Patchelicious Posted April 2, 2018 Share Well, you then have two options:A) give up and close the threadB) see A What I meant was that I was one of the impatient idiots thinking my time was more important than everyone else's. I just didn't act out my thoughts but it made my frustration huge. And if I can go through some kind of radical change, anyone can. I still sometimes get grumpy at 110kph on a perfectly straight, empty dual highway but you can actually relax and let it go if you choose. Or in this thread's case, wait a few seconds and go round.Option C) Be a more considerate cyclist. We like putting the onus on others first, this is nonsense. It’s akways “they must do this” and “they must do that”, instead of “maybe I should....”. We aren’t disagreeing, talking to two sides of the same coin. But if you want to cycle in the middle of the road in country full of angry middle aged men in white bakkies, you need to adjust your expectations of outcomes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jase619 Posted April 2, 2018 Share DoomedUser is Doomed. Same story, different location, still the same problem and no change happening anytime soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisF Posted April 2, 2018 Share Option C) Be a more considerate cyclist. We like putting the onus on others first, this is nonsense. It’s akways “they must do this” and “they must do that”, instead of “maybe I should....”. We aren’t disagreeing, talking to two sides of the same coin. But if you want to cycle in the middle of the road in country full of angry middle aged men in white bakkies, you need to adjust your expectations of outcomes. ^^ what he said ^^ Driving to Meerendal on Sunday morning we once again encountered the following : - two cyclists riding next to each other, one in the yellow lane on IN the road (section between the two circles next to D'Urbanville). With cars coming from the front there was no safe way past them .... light tap on the hooter was greeted with the friendly middle finger. - MOST using the tracks next to the road as far as possible. - then the dreaded section of road works ..... NO alternative but to ride IN the road, with zero safe space for cars to pass. Not one car tried to "sqeeze past" a cyclist in this zone, patiently waiting for a safe space to pass without endangering the cyclists. dare I say .... it would appear the average motorist along this section is more accommodating than that small percentage of cyclists that wants "to own the road" .... at least this small sample would suggest the majority of cyclists in this area have a healthy sense of self preservation. Can only wonder what will happen when our friend with the middle finger waves it at the wrong grumpy old fart with a bull bar .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor Buttox Posted April 2, 2018 Share Option C) Be a more considerate cyclist. We like putting the onus on others first, this is nonsense. It’s akways “they must do this” and “they must do that”, instead of “maybe I should....”. We aren’t disagreeing, talking to two sides of the same coin. But if you want to cycle in the middle of the road in country full of angry middle aged men in white bakkies, you need to adjust your expectations of outcomes.Yup, totally agree. In the context of the OP's question on the Hub only, and with the responses to it: do we take a first world champion and bring her down to our level or do we try to live up to hers? That is what I find most interesting just about the responses in this community. It is exactly what you are saying - it's just easier to blame 'them'. I was walking our pups just now. Back home on our dog route everyone let their dogs crap everywhere. I was one of them, shamefully. Now I get pissed when I see others have let it happen here cos they are the minority and I just pick theirs up too. I realise I was the ******** because I didn't hold up my little bit of the social contract. (I know I am lucky to have the comparative view so I am not being holier than thou, and I know that lack of enforcement plays a massive role in the inability to reconstitute the culture in ZA, but you gotta start somewhere.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor Buttox Posted April 2, 2018 Share ^^ what he said ^^ Driving to Meerendal on Sunday morning we once again encountered the following : - two cyclists riding next to each other, one in the yellow lane on IN the road (section between the two circles next to D'Urbanville). With cars coming from the front there was no safe way past them .... light tap on the hooter was greeted with the friendly middle finger. - MOST using the tracks next to the road as far as possible. - then the dreaded section of road works ..... NO alternative but to ride IN the road, with zero safe space for cars to pass. Not one car tried to "sqeeze past" a cyclist in this zone, patiently waiting for a safe space to pass without endangering the cyclists. dare I say .... it would appear the average motorist along this section is more accommodating than that small percentage of cyclists that wants "to own the road" .... at least this small sample would suggest the majority of cyclists in this area have a healthy sense of self preservation. Can only wonder what will happen when our friend with the middle finger waves it at the wrong grumpy old fart with a bull bar ....A knob is a knob whether he has a bull bar or a middle finger. The aggro in SA is just so friggen unnecessary. But we tend to notice either of those before we notice the large number who are patient and considerate. It's called stats and most of us aren't trained to understand them and to disregard the relevance of the outliers. Perhaps we need a 'I spotted cyclists behaving' thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jewbacca Posted April 2, 2018 Share A knob is a knob whether he has a bull bar or a middle finger. The aggro in SA is just so friggen unnecessary. But we tend to notice either of those before we notice the large number who are patient and considerate. It's called stats and most of us aren't trained to understand them and to disregard the relevance of the outliers. Perhaps we need a 'I spotted cyclists behaving' thread.The problem is, stats really do mean nothing in the case of goodwill and reputation. All it takes is a few douchetards pulling the middle finger before all cyclists are painted with the same brush. Same as patient drivers. Outof the 55000 who pass people safely, it just takes 1 to kill either the cyclist, themselves or oncoming traffic. It's like the joke about the old man who built all the roads but only copulated with 1 goat.... Statistics are great in a lab or for trying to figure out how to sell more TV sets, but in the real world, with real time exposure, generalisations and tarnished reputations speak far louder and far faster than a bunch of numbers. People hate cyclists because some of them really do behave like entitled morons. Cyclists hate motorists because some of them really do behave like entitled morons... 