Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted

This morning on a quick pedal up to Melkbos and back, I crossed over the R27 towards Table Bay Mall on my return and just prior to the Total petrol station I hear the dreaded sound of a large capacity diesel engine up close to me. Fearing the worst that the truck / bus is going to proceed to pass me turning in to the circle ahead of me, possibly pushing me off the road, I notice that despite the engine noise not subsiding, it is also not passing.

I pick up the cadence somewhat and fling around the circle taking the first exit and cross over the outside lane as I was heading past the mall entrance, only to hear the truck follow me. I make a quick glance over my shoulder, and notice the massive Checkers delivery truck following me.

I up the cadence even more, sweating bullets that the truck is going to apply the squeeze any second now, but still it lingers. By now I am crossing over the red line into unfamiliar territory, beginning to feel that unwelcome feeling of eyeballs threatening to pop and the taste of blood in my mouth trying to clear the final 100 meter dash to where the truck turns into the delivery bay area.

By then I fling my hand in the air and gesture wildly with a thumbs up wave to the driver thanking him for not passing and he gives me a prompt honk in response.

Not all drivers out there are tossers is what I learnt today.

  • Replies 281
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted
23 hours ago, ChrisF said:

This thread seems to have moved FAR far away from the original tragic accident of two riders taken out in the "safety" of the yellow lane, by what is reported to be a possibly drunk driver .... (tried to stay with the correct terms, rather than the emotional ones ....)

 

The last posts seems to deal with the general disregard for the law, from drivers and riders alike.

 

This morning's commute was a nice long one adding a decent detour, and getting to see a lot more cyclists and drivers.  The route is deliberately chosen as it has a shoulder for most of the way, for some peace of mind.

 

Yes, some cars skips stop streets and run red robots .....

 

Yes, some have their breakfast and coffee while driving ... some even do their make-up while holding the cell to the ear, while sipping coffee .... some seriously talented drivers out there :cursing:

 

BUT .... as a cyclist out on my bicycle I had to shake my head at the behaviour of some cyclists ...

 

- Dark clothes, no lights, riding in thick mist ...

- Two cyclists approaching a RED robot, glancing to the right, and just carry on without slowing down, turning left .... now they may have been safe in doing that .... the other cyclists coming through the green robot, at a good turn of speed on the downhill had to swerve in front of cars to avoid ramming these two .....  CYCLISTS endangering other cyclists lives !  I would hate to think what that car driving is telling his friends today about cyclists ....

- Coming down Durban road, which was seriously busy by now, the cyclist ahead of me put out his right arm ... and proceeds to swerve across FOUR lanes full of cars !!  This must rate as one of theeeee most idiotic moves I have ever seen !!  50m further he could have crossed perfectly safe, or just slow down and wait for the bunch of cars to pass.

 

 

Nothing "we do" can protect us from dronk gatte ..... or high speed cell operators ....

 

But sure as heck there IS a lot we can do to improve our odds.

Indeed we are our own worst enemy.

yes we need motorists to be more vigilant and be mindful of the impact of their actions being life endangering and this drum must not stop beating till we see the change but ChrisF you’re right about how some of brethren behave … we have some downright arrogant shooters of the liquid among us. 
chappies on a weekend morning…. Jirre mense…

cyclists in club kit making U-turns on blind corners with frustrated motorists being held up by hundreds of MAMILS. Come on peeps…. think!!!

use hand signals ffs. As a fellow cyclist I can’t see what you’re going to do. 
fix your punctures off the road not the middle of it!!

stop signs are there for a reason, you are not exempt because you bought an overpriced titanium gravel bike. A real gravel bike is a repurposed machine cobbled together out of old parts btw 

And the club groups,   Yislike split your peeps up into smaller groups. There’s a couple of good examples of good ride captaincy out there, the okes in red and white seem to have it dialled. 

Asking motorists to be considerate comes with the responsibility of good communication. Hand signals hand signals hand signals 

be the change

Posted
7 minutes ago, DieselnDust said:

Indeed we are our own worst enemy.

yes we need motorists to be more vigilant and be mindful of the impact of their actions being life endangering and this drum must not stop beating till we see the change but ChrisF you’re right about how some of brethren behave … we have some downright arrogant shooters of the liquid among us. 
chappies on a weekend morning…. Jirre mense…

cyclists in club kit making U-turns on blind corners with frustrated motorists being held up by hundreds of MAMILS. Come on peeps…. think!!!

use hand signals ffs. As a fellow cyclist I can’t see what you’re going to do. 
fix your punctures off the road not the middle of it!!

stop signs are there for a reason, you are not exempt because you bought an overpriced titanium gravel bike. A real gravel bike is a repurposed machine cobbled together out of old parts btw 

And the club groups,   Yislike split your peeps up into smaller groups. There’s a couple of good examples of good ride captaincy out there, the okes in red and white seem to have it dialled. 

Asking motorists to be considerate comes with the responsibility of good communication. Hand signals hand signals hand signals 

be the change

Hear hear, well said !!!

Posted
30 minutes ago, ouzo said:

will doesnt say where the proceeds are going. Not that there would be much per item.

I think it's just production costs - so a gesture of solidarity

Posted
1 hour ago, ouzo said:

will doesnt say where the proceeds are going. Not that there would be much per item.

well...........it does actually........."Priced at a manufacturing cost of R970, these jerseys are not revenue generation for Jéan du Preez – André Piehl’s riding partner, who remains in a critical condition. Jéan’s family confirmed the jersey’s purpose as an initiative to raise awareness about cycling safety."

