Letter in Beeld

[Tiny K]

You sound like the model cyclist. Unfortunately I think you're in the minority. I see an endless number of cyclists riding on the coastal road to Chappies every morning ignoring traffic lights, riding 2-4 abreast etc. Of the cyclists I see on this route less than 10% of them ride with rear lights or high visibility clothing. Your chances of being rear ended have to be many times higher if you wear a full Rapha cycling kit - looking cool however seems to be more important.

 

Especially when the kit is stealth black......

 

I do ride two abreast if the yellow lane allows it..... my downfall is my road rage on the bicycle. Dudes in cars mustn't threaten to 'ride me over next time' because they were too lazy to slow down (from 80 in 60 zone) when I indicated that I was changing lanes for a turn.

[Weight Weenie]

Seems to be a mindset/mentality issue more than anything else. People will exhibit the same behaviour no matter what vehicle they use.

Also seems people aren't sure how to react to cyclists on the road and misjudge how fast you can actually go. A little education on this during learners licenses could maybe help but doubt that would ever happen

 

I try my best not to ride like an idiot or drive like one for that matter and I always have proper led lights on the bike if I ride on roads, even on the mtb.

Find it funny how fellow cyclists and even the guy at the lbs chirp me about lights in the day time. The more you can do to be visible the better !

[maddox]

Especially when the kit is stealth black......

 

I do ride two abreast if the yellow lane allows it..... my downfall is my road rage on the bicycle. Dudes in cars mustn't threaten to 'ride me over next time' because they were too lazy to slow down (from 80 in 60 zone) when I indicated that I was changing lanes for a turn.

 

 

Yes I missed out the "black". Riding in full black is like driving without your lights on - simply asking for trouble!

[outoftowner]

Sad comments indeed.Lots of roads in the country side do not have emergency lanes or yellow lines for that matter.I had to take evasive action on more than one occasion because of motorists that has forced me of the road.I usually just hang on to a small strip of tar,but for most motorists that is overstepping the boundaries.It comes down to basic mutual respect,but it seems we live in a society where it is seriously lacking.

[Capricorn]

You sound like the model cyclist. Unfortunately I think you're in the minority. I see an endless number of cyclists riding on the coastal road to Chappies every morning ignoring traffic lights, riding 2-4 abreast etc. Of the cyclists I see on this route less than 10% of them ride with rear lights or high visibility clothing. Your chances of being rear ended have to be many times higher if you wear a full Rapha cycling kit - looking cool however seems to be more important.

 

oh boy, i hope u didnt miss the other thread on the 'racers only' mentality that seems to pervade the ZA mindset when it comes to any form of cycling.. summed up in a phrase: all gear no idea.

Goto the thread: u in for a treat

[Wayne Potgieter]

I saw a guy on north rand road yesterday in luminous yellow top, shorts. Also had a frame that had the same yellow paintwork and deep section wheels with the same yellow rims.

 

Very visible.

 

But the thing that got me and the wife laughing the most...no helmet.

 

Dumbass.

[Abercrombie]

Sad comments indeed.Lots of roads in the country side do not have emergency lanes or yellow lines for that matter.I had to take evasive action on more than one occasion because of motorists that has forced me of the road.I usually just hang on to a small strip of tar,but for most motorists that is overstepping the boundaries.It comes down to basic mutual respect,but it seems we live in a society where it is seriously lacking.

 

Well said, unfortunately very true. We experienced same here in PE recently with four separate incidents of cars deliberately trying to bump us off in Marine Drive in one morning alone. And before everyone gets their knickers twisted, we always ride single file on that road.

[Bram_on_Madone]

None of you are addressing the underlying stupidty and lack of humanity in the writer's argument. He is essentially saying that the weaker members of society deserve to die - similarly if an old lady or a young child crosses a busy road she should expect to get run over by some overweight, brandy drinking, blue bull supporter (who is also clearly an avid 4x4 enthuisiast and a "skyfskieter" - whatever that is...).

