Rhodes Drive brainfart!

[GoLefty!!]

 

@6:30 Rhodes Drives is dark.

 

Get a light. Extreme lights have many specials!

 

I applaud your patience

 

I did not have the liberty of patience this morning.

 

You killed it with your rant. Should just have turned it around and posted about how you were shining example of the patience needed on SA roads.

 

- Unplanned for traffic obstacles happen everyday. today it as a cyclist, tomorrow its taxi violence.

 

Precisely the point. This stretch of road constantly has all manner of traffic issues without adding something like an impassable cyclist to it. Hence me posting this in the safety forum.

 

What was your rant about again?

 

As utopian as it would be to claim we should all just cycle wherever and get along the reality of this particular daily melting pot makes it an extremely dangerous situation and someone is likely to get taken out.

 

I'm ranting to other cyclists using this forum to stay off Rhodes Drive heading towards Hout Bay during peak hours, as your uphill journey at an average speed of 20 kays an hour is extremely painful and someone is going to lose their patience and drive over you. I counted roughly 5 drivers who were prepared to do that just this morning!

 

 

 

 

you didn't....

you used that aggrevating phrase..

 

I'l cycle on any road its legal to cycle on when I deem its safe to do so. Your wobley this morning doesn;t come into any decision I make as to where I ride.

 

OR if you prefer I could call you at 5:30 and ask you what your moods like before I venture out? Is that a suitable compromise?

 

I don't get it, promote cycle safety on the one hand and on the other, have a blue Monday and we're now being dictated as to where we should ride.

 

So which is it?

 

 

PS: Don't need those lights, I have better. But thanks for the heads up

[velomonatiCT]

wow its lefty's opinion or none at all

 

but sorry lefty this post is correct because when some cyclist

takes the lane like the one described (even though its his legal right

and he deems it safe ) he makes the average scary motorist impatient and therefore even more dangerous than they normally are and that makes the

next encounter they have with another cyclist even more dodgy!

 

the poster has a right to be aggravated its not really about what you

think you may and may not do on the road ...that's the attitude that

keeps getting us killed by motorists who think its their right to be out driving wherever and whenever however they like

 

step back a bit ... take a breath

[GoLefty!!]

the cyclist is not in control of the motorists emotions. the motorist is.

 

the cyclist duty is too themselves. Angry chops who have no patience should seek out therapy and not a drivers license renewal.

 

I suspect this post and support for the rant is just a cop out to justify bad driving behavior.

 

Share the road. there is no try. this is my way.

 

of course for you there is always the highway

[Patchelicious]

the cyclist is not in control of the motorists emotions. the motorist is.

 

the cyclist duty is too themselves. Angry chops who have no patience should seek out therapy and not a drivers license renewal.

 

I suspect this post and support for the rant is just a cop out to justify bad driving behavior.

 

Share the road. there is no try. this is my way.

 

of course for you there is always the highway

Perhaps, but that is not the reality of the situation.

[velomonatiCT]

well you stick to your way then and when an angry truck driver decides you are in his........... just hope he is in control of his emotions

[Patchelicious]

well you stick to your way then and when an angry truck driver decides you are in his........... just hope he is in control of his emotions

No he cant stick to his ways, because said pissed off truck driver will not distinguish between GaanLings and other cyclists and might run another guy off the road because in his mind "all cyclists are selfish plicks".

 

This is what people don't realize, your selfish acts on a bicycle can negatively affect other cyclists who have done nothing wrong.

[nonky]

the cyclist is not in control of the motorists emotions. the motorist is.

 

the cyclist duty is too themselves. Angry chops who have no patience should seek out therapy and not a drivers license renewal.

 

I suspect this post and support for the rant is just a cop out to justify bad driving behavior.

 

Share the road. there is no try. this is my way.

 

of course for you there is always the highway

With that attitude, you're part of the PROBLEM.

[Shebeen]

There's right and wrong. But common sense comes into play too.

This guy was in the right, thought he could make the gap, but oops. he didn't,

 

 

 

 

you didn't....

you used that aggrevating phrase..

 

I'l cycle on any road its legal to cycle on when I deem its safe to do so. 

That's the kicker. It's just not really safe to ride on Rhodes drive ever, and during peak traffic it's even worse. No shoulder, twisty turns, concealed entrances etc etc.

