1m space to pass cyclist now law in WC

[DIE BURGERMEESTER]

Ek het nou probeer om die dokumentasie te lees op www.greengazette.co.za, maar jy moet eers 'n maandelikse koste van R189.00 betaal of R879.00 per jaar???

 

Hoekom word hierdie nie aan ons verniet beskikbaar gestel nie?

 

Wonder maar net...

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

opening or hopefully finally closing another can of worms

 

ROFL. Again, always has been the case.

[Capricorn]

Was merely a slight tongue in cheek comment - humour in it lost in interwebs translation.

 

Like you rightly point out, they make you more visible at night. The statement implies that no one is allowed to ride a bike on a public road or cycle lane at any time of day without retroreflectors fitted. The irony therein is as RocknRolla pointed out that those reflectors would be pretty much useless during the day.

 

personally, i believe that's there to counter inate laziness:who in his/her right mind is going to put a rear and front light on religious before they head off after sunset or before sunrise. I see plenty of cyclists completely devoid of any form of lighting on pre-dawn road missions. morons.

 

just wish the rule book was updated to include something about lights: they should be approved for city riding, not the lasers currently used by all and sunday that were intended for wide open bush without municipal lighting. All cars have deflectors to prevent blinding on coming traffic (except the brights of course). but cyclists with lights on their bars (already higher than most vehicles) have no such dimming, and it is BLINDING.

Edited November 20, 2013 by Capricorn

[Cassie]

Seriously?

 

Yes!! you (we) are all breaking the law!!

[MartinPV]

There are two major flaws with the new regulations that were brought to the attention of Malcolm Watters, earlier this year.

 

1. The mandatory passing distance has been tried an rescinded even in Australia because it did not add any protection for cyclists.

 

2. Being obliged to ride as far left as possible has also been shown to reduce the safety of cyclists.

 

 

They have added laws that make cycling less safe

[Cassie]

I don't know. I remember some traffic oke being interviewed on Cape Talk a while back and I'm sure he said that there was no law forcing cyclists to use the cycle lane.

 

well, now its LAW!!

[MartinPV]

agreed 100%. It is, however, one way of making people feel a bit safer, as well as instituting an additional level of legislation that protects us cyclists as the more "at risk" portion of road users.

 

As for what else to do to get rid of / reduce road deaths caused by other means - education and strict enforcement of the current regulations by increased visible policing, and more importantly effective policing.

I agree that this may provide people the illusion that they are safer, but provides no additional protection.

[RocknRolla]

personally, i believe that's there to counter inate laziness:who in his/her right mind is going to put a rear and front light on religious before they head off after sunset or before sunrise. I see plenty of cyclists completely devoid of any form of lighting on pre-dawn road missions. morons.

 

just wish the rule book was updated to include something about lights: they should be approved for city riding, not the lasers currently used by all and sunday that were intended for wide open bush without municipal lighting. All cars have deflectors to prevent blinding on coming traffic (except the brights of course). but cyclists with lights on their bars (already higher than most vehicles) have no such dimming, and it is BLINDING.

 

Correct, The lights that some cyclists use, are at the point of being (and is) blinding. But that's kinda the point we have been driven (scuse the pun) to. I used to ride my motorcycle with my brights on, as you require every little bit of visibility available when on 2 wheels.

 

As for lazines, if there is even a slight chance of being on the road after sunset i take my lights with (front and rear)

I normally fit my lights on early morning rider even if it is only 15mins before sunrise. Once on the bike they dont bother me at all.

 

It's called common sense, and unfortunately it's not very common.

 

<edit:> meh - struggling to type

Edited November 20, 2013 by RocknRolla

[Blackbeard]

Makes perfect sense.

 

In daylight - you need reflectors (as you are a vehicle using a public road - all vehicles are required to be fitted with reflectors)

 

After sunset - you are required to have reflectors AND working lights.

 

There's no obviation, and it makes perfect sense.