 

Ghandi said that a society can be measured by how well it treats its weakest members and that is why modern, democratic countries such as the Netherlands place a very high penalty on the driver of a motorised vehicle when they collide with a bicycle, irrespective of whether the bicycle was being irresponsible. If I am being an ass and ride my bicycle through a red robot, that certainly does not give anybody the right to kill me. Besides the fact that the punishment in no way matches the crime, last time I checked vigilante action was illegal. Clearly it is an unfair contest between a car and a bicycle and if a motorist feels a bicycle is breaking the law, they should report this to the traffic police.

 

His further argument that you should only use public roads if you are commuting to and from work should then also be applied to him. I suggest the next time he wheels his Toyota Hilux on to the road to the bottle store, somebody with a bigger vehicle (say a tank) should drive over him, as its survival of the fittest after all.

[SwissVan]

He also compared cycling as a sport to skeet shooting and 4 x 4 offroading....LOL With his logic marathon runners will have to train on 400m athletic tracks.

[leet22]

Ok, so cars dont stop, and you dont stop

... go figure. Stupid must die. And ignorance as well.

 

Its the same road, with the same rules for all. Obey them, apply some common sence and remember, steel will win against skin.

 

Save your own ass and our (cyclists) name.

I did not say I dont stop i said that ppl in glass houses should not throw stones.

[TNT1]

I don't think cyclist are the problem.

 

Motorist hate pedestrians.

Motorist hate bikers.

Motorist hate taxis.

Motorist hate the old lady or truck in front of them

Motorist hate the guy in the bakkie behind them.

Motorist hate the pavement next to them.

 

Motorist hate any and all other road users

 

I think that is the problem.

 

Mostly, from what I observe, car drivers in addition to hating all other road users, hate other car drivers the most.

[Witkop]

I agree that if you only allow commuters to the ONLY traffic on the road we would see a lot less accidents. But also if we ban motorcars from the road we would also see a massive decline in accidents as well. If motorists just used available public transport we would also have safer roads. If only if only........

[raptor]

It is a pitty.

 

I try to stay in the yellow line as much as possible.

 

It only takes a minute to stop at a red robot, it won't hurt you, but if you don't then all cyclists are implicated.

 

Wish i could say the same of the guys in the Cipla kit on bottelary road this morning riding 3 abreast over the yellow lane, i was in my car and had do go into the on coming lane to pass these guys

[pezulu]

To me, the crux of the matter is the intolerance of people in this country towards other people in this country.

It has nothing to do with race, colour, gender, sexual orientation, vehicular use, political views or any of the other base issues people may have.

If you see a taxi, you assume that it is overloaded and breaking the law in some way. (They usually are, but still...)

You see a gay person, you want to willfully "fix" their orientation for them.

You see an old person behind the wheel of a motor vehicle, you automatically start fuming that they are driving too slowly, too carefully.

 

There is no quick fix to it. People need to have a mindset change.

That can only happen when everyone starts paying attention to all the other people around them. Not just by looking for the negative aspects in everyone else, but by trying to see the positive in someone.

 

The old lady driving in the middle lane in her 1968 Toyota Corona might be an irritation to many. How many have stopped to think that her car is older than many hubbers, that it is still in pristine condition, she has never been involved in a traffic violation or accident, and that we will all (hopefully) reach her ripe old age, and hope that we will still be able to drive ourselves around.

 

It is easy to say that we won't be like that, or aren't as irrisponsible as some other road users we have seen. Yet I am certain that there is not one person in this forum that has not violated at least one traffic rule, or "bent the rules" on at least one occasion. We are all guilty of it.

Instead of everyone thinking that everyone else is to blame, it might be best to rather start looking at things in a different way.

Drive defensively instead of offensively. Drive/ride/walk with the mentality of a small mouse in a cage full of hungry cats.

 

One of the first thoughts that crossed my mind when I read the article of the tandem riders that were killed on the R550 was "Where were they riding when the road is as narrow as it is?"

 

We need to take the log out of our own eye, before looking at the splinter in the eye of our neighbour.

['Dale]

Cool post, pezulu...

[Gunzo]

 

One of the first thoughts that crossed my mind when I read the article of the tandem riders that were killed on the R550 was "Where were they riding when the road is as narrow as it is?"

 

 

 

In their defense: I sometimes have to ride a few km on a narrow road to get to a quite roads with a yellow line.

 

I also agree, a major mentality shift have to be made by all road users.