Cycle paths / Yield and Stop signs

[RobertWhitehead]

I have quite a simple approach to this one: It does not really matter who's wrong or who's right the fact of the matter is that the person on the bike is going to be the party coming short if there's an accident.

 

So err on the side of caution for self preservation rather than taking on a 2.5ton piece of metal with a piece of polystyrene  . 

[Pure Savage]

I have quite a simple approach to this one: It does not really matter who's wrong or who's right the fact of the matter is that the person on the bike is going to be the party coming short if there's an accident.

 

So err on the side of caution for self preservation rather than taking on a 2.5ton piece of metal with a piece of polystyrene .

That’s not the point of the topic. OP is aware of the car, but when telling the driver he was a box the driver thought he was in the right.

[Jaws677]

The problem is you will get an answer here.

I dare you to ask the same question on the 4x4community.co.za forum. You will get a totally different answer there. And there is the problem. Everyone thinks they are right. Entitled.

[Jbr]

The problem is you will get an answer here.

I dare you to ask the same question on the 4x4community.co.za forum. You will get a totally different answer there. And there is the problem. Everyone thinks they are right. Entitled.

WTF ???? There are rules, and the rules are the same for everyone, I don't think it's being "ENTITLED" to expect people to stop at stop signs, for starters, but even more so when there is absolutely no visibility of what's incoming, wether it's on the cycle path or on the road you are approaching.

 

Then, to answer the previous comments, I was a biker before I was a cyclist, so I always expect the worst from everyone else on the road.

I'm obviously not raising my "being right" as a shield that is going to protect me from everything.

The point of my OP was just to know if legally I had to yield to the MOFO or if I was in the right to tell him he is an absolute knob the next time he starts calling me names after almost killing me.

Edited December 11, 2020 by Jbr

[Robbie Stewart]

So on Sunday past I rode through Melkbos along the beach front. I get passed by a bakkie which then stopped about 20 meters ahead of me. A distance I would generally cover in a few seconds and in that time I notice 2 things. First is that he is parked too close to the kerb to pass on the left and secondly there are cars approaching from the front so passing to his right is also out. I opt for option three, climbing onto the tarred pavement via the driveway of the house I am approaching and pass there.

That was when I started a slow-motion fall onto my side and sliding along the tar. I suspect the rear wheel came undone along the kerb and chucked me. It all happened in the blink of an eye but felt like an eternity. Luckily I only managed some scrapes and bruises and a couple roasties, but the gist of the story is that no matter who was at fault (if anyone was), but that regardless, I was the one scraping along the tar. And it hurt proper.

I ride that cycle path often. I have had some near misses, and once just before hard lockdown found myself atop a moron exiting Big Bay Beach Club's bonnet. Cars for the most part are cycle-aware around these parts, but there will always be that one d!ck. And just because that d!ck is out there, it is better to err on the side of caution and be the one to yield when you are on a bicycle.

As Ben Shapiro likes to say, 'Facts don't care about feelings', and the fact is that getting hit by a car, or falling because of one is always going to hurt (or worse), and knowing you were in the right will not make one bit of difference to that fact.

[Robbie Stewart]

That’s not the point of the topic. OP is aware of the car, but when telling the driver he was a box the driver thought he was in the right.

 

I have a colleague who lives at Big Bay Beach Club. When I told her of the nutjob that managed to collect me and my bicycle onto their bonnet after not stopping, her curt response was, "You cyclists are supposed to yield to oncoming traffic!. There is a traffic sign informing you of this."

 

I tried to point out the fact that there is also a STOP sign aimed straight at them! That was met by a blank stare and a shake of the head. In her mind, cyclists are the problem. And this is likely the sentiment of near everyone who lives in that area along the cycle path.

 

I have thus decided to self-preserve and will yield to each and every car, and in doing so, look the driver straight in the eye and wait for them to acknowledge me before I am waved across about 90% of the time.

[Jbr]

I have a colleague who lives at Big Bay Beach Club. When I told her of the nutjob that managed to collect me and my bicycle onto their bonnet after not stopping, her curt response was, "You cyclists are supposed to yield to oncoming traffic!. There is a traffic sign informing you of this."

 This is unbelievable.... they are more aware of the signage we have (that they can't see from where they are) than the signage that's right in front of them...

[Robbie Stewart]

 This is unbelievable.... they are more aware of the signage we have (that they can't see from where they are) than the signage that's right in front of them...

 

Yes. And hence my decision to give them the benefit of the doubt everytime. It would seem that when you decide to drive a car, you become a law unto yourself in SA. And in that law, the only one that matters is always you.

