Ban cyclists on busy roads?

[flymango]

So should cyclists be fined if not using a cycle lane where one is provided?

[DJR]

Scaredofcyclists, thank you for taking the time to write your article. Unfortunately there are so many unjustified generalizations and bias that I cannot agree with most of it.

 

Cyclists are already banned from busy roads with fast high volume traffic, like freeways. While the Kalk Bay roadworks are underway, the City of Cape Town has banned all cycle races from going over Ou Kaapse Weg, Boyes Drive and Kalk Bay Main Road, are you aware of this? That is for 6am on a Sunday when there is no traffic anyway. I find that when it is extremely busy, I feel safer, because the cars have to slow down. Ou Kaapse Weg has a wide shoulder and a speed limit of 80 km/h, which is ideal for sharing with cyclists.

 

I ride there regularly and the main safety problem is motorists speeding and overtaking dangerously across barrier lines. They do this often on blind corners because they don't want to sit behind a slow moving truck for a minute or two. They tailgate impatiently until the intimidated slower driver moves into the emergency lane unsafely, exactly where most cyclists ride when ascending slowly. Decending Ou Kaapse Weg, the safest way to cycle is to ride just right of the yellow line and keep going about the same speed as the traffic and to keep sufficient following distances. Unfortunately drivers love to see how closely on your tail they can follow. Cyclists speeding down there at over 100km/h is something extremely rare as most of us do something between 50 and 60 km/h.

 

The vast majority of us are ordinary people, like yourself, despite the ridiculous way that we dress. Come on, give a little, be a bit more tolerant, there's no good reason to be scared of us.

 

(PS Can someone get this reply of mine addes to the article? I seem unable to do it, whatever gremlin is causing the trouble?)

Edited January 11, 2013 by DJR

[Witkop]

pierre.devilliers.9231 - whatachop!!!

 

"as they have formed strong special interest groups" make it sound like we are some sort of cult?

 

I wonder if this guy does any form of exercise? a pedestrian can be just as difficult to spot.

 

Us as cyclists obviously try keep to the safest side of a lane, but this chop obviously forgets that motorcyclists are also a danger to motor vehicles and cyclists.

 

Effectively, as logic, common sense, and proper planning has evaded society for so long, cyclists have become so threatened that they have developed a strong sense of solidarity, which far exceeds normality. Cyclists are presented as a group that parades on a battlefield of caranage every day, not knowing when the next bumper will be his/hers. This breeds a sense of comradary with others in the same situation. Individual action (like obeying the rules of the road) do not protect the cyclist. As a result the only means of survival is to create "strong special interest groups" to address the problems at a political level. It is only a matter of time for a political party or charasmatic to discover this already formed and coherent consituency. When this happens, all the ingredients for a cult or revolutionary movement are in place.

 

Rich people to pay (recreational cyclists)

leader to articulate

downtrodden to up lift ( commuter cyclists)

an oppressor which must be defeated (motorists)

and a world to save (go green)

[Bat-ass]

The article has some very valid points... when i'm driving on a busy road, i to am nervous around a group of cyclists... Ironicly, i spend more hours a week on my bike then in a car..... But iv learnt to be fair to all road users and only ride on quite roads in the very early hours...

[MRT1]

Cyclists according to the road trafic laws are legitimate road users.I am yet to hear of a cyclist causing the death of a motorist or in fact any road user in an accident. This however can not be said in regard to motorists. Using some of the logic I have seen on this article maybe motorists should be the ones banned from driving on busy roads.

[DJR]

Effectively, as logic, common sense, and proper planning has evaded society for so long, cyclists have become so threatened that they have developed a strong sense of solidarity, which far exceeds normality. Cyclists are presented as a group that parades on a battlefield of caranage every day, not knowing when the next bumper will be his/hers. This breeds a sense of comradary with others in the same situation. Individual action (like obeying the rules of the road) do not protect the cyclist. As a result the only means of survival is to create "strong special interest groups" to address the problems at a political level. It is only a matter of time for a political party or charasmatic to discover this already formed and coherent consituency. When this happens, all the ingredients for a cult or revolutionary movement are in place.

 

Rich people to pay (recreational cyclists)

leader to articulate

downtrodden to up lift ( commuter cyclists)

an oppressor which must be defeated (motorists)

and a world to save (go green)

Fanatacism (fixies, single speeds, weight weenies......)

 

Yeah, we're 1 step away from taking over the world

[eddy]

 

The City of Cape Town has banned all cycle races from going over Ou Kaapse Weg, Boyes Drive and *** Bay Main Road

 

 

(PS Can someone get this reply of mine addes to the article? I seem unable to do it, whatever gremlin is causing the trouble?)

