school yard bully who is 18 and will hopefully past std 5 at his 8th attempt, but who never the less abuses his or her power, i dont think that motorist should be locked up for petty offences, however knocking off a cyclist is not a petty offence, yesterday morning at 8:05 i was cycling along Ontdekkers, pulling off from the robot, corner Ontedekkers and Sonop, when a lady driving a black Ford Icon Reg no SLL 282 GP proceeded to hit me with the pasenger side mirror of her vehicle, luckily I managed to stay upright and only sustained a minor cut to my right hand, no to my mind she should be locked up, she did not stop, she did not even apologise, she sped away whilst verbally abusing me, hence I feel that her action was intentional and therefore criminal.

[jeremyd]

log her details onto that www.roadhogs.co.za site

[SeanMort]

dfm1 - put on the Bad Driving website [ www.baddriving.co.za ]. There was a similar website but I can't remember the name.

[SeanMort]

Thanks jeremyd .. that's the one that I forgot.