PPA: Please obey the rules of the road

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[carbon29er]

Oh please. The sooner PPA stops justifying motorists endangering cyclists lives by passing too closely with nonsense about red lights and stop streets the safer it will be for cyclists to ride on roads that they are legally fully entitled to ride on.

 

I have yet to see a post from PPA on social media condemning a motorist for endangering a cyclist but have seen plenty criticising cyclists.  Quite a few with photos taken while driving.

 

The attitude that we, as cyclists, are encroaching on motorists territory by riding on the road is, frankly, ridiculous.

 

What's next? Stop and pat a motorist on the head to thank him as the mountain bikers are being asked to do when passing a dog walker riding in the newly designated Table Mountain whatever it's called?

 

I have plenty of video footage of motorists endangering me and others without a single red light or stop street as an excuse.

[Capricorn]

hell, i'm all for educating the cyclists, as some of them are just as guilty on many, many occasions of self-entitlement issues plaguing some motorists. PPA speaks for the cyclists, so why not too the cyclists as well. They can start with those fools coming the wrong way down Marine drive in the morning.

Edited November 15, 2016 by Capricorn

[DJR]

Carbon29er, for the life of me, I do not understand what got so under your skin about the PPA safelty thingie. 

 

"Pass other cyclists on the right with an audible verbal warning. Other cyclists expect you to pass on their right hand side

Use hand signals. Use hand signals so other road users know what your intentions are.

When you reach a red light, you should wait behind the cyclist who is already there. It seems to have become a standard practice to pass the rider and stop in front of him, even if it involves doing so in the middle of a pedestrian crossing or in the actual intersection, well ahead of the traffic light. This is an incredibly rude practice.

Don’t ride against traffic. Riding in the opposite direction on the opposite side of the road is extremely dangerous

Don’t ride with headphones. Don’t hinder your ability to hear warnings and approaching dangers on a bike in the middle of traffic. It’s also against the law.

Don’t jump read lights or stop signs. Why? If you want to be treated like a road user, you need to act like a road user.
Also no flitting from road to the pavement and back. Make life easy for drivers to predict what you’re going to do, and you will find it easier to stay safe.

Be predictable. Just like riding in traffic, riding in a group means you need to think about what other people expect you to do. The perfect group ride will be a seamless body of movement and this is, in part, due to the awareness of the riders. The natural extension of this is holding your line. If you have to take the hit and ride through that small pothole, you do it. Just don’t flick the bike around and weave all over the place – nobody can predict that and you’ll eventually cause a crash.
Don’t overlap wheels. This is like sitting in someone’s blind spot when driving. You know you’re there, but they might not. And if they move out slightly and hit wheels with you, one or both of you are coming down. The best places to be are behind, beside or in front of someone else, never overlapping wheels. Unless the group consists of experienced riders who know that you are riding half a wheel behind.

Ride single file on narrow or busy roads and when riding round bends. It is very frustrating for other cyclists as well as motorists if they cannot pass a group of cyclists riding abreast endangering the lives of other cyclists

Don’t leave your bicycle in the pathway of other cyclists if nature calls or to answer a call.
It is frustrating and dangerous to other cyclists to leave your bike in the middle of the road to talk on your cell . there is also lack of control over your bike should you answer a phone call whilst cycling.

Be on the lookout for road hazards and don’t cross the centre line when cutting corners.

Don’t expect to be granted right of way in any instance.
Please be careful and alert on the roads."

[avatar]

my (slightly modified) PPA bagdes

 

[carbon29er]

Not a red light in sight so still trying to workout why this guy had to come so close this morning.  Total distance from the wall to his wheel is no more than a metre. And I'm in that space.

 

But maybe he saw a guy jump a red light in Sun Valley and decided I was to blame?

 

[cfcjim]

Carbon29er, for the life of me, I do not understand what got so under your skin about the PPA safelty thingie. 

 

"Pass other cyclists on the right with an audible verbal warning. Other cyclists expect you to pass on their right hand side

<snip>

 

<snip>

Don’t expect to be granted right of way in any instance.

Please be careful and alert on the roads."

 

Maybe it feels a little like victim blaming?

 

Just a thought.

[Pure Savage]

How about motorists, dont be a dwiss and try overtake single file cyclists around a blind corner. Whenever I see a french car behind us or a mommy in a merc, I drift into the middle of the road just to make sure they dont think off overtaking on a blind corner. 

[GaryP]

This debate can and will go on. However, cars offer drivers much more protection than cyclists and we will always, always come off second best. Therefore, as cyclists we should do all we can to stay safe while riding not only for ourselves but for everyone that cares for us. So, bottom line, please all stay safe out there and do whatever you can not to have an accident. Your life is totally worth it!

[carbon29er]

Carbon29er, for the life of me, I do not understand what got so under your skin about the PPA safelty thingie. 

 

"Pass other cyclists on the right with an audible verbal warning. Other cyclists expect you to pass on their right hand side

 

 

 

Don’t jump read lights or stop signs. Why? If you want to be treated like a road user, you need to act like a road user.

Also no flitting from road to the pavement and back. Make life easy for drivers to predict what you’re going to do, and you will find it easier to stay safe.

 

 

Don’t leave your bicycle in the pathway of other cyclists if nature calls or to answer a call.

It is frustrating and dangerous to other cyclists to leave your bike in the middle of the road to talk on your cell . there is also lack of control over your bike should you answer a phone call whilst cycling.

 

 

 

The patronising tone perhaps?

 

If I want to be treated like a road user? I AM a road user, I don't have to ask ANYONE if I can ride on their road. I have a well established legal right to be on the road. This is just a totally brain dead comment that shows exactly how little the organisation trying to encourage safe cycling actually understands about the issues.

