Cyclist down Camps Bay

[ChrisF]

4 hours ago, J Wakefield said:

Oncoming car at the same time

 

Oncoming car

Rider in dark clothing

No tail lights on the bike

 

The "perfect storm" ....

 

Late last year I came close to seeing a very nasty mass-crash along Bottelary road. Group riding in the shoulder, 2-aside ... perfectly left of the shoulder ...  as you pass the one building the yellow section almost dissapears ... group of riders just casually moved into the road .... I was 4th in a group of 6 vehicles travelling at about 90 to 95km/h ... oncoming driver was alert and moved into his yellow lane, thus allowing our string to pass.  It was split seconds between a very dangerous pass and a mass pile up !!  In this case some situational awareness of that group would have been good, to put it mildly.

 

 

PLEASE, please be safe out there.  Own the road if you have to, stop and wait if you prefer.  For heaven sake, BE AWARE of your surroundings.

[nonky]

8 hours ago, babse said:

 

I USED TO ride the atlantic seaboard route, regularly, until one close shave too many (thanks mainly to Main Road Sea Point).  Watching this gave me heart palpitations. 

Glad to hear the rider is OK. 

Time for me to sell my road bike and forget about ever using it again.

[DJR]

11 hours ago, nonky said:

I USED TO ride the atlantic seaboard route, regularly, until one close shave too many (thanks mainly to Main Road Sea Point).  Watching this gave me heart palpitations. 

Glad to hear the rider is OK. 

Time for me to sell my road bike and forget about ever using it again.

Me too ...... I no longer consider Sea Point to Bakoven as a reasonably safe route. Too narrow with too many crazy, homicidal, idiotic, impatient, drunk, drugged, unlicenced, racing, reckless drivers of anything from a Smartcar to an articulated 18 wheeler truck. No longer a place I want to put my frail bag of bones and flesh through. Sadly.

[DJR]

11 hours ago, nonky said:

..............Time for me to sell my road bike and forget about ever using it again.

Trouble for me is that selling a Colnago is nearly like giving your kids up for adoption ..........

[Duane_Bosch]

14 hours ago, nonky said:

Time for me to sell my road bike and forget about ever using it again.

Same. Watching that video was horrifying. I've ridden that road hundreds of times. Time to sell the wife's and my  roadies and get back into mountain biking.

When we were in Spain in September even on the busy B roads we felt completely safe. Like COMPLETELY 100% SAFE!

[Paul Ruinaard]

2 hours ago, DJR said:

Trouble for me is that selling a Colnago is nearly like giving your kids up for adoption ..........

Yep i know the pain - it took me 20 years to sell my C40 and finally when i was too old and it was too hard on my body i sadly parted ways with my Ferrari of bicycles when i realised i was getitng too old and it was a sentimenatl attachment,a bit like the fat old man trying to get in and out of his very low slung hypercar in front of the coffee shop. I sold it to another loving fanatic foster parent :-).

WR the topic at heart I honestly agree - as much as i love it, I would not cycle Sea Point to Llandudno any more - just too dangerous TBH. I ride with very bright flashing lights on the front and a Garmain Varia radar on the back and  still would happily wear enough lumo gear to glow in the dark. I really dont care what i look like any more - i care that i am seen, as i chose to ride roads and am often solo. Also ride wide shoulder lanes if i can, ride MTB on the road so i can take to the shoulder if necessary and also have in the past used gravel tyres and wheels on the road bikes for the same reason - if i hear something and the garmin beeps then i know that its probably wise to make myself thin or take to the dirt if i can. Its really not worth the debate any more as you only need one idiot.

You can insist its your right to be on a route but you cannot argue with the increased danger you face from the lack of awareness and honest antagonism to cyclists. 

Yet every ride i see people who have NO lights on their bikes and ride abreast of each other irrespective of the lanes - expecting motorists to be aware of them. 

