Cyclists and road laws. Red lights, etc. (merged)

[Escapee..]

goody two shoes my ass.

you skip a red light and p'off a motorist having a bad day, 2km down the road that motorist comes across me minding my own business, but because he is now p'vd off because of you he aims his car at me.

 

and its about cleaning up the sport and cleaning up the image of the sport.

 

if anyone needs to chill its you, this is after all the Rant section. So if you dont like the ranting then piss off to the back patting threads.

I've been cycling since before most of the guys here were in diapers, I've seen the sport go from a genuine passion sport to what is now the new golf where new comers have no bloody clue as to what right or wrong.

 

If i have to aim my car at everyone that pi$$es me off in traffic I would never get to work in the morning

[ricochet_rabbit]

There's a few safe red lights to jump on Atlas and a few that arent, not much point stopping at them all.

 

[coldfusion]

goody two shoes my ass.

you skip a red light and p'off a motorist having a bad day, 2km down the road that motorist comes across me minding my own business, but because he is now p'vd off because of you he aims his car at me.

 

and its about cleaning up the sport and cleaning up the image of the sport.

 

if anyone needs to chill its you, this is after all the Rant section. So if you dont like the ranting then piss off to the back patting threads.

I've been cycling since before most of the guys here were in diapers, I've seen the sport go from a genuine passion sport to what is now the new golf where new comers have no bloody clue as to what right or wrong.

 

I agree. Lets face it since cycling became "commercialized" A passion turned into a horror. All the problems caused now are due to doping - why did they come about? Because of people pushing themselves to earn a living in this sport. The commercialization has driven athletes to take drugs - harm their bodies and made cycling look like a thing for deranged people.

 

Even the problems on the roads where do they stem from? The fact that this is now a sport where money matters not passion not the joy of riding.

 

I laughed myself off day before yesterday when I was riding. A small group of guys also took the route at the same time by chance. One could see these are very serious - the "professionals" of this new cycling world. Fit, expensive bikes and well equipped. Yet I kept up with them - even managed to take the lead on a number of occasions - up hill i could ride past them and yet I'm about 20kgs heavier then any of them. You know what? I saw as they went their way frustration that they were pushing their limits and someone(like me) just out for a ride can compete with them.

 

A month ago, the same thing happened with a female cyclists - There she was well equipped fit and competing with anyone on the road. I past her and went to stop at the Red Robot - know what she did? She past the Red Robot.

 

So is this what we have become? People who compete even in traffic when we not on a race track? Drug takers - believing we can better our performance?

 

Personally I hope cycling as a sport dies so from the ashes can rise up a new order - cycling as a passion.

 

I might sound harsh but look at it. The cycling world is like the fall of Rome, just like in the 3rd century when Rome was ravaged by the Visigoths. Cycling is ravaged by doping and various other problems.

[camerons]

some of you guys take life way to seriously.

[petatodd]

some of you guys take life way to seriously.

hear hear

 

Didn't jump one red light this morning in 150 minutes on the road, a fair chunk of it in the rain (clearly no passion there) and only had 7 cars hoot at me, 6 in a friendly "hey I'm here behind you" short beep friendly sort of way, all got a little hand wave acknowledging, and one plonker in his bakkie who gave it a good 5 second blast followed by a hand with the bird out of his window who got even a bigger friendly wave (I have found that pisses them off even more than replying with the bird). My crime in his eyes? Being on the road. He repeated his hooting at others all the way out of site.

 

But overall, a nice passion filled ride around the peninsula on a coldish and very wet morning. Oh, and before I forget, lot's of hellos or good mornings to and from the other dopers making money from riding their bikes this morning. In the rain. Not having any fun at all.

 

And today I put my lumo green helmet on just for fun.

[kingalton]

Moaning at other cyclists will get us nowhere - we must just do our bit, obey the rules of the road - hopefully it will rub off on everyone else.

[EZRider]

goody two shoes my ass.

you skip a red light and p'off a motorist having a bad day, 2km down the road that motorist comes across me minding my own business, but because he is now p'vd off because of you he aims his car at me.

 

and its about cleaning up the sport and cleaning up the image of the sport.

 

if anyone needs to chill its you, this is after all the Rant section. So if you dont like the ranting then piss off to the back patting threads.

I've been cycling since before most of the guys here were in diapers, I've seen the sport go from a genuine passion sport to what is now the new golf where new comers have no bloody clue as to what right or wrong.

 

Anybody who aims a car at you because another cyclist slipped a light is sociopathic and will NEVER be impressed by your good behaviour. You are assuming the danger from cars comes from psycopaths seeking revenge because their busy lives are being infringed upon by a few bikes.

Trucks, taxis, drunk drivers are the real danger and they couldn't care less about the HUB or its crusaders for good behaviour.

Rather spend your energy getting taxis to drive responsibly, they cause far more damage than Dale or Peta skipping a light.

['Dale]

Another incident this morning, while rolling single file, a white guy in a white Toyota, just swerved to avoid us and nearly cut the front rider off, purposefully creating a frightful experience.

It happened so fast.

 

Weird psychopathic like attitude.

 

:-(

[petatodd]

Another incident this morning, while rolling single file, a white guy in a white Toyota, just swerved to avoid us and nearly cut the front rider off, purposefully creating a frightful experience.

It happened so fast.

 

Weird psychopathic like attitude.

 

:-(

And only because you had the cheek to be on his road.

[gtr1]

OB reads these messages but doesn't care. But hey, at least he was wearing a helmet !!

[sluiper]

I'm relatively new to cycling, so please excuse my ignorance.

 

I see numerous posts where people rant against cyclists jumping red lights, but I'd like to know whether this is actually illegal and what the penalty is for a transgression?

 

I've scanned through the National Road Traffic Act of 1996, and from my cursory reading it would seem that bicycles are not considered to be vehicles, and that the laws applicable to vehicles thus cannot apply to bicycles. (A "motor vehicle" is specifically defined as being inclusive of "a vehicle having pedals and an engine", meaning a vehicle having only pedals would fall outside the definition of a vehicle. And no smart comments about your legs being the engine, please )

 

Is there another Act specifically dealing with bicycles? If so, could someone please point me towards said Act? Perhaps I'm just missing the relevant section in the Act or misreading it.

[Trackie]

OB reads these messages but doesn't care. But hey, at least he was wearing a helmet !!

. I thought immediately of OB. The helmet could be an immediate giveaway though!

[slowpoke]

You must be reading some funny warped version of things because in part 1 in the section which defines motor vehicles bicycles are distinctly mentioned. Just remember that they are called "pedal cycles" and not bicycles as this is the legal term for them in SA

[Guest Heino]

Rule no 1: its Illegal

Rulle no 2: it illegal

[petatodd]

Oh dear

[The Guy in Pink]

A Red Traffic light is of course just like a Stop sign. At a red light you "Shall Stop" but once having stopped and if the road is clear you may proceed.