Posted
3 minutes ago, Grant B said:

well...........it does actually........."Priced at a manufacturing cost of R970, these jerseys are not revenue generation for Jéan du Preez – André Piehl’s riding partner, who remains in a critical condition. Jéan’s family confirmed the jersey’s purpose as an initiative to raise awareness about cycling safety."

ok. I did not read the article, only looked at the image posted.

Thanks.

Posted
On 2/8/2022 at 10:05 AM, ChrisF said:

This thread seems to have moved FAR far away from the original tragic accident of two riders taken out in the "safety" of the yellow lane, by what is reported to be a possibly drunk driver .... (tried to stay with the correct terms, rather than the emotional ones ....)

 

The last posts seems to deal with the general disregard for the law, from drivers and riders alike.

 

This morning's commute was a nice long one adding a decent detour, and getting to see a lot more cyclists and drivers.  The route is deliberately chosen as it has a shoulder for most of the way, for some peace of mind.

 

Yes, some cars skips stop streets and run red robots .....

 

Yes, some have their breakfast and coffee while driving ... some even do their make-up while holding the cell to the ear, while sipping coffee .... some seriously talented drivers out there :cursing:

 

BUT .... as a cyclist out on my bicycle I had to shake my head at the behaviour of some cyclists ...

 

- Dark clothes, no lights, riding in thick mist ...

- Two cyclists approaching a RED robot, glancing to the right, and just carry on without slowing down, turning left .... now they may have been safe in doing that .... the other cyclists coming through the green robot, at a good turn of speed on the downhill had to swerve in front of cars to avoid ramming these two .....  CYCLISTS endangering other cyclists lives !  I would hate to think what that car driving is telling his friends today about cyclists ....

- Coming down Durban road, which was seriously busy by now, the cyclist ahead of me put out his right arm ... and proceeds to swerve across FOUR lanes full of cars !!  This must rate as one of theeeee most idiotic moves I have ever seen !!  50m further he could have crossed perfectly safe, or just slow down and wait for the bunch of cars to pass.

 

 

Nothing "we do" can protect us from dronk gatte ..... or high speed cell operators ....

 

But sure as heck there IS a lot we can do to improve our odds.

Yes, I've posted about the same stuff before after a road ride with some mates. No regard for lights or stop signs. On one of my recent roadie expeditions I waved a car past when it was safe on a narrow road and got a hoot of thanks, then, after a bus allowed me to enter a circle ahead of it, I slowed to allow him to pass before I reached a parked car. Another hoot of thanks. I learned from this experience. 

Posted
29 minutes ago, Headshot said:

Yes, I've posted about the same stuff before after a road ride with some mates. No regard for lights or stop signs. On one of my recent roadie expeditions I waved a car past when it was safe on a narrow road and got a hoot of thanks, then, after a bus allowed me to enter a circle ahead of it, I slowed to allow him to pass before I reached a parked car. Another hoot of thanks. I learned from this experience. 

If, by way of cycling like a tonsil, one inhibits the flow of traffic so that one can achieve morning glory on Strava, then one is cycling for the wrong reasons. If, while one is cycling, you consider traffic and slow down, let by and otherwise show courteousy towards fellow road users, one garners respect and appreciation from those non-cyclists who are observing your behaviour.

What I've heard many years back, in another context, still applies here in this regard;

Non-cyclists, when observing yet another rider blast through a red traffic light or fails to stop, or litters, or is just being an all-round dick are entirely justified in their sentiment when stating that they cannot hear what we are saying, because our actions are making too much noise.

Posted (edited)
On 2/8/2022 at 9:04 AM, Robbie Stewart said:

What makes these stats even worse is that the amount of Bicycle related fatalities year on year exceeds the amount of Motorcycle fatalities by a substantial margin. Consider this in the light of how motorcyclists drive, weaving in and out of traffic and the odd case of hooliganism which results in self inflicted injury or worse. (relax people, I am not dissing motorcyclists, ek sê maar net). 

I have come across many motorcycle fatalities in my 10 years in Cape Town, but even then, according to the trend in these stats, all that is being highlighted albeit not explicitly so, is the blatant disregard for anyone on a bicycle. I suppose it could have something to do with motorcyclists being able to accelerate away at sufficient speed to not be an annoyance to other road users.

 

In my opinion the fact the motor bikers  do have a hardcore image and can actually catch up to errant motorists makes motorists think twice about doing stupid stuff around /to them.

Edited by I FLY
spelling
Posted
On 2/8/2022 at 9:05 AM, ChrisF said:

This thread seems to have moved FAR far away from the original tragic accident of two riders taken out in the "safety" of the yellow lane, by what is reported to be a possibly drunk driver .... (tried to stay with the correct terms, rather than the emotional ones ....)

 

The last posts seems to deal with the general disregard for the law, from drivers and riders alike.

Snipped

Groan on

Thread drift, the pain of internet forums.

The OP should change the title to "Look what happened to me on my bike today"

Moderators.... MIA

Groan off

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Settings My Forum Content My Followed Content Forum Settings Ad Messages My Ads My Favourites My Saved Alerts My Pay Deals Help Logout