Why you are not welcome in the cradle

[scotty]

on't fancy a cattle-prod anywhere on my body..

I bet if you "behave" you will not need to to worry about it.

 

Why take the chance? I am not welcome along with the collective. Don't schmaak a tazer by some vigilante who thinks bad thoughts about me because I am on a bicycle.

East randers are not usually welcome anywhere.

[Charvel]

And it all boils down to the age-old saying: "Treat others as you yourself want to be treated"

[Slave]

Agree Charvel.

 

Wonder if Ken is one of those who is actually "inviting" someone to park a prod in his posterior?

 

Seriously though, this is one value that if exercised by all, would make the entire world a better place.

[Danger Dassie]

 since when is someone one foot allowed to pull a cart of sorts piled high with all sorts of junk picked up. And then Metro drive by without so much as telling the fool to remove himself from the highway.

 

Not that it makes it legal or justifiable in the long run, but those scrap merchants do it to survive, not as a stuff you to others.

A stuff you is the folk in these pictures or the wanker driving past everyone in the emergency lane to cut the que.

[Gasping]

 since when is someone one foot allowed to pull a cart of sorts piled high with all sorts of junk picked up. And then Metro drive by without so much as telling the fool to remove himself from the highway.

 

Not that it makes it legal or justifiable in the long run' date=' but those scrap merchants do it to survive, not as a stuff you to others.

A stuff you is the folk in these pictures or the wanker driving past everyone in the emergency lane to cut the que.

[/quote']

 

This is why I will not cycle there - one/two/many of us have this "stuff you" attitude and it affects the residents' perception of who I am and what I am about.

 

Plus as pointed out, I am from the East Rand, so my Glock beats his/her cattle-prod,which means I am in trouble all over again.

 

The hell with it. I will ride somewhere else. They don't need my money from buying lunch, drinks, trinkets or whatever else. I will spend my money somewhere else.

 

It is like the Durbanites calling us Vaalies and having stickers like "Welcome to Durban, now p!ss off we need the parking". I have not been to the south coast in more than 12 years. Port Alfred treats me very nicely, so they get the R30k odd that I spend for my family of 5.

 

".... down will come baby, cradle and all"

Gasping2009-11-09 06:27:12

[Shebeen]

 

 

Rude' date=' my suggestion is not a solution, but if everyone chills a bit there would be lots less agression, and without photos every 2 days on the hub less people will get irritated by it.

Honestly there are more pressing issues in the world than going around taking pics of cyclists....[/quote']

 

-1

i think CR has done a great thing here, instead of just fuelling a debate that will still be raging once the palestinians are chiling with israel he has shown us some photos of how cyclists are abusing the road. he's one of us, so sees it from both sides - that means a lot to me.

 

result:people will hopefully stop hogging the road, and will find a better place to take a slash.

shebeen2009-11-09 09:41:02

[splat]

The question as to what the driver who is complaining about having to sit behind cyclists blocking the road would do if it was a slow truck was raised on this thread again.  It often gets raised on such threads.

I just want to make the observation that quite often the drivers of slow trucks move over for faster moving traffic when they can.  When they can't move over' date=' some truck drivers indicate to the drivers behind them when it is safe to pass. [/quote']

A large slow truck/tractor/donkey cart doesnt have a choice in its width. Sometimes they are courteous and help you overtake and or drive in the yellow line (illegally). Motorists still get impatient and often end up overtaking on a solid white line on a blind rise.

 

A group of cyclists are riding 6 abreast by choice and swear at motorists who hoot at them are a different story all together.

[Gasping]

i think CR has done a great thing here' date=' instead of just fuelling a debate that will still be raging once the palestinians are chiling with israel he has shown us some photos of how cyclists are abusing the road. he's one of us, so sees it from both sides - that means a lot to me.

 

[/quote'] 

You are correct - It means more comming from someone else other than BigH (no disrespect intended - it is more than just just BigH. Adds credense to the complaint)

 

result:people will hopefully stop hogging the road' date=' and will find a better place to take a slash. please can we name and shame that dude?!  [/quote']

 

I think you are right in your request, but who is going to do that? Does this person know that what he is doing is actually against the law?

 

Here is the reality of this type of situation - most of us will be "caught short" at some time or another. Please just think a little bit further than the offending appendage and find somewhere private for your privates? Bushes, tree (large one), etc.

