garykid Posted November 23, 2006 Posted November 23, 2006 Still no matter what we say I agree with Oom H & yes I'd like to hear the "other side of the story" having had altercations with motorists myself..be that as it may these guys have further blackened our sport & we all are seen as arrogant violent types...even if some of us actually give way to motorists or obey all rules... Phil said it last night on S/C...whatch out for motorists & take care...he also said obey the rules of the road..."DT" my 2 cents worth. These guys are absolute plonkers and they deserve to held up on charges of assault. Not only did they gang up on the old man, (one on one is one thing but to gang up on somebody is cowardice and criminal!) but they rode in a big group taking up most of the road by all accounts, and then they waited for the guy at his office, so no heat of the moment argument there, it was planned! I have seen many big city cyclist who think they are entitled to take up the whole road, and while as cyclists we have rights to the raod these rights are being abused by MANY MANY clubs and riders, especially in JHB and Cape Town. I as a cyclist encountered many BIG groups of riders, they *** on you if you pass them and they get a fright, they *** on you if you hoot to let them know you are there and they *** on you if you sit behind them. Cyclists do not own the road, we have rights to it as does everyone else. We are bound by the same rules. I agree many motorists are aresholes and deliberatley give us sh*t, but have you ever wondered why? It is because far too many of the cyclists out there are behaving like fing idiots and getting people annoyed. We are all being painted by the same brush by the media and motorists and I for one am sick of it. I sat for 3 hours over dinner this weekend listening to members of my extended family ( all JHBers) bitching that the roads were closed for the 94.7, when theses "F'ing cyclists block up the roads every f'ing day". Did my head in. If I happen upon a large group of cyclists behaving badly I will let them know about it, as a cyclist I am entitled to! I feel we all should take these people to task and exclude them from our training rides if they continue to behave this way. It is up to the club ride leaders and seniors to instill discipline or ban people from their rides. Soon somebody else is going to be injured or killed, and the motorist will be blamed. Most of us as cyclists drive cars, how would we feel if we happened upon a group of Horse riders or runners taking up half the raod???? Cycle with your head, not your balls (this goes for the ladies too)
Spinnekop Posted November 23, 2006 Posted November 23, 2006 Most of us as cyclists drive cars' date=' how would we feel if we happened upon a group of Horse riders or runners taking up half the raod????[/quote'] Hey ou Garykid......If it was me in the car, I would turn old Marlin Manson a tad up and rock the time away........no need to hurry......
domenic Posted November 23, 2006 Posted November 23, 2006 Ok' date=' posting on my phone so excuse any spelling mistakes. Heard this from an informed source: 1. Double lane road 2. 3 cyclists hit with side mirror 3. Not first occurence, knew where oupa worked 4. Followed oupa. He picked the smallest guy and SWUNG THE FIRST SHOT. The cyclists duked under the shot and then let rip with a return 5. The lady jumped on the cyclist back. Another cyclist took her off him. 6. A security guard then stormed closer, after which the situation was explained. HE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT OUPA IS THAT TYPE OF PERSON! 7. I still don't know why the pepperspray was used.[/quote'] So the newspaper report is a lie (and it puts all cyclists at risk).The three cyclists that were hit by oupa's side mirror, as well as the guy oupa swung the the first shot at, should all lay a formal charge of assault against oupa. Thereafter the local cycling controlling body should demand suitable retraction of all the incorrect articles in all the publications guilty of spreading the lie.
cyclemania Posted November 23, 2006 Posted November 23, 2006 So who wants all the person details of "Oupa"? Home Address... phone number (H)......... Lets have a "club" from his house one morning....... That would make him soil his pants even before leaving for work.
slowpoke Posted November 23, 2006 Posted November 23, 2006 cyclemania, a far more fun thing to do in this instance would be to set up some hidden camera's and do a VERY detailed document of all his transgressions and have a clerk of the court deliver it all, with a police escort.... (nb, not silly little metro cops, proper provincial SAPS officers)
cyclemania Posted November 23, 2006 Posted November 23, 2006 Hehehehe yes slowpoke. Both would be funny.......
IanJ Posted November 23, 2006 Posted November 23, 2006 Surely the logical thing to do is for the cyclists to approach the media and to give their side of the story and to insist on having it published. Isn't Beeld normally pretty good towards cyclists? By the way it would be pretty easy to follow oupa with a camera mounted in a vehicle and catch him out "hooting" at cyclists.
linnega Posted November 23, 2006 Posted November 23, 2006 The rules of the road also quite clearly state that a vehicle may not pass another in the same lane (for example' date=' a car may not pass a cyclist as both are vehicles). Obviously practicality means that both the exception (cyclists and motorcyclists being allowed to ride two abreast) and the rule that no vehicles are allowed to be side by side in the same lane, needs to be treated with a level of practicality. There is no reason why the cyclists being the vehicles in front and therefore the vehicles with right of way, should be forced to move over when the vehicle without right of way (the motorist) is approaching from behind and can safely pass in the passing lane.[/quote'](2) Persons riding pedal cycles on a public road shall ride in single file except in the course of overtaking another pedal cycle' date=' and two or more persons riding pedal cycles shall not overtake another vehicle at the same time.[/quote']The exception to the rule that I directly referred to is the rule that you so kindly highlighted. Rule = No vehicles may ride abreast, EXCEPT pedal cycles and motorcyles.
linnega Posted November 23, 2006 Posted November 23, 2006 If what ewep posted is true then the entire story was very poorly reported and a formal complaint should be lodged with the source of the report. Its been so many pages that I can't remember who originally published the story - wasn't it Naspers through News24?
Bateleur1 Posted November 23, 2006 Posted November 23, 2006 Ewep, where did this information come from if I may ask. A follow up report?
ewep Posted November 23, 2006 Posted November 23, 2006 Bateleur, I visited my friendly LBS and one of the cyclists that (according to him) had been in the bunch, and with the 6 guys, is one of the regulars at his shop. No more, the cops are still looking for them.
goofs Posted November 23, 2006 Posted November 23, 2006 And that's your "informed source" ??? Luckily you not a detective.
ewep Posted November 23, 2006 Posted November 23, 2006 Goofs, i'm not giving everything away. I got the okes name and place of work. But as I said, read the last line of the newspaper thing, the cops are looking for them.
BikeMax Posted November 23, 2006 Posted November 23, 2006 so a middle finger salute is a good option. A "middle finger salute" as you put it is never a good option, and is unlikely ever to result in anything other than the cyclist feeling better about having let the motorist know how he feels. How can you really feel that an aggressive and inflamatory gesture is likely to lead to an improvement in motorists behaviour towards cyclists in the future, or to improve the safety of cyclists on the road ????
linnega Posted November 23, 2006 Posted November 23, 2006 Bikemax, we will have to agree to disagree. I see your point if you believe that aggressive (I would refer to call it assertive, but call it what you will) behaviour somehow negatively influences driver behaviour towards cyclists. I don't buy it and have seen no evidence to convince me that standing up for my rights and getting pissed when these are infringed has any negative impact on cyclists and cycling. I have tried the be nice and move out the way method. All that happened was that motorists put my life at more risk. I certainly wouldn't call it inflammatory unless the barrage that followed at the next traffic lights included expletives - which it sometimes does but again it depends on the context. Basically my point is the only way to get respect on the road is to take back the road. Don't go out of your way to piss motorists off but be bloody sure they know you are there and that you believe you have a right to be there.
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