Marius Posted August 25, 2014 Posted August 25, 2014 It's not the cyclists fault the stupid municipality did not build a proper cycling lane. Long Wheel Base 1
Spinnekop Posted August 25, 2014 Posted August 25, 2014 Even though I didn`t know your friend I was very saddened when I heard the news, it was just to close to home for me with myself and friends cycling on that very piece of road almost every week. So I agree with what you said rather piss of some motorists and get home safe!The whole incident had me thinking last week, how can we get South Africa or Pretoria for that matter more commuter/cycling friendly? Do we start engaging with the government and asking for shoulders on all the roads? What can we do? Issue really is peoples bad attitude towards each other. It like the movie Crudes.....you cross the yellow line...DIE.....you don't cross it....DIE.....you dare hold up a motorist....you must die......my bakkie is bigger than yours....DIE......Narrow roads with no yellow....how dare you use the road.....DIE....make a cool youtube video of fellow cyclist dying. That there is your real problem. People being impatient. Rat race. Sheep towards the bigger house and bigger car and what not. Sick and tired of this place. Slowbee, BigDL, deanbean and 5 others 8
DIPSLICK Posted August 25, 2014 Posted August 25, 2014 I CALL BULL...................... WE ARE HATED BECAUSE WE ARE JUST THAT AWESOME, MINIONS CANT HANDLE HOW AWESOME WE ARE L'Bie, Meerkat82 and Jester6 3
kingalton Posted August 25, 2014 Posted August 25, 2014 Some know the story - Earlier this year I was taken out by a motorist, we were a group training for ironman, riding in single file.. the guy took a chance and tried to pass us, but as he was passing, an oncoming car got in the way and he had to cut in front and took me out... it was end of my ironman and I had broken bones and a hefty bill which I had to fit (different story re trying co claim anything from a motorist that hits you) - I got off relatively lightly, if you can consider what happened last weekend - if we had a car behind us, this wouldn't have happened.. I am super scared to ride on the road now and don't want to go ride on the road without a safety car.. I have a 4 month old boy now who I want to have a father growing up, I have a right to ride on the road and I have the right to have a safety car behind me to protect me.. if the law doesn't protect you and wont even allow you to claim for medical expenses from the driver that hit you, then I am afraid we have to make our own plans to keep ourselves safe... sorry for the impatient drivers out there, but my safety is more valuable than the 2 minutes you have to wait.. TheKaiser, BigDL, Sandro and 11 others 14
finallygotabike Posted August 25, 2014 Posted August 25, 2014 it is simple actually - just some tolerance is required from all parties. If you have a slow car or a taxi going at 30km/h infront of you, you are not going to endanger yourself by overtaking when you can't - rather you will wait till it is safe........so why when it is a cyclist/s with a safety car the same rules do not apply? just go drive on the French mountain passed during summer to experience tolerance.........cyclist block the roads and motorists just sit quietly behind them. Long Wheel Base, arendoog and Grogs 3
Long Wheel Base Posted August 25, 2014 Posted August 25, 2014 End of the day. . If our roads were safer things would be different.. weekly there is a story if a cyclist getting knocked down or killed on the roads. This is also the reason I ride a mtb, I am not going to lose my life because of an idiot driver.Even riding mtb we not safe anymore. I was riding my mtb on the pavement(read single track path made by pedestrians) in rush hour traffic and behind me comes a taxi(yes on the dirt)hooting at me because the traffic was at a standstill and the pavement was faster. Dont know why he hooted because he just pushed passed me anyway almost taking me out. Luckily I was ok and only got away with shouting a few choice words, other fellow cyclists are not!RIP all the fallen fellow cyclists. jules1976 and Cois 2
ryanbritchford Posted August 25, 2014 Posted August 25, 2014   Whats more dangerous - riding 4 abreast with a safety car behind OR tacking pictures with a cell phone while driving??? Read before getting clever. The passenger took the photo.
kosmonooit Posted August 25, 2014 Posted August 25, 2014 Oh yes, no scared space for cyclists. Last year I was riding on the pavement at the intersection under the highway on Corlett Drive, next thing a real skoro koro taxi flies through a red traffic light, gets t-boned by a car, then the wreck head straight for me on the pavement, I got out of the way just in time.
Gen Posted August 25, 2014 Posted August 25, 2014 Even riding mtb we not safe anymore. I was riding my mtb on the pavement(read single track path made by pedestrians) in rush hour traffic and behind me comes a taxi(yes on the dirt)hooting at me because the traffic was at a standstill and the pavement was faster. Dont know why he hooted because he just pushed passed me anyway almost taking me out. Luckily I was ok and only got away with shouting a few choice words, other fellow cyclists are not!RIP all the fallen fellow cyclists. What the hell.. that's all bad. I myself had a couple of close calls while riding from my house the the routes we ride (and its maybe 1-2km depending on what direction I go out) out in the bundus. .. it's not cool hey.. people have zero regard for one another.