 

Read the bit I underlined in bold. FFS, don't answer your phone in the middle of the road and leave your bike lying in the middle of the road? I'll give a set of unused Continental Gatorskin 25c tyres to the first person who has experienced this phenomena. Sorry, not GP4000S as it's not a warranty issue.

 

PPA think a road is like a trail and motorists are like dog walkers or horse riders and we are invading their space.

 

Has anyone seen advice to motorists issued by PPA about cycling safety in the past year? Thought not.

 

Safety is not about highlighting cyclists doing things that transgress the law but endangers no one, surely it's about motorists doing things that endanger other road users, particularly cyclists and pedestrians?

[Duane_Bosch]

The patronising tone perhaps?

 

If I want to be treated like a road user? I AM a road user, I don't have to ask ANYONE if I can ride on their road. I have a well established legal right to be on the road. This is just a totally brain dead comment that shows exactly how little the organisation trying to encourage safe cycling actually understands about the

I'm afraid I have to agree with you on this. it's like telling an abused woman she mustn't do the things that piss her husband off!!!!!!!!!

 

How about telling the mommys in their suv's to watch THE FKING ROAD FOR A CHANGE!!!

Edited November 15, 2016 by Duane_Bosch

[PlemPlem]

Carbon29

Sadly you seem to have totally missed the point of the article!

It is not about the motorist driving badly/ driving too close/ endangering cyclists/ taxis breaking every law etc. or whatever else comes our way! We know they do!

It is generally about that we, all cyclists who are also allowed to use the roads, get our own house in order first and behave properly on the public roads, the same way that we want all other road users to!

This means that we do not:

• jump Stop streets
• jump red traffic lights
• ride more than single file on a road without a shoulder, thereby blocking the road for the motorist behind
• do anything else that is against the law of the roads
• infringe anybody else's right to utilize the road

We are ourselves motorists as well and we can all see how other cyclists (mis)behave on the roads such that I myself get pissed off with my fellow cyclists while driving!

If motorists can see that cyclists generally behave properly while riding, their current crappy attitude towards us will also improve in due time. It works overseas (Germany, France , Austria), therefore it can work here!

This Tit-for-Tat is useless and a cyclist will always come off second best in an altercation with a car!!

[HdB]

Safety is not about highlighting cyclists doing things that transgress the law but endangers no one, surely it's about motorists doing things that endanger other road users, particularly cyclists and pedestrians?

 

Shouldn't safety actually be about highlighting the things the cyclists/pedestrians AND motorists do that transgress the law?

If both groups knew and followed the rules of the road, it would be a safer place for everyone and both groups would be less pissed off at each other all the time.

 

I ride mostly road, so I absolutely agree with you about the attitude that we are intruders on THEIR road, it is nonsense, we do have the right to be there.

 

All of the things in the press release are obvious things that NO cyclist should be doing because DUH!

The fact that they even sent out this kind of press release means that there are still the few idiots doing these kinds of things.

I still see riders without helmets, on the wrong side of the road, skipping traffic lights, riding two abreast on busy roads... some of those might not endanger anyone but the perpetrator, and yes it is less dangerous than a motorist skipping the same traffic light, but it is still illegal.

Edited November 15, 2016 by HdB

[bikebloke]

yeah im with carbon29 on this .....

 

and its only a question of time before the PPA press release that says "after discussions with all stakeholders the PPA supports the governments plans to make cyclists get a licence to ride on the road "  etc etc ( yeah now you are laughing but wait......)

 

 

they claim to represent us but they only represent themselves and us when it furthers their agenda

[carbon29er]

Carbon29

Sadly you seem to have totally missed the point of the article!

I've missed nothing. Your response just adds to the stupidity of the press release.

 

I'll give you an example. If a motorist overtakes on a solid white line or jumps a red light does that mean NO motorists should be driving on the roads? By your analogy that's what you are preaching.

 

Your simplistic and patronising attitude does nothing to improve safety for cyclists. But it does increase the chances of victim blaming.

[DJR]

The patronising tone perhaps?

 

If I want to be treated like a road user? I AM a road user, I don't have to ask ANYONE if I can ride on their road. I have a well established legal right to be on the road. This is just a totally brain dead comment that shows exactly how little the organisation trying to encourage safe cycling actually understands about the issues.

 

Read the bit I underlined in bold. FFS, don't answer your phone in the middle of the road and leave your bike lying in the middle of the road? I'll give a set of unused Continental Gatorskin 25c tyres to the first person who has experienced this phenomena. Sorry, not GP4000S as it's not a warranty issue.

 

PPA think a road is like a trail and motorists are like dog walkers or horse riders and we are invading their space.

 

Has anyone seen advice to motorists issued by PPA about cycling safety in the past year? Thought not.

 

Safety is not about highlighting cyclists doing things that transgress the law but endangers no one, surely it's about motorists doing things that endanger other road users, particularly cyclists and pedestrians?

I can understand and relate to your point of view. I agree that MUCH MORE should be done to educate motorists.

 

It's just that from a personal cycling safety perspective, I agree with the PPA too. I think that specific article was speaking to cyclists and was about what we can do to stay alive. Also, it makes the seldom mentioned point that we should not endanger each others lives, which I see more than I would like. (Like three slow riders abreast in the yellow lane because they like to have a chat, which means that everyone overtaking them has to move across the yellow line where they are inherently more at risk. At every race I see people fixing punctures on the side of the road, where a single step off the tar would have allowed others to pass more safely.) These things never bothered me much because I've been riding for long enough to know how to deal with them safely. Where I became acutely aware of them, was when my own youngsters started riding road with me. Suddenly, those three inconsiderate riders became a problem, because inexperienced riders will often just swerve around them, without looking, or if they do look, that will cause them to swerve.....endangering everyone.