 

Maybe just edit it first as some well known and much loved hubbers may not agree with your description of their home town ;-)

[Redlight]

if there were safe alternate cycle/pedestrian paths along each and every busy road then there would be no problem. its time the municipalites started taking their town planning seriously and spend money where it is needed

There is one, from Cape Town to Blouberg, but Roadies still use the road....

[Bat-ass]

I would hope the thing keeping recreational cyclists off busy roads would be LOGIC.

 

Commuter cyclists different story but man oh man am I tired of hearing cyclists saying things like "it's my right to ride there". Sure it's your right but 1500kg of steel beats 10kg of alu everytime.

 

I realise there are limitations in training time, roads available and infrastructure but safety trumps fitness everytime for me.

 

Eldron.... i have come to the realisation that my road training has to happen between 4am and 6am on quieter roads... At 7am on a busy road, driving into the sun with a dewy or dirty windscreen??.... Some unfortunate mom taking her kids to school could kill you... and her life is also ruined..... Not fair on her.....

[DJR]

Maybe just edit it first as some well known and much loved hubbers may not agree with your description of their home town ;-)

Thanks, but I so love good typos, and this was one. Edited.

[ThaStig]

Cyclists according to the road trafic laws are legitimate road users.I am yet to hear of a cyclist causing the death of a motorist or in fact any road user in an accident. This however can not be said in regard to motorists. Using some of the logic I have seen on this article maybe motorists should be the ones banned from driving on busy roads.

A good few years back a motorist swerved to avoid taking out a cyclist on the lower main rd between the Snowflake factory and Hartleyvale stadium coming down the bridge; he ended up in the river and drowned.

 

Yes the score Motorist vs Cyclists is still heavily weighted towards the motorist.

Edited January 11, 2013 by ThaStig

[Joe Low]

Big fleas, have little fleas, with smaller fleas on their backs.

 

So, why dont we ban pedestrians on the highways first?

[STRADA]

if there were safe alternate cycle/pedestrian paths along each and every busy road then there would be no problem. its time the municipalites started taking their town planning seriously and spend money where it is needed

 

They are....... "NKANDLAVILLE"

[STRADA]

Scaredofcyclists, thank you for taking the time to write your article. Unfortunately there are so many unjustified generalizations and bias that I cannot agree with most of it.

 

Cyclists are already banned from busy roads with fast high volume traffic, like freeways. While the Kalk Bay roadworks are underway, the City of Cape Town has banned all cycle races from going over Ou Kaapse Weg, Boyes Drive and Kalk Bay Main Road, are you aware of this? That is for 6am on a Sunday when there is no traffic anyway. I find that when it is extremely busy, I feel safer, because the cars have to slow down. Ou Kaapse Weg has a wide shoulder and a speed limit of 80 km/h, which is ideal for sharing with cyclists.

 

I ride there regularly and the main safety problem is motorists speeding and overtaking dangerously across barrier lines. They do this often on blind corners because they don't want to sit behind a slow moving truck for a minute or two. They tailgate impatiently until the intimidated slower driver moves into the emergency lane unsafely, exactly where most cyclists ride when ascending slowly. Decending Ou Kaapse Weg, the safest way to cycle is to ride just right of the yellow line and keep going about the same speed as the traffic and to keep sufficient following distances. Unfortunately drivers love to see how closely on your tail they can follow. Cyclists speeding down there at over 100km/h is something extremely rare as most of us do something between 50 and 60 km/h.

 

The vast majority of us are ordinary people, like yourself, despite the ridiculous way that we dress. Come on, give a little, be a bit more tolerant, there's no good reason to be scared of us.

 

(PS Can someone get this reply of mine addes to the article? I seem unable to do it, whatever gremlin is causing the trouble?)

 

Dont forget to add ... not all of us are drug cheats...anymore....

[Mackem]

There is one, from Cape Town to Blouberg, but Roadies still use the road....

 

That is not quite true - Roadies use some of the road, namely between the Sunset Beach intersection and the Dolphin Beach intersection. This is generally done (by the group that I ride with) on weekends when riding back from town at 10am when the cycle lane is full of other riders/ rollerbladers/ walkers/ runners etc. A group of 10-12 riders going at 35km/h is infinately more dangerous at that speed on the cycle path at that time than on the road within the yellow line.

[SwissVan]

I would hope the thing keeping recreational cyclists off busy roads would be LOGIC.

 

Commuter cyclists different story but man oh man am I tired of hearing cyclists saying things like "it's my right to ride there". Sure it's your right but 1500kg of steel beats 10kg of alu everytime.

 

I realise there are limitations in training time, roads available and infrastructure but safety trumps fitness everytime for me.

 

Nail on the head

 

Survival instinct, logic, etc.... even in switzerland there are some roads i steer clear of at certain times just because of the heavy traffic (typicaly at hometime)

 

Why look for a accident?