Cyclists' Safety in the light of Burry and other's recent deaths - Merged Thread.

[kosmonooit]

Yoh!

Glad you're okay.

 

Thanks all in a days riding in Jhb - roads are returning to their hecticness. I also find myself extremely defensive now, almost came to blows with a motorists who didn't stop dead at a stop street I was approaching, he carried on inching forward, I slowed down to challenge him, and a verbal tirade followed.

 

Think I need a chill pill now.

['Dale]

 

 

Thanks all in a days riding in Jhb - roads are returning to their hecticness. I also find myself extremely defensive now, almost came to blows with a motorists who didn't stop dead at a stop street I was approaching, he carried on inching forward, I slowed down to challenge him, and a verbal tirade followed.

 

Think I need a chill pill now.

 

I definitely give those rolling over that white line a Clint Eastwood stare...

Scary moment inside, often with that uneasy chill from the adrenaline and they have no clue.

[TNT1]

Thanks all in a days riding in Jhb - roads are returning to their hecticness. I also find myself extremely defensive now, almost came to blows with a motorists who didn't stop dead at a stop street I was approaching, he carried on inching forward, I slowed down to challenge him, and a verbal tirade followed.

 

 

I had one of those a while back. Stupid cow behind the wheel says to me " I wasn't going, I was just moving forward" And the difference is? You still nearly hit me, you silly moo.

 

Then she says " my sons are expert cyclists, so I know what I'm doing" WTF?

 

Silly moo. Let me borrow your car (I don't want to scratch mine) and lemme drive like you near your "expert" sons.

[slowpoke]

 

 

[strikethrough]Cyclists.[/strikethrough] Road users.

 

It's pretty much all of them on the road.

 

[strikethrough]Not mtb or road guys[/strikethroguh]. All of them.

 

Fixed

[TNT1]

Fixed

 

Ya, true. What was I thinking.

[TNT1]

So, this morning, guy on a MTB going down atlas road, the intersection before the big church, nearly gets killed when he goes against a red light, and a CMS vehicle which has right of way has to almost stop on green to avoid hitting him.

 

MTB rider, you are a problem.

 

Later on, outside the east rand mall, a guy on an MTB wearing Club 100 kit, was a gary Fisher 29er in case someone knows him, almost rear ends me when I stop at a red light. You, sir, are a disgrace to your club.

 

And then I phoned in to 5fm and ranted to Thomas about it.

[Evan Andreou]

When it comes to both sides of the argument:motorists and cyclists it seems that two things are not common:

Sense

Courtesy

[Tubehunter]

Do you guys know why big groups ride more than single file?? Or is this another one of those cyclists who shave for aerodynamics type arguments?

 

How long will a group that is say 20 strong spread out to be if they are in single file along the road? Especially if you consider roads like Victoria around Clifton et al. Will any car be able to overtake safely and get by everyone?? Nope the cyclist who happens to be alongside the car when it's coming by and something is oncoming will draw the short end of the stick, EVERYTIME!

 

Now lets take that group and put them 2 abreast. Aaah, funny thing just happened they got half as long. Should I have said abracadabra first?? What is the overtaking possibility for another vehicle now when there is a suitable gap??? More so when the cyclist who is riding sweeping duties is monitoring and letting the vehicle know when it is safe to do so. Organised groups are just that. Yep, we're bound to be 3 abreast at some points along the ride as a new person moves to the back to recover after doing a turn on the front and the rotation happens.

 

Most of the people who seem to respong emotnally and out of context clearly do not do much group riding together and have not yet worked out that the most functional and safe way to accommodate large groups on the road is to consider how to integrate with the other traffic in the least obstructive way whilst ensuring the safety of the group at the same time.

 

The bigger issue is actually the attitudes of people who show zero consideration towards other road users. This is the root cause of what we face when we have run ins with anyone along the road irrespective of whether we are driving or cycling.

[Grayskull]

So after all the "news" on the passing of Burry, the "hate" towards taxis and sympathy and condolences for the family...

