How to stop the Cycling Carnage on SA's roads?

[MTBeer]

This happened this morning during the TOGH ITT. He was meant to turn left and as you can see he had already started to slow down. He obviously did hear the truck because he swerved right to avoid being another casualty of reckless drivers. You can not put the blame on Rohan here. When you are doing an event like this, or any other big event for that matter, You don't expect to have to swerve for your life to avoid a vehicle. We have international riders doing this event, What will they think when this happens? P!$$ poor from the organisers. AND WHO HAPPENS TO ORGANISE THIS EVENT???? YIP MY FAVOURITE BUNCH OF PEOPLE.

Rant off.

That's quite a statement. How was the truck to know he was going to swing left?

[Frosty]

This is a comedy of errors, and Rohan is lucky to be alive.

There's a heated discussion on his FB page - for which I will refuse to comment on, as I'm not going to lower my standards to some of those people commenting.

 

@Patch, your point of 50% below average intelligence has been proven to be correct.

 

My observations:

The truck passes him on the left in a lane that indicates straight/left, while Rohan is in the right hand lane that indicates straight only - yet Rohan turns left across a lane without any indication of his intentions, that also allows traffic to go straight. Yes, the truck driver could've slowed down, but at one point Rohan was doing 65km/h. Stupid 1 Rohan 0

 

The driver taking a video of the rider, is distracted - focus is on Rohan and not the traffic. Stupid 1 driver 0

 

Marshals - there should be one before the turn, another 2-3 at the turn and one after the turn watching for oncoming traffic. It's hard to see if there are any signs, but even if there were they are so small that it's almost impossible to see (from a driver's perspective). No score

[Tomik]

Has anyone pointed out to him that he was in the left (fast) lane of a two-lane road? Surely that is against the rules of the competition? It is illegal, after all...

[Long Wheel Base]

That's quite a statement. How was the truck to know he was going to swing left?

Fair enough, the truck driver was probably non the wiser about the event. But the point I am trying to make it the truck shouldn't have been there in the first place.

[Gen]

Fair enough, the truck driver was probably non the wiser about the event. But the point I am trying to make it the truck shouldn't have been there in the first place.

That's exactly my point as well..

 

It's like these organisers live under a rock..

 

Oh well guys there is the road.. go do you TT we'll see you at the end ..good luck.

 

Close the damn road..barricade the section for the riders .. but dammit just make it safe..

 

I am not even faulting the truck driver.. I don't even think as you said the truck driver knew there was an event.. and it that the marshal there on the turn running for dear life to get out of the way?

[Gen]

This is a comedy of errors, and Rohan is lucky to be alive.

 

There's a heated discussion on his FB page - for which I will refuse to comment on, as I'm not going to lower my standards to some of those people commenting.

 

@Patch, your point of 50% below average intelligence has been proven to be correct.

 

My observations:

The truck passes him on the left in a lane that indicates straight/left, while Rohan is in the right hand lane that indicates straight only - yet Rohan turns left across a lane without any indication of his intentions, that also allows traffic to go straight. Yes, the truck driver could've slowed down, but at one point Rohan was doing 65km/h. Stupid 1 Rohan 0

rohan.PNG

 

The driver taking a video of the rider, is distracted - focus is on Rohan and not the traffic. Stupid 1 driver 0

 

Marshals - there should be one before the turn, another 2-3 at the turn and one after the turn watching for oncoming traffic. It's hard to see if there are any signs, but even if there were they are so small that it's almost impossible to see (from a driver's perspective). No score

You organise events.. how would you make a ITT safe.?

[MTBeer]

That's exactly my point as well..

 

It's like these organisers live under a rock..

 

Oh well guys there is the road.. go do you TT we'll see you at the end ..good luck.

 

Close the damn road..barricade the section for the riders .. but dammit just make it safe..

 

I am not even faulting the truck driver.. I don't even think as you said the truck driver knew there was an event.. and it that the marshal there on the turn running for dear life to get out of the way?

how easy is it to get that done. I mean as in dealing with City of Cape Town .

[Long Wheel Base]

how easy is it to get that done. I mean as in dealing with City of Cape Town .