 

edit - I also found it very rich that she knows of the yield sign, but the intended use of that sign went straight over the cuckoo's nest and perched elsewhere.

 

Edited December 11, 2020 by Robbie Stewart

[Jewbacca]

Rules... There is no mutual respect, so no one follows the rules. 

 

Idiots riding their 5 billion decibel motorbikes through residential neighbourhoods late at night, people speeding everywhere, cyclists, bikers, cars ALL skipping stop signs. 

 

Casual overtaking on solid lines. Everywhere you look basic rues are being flouted consistently.

 

Self preservation is unfortunately the only course of action. It's difficult to point fingers or start a 'I was right, you were wrong' argument when you are in ICU or ded.

 

Does it suck? Of course. But if you want to play with fire over The Might of Right, you will always come off second best against a car and more importantly, a person who doesn't care in the first place. Calling them names or pointing out their errors won't change their behaviour. They don't care.

 

If they cared they wouldn't be behaving like that in the 1st pace

[Eddy Gordo]

WTF ???? There are rules, and the rules are the same for everyone, I don't think it's being "ENTITLED" to expect people to stop at stop signs, for starters, but even more so when there is absolutely no visibility of what's incoming, wether it's on the cycle path or on the road you are approaching.

 

 

The 4x4 community comes across as very entitled. Not much you can convey that is different to majority of the users beliefs on that forum. They take serious offence

[Eddy Gordo]

I have a colleague who lives at Big Bay Beach Club. When I told her of the nutjob that managed to collect me and my bicycle onto their bonnet after not stopping, her curt response was, "You cyclists are supposed to yield to oncoming traffic!. There is a traffic sign informing you of this."

 

I tried to point out the fact that there is also a STOP sign aimed straight at them! That was met by a blank stare and a shake of the head. In her mind, cyclists are the problem. And this is likely the sentiment of near everyone who lives in that area along the cycle path.

 

I have thus decided to self-preserve and will yield to each and every car, and in doing so, look the driver straight in the eye and wait for them to acknowledge me before I am waved across about 90% of the time.

Would be nice if someone can convince a traffic office to park off there and issue fines for the people who drive straight throughtthe stop

[Jbr]

won't be enough people, there must be like 5 idiots daily who do so. And some of them are just Karens who just roll through looking left but not checking their right (Almost got hit like that yesterday while riding with my kid on the bike, I shouted and the lady stopped but didn't even look surprised or sorry.. I stopped before being in harmways anyways but still...).

 

Most of the time when cars come in a bit hot accross the cycle path they usually end up stopping on time and waving sorry, they're not all *****.

 

Anyways, I just sent a follow up email to PPA see if maybe they can do something through the body corporate or whatever to just inform the residents that Yield has priority on Stop...

Edited December 11, 2020 by Jbr

[Shebeen]

I have a colleague who lives at Big Bay Beach Club. When I told her of the nutjob that managed to collect me and my bicycle onto their bonnet after not stopping, her curt response was, "You cyclists are supposed to yield to oncoming traffic!. There is a traffic sign informing you of this."

 

I tried to point out the fact that there is also a STOP sign aimed straight at them! That was met by a blank stare and a shake of the head. In her mind, cyclists are the problem. And this is likely the sentiment of near everyone who lives in that area along the cycle path.

 

I have thus decided to self-preserve and will yield to each and every car, and in doing so, look the driver straight in the eye and wait for them to acknowledge me before I am waved across about 90% of the time.

same argument the speeding morons use to try and justify why they can drive 150km/h on the highway and a car going speedlimit must f8( off.

the law says "keep left, pass right"

 

https://youtu.be/-UOcp9ydcM0?t=167

[Pure Savage]

This morning we had  2 Karens fighting to get infront of one another on the way to a red light, it ended with one in oncoming traffic and both on the horn. 

 

I just dont understand.

[Eddy Gordo]

What about making some video clips? Park over the road with you camera and record the incidents. Post on social media and tag in premiers, traffic, council, cycling bodies, wider than the rider and so on

Create some general public awareness. I am thinking this could go towards making some people alot more alert to rules of the road.

[Robbie Stewart]

On another note, as I was driving to the office this morning in my bakkie, I nearly got stepped on by a very large tipper truck. The 'driver' of said vehicle took a 90 degree left turn and in doing so caught some eye-candy (for him at least...) and in the process of rubber-necking managed to understeer into the corner straight into my lane and came straight at me.

Luckily for me there was a lane to my left as well into which I ducked, narrowly averting a complete cluster-#uck.

So for anyone driving up Berkshire blvd towards Wood in Sunningdale Parklands area, that is just another thing to be aware of...