If you do some searching the most common accidents with bike/car are at intersections aka the Burry incicdent i.e. car doesnt see you and crosses your path and the bike cant stop.

But the highest incident of fatalties are from rear impacts .

in both cases the risks can be mitigated by ensuring the motorists see the cyclist ahead of time usully with front flashing lights that draw attention and secondly with rear lights that change in intensity i.e. they draw the people attention as something changes. Changes in shape and speed of the strobe draw attention - also coloured lights like an orange lens on the front of a motorbike light draws attention and makes the bike stand out against the background. White does not do it as well.

All of this adds up and reduces your risks. But it never is 100%. So every time you cross an intersection you are at risk, Maybe i have ridden motorbikes too long but you develop a bit of a sixth sense for seeing idiots ahead of time - i cant really explain it but i can see people doing stipid stuff in the traffic way ahead and just move out of the way if i can. FYI most of the time i do not like riding with MTB riders on the road as they are usually all over the place and do stupid things. An experienced road bunch is great but normally i am very selective with who i ride with. I dont blow through traffic lights and get very upset when cyclists do. 

My 2 cents worth on the topic. But hey if you feel that its your right to not do all the above and expect others to ensure they are aware of you then so be it, that is your right.

I am continually amazed how the human genome uses natural selection to down select arrogant idiots on a regular basis. Like in aviation - you get old pilots and bold pilots but not often do you get old bold pilots. I am not saying the Camps Bay incident was owing to this, rather that we should learn from it and do what we can to reduce our risks at a personal level rather than try and get the authorities to act on whta is after all a very sad situation but against the larger issues in South Africa a microcosm of our bigger woes in society like drink driving GBV etc.

 

 

 

 

[DJR]

I recall someone posting about a trucking (or was it a bus?) company in the UK (I think) who forced their drivers to ride a bicycle to work from time to time and that the increased awareness, of how vulnerable cyclists are, dramatically reduced the number of cyclist related accidents involving company vehicles.

Perhaps it is time to do that here also?

I know that after some complaints years ago, the big tour bus companies in the Cape promised to include cycle awareness and safety in their inhouse training programme for drivers. I hope they still do.

Lastly, I think that there are many roads (like the Clifton part) where large trucks and busus should be restricted. The construction companies should simply use smaller trucks or be forced to get special permission to use it at night. Buses should be restricted to medium sized ones or forced to use another route. 

[Mamil]

1 hour ago, Paul Ruinaard said:

Yep i know the pain - it took me 20 years to sell my C40 and finally when i was too old and it was too hard on my body i sadly parted ways with my Ferrari of bicycles when i realised i was getitng too old and it was a sentimenatl attachment,a bit like the fat old man trying to get in and out of his very low slung hypercar in front of the coffee shop. I sold it to another loving fanatic foster parent :-).

WR the topic at heart I honestly agree - as much as i love it, I would not cycle Sea Point to Llandudno any more - just too dangerous TBH. I ride with very bright flashing lights on the front and a Garmain Varia radar on the back and  still would happily wear enough lumo gear to glow in the dark. I really dont care what i look like any more - i care that i am seen, as i chose to ride roads and am often solo. Also ride wide shoulder lanes if i can, ride MTB on the road so i can take to the shoulder if necessary and also have in the past used gravel tyres and wheels on the road bikes for the same reason - if i hear something and the garmin beeps then i know that its probably wise to make myself thin or take to the dirt if i can. Its really not worth the debate any more as you only need one idiot.

You can insist its your right to be on a route but you cannot argue with the increased danger you face from the lack of awareness and honest antagonism to cyclists. 

Yet every ride i see people who have NO lights on their bikes and ride abreast of each other irrespective of the lanes - expecting motorists to be aware of them. 

If you do some searching the most common accidents with bike/car are at intersections aka the Burry incicdent i.e. car doesnt see you and crosses your path and the bike cant stop.