Probably not very easy. But I am sure it can be done. Maybe like Gen said, Just 1 lane closed off?

[Frosty]

You organise events one event... how would you make a ITT safe.?

Let me check out the route first

 

 

edit:

The route was 94% on side roads, and 1.6Km (6%) on the R44. For this the organiser should have considered an out-and-back route that would stay on the side roads - leaving the R44 out of the equation.

 

Turn right coming out from then start, then right again. Turn around at 13Km and ride back to the start. Only 13Km of roads to marshal, but possibly two right hand turns, which is not ideal but safer than the R44.

 

I don't know the area, but the R44 appears to be one of two roads that would be used for heavy vehicles travelling between Wellington/ Stellenbosch (R44), and Wellington/Paarl (R45).

 

edit some more: For the 1.6Km stretch on the R44, the organiser could have requested to have speed restrictions put in place, and possibly cone off one lane. Although cones are more dangerous to cyclists than cars. Stupid 1 Organiser 0

[worriesnot]

Holy cow!!

 

 

oh yes, pooh definitely came out .

wow.... that could have ended so badly.

[Bateleur1]

2017 is barely two months in.  This is the second serious (although there was no hit this is serious this one) incident in the Western Cape with CSA sactioning.  Is there not one brain cell in CSA thinking .... something is wrong here.

[Hairy]

During an event.

Thanks, but still open roads from comments I have read here

 

This happened this morning during the TOGH ITT. He was meant to turn left and as you can see he had already started to slow down. He obviously did hear the truck because he swerved right to avoid being another casualty of reckless drivers. You can not put the blame on Rohan here. When you are doing an event like this, or any other big event for that matter, You don't expect to have to swerve for your life to avoid a vehicle. We have international riders doing this event, What will they think when this happens? P!$$ poor from the organisers. AND WHO HAPPENS TO ORGANISE THIS EVENT???? YIP MY FAVOURITE BUNCH OF PEOPLE.

Rant off.

He is in a straight only lane and turns out left without indicating or looking, he surely knew he was on an open road and should have behaved as such.

 

How would you react if a car did this on the roads?

[Patchelicious]

Let me check out the route first

 

 

edit:

The route was 94% on side roads, and 1.6Km (6%) on the R44. For this the organiser should have considered an out-and-back route that would stay on the side roads - leaving the R44 out of the equation.

 

Turn right coming out from then start, then right again. Turn around at 13Km and ride back to the start. Only 13Km of roads to marshal, but possibly two right hand turns, which is not ideal.

 

I don't know the area, but the R44 appears to be one of two roads that would be used for heavy vehicles travlling between Wellington and Stellenbosch (R44) and Wellington and Paarl (R45).

 

edit some more: For the 1.6Km stretch on the R44, the organiser could have had requested to have speed restrictions put in place, and possible cone off one lane. Although cones are more dangerous to cyclists than cars. Stupid 1 Organiser 0

One day when I grow up, I want to be like you!!

 

The logic is strong with G!

[Frosty]

One day when I grow up, I want to be like you!!

 

The logic is strong with G!

now to correct all my spelling/ errors before I assign myself to the <50%

[L46]

If you organize an event and claim it to have UCI status, promote the UCI status and charge entry fees accordingly, then UCI rules must apply, all of them.

 

UCI Rules for ITT states;

 

"Course

 

2.4.002 The course shall be safe and perfectly signposted.

 

2.4.003 From the start of the race, the circuit may be used only by the riders in the race and the vehicles following such riders."

 

The issue and blame here should be in full on the organisers for not closing the road.  (I agree the truck probably didn't know Rohan would be turning left etc, but the truck shouldn't have been there to start off with.)  

 

If you can't close the road as per UCI requirements, then it's not a UCI event and then you don't host the event, you cancel it.  Else UCI should impose a fine on the organisers, as they do with dopers, which are also breaking the rules.

 

You cannot twist the UCI rules to suit your needs ( A "Race Bible" as the organizers call it is really only for information purposes, not a substitude for UCI rules )

 

Just imagine this happening at a world tour UCI event

[Hairy]

now to correct all my spelling/ errors before I assign myself to the <50%

if there is enough reason in a post, no one even notices the spelingz