 

If it links your A to your B and you really have to ride there, then let the cars past every now and then.

[DJR]

There's right and wrong. But common sense comes into play too.

This guy was in the right, thought he could make the gap, but oops. he didn't

.................

I think your "power gives way to sail" clip is very appropriate in the safety discussion. No sense playing chicken when you are on a bike and the opponent is behind the wheel of a Golden Arrow bus.

[GoLefty!!]

based on the description of events the cyclist was riding defensively......as PPA recommends.

 

So theHub Morality police says that its only ok to cycle defensively when YOU'RE on the bike. Bu when a hubber is driving then all other cylists must get the F*** out of their way because the hubber is in a bad mood..

 

oh booo hooo. Pick a side and play for it.

[Skubarra]

I'm very conflicted about this one....

 

I'm always worried that as fellow cyclists we are quick (often unintentionally) to reinforce the idea that cyclists are "lesser road users" that are only allowed to use the road as long as we don't inconvenience cars/trucks that have a bigger right to be there.

 

On the flipside, the roads were not built for our exclusive enjoyment, we have to share it with others, isn't it also selfish to "own the road" for your training purposes while holding up peak hour traffic? It would go a long way for better relations beween the various road users if you stick to the left or alternatively "own the road" outside peak hours when there is actually an opportunity for those behind you to safely pass.

[carbon29er]

wow its lefty's opinion or none at all

 

but sorry lefty this post is correct because when some cyclist

takes the lane like the one described (even though its his legal right

and he deems it safe ) he makes the average scary motorist impatient and therefore even more dangerous than they normally are and that makes the

next encounter they have with another cyclist even more dodgy!

 

the poster has a right to be aggravated its not really about what you

think you may and may not do on the road ...that's the attitude that

keeps getting us killed by motorists who think its their right to be out driving wherever and whenever however they like

 

step back a bit ... take a breath

 

 

I think your "power gives way to sail" clip is very appropriate in the safety discussion. No sense playing chicken when you are on a bike and the opponent is behind the wheel of a Golden Arrow bus.

 

 

There's right and wrong. But common sense comes into play too.

This guy was in the right, thought he could make the gap, but oops. he didn't,

That's the kicker. It's just not really safe to ride on Rhodes drive ever, and during peak traffic it's even worse. No shoulder, twisty turns, concealed entrances etc etc.

 

If it links your A to your B and you really have to ride there, then let the cars past every now and then.

 

This whole thread is hypocritical and typifies the battle we have with cycle safety.  No offence to Tubehunter intended in this reply, I have always found his attitude to safety very positive.

 

As has often been pointed out on these pages, some of the worst offenders in the abuse of a bike rider's rights to a safe journey is the motorist with the bike strapped to the back of the vehicle or bearing the 1,5 or staywider sticker.

 

In this case, very definite pro and con views are expressed.

 

However, it is a public road, it is legal for a bike rider to ride on it, it is not wide enough and there is no sealed run-off area to the left and the camber is pretty awful. So a bike rider needs to ride a little more towards the centre than is common on some other roads to be safe.

 

I say this thread is hypocritical as the condemnation of the bike rider has come out BECAUSE a motorist HAD to OBEY the law and not overtake as it was not safe to in terms of the law. So it's ok to demand a safer environment as long as it doesn't affect us? And if it does, we all give our views on why the bike rider is such a knob.

 

Which is it? Do we want respect for our space on the road or do we want to moan when we have to respect someone else's space if it inconveniences us?

 

Edit: removed video

[dre]

This whole thread is hypocritical and typifies the battle we have with cycle safety.  No offence to Tubehunter intended in this reply, I have always found his attitude to safety very positive.

 

As has often been pointed out on these pages, some of the worst offenders in the abuse of a bike rider's rights to a safe journey is the motorist with the bike strapped to the back of the vehicle or bearing the 1,5 or staywider sticker.

 

In this case, very definite pro and con views are expressed.

 

However, it is a public road, it is legal for a bike rider to ride on it, it is not wide enough and there is no sealed run-off area to the left and the camber is pretty awful. So a bike rider needs to ride a little more towards the centre than is common on some other roads to be safe.