[Myra]

The question as to what the driver who is complaining about having to sit behind cyclists blocking the road would do if it was a slow truck was raised on this thread again.  It often gets raised on such threads.

I just want to make the observation that quite often the drivers of slow trucks move over for faster moving traffic when they can.  When they can't move over' date=' some truck drivers indicate to the drivers behind them when it is safe to pass. [/quote']

A large slow truck/tractor/donkey cart doesnt have a choice in its width. Sometimes they are courteous and help you overtake and or drive in the yellow line (illegally). Motorists still get impatient and often end up overtaking on a solid white line on a blind rise.

 

A group of cyclists are riding 6 abreast by choice and swear at motorists who hoot at them are a different story all together.

 

I don't understand quite understand what you're saying.  My point was that any type of traffic should be considerate of other road users and I think that, when and if it is safe to do so, there's no reason why slow moving traffic shouldn't move over to let other traffic past.

 

To say that motorists should be expected to sit behind cyclists riding abreast when it would be safe for the cyclists to move over and/or into single file because the motorists would have to sit behind a slow truck does not make sense.  At least not to me.

[Robert Lofthouse]

I was en-route by road to Angola when this thread was started. I am amazed at how prejudiced Hubbers are...... not once was CR really flamed' date=' ridiculed, told he is like Julius Malema or told in the first posting that it was illegal to take photographs while cycling.

 

?

 

But ....... I rest my case..... it is the Coenie's and the Kingcompass's of the cycling world that will eventually ruin the experience for us all........ wankers!!!!!!!!!

 

?

 

.................... but..... ..... to Cradle Resident for starting this thread....... where can I sign the petition??????? ....... it does not matter what excuses Hubbers (cyclists?????), what CR posted is exactly what I have experienced every time I cycled in the Cradle.

 

?

 

The inability of cyclists to accept responsibility for their own dumb and stupid actions is aptly demonstrated throughout this whole thread.

 

?

 

By the way..................... was the meeting held at Teak Place and what was the outcome?????????????...... did the eminent mr Jones attend and will he now only report back to his selected cronies???????? (as he stated previously!!!!!)

[/quote']

 

 

 

Aww shame Hennie, did I hurt your feelings, too bad.

 

 

 

The topic CR brought up was perhaps in essence the same one you did, and in pretty much the same way. Except it was done with a heck of a lot more dignity, pure fact, and even a hint of concern for the well-being of cyclists. He even followed it up with suggestions and statements to the affect that he's trying to help sort the situation out. That is why he wasn't flamed.

 

 

 

You, on the other hand, generally present your opinions in a very clearly aggressive, accusing (often offensive) manner which is again very clearly meant to incite an aggressive response, then you cry about being flamed. Well, if you want to play that game, then you must accept it back again.

 

 

 

Take this particular response of yours, you launch a veiled attack at Ian Jones, one of the few people who are actually acting and doing something to sort the situation out. Perhaps you should now just butt out and leave the resolving of this issue to the people who actually are looking for a resolution, not a launching pad for insult hurling, as you so often do.

 

 

 

Perhaps you should take heed of the way that people respond to you on this forum (as you so neatly pointed out), it might give you a bit of insight as to how people generally perceive you and your stinking attitude!

 

 

 

p.s. You still didn't answer my question about whether you feel that motorist that knocked that lady off her bike last week was acting in a manner that was acceptable to you!

 

 

 

As for me ruining the cycling experience for you, I believe you're doing a fine job of that all by yourself, you don't need my help.

[Pappa Bear]

..........think roadies should start wearing number plates.  That way offenders can be identified and fined.

[gtr1]

Well done you Roadies in the pictures!!!  Spoil the cradle for the rest of us!!!

Cycle Lab + Club 100 should take responsibility with there members' date=' you can clearly see what clubs don't follow the laws of the road...Bad taste!

[/quote']

Not taking sides coz I ride both road and mtb, but if you look carefully some are on mtb's. Look at the guy in the middle of the road.

 

So maybe all cyclists should take responsibility, and yes I do think this is bad form. But it seems to be a problem everywhere when a bunch gets together, they ake over the road.

And yes, the clubs that always profess to be so good at controlling things etc should look at these pics and do something constructive.