 

Motor vehicles require reflectors in situations where their headlights are not on, eg when parked at the side of the road.

 

Reflectors are not effective in daylight.

 

4(1) requires a cyclist to have lit front and rear lights between sunset and sunrise. These lights will be visible long before reflected light is and if a motorist cannot see your lights, reflected lights are not going to save your lycra-clad butt.

Edited November 20, 2013 by Blackbeard

[springmielie]

personally, i believe that's there to counter inate laziness:who in his/her right mind is going to put a rear and front light on religious before they head off after sunset or before sunrise. I see plenty of cyclists completely devoid of any form of lighting on pre-dawn road missions. morons.

 

just wish the rule book was updated to include something about lights: they should be approved for city riding, not the lasers currently used by all and sunday that were intended for wide open bush without municipal lighting. All cars have deflectors to prevent blinding on coming traffic (except the brights of course). but cyclists with lights on their bars (already higher than most vehicles) have no such dimming, and it is BLINDING.

Yip, get what you're saying. Definitely some lazy blokes around.

 

As for lighting up the world with intense bush-style lights used on the road, perhaps riders should just try and angle their lights down a bit rather than head on into oncoming traffic's eyes - I agree it can be pretty blinding at times.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

I agree that this may provide people the illusion that they are safer, but provides no additional protection.

 

what would you suggest in its place, given the rollout of ever increasing bike paths, Martin?

[MartinPV]

what would you suggest in its place, given the rollout of ever increasing bike paths, Martin?

Current research suggests that a physically separated cycle lane is best. Not sure we will be seeing too many of those. The next best thing is for us to act and respond as cars would. We should be riding in the lane the same way we would on a motorbike. Edited November 20, 2013 by MartinPV

[RocknRolla]

I can somehow understand how a reflector will assist as a backup in some measure of visibility at night if the cyclist's rear light has failed.

[Capricorn]

Yip, get what you're saying. Definitely some lazy blokes around.

 

As for lighting up the world with intense bush-style lights used on the road, perhaps riders should just try and angle their lights down a bit rather than head on into oncoming traffic's eyes - I agree it can be pretty blinding at times.

 

if u look at the way the lense and housing is designed and the resultant beam dispersion angle, you will see why pointing the light down only goes so far in solving the problem. On cars, the reflectors are designed to ensure the beam never goes above the horizontal. You can see this on misty days as the light hitting the water droplets in the air very clearly show the beam path.

Also, cars in ZA have deflectors to point the lights slightly to the left.

 

The current crop of MTB lights are like sawn off shotguns: loud and very wide in every direction imaginable except rearward. Unsafe IMO.

Edited November 20, 2013 by Capricorn

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Motor vehicles require reflectors in situations where their headlights are not on, eg when parked at the side of the road.

 

Reflectors are not effective in daylight.

 

4(1) requires a cyclist to have lit front and rear lights between sunset and sunrise. These lights will be visible long before reflected light is and if a motorist cannot see your lights, reflected lights are not going to safe your lycra-clad butt.

No danger of that, I don't wear lycra!!!

 

But seriously. Sometimes reflectors are good during the day, and they DO refract light. So that's the reason they are required.

 

 

But - overall, it is the law of the road. If you want to ride on the road, fit a reflector. Easy peasy.

[RocknRolla]

Current research suggests that a physically separated cycle lane is best. Not sure we will be seeing too many of those. The next best thing is for us to act and respond as cars would. We should be riding in the lane the same way we would on a motorbike.

 

This theory is dependant on motorists being attentave, and curteous. Not homicidal self-righteos arseholes with a attention span of dory.

 

Think of right hand lane hoggers on the highway.

 

Riding a bicycle on the roads needs to be about self preservation, a cyclist is at a distinct disadvantage in terms of protection as well as visibility and speed, putting yourself in harm's way by taking up a whole lane is Darwinistic behaviour, and should not even be attempted in South Africa.