Pure Savage Posted August 25, 2014 Posted August 25, 2014 Rather be hated than dead... So over people posting photo's of roadies on the road. Don't be in such a rush, waiting 2 minutes is not going to kill you. Grogs, Meerkat82, finallygotabike and 1 other 4
Tubehunter Posted August 25, 2014 Posted August 25, 2014 There are too many variables at play to find a solution for this whole situation and we all know it is impossible to make everyone happy by doing anything in a certain way. Roads are a shared resource and we've all lost our sense of community in so many ways that it's easy to get on the roads and behave like a punk, in the way we drive and the way we cycle, showing blatant inconsideration. Everyone can argue the rights of this over the rights of that, but frankly I would rather be alive than right. Safety first, but surely there must be a way we can ride in a safer manner and engage traffic in a less hostile manner?? Pabloesque and Vangar 2
Pure Savage Posted August 25, 2014 Posted August 25, 2014 We were riding on the weekend through ocean view in the yellow lane even though it is basically a gravel road and still this old bat hoots at us, we were not even in the road. That whole ocean view road is a joke really, the cars scream past you only to jump on the breaks and try turn left in front of you. That is why everyone hates motorists.
rudi-h Posted August 25, 2014 Posted August 25, 2014 Some know the story - Earlier this year I was taken out by a motorist, we were a group training for ironman, riding in single file.. the guy took a chance and tried to pass us, but as he was passing, an oncoming car got in the way and he had to cut in front and took me out... it was end of my ironman and I had broken bones and a hefty bill which I had to fit (different story re trying co claim anything from a motorist that hits you) - I got off relatively lightly, if you can consider what happened last weekend - if we had a car behind us, this wouldn't have happened.. I am super scared to ride on the road now and don't want to go ride on the road without a safety car.. I have a 4 month old boy now who I want to have a father growing up, I have a right to ride on the road and I have the right to have a safety car behind me to protect me.. if the law doesn't protect you and wont even allow you to claim for medical expenses from the driver that hit you, then I am afraid we have to make our own plans to keep ourselves safe... sorry for the impatient drivers out there, but my safety is more valuable than the 2 minutes you have to wait.. I feel for you and I'm sorry to hear about your accident and really glad you are okay now. However riding with a safety car blocking up cars behind you can't be the ultimate solution. Drivers plan their trip time (right or wrong) on the fact that their vehicles are capable of driving at the speed limit, and when drivers cannot achieve driving at that speed, then they get irritated and frustrated and worry about being late. If the problem is peak hour traffic, drivers accept the fact that nothing in particular is holding them up and then its easy to deal with the issue. On the other hand, if (for example) a taxi pulls up in front of you with no warning and off-loads the dude sitting at the back right (taking 15 seconds only), all of us are quick to hoot and show signs when we pass them. Why? Because the 15 seconds wait was so bad? No, its because you are waiting for something that you shouldn't be waiting for... Do you get angry? Yes you do! Does it make sens? No it doesn't! Same with cyclists, on the larger scale of us as humans living an estimated 80 years or 40 odd million minutes, two minutes here and two minutes there waiting for a cyclist doesn't change anything, but as becomes clear form this thread that most of us humans not logical about these things. Road rage and the associated frustration of waiting for somebody that you perceive to be selfish is real although it doesn't make sense if you really consider the issue. We also know that angry and frustrated people do stupid things Bottom line, as long as we share the road with cars:1) You will piss off people (right or wrong) that drive behind a group of cyclists with a back-up vehicle behind them or riding two or more abreast.2) There will continue to be fatal cycling accidents3) We will continue to debate this, rant about this and differ in our opinions (even as cyclists) forever. My solution:Do not share the road with cars. I'm not saying I've nailed this issue, but after a few close encounters I vouched to only touch my road bike in thee places. Either riding at suikerbosrand (too few cars to piss off), at the cradle (only the parts with shoulders, not including the N14 to kloofzicht stretch and neither the beyers naude stretch past heia safari) and at races with full road closure. Nothing else. For the rest I ride my MTB and stick strictly to dirt and sidewalks. Grogs 1
Tubehunter Posted August 25, 2014 Posted August 25, 2014 We were riding on the weekend through ocean view in the yellow lane even though it is basically a gravel road and still this old bat hoots at us, we were not even in the road. That whole ocean view road is a joke really, the cars scream past you only to jump on the breaks and try turn left in front of you. That is why everyone hates motorists. That stretch is a complete joke. Besides whcih, our group rolled through there on Saturday and we're all to the left of the yellow line in what used to be remnants of the tarred road, dodging the shopping trolley mobile homes and other busy pedestrian traffic whilst passing pothole city but still not straying into the road at all. Some fellow cyclist type drives past slowly in his car with his window rolled down and shouts that we're the reason cyclists are hated.... When you're on a bike you never win! Rather be safe! Cois, Pure Savage and GLuvsMtb 3
CarbonKid Posted August 25, 2014 Posted August 25, 2014 I ride often at the Modderfontein Nature Reserve, and on the tar road inside the reserve i have nearly been knocked over/down on at least four occasions witth "cyclists"/idiots behind the wheel trying to get to the pay gate before me, and then also the park run clowns leaving the reserve come flying down the tar road at well over 100 kph to rush home, and bugger any cyclists using the private road in the reserve, so yes it is a mentality thing of most SA drivers. get out of the way or my 4x4 will flattten you, and they are cyclists/runners themselves. At the end of the day, cyclists will just not win.
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