5%? 10% 50% it doesn't matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDW Posted April 3, 2018 Share I regularly throw zaps, swear words, kick cars and tell drivers to go ****themselves if they don't act according to my expectations, because I am a cyclist and according to law I always have right of way. Even if I cycle into oncoming traffic, it doesn't matter. I always get preference, and if you don't obey you will suffer the consequences, infidel. Follow this set of rules and you should be fine out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDW Posted April 3, 2018 Share ^^ what he said ^^ Driving to Meerendal on Sunday morning we once again encountered the following : - two cyclists riding next to each other, one in the yellow lane on IN the road (section between the two circles next to D'Urbanville). With cars coming from the front there was no safe way past them .... light tap on the hooter was greeted with the friendly middle finger. - MOST using the tracks next to the road as far as possible. - then the dreaded section of road works ..... NO alternative but to ride IN the road, with zero safe space for cars to pass. Not one car tried to "sqeeze past" a cyclist in this zone, patiently waiting for a safe space to pass without endangering the cyclists. dare I say .... it would appear the average motorist along this section is more accommodating than that small percentage of cyclists that wants "to own the road" .... at least this small sample would suggest the majority of cyclists in this area have a healthy sense of self preservation. Can only wonder what will happen when our friend with the middle finger waves it at the wrong grumpy old fart with a bull bar .... Have found the same along those roads - cars are actually very considerate there. But I must admit, I hate it when the cars won't pass on an uphill, and I get all socially anxious because I am holding the people up, so I push myself into max HR trying to gain an additional 5 km/h, and eventually I actually wish someone would just pass me and run me over so I could die, cos the pain is now to much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor Buttox Posted April 3, 2018 Share Have found the same along those roads - cars are actually very considerate there. But I must admit, I hate it when the cars won't pass on an uphill, and I get all socially anxious because I am holding the people up, so I push myself into max HR trying to gain an additional 5 km/h, and eventually I actually wish someone would just pass me and run me over so I could die, cos the pain is now to much.Your giving until it hurts on the hill makes you a martyr of sorts. Await your 72 virgins and be happy, FFS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDW Posted April 3, 2018 Share Your giving until it hurts on the hill makes you a martyr of sorts. Await your 72 virgins and be happy, FFS. By the sound of the whining of this thread, they can all come from theHub Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Napalm Posted April 3, 2018 Share The path on the side of the road at Jonkershoek is also for cyclists. I use it to go up towards the gate, but not down. The road is too narrow for my liking, and people going there in their big 4x4's with 13 bicycles clamped to the back doesn't have any problem is passing as close to you as humanly possible. Going down, I use the road, because I'm traveling fast and the path is too narrow and busy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbie Stewart Posted April 3, 2018 Share Yesterday I passed 3 MTB'ers riding 2 abreast, with the 3rd trailing between them with his front wheel placed neatly between the 2 in front of him. They were happily chatting away, riding in the road towards the sharp bend on Malibongwe Drive towards the N7. I had 2 choices, make my presence known by hooting, or patiently waiting for them to go around the bend and then pass when it is safe to do so. I chose the latter. Before I even had to do anything though, the guy riding in the middle heard my whining turbo, and commented to his mates to move left in single file. I let them around the bend nonetheless, and gave them a thumbs up as I passed. They waved back.You see, it IS possible to be courteous and not try mow everyone down. My wife will be first to admit that I have a aggro streak, and tend to get p'd off very quickly when driving. I am making a concerted effort to keep my bull-bar out of any driving incidents, and yesterday I learnt that being patient actually does make a difference.But as for the OP, I do think that in the Jonkershoek corridor, it is a cycle/pedestrian path, and should be used as such. But also, as far as the car's are concerned, people driving up and down that road must also be willing to share the road with cyclists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDW Posted April 3, 2018 Share heard my whining turbo Nice, what car? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbie Stewart Posted April 3, 2018 Share Nice, what car? Isuzu DTeq 250 4x4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDW Posted April 3, 2018 Share Isuzu DTeq 250 4x4 Nice. You sure they didn't here the whining of the runner behind you trying to get past? Haha, just kidding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hackster Posted April 3, 2018 Share I wrote a long post about why swearing and zapping motorists is counter-productive and often unwarranted. Then I deleted it because it just seemed like a personal rant. Then I read your post which perfectly demonstrates how mature* rider behaviour can ameliorate motorist frustration. Thank you. * as in behaviour rather than age Yesterday I passed 3 MTB'ers riding 2 abreast, with the 3rd trailing between them with his front wheel placed neatly between the 2 in front of him. They were happily chatting away, riding in the road towards the sharp bend on Malibongwe Drive towards the N7. I had 2 choices, make my presence known by hooting, or patiently waiting for them to go around the bend and then pass when it is safe to do so. I chose the latter. Before I even had to do anything though, the guy riding in the middle heard my whining turbo, and commented to his mates to move left in single file. I let them around the bend nonetheless, and gave them a thumbs up as I passed. They waved back.You see, it IS possible to be courteous and not try mow everyone down. My wife will be first to admit that I have a aggro streak, and tend to get p'd off very quickly when driving. I am making a concerted effort to keep my bull-bar out of any driving incidents, and yesterday I learnt that being patient actually does make a difference.But as for the OP, I do think that in the Jonkershoek corridor, it is a cycle/pedestrian path, and should be used as such. But also, as far as the car's are concerned, people driving up and down that road must also be willing to share the road with cyclists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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