The problem is NOT cyclist

[Niner]

It is the lack of respect on the road!

 

On my commute this morning I noticed the following traffic/rules/laws being broken.

 

3 women talking on their cell phones

2 Red traffic lights being ignored

1 car swapping lanes over solid line without indicator usage

1 car overtaking into oncoming traffic

(there were more but these are the worst ones that stood out)

 

That excluded the non-seatbelt wearing, general driving like idiots.

 

Now if motorist do not respect each other, or the laws of the country....they will NOT respect us.

 

So I stand by my statement, riding on the roads is a survival game and we should ride the way WE feel safe. If that means I go over a red light when ALL other cars are stationary I am doing it.

If/When someone shout at me here is my response..."Sorry!!!"

 

If you had to remove all cyclist from the road for a year you will still have the same drivers(that do not respect anyone else) that will shout, hoot etc, they will just find another “target”

 

It will NEVER change as long as PEOPLE in this country do not respect each other or the laws.

Edited February 10, 2012 by Niner

[Falco]

So what you are saying is that we should all disregard the laws because most people do it?

Which means that every day, it simply gets worse.

Sorry, but I disagree with you. Even if I am the last person doing it, whether I drive or ride I will obey the rules of the road.

[Lucky Luke.]

Firstly as a caveat, let me say I believe it's in everyone's interests co-operate where possible and to find common ground in any shared usage situation - like that between cyclist and driver on the roads.

 

Secondly, the most dangerous cycling I've done has been commuting in London. The riders most at risk are cycle couriers. They do not ride their bikes to satisfy a set of abstract principles like 'be nice to others' etc. They are on the road 7-8 hours a day 5 days a week and they are not winning any popularity contests or ms. congeniality competitions. Nor are they reading from a copy of the highway code stuck to their handlebars.

 

In my view this is the extreme example of what we as road cyclists / commuters or whatever must face when we ride. The way couriers deal with it is how I learned to get from A to B and it is still the approach that I take. Unless you have had to deal with that volume of traffic and daily near misses you cannot understand it.

 

Being nice is always secondary to being alive.

[flymango]

Disagree. Two wrongs don't make a right. And making a difference starts with you and me and our attitudes. If not, we succumb to the lawlessness which prevails around us.

[Wyatt Earp]

The problem is not cyclists nor motorist, it's South African's with their "I don't give a ****" attitude and their lack of fear for the law and respect for others.

[reteid]

The problem is not cyclists nor motorist, it's South African's with their "I don't give a ****" attitude and their lack of fear for the law and respect for others.

[Lucky Luke.]

The problem is not cyclists nor motorist, it's South African's with their "I don't give a ****" attitude and their lack of fear for the law and respect for others.

 

Absolutely right.

[BrianMTB]

At the risk of sounding cliched, two wrongs don't make a right. Motorists often get away with driving badly because they have a couple of tonnes of steel around them.

 

Taking your cue from poorly mannered motorists whilst on your 6 or 7 kgs of carbon will at best further blacken the name of cyclists generally and at worst send you to an early grave (god forbid).

 

Stick to the rules - it's better for everyone.

[Top Fuel]

It is the lack of respect on the road!

 

On my commute this morning I noticed the following traffic/rules/laws being broken.

 

3 women talking on their cell phones

2 Red traffic lights being ignored

1 car swapping lanes over solid line without indicator usage

1 car overtaking into oncoming traffic

(there were more but these are the worst ones that stood out)

 

That excluded the non-seatbelt wearing, general driving like idiots.

 

Now if motorist do not respect each other, or the laws of the country....they will NOT respect us.

 

So I stand by my statement, riding on the roads is a survival game and we should ride the way WE feel safe. If that means I go over a red light when ALL other cars are stationary I am doing it.

If/When someone shout at me here is my response..."Sorry!!!"

 

If you had to remove all cyclist from the road for a year you will still have the same drivers(that do not respect anyone else) that will shout, hoot etc, they will just find another “target”

 

It will NEVER change as long as PEOPLE in this country do not respect each other or the laws.

Right there you point out the problem but are leading the charge against it.

[ER24 Road Rangers]

If you do not obey the traffic laws, you are part of the problem. If you do not respect first, how can you be respected?

 

So many times I ask myself the question when seeing mother with children in their vehicles, not even secured in a child seat, and still breaking the traffic laws, what example they (we) are setting to our kids?

 

Are we teaching them to respect by being the example, or are we teaching them to become as lawless as the rest, because everyone is doing it...??

[Mojoman]

The problem is not cyclists nor motorist, it's South African's with their "I don't give a ****" attitude and their lack of fear for the law and respect for others.

Agreed, that and the fact the 'law' are either criminals themselves or also don't really care anyway, just a job...

[The Ouzo]

I'm still trying to understand how jumping a red light is safer for you.

[428 others]

The problem is not cyclists nor motorist, it's South African's with their "I don't give a ****" attitude and their lack of fear for the law and respect for others.

 

[The Ouzo]

But on one point I do have to agree with you, the total lack of respect on our roads, by all road users, is astonishingly bad.

When everyone learns to respect each other the road deaths will decrease substantially. Even if laws are transgressed, it will not matter if there is still that respect for one another.

Edited February 10, 2012 by ouzo

[Hairy]

Firstly as a caveat, let me say I believe it's in everyone's interests co-operate where possible and to find common ground in any shared usage situation - like that between cyclist and driver on the roads.

 

Secondly, the most dangerous cycling I've done has been commuting in London. The riders most at risk are cycle couriers. They do not ride their bikes to satisfy a set of abstract principles like 'be nice to others' etc. They are on the road 7-8 hours a day 5 days a week and they are not winning any popularity contests or ms. congeniality competitions. Nor are they reading from a copy of the highway code stuck to their handlebars.

 

In my view this is the extreme example of what we as road cyclists / commuters or whatever must face when we ride. The way couriers deal with it is how I learned to get from A to B and it is still the approach that I take. Unless you have had to deal with that volume of traffic and daily near misses you cannot understand it.

 

Being nice is always secondary to being alive.

Bull, I worked as a cycle courier in CT for sometime and breaking the rules because you are on the roads so long each day is no excuse

The problem is not cyclists nor motorist, it's South African's with their "I don't give a ****" attitude and their lack of fear for the law and respect for others.

Damned right you are!

[Caerus]

Bull, I worked as a cycle courier in CT for sometime and breaking the rules because you are on the roads so long each day is no excuse

Damned right you are!

 

My mate was a bike courier in London, and most DO NOT stop at traffic lights, time is money. He still reckons it was the most harrowing job he has ever done.