 

I say this thread is hypocritical as the condemnation of the bike rider has come out BECAUSE a motorist HAD to OBEY the law and not overtake as it was not safe to in terms of the law. So it's ok to demand a safer environment as long as it doesn't affect us? And if it does, we all give our views on why the bike rider is such a knob.

 

Which is it? Do we want respect for our space on the road or do we want to moan when we have to respect someone else's space if it inconveniences us?

 

Edit: removed video

 

It was never said that the cyclist was riding illegaly. The point was as I understood, to have some consideration for fellow road users.

 

Apart from the danger he puts himself in due to impatient and cyclist-hating-motorists, consider the following:

 

This cyclist had none. No, he wasn't wrong, no-one said he was. However, doing your training ride on a road like Rhodes at 7h30 in peak hour traffic shows that he has zero consideration for his fellow road users. In peak hour traffic on these types of roads, a cyclist riding in the middle and not allowing a car to pass now and then will have serious effects of traffic back-ups of up to 35 minutes on average. Never mind the inconvenience for a couple of hundred motorists, think bigger; think of the negative economical impact it may have if hundreds or thousands of people are 30 minutes late for work. This because one cyclist trains in peak hour on a impossible-to-pass-road. Whereas if he trains 1 hour earlier or later, or just not on certain roads during peak hour traffic.

 Sure, as GoLefty says, he will not consider other peoples' moods or situations when he makes his decisions regarding his training routes and times; and neither did the person Tubehunter mentions. But this is exactly it; he is inconsiderate. And going on about safe cycling, 'stay wider than the rider', 'pass at 1m' or 'pass wide' or 'pass at 1.5m' will mean nothing if motorists keep on perceiving cyclists as inconsiderate. 

 

Us cyclists can campaign as we want, but it is our duty to show consideration toward motoriosts, because sure as hell the motorists won't just start respecting cyclists out of the blue. It is the attitude of the few cyclists like in the OP that gives all cyclists a reputation of being inconsiderate road users.

 

This isn't a debate about a cyclist's right to use any road. We all know we are legally allowed to ride on the roads at any time we please... but, it is strangely immature to expect motorists to respect and have consideration toward cyclists, just because we put on our yellow reflective jerseys, our lights, our stickers, etc, without showing consideration toward motorists.

 

Personally I think the guy that Tubehunter mentions in his OP was an inconsiderate, passive aggressive person purely judging on the actions as mentioned in the OP. Definitely NOT defensive as some mentioned. Any person with average inteligence would know that that specific piece of road is difficult to pass especially that time of the day... that borders on deliberate aggravation. 

[DJR]

I just want to stay alive, and to me at least, avoiding roads or times where I feel too threatened is the common sense thing to do. ( It is easy enough to do, even in Constantia. As mentioned, there are several much safer loops.) Even if I am allowed to ride there, and I take up the whole lane, totally legally. It is a given that sooner or later some driver, most likely a drunk one, or one with a bought licence, in a great big vehicle, will try to squeeze past me and get it just a little bit wrong.......with me getting it very wrong, perhaps dead wrong! (Still thinks Shebeens' sailing clip is very appropriate)

[marko35s]

This whole thread is hypocritical and typifies the battle we have with cycle safety. No offence to Tubehunter intended in this reply, I have always found his attitude to safety very positive.

 

As has often been pointed out on these pages, some of the worst offenders in the abuse of a bike rider's rights to a safe journey is the motorist with the bike strapped to the back of the vehicle or bearing the 1,5 or staywider sticker.

 

In this case, very definite pro and con views are expressed.

 

However, it is a public road, it is legal for a bike rider to ride on it, it is not wide enough and there is no sealed run-off area to the left and the camber is pretty awful. So a bike rider needs to ride a little more towards the centre than is common on some other roads to be safe.

 

I say this thread is hypocritical as the condemnation of the bike rider has come out BECAUSE a motorist HAD to OBEY the law and not overtake as it was not safe to in terms of the law. So it's ok to demand a safer environment as long as it doesn't affect us? And if it does, we all give our views on why the bike rider is such a knob.

 

Which is it? Do we want respect for our space on the road or do we want to moan when we have to respect someone else's space if it inconveniences us?

 

Edit: removed video

Because at no point should you ever consider the effect you are having on other people.

We just don't do that here.

[GoLefty!!]

perception of the riders consideration is relative to an individual irrespective of the time of day.

 

The cyclists is in the right. full stop