 

There has been no detailed report as to what happened.

How exactly did it happen?

['Dale]

What you really wanna know is who's at fault?

[RussT]

I am an avid mountain biker and often ride on the road. Just this weekend there were to instances of cyclists riding side by side stopping cars from passing. I even saw a group of riders at a traffic circle coming along the wrong side of the road. We need to point the finger at ourselves aswell not just motorists

['Dale]

I like to bunch up at the most sensible times on the road

It creates greater visibility to other road users in heavy metal moving objects.

[cat-i]

an eyewitness report in this article

 

http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/kwazulu-natal/cyclist-s-wife-cradled-him-at-scene-1.1447719#.UOmMw-TNZ8E

[Kranswurm]

Do you guys know why big groups ride more than single file?? Or is this another one of those cyclists who shave for aerodynamics type arguments?

 

How long will a group that is say 20 strong spread out to be if they are in single file along the road? Especially if you consider roads like Victoria around Clifton et al. Will any car be able to overtake safely and get by everyone?? Nope the cyclist who happens to be alongside the car when it's coming by and something is oncoming will draw the short end of the stick, EVERYTIME!

 

Now lets take that group and put them 2 abreast. Aaah, funny thing just happened they got half as long. Should I have said abracadabra first?? What is the overtaking possibility for another vehicle now when there is a suitable gap??? More so when the cyclist who is riding sweeping duties is monitoring and letting the vehicle know when it is safe to do so. Organised groups are just that. Yep, we're bound to be 3 abreast at some points along the ride as a new person moves to the back to recover after doing a turn on the front and the rotation happens.

 

Most of the people who seem to respong emotnally and out of context clearly do not do much group riding together and have not yet worked out that the most functional and safe way to accommodate large groups on the road is to consider how to integrate with the other traffic in the least obstructive way whilst ensuring the safety of the group at the same time.

 

The bigger issue is actually the attitudes of people who show zero consideration towards other road users. This is the root cause of what we face when we have run ins with anyone along the road irrespective of whether we are driving or cycling.

You can't overtake on that road,China!!but I can slip past 20 bikes in single file

[Tubehunter]

Taxi coming from the opposite direction turned in front of him into a side road. He hit the passenger side of the vehicle. This happened at the bottom of a little descent he was coming down at enough pace to snap the frame in multiple places and succumb to his injuries. Cops feel there is enough evidence to charge the taxi driver at this point.

[cat-i]

Do you guys know why big groups ride more than single file?? Or is this another one of those cyclists who shave for aerodynamics type arguments?

 

How long will a group that is say 20 strong spread out to be if they are in single file along the road? Especially if you consider roads like Victoria around Clifton et al. Will any car be able to overtake safely and get by everyone?? Nope the cyclist who happens to be alongside the car when it's coming by and something is oncoming will draw the short end of the stick, EVERYTIME!

 

Now lets take that group and put them 2 abreast. Aaah, funny thing just happened they got half as long. Should I have said abracadabra first?? What is the overtaking possibility for another vehicle now when there is a suitable gap??? More so when the cyclist who is riding sweeping duties is monitoring and letting the vehicle know when it is safe to do so. Organised groups are just that. Yep, we're bound to be 3 abreast at some points along the ride as a new person moves to the back to recover after doing a turn on the front and the rotation happens.

 

Most of the people who seem to respong emotnally and out of context clearly do not do much group riding together and have not yet worked out that the most functional and safe way to accommodate large groups on the road is to consider how to integrate with the other traffic in the least obstructive way whilst ensuring the safety of the group at the same time.

 

The bigger issue is actually the attitudes of people who show zero consideration towards other road users. This is the root cause of what we face when we have run ins with anyone along the road irrespective of whether we are driving or cycling.

 

 

TubeHunter, the motorists behind such a bunch will not care about your maths. They will get irritated. motorists will percieve this as zero consideration ...

 

Would it not be easier to search for and train on safer roads?

Edited January 6, 2013 by cat-i