[Windbreaker]

 

 

 

 

Andrew' date=' Giovani, Ian and Mark are the only guys that are looking at sorting the issues out and are coming up with ideas.

 

There is no problem with the general cyclists in the cradle (I ride during the week), its the few that make our life hard

 

and come across three or four of these groups on a drive and your day is messed up.

No other club as made any effort to improve the situation and i have no idea of what clubs are out there or who belongs to who.

[/quote']

 

CR, in light of your statements here I have a few comments to make and also to question the motives, or at least your choice of topic heading.

 

Andrew obviously has a vested interest, but that being said, he also obviously gives a damn about cycling generally. I guess it is Giovanni of CGC fame. I don't know who Mark is and I guess that it is Ian who has a generally well balanced, positive point of view on this forum.

 

GOOD FOR THEM for trying to come up with a solution. I just hope that it isn't really just and excersize in appeasment, but that it also involves some education of what we as cyclists want to see from other road users and even residents. I am not unsympathetic to the situation that the cradle residents face after corresponding privately with Ken. But what I can't accept are threats to the safety of cyclists. Whatever is said, "nuisance value, bad behaviour etc." cyclists do not pose a danger to other road users (freak accidents aside) so to threaten vehicular violence (big words for this time of evening) against cyclists is completely unacceptable.

 

To get to the second comment in bold. If this statement is true then I have to question what the purpose of your original post was. It doesn't say why "some of you" are not welcome - it is a completely unhelpful generalisation. I think that too many people generalise in this way and it solves NOTHING. If your intention was to get the attention of the likes of Andrew & Giovanni then I suggest that it was a futile effort as you already had their attention as a result of Ken's thread.

 

I've said this a hundred times on this forum (and others) -

An ignorant/obnoxious cyclist = an ignorant/obnoxious motorist and vice versa. THAT is the problem.

 

It also does no good to quote traffic regulations that are in many cases not relevant. In some case obeying the letter of the law can cause more aggravation. For example imagine a 300m line of single file cyclists occupying the "safe" left quarter of a lane with a solid white line. They would be fully within their rights & law and motorists would by law not be allowed to attempt to pass. That would be much more inconvenient than a tight group of 2 or even 3 abreast taking up a 20m long section of road.

 

Common sense and common decency must prevail. FULL STOP. Unfortunately South African society generally is losing that perspective quickly.

 

But the scariest of all, in my view, are the number of cyclists that are willing to either

a) accept that because cyclists will always come off second best so we don't belong on the roads.

b) assign generally bad South African road behaviour as a cycling specific problem.

 

I just don't understand that mentality, although I do see that the elitist MTB "closer to nature", "anti-roadie", condescending attitude creeping through now and then. That is just another manifestation of the same wider problem.

 

As for the guys that sit on the sidelines and take cheap shots (at clubs usually) or try to win virtual reality brownie points ... that's just sad! It's easy to break things down but immensely more difficult to build or fix anything.

 

So what do I do??? Nothing much, but I try to be a considerate road user and I regularly explain our perspective to motorists. It wasn't that many years ago that I used to bitch and gripe about the Saturday morning rides in the southern suburbs of the western cape before I took up cycling. Sadly the number of rides in the southern suburbs are dwindling very quickly I might add.

 

edit: even more bad grammar, and typo's

Windbreaker2009-11-09 11:33:39

[Trubie]

To Ian, Andrew, Giovanni and Mark thanks for trying to sort this out with CR and others. I bet this behaviour isnt limited to the cradle.

 

CR - I imagine there are other just as important/more NB issues in your area, that needs as much attention and awareness. Fortunately the cyclists have clubs and forums like this that makes it easy to pinpoint, or slant us. Your other problems might be slightly more difficult to solve. Good luck, and I hope the cycling problem is one that you can tick of your list pretty soon.

 

To the hubbers who try and justify this behaviour - shame - you must be very unhappy individuals, and I can imagine what else you will justify.

 

To the hubbers - who like me - detest this behaviour  - lets all work together in educating each other in a manner which is positive. That way we might even get through to each other at some stage - before its too late. But lets also not play angel and pretend as if we never brake any rules or run a orange or red light, or not stop at an intersection etc. 

 

 

[jeremyd]

Or never answer the call of nature 

[Cassie]

 

Applause for the MTB'er staying in the cycle lane..

 

As for the rest....WTF??? Where is my 2m shockstick???