But the highest incident of fatalties are from rear impacts .

in both cases the risks can be mitigated by ensuring the motorists see the cyclist ahead of time usully with front flashing lights that draw attention and secondly with rear lights that change in intensity i.e. they draw the people attention as something changes. Changes in shape and speed of the strobe draw attention - also coloured lights like an orange lens on the front of a motorbike light draws attention and makes the bike stand out against the background. White does not do it as well.

All of this adds up and reduces your risks. But it never is 100%. So every time you cross an intersection you are at risk, Maybe i have ridden motorbikes too long but you develop a bit of a sixth sense for seeing idiots ahead of time - i cant really explain it but i can see people doing stipid stuff in the traffic way ahead and just move out of the way if i can. FYI most of the time i do not like riding with MTB riders on the road as they are usually all over the place and do stupid things. An experienced road bunch is great but normally i am very selective with who i ride with. I dont blow through traffic lights and get very upset when cyclists do. 

My 2 cents worth on the topic. But hey if you feel that its your right to not do all the above and expect others to ensure they are aware of you then so be it, that is your right.

I am continually amazed how the human genome uses natural selection to down select arrogant idiots on a regular basis. Like in aviation - you get old pilots and bold pilots but not often do you get old bold pilots. I am not saying the Camps Bay incident was owing to this, rather that we should learn from it and do what we can to reduce our risks at a personal level rather than try and get the authorities to act on whta is after all a very sad situation but against the larger issues in South Africa a microcosm of our bigger woes in society like drink driving GBV etc.

 

 

 

 

A while back and prompted by one of the threads here about this I did some reading of academic papers on effects of clothing colour and reflectivity on incidence of "accidents" - I saved all the articles somewhere on a drive but as I recall there were several studies showing a reduction on incidence of accidents for certain brighter colours BUT those studies had methodological weaknesses and were contradicted by other studies - the evidence for effectiveness of colour / hi vis clothing choice is equivocal at best.

There is a lot of research suggesting the strongest variables contributing to crashes is driver attention / pattern recognition and information processing and that several contextual variables mediate that. 

Also - the strongest cyclist side variable that we have control over is reflectors and lights on moving parts of the bike and body - pedals - legs - ankles. Interestingly safety products that do this are scarce.

Edit - Also if natural selection really did select out arrogance the world would be a lot better place. I don't see it happening frankly - it looks to me that arrogance and self aggrandizement rule the world at present.

Edited January 30 by Mamil

[reteid]

the only mantra i have when cycling on the road is rather be a living dog than a dead lion irrespective of who is in the right or who is in the wrong. p= mv if i recall correctly and from that me thinks i will always come second even if i was not in the wrong.

[Caerus]

On 1/28/2026 at 1:19 PM, Bro Derek said:

Where is that gif of Jason Momoa opening the camping chair.......

 

Who's making the popcorn?

[DJR]

29 minutes ago, reteid said:

the only mantra i have when cycling on the road is rather be a living dog than a dead lion irrespective of who is in the right or who is in the wrong. p= mv if i recall correctly and from that me thinks i will always come second even if i was not in the wrong.

Rule number one is always STAY ALIVE!

[Paul Ruinaard]

2 hours ago, DJR said:

I recall someone posting about a trucking (or was it a bus?) company in the UK (I think) who forced their drivers to ride a bicycle to work from time to time and that the increased awareness, of how vulnerable cyclists are, dramatically reduced the number of cyclist related accidents involving company vehicles.

Perhaps it is time to do that here also?

I know that after some complaints years ago, the big tour bus companies in the Cape promised to include cycle awareness and safety in their inhouse training programme for drivers. I hope they still do.

Lastly, I think that there are many roads (like the Clifton part) where large trucks and busus should be restricted. The construction companies should simply use smaller trucks or be forced to get special permission to use it at night. Buses should be restricted to medium sized ones or forced to use another route. 

https://www.instagram.com/reels/DT5SUjwE9w-/

Here it is 

Agree on the restrictions. However when the floods on Franschoek pass happened they restricted it to 5 tons, which the trucking companies proceeded to ignore blithely as i was passed by many 16 wheelers whilst riding up there during the restrictions. Turns out the pass is a short cut and its in their interest to save money on their deliveries so the commercial imperative and "i'll do what i want and scew you" trumps everything else. Trucks from Shoprite, Pick n Pay etc. 

So how do the stores down the atlantic seaboard get deliveries or do they hike the prices there as the deliveries are now more costly etc etc and then the locals will start picketing because their cornflakes went up 10c a bag - even though they are safer.

If in London or France they would fine the cr@p out of these operators but as the ANC bigwigs have shares in most there is no appetite to enforce anything, never mind the menas and then they would tie you up in court. I have just come back from Paris and the centre of Paris is like London or Amsterdam - its so regulated even the bicycles scream to a stop when the lights change,.

FYI all trucks in Paris have stickers displaying their blind spots very clealry with warnings containing the french word "Mort" clealry displayed, so they are telling you that if he truns and cant see you and you end up under his wheels you may end up like a toothpaste tube under a roller.

[Paul Ruinaard]

1 hour ago, Mamil said:

A while back and prompted by one of the threads here about this I did some reading of academic papers on effects of clothing colour and reflectivity on incidence of "accidents" - I saved all the articles somewhere on a drive but as I recall there were several studies showing a reduction on incidence of accidents for certain brighter colours BUT those studies had methodological weaknesses and were contradicted by other studies - the evidence for effectiveness of colour / hi vis clothing choice is equivocal at best.

There is a lot of research suggesting the strongest variables contributing to crashes is driver attention / pattern recognition and information processing and that several contextual variables mediate that. 

Also - the strongest cyclist side variable that we have control over is reflectors and lights on moving parts of the bike and body - pedals - legs - ankles. Interestingly safety products that do this are scarce.

Edit - Also if natural selection really did select out arrogance the world would be a lot better place. I don't see it happening frankly - it looks to me that arrogance and self aggrandizement rule the world at present.

Agreed - bright clothing seems to have no impact, but eyes are drawn to motion and flashing lights.

Motorcycle advanced riding schools say always have widely spread spotlights on high beam and if approaching intersctions you weave or make your lights move as the drivers tend to see that better and notice the movement. Preferably with coloured lenses i.e. orange or yellow

[cadenceblur]

32 minutes ago, Paul Ruinaard said:

Agreed - bright clothing seems to have no impact, but eyes are drawn to motion and flashing lights.

Motorcycle advanced riding schools say always have widely spread spotlights on high beam and if approaching intersctions you weave or make your lights move as the drivers tend to see that better and notice the movement. Preferably with coloured lenses i.e. orange or yellow

Very true on the movement, I have noticed when filtering on the motorbike, that a slight side to side movement, results cars giving me some extra space, I also ride with my brights on during the day.

Edited January 30 by cadenceblur

[Madone69]

Some more news.... CCT has started road resurfacing from Sea Point to Camps Bay..

https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/cape-town-congestion-city-announces-road-resurfacing-from-sea-point-to-camps-bay/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=topic%2Fsouthafricanews

[DieselnDust]

On 1/20/2026 at 2:19 PM, J Wakefield said:

Simple for those who need harder sense and not common sense

2 cyclists middle of the road when there are signs that says single file. they clearly ignoring road rules in South Africa. Yet bitch about cars getting fed up with cyclists.

1 motorists trying to get passed on a solid line - again no go but you have 2 guys disobaying well known road rules. How long he been behind etc no one knows.

Runners on the wrong side of the road 

3 wrongs dont make a right but dont point fingers when you 1 of the 3

Totally and completely wrong, but hey you can have your opinion.

bring your boys over to the fun ride world champs and show us how to ride single file on the left of a tight twisty and steep descent 

<got the popcorn pop warming up>