AGGRESSION TOWARDS CYCLISTS

[headhunter]

Don't take knives (or bats) to a gunfight hey Tarmac?

 

 

 

I have my own story this week .........

 

 

 

I ride a GS1200 to work from S/West to Sanlam Belville , most days of the week, except in storms and gales (yep, I'm a fair weather biker!) !! I ride mostly the R102 through Eersterivier and Kuisrivier...anyone who know this route, can attest to the knobbers in cages that drive this route.

 

 

 

On Tuesday just after the Kuilsrivier Police station a taxi pulled out from the Engen petrol station and only saw me at the last moment. I pulled brakes and came down from about 70kmph (yes the limit is 60kmph). It took me (it seems that way) about 20-30m to slow down to +/- 5-8kmph........eventually about 5m from hitting the Taxi, I gave up and excepted that I was going to t-bone him,

 

 

 

I hit him in his door but had slowed down sufficently to only bounce back off him ...........I got my legs out before I toppled over and saved the bike going down.

 

 

 

Firstly, I thank BMW for ABS. Secondly all I got was torn and shredded right shin from the enging head hitting into them after bouncing backwards from the taxi.

 

 

 

Anyway I got off the bike, looked ay my leg and then approached the taxi driver.....he was already shaking his hands and shout he was so sorry to me. Now 10 years ago, I admit, I would have buried him in the concrete, there and then. But i bit my tongue , told him that there are many many bikers out there and would he please pay more attention in future. Simple, that;'s all I had to say to him. Got on my bike after checking the front forks and drove onto work.

 

 

 

I thank the Lord for surviving this episode and being able to get home to see the missus and daughter. Was I mad, sure, but like has been said above , it's just not worth it, to rant and be aggressive.

 

 

 

Apologies for long story, but I act the same on my bicycle when the numnuts try and take me out.

[Nettie R]

2 weeks ago I got clipped by a taxi' date=' and he had the nerve to slow down to give me a dirty look (even though I was as far left as could be)

 ...so what did I do... 

...I looked at him... and blew him a kiss!

 

[/quote']

And you think the taxi driver didn't find your actions patronizing?

[X-Gear]

The worst incidents I've faced the last few weeks were from drives with these "Think Bike" stickers on their cars... Not practising what they're preaching  Or maybe forgetting they are in a car.

 

Thanks for warning, NO CHIRPING if the maths is against you.

[tyger]

Good move Head- i bike that road consitently & it is you have to think for the motorist. Cyclist has to understand that confrontation with vehicles, wheter u 20 or alone might end badly. so bite your tongue, blow a kiss, even apologize and keep cycling.

It is when ego's come into play that the sh*te hits the fan.

[The_Break]

You are so right here, it is our pride that makes us go shouting our mouth off. I have a huge problem with this as I am a very verbal person and have come across the wrong people a few times.

 

Worst was a guy who actually lived in our neighbourhood. Now one would think upper class people would be pretty decent however this day I realized something profound. Anyway, story goes, I came to a stop street and stopped, this guy comes from behind me a simply keeps going, right past me. Now considering that we had the stop street put up about 12 years when one of our friends was run over and killed some meters away, I got pissed off and so hooted at the guy. He slammed brakes, reversed and we had a very verbal discussion.

 

In any case, I cooled off and thought next time I saw him I would just chat to the guy and say no hard feelings, but please man, you have to realize why the stop is there and that there are kids and dogs in the neighbourhood. Next day I am outside under my car changing my fuel filter, this guy drives past, stops, reverses and threatens to kill me. And you could see in the guys face he seemed serious. Luckily I decided to just go back under my car and keep working which really pissed him off, but he wheel spun away.

 

Doing some asking around, I later found out that this guy had actually killed someone before. He used to be a bouncer and shot someone at one of the local pubs. But it was not related to his job and the no knows why he did not go to jail because the circumstances where a bit shacky.

 

Anyways, it just goes to show, that one day you may just come across the wrong person, at the wrong time and unlike many of us, they are willing to go much further than we are to make sure they keep their pride and prove their point.

[tyger]

some of the most agressive folks i find riding/living in these upper class neighbourhoods...

[Andyr249]

Before I could even start into the yellow line the white tazz driver was on the hooter for a good 10 secs. Speeding clearly at over 80 in a 60 zone and windows frosted so badly she could hardly see and wipers were flapping trying to get some vision' date=' she could however throw her hands in the air on the way past. [/quote']

 

I find that its often the smaller cars that hoot the most...

 

Ja, just like the small yappy dogs make much more noise than the big dogs!

I know it is difficult but take a deep breath and do something unexpected and friendly like wave or as was mentioned blowing the kiss. Haha. Throw them totally off balance!

[JulesV]

I, like many of you, commute by bicycle(scooter sometimes) everyday and have been involved in several incidents as well as the years have gone on but have taken the view that if you're still upright and able to get angry about what someone's done, you're ok! so instead of acting on the anger I just give them a thumbs up n a smile and keep going. Works better for me than shouting at them or breaking their mirror at the next robot - you'll also get to work on time

[Woofie]

 

Don't take knives (or bats) to a gunfight hey Tarmac?

 

 

 

I have my own story this week .........

 

 

 

I ride a GS1200 to work from S/West to Sanlam Belville ' date=' most days of the week, except in storms and gales (yep, I'm a fair weather biker!) !! I ride mostly the R102 through Eersterivier and Kuisrivier...anyone who know this route, can attest to the knobbers in cages that drive this route.

 

 

 

On Tuesday just after the Kuilsrivier Police station a taxi pulled out from the Engen petrol station and only saw me at the last moment. I pulled brakes and came down from about 70kmph (yes the limit is 60kmph). It took me (it seems that way) about 20-30m to slow down to +/- 5-8kmph........eventually about 5m from hitting the Taxi, I gave up and excepted that I was going to t-bone him,

 

 

 

I hit him in his door but had slowed down sufficently to only bounce back off him ...........I got my legs out before I toppled over and saved the bike going down.

 

 

 

Firstly, I thank BMW for ABS. Secondly all I got was torn and shredded right shin from the enging head hitting into them after bouncing backwards from the taxi.

 

 

 

Anyway I got off the bike, looked ay my leg and then approached the taxi driver.....he was already shaking his hands and shout he was so sorry to me. Now 10 years ago, I admit, I would have buried him in the concrete, there and then. But i bit my tongue , told him that there are many many bikers out there and would he please pay more attention in future. Simple, that;'s all I had to say to him. Got on my bike after checking the front forks and drove onto work.

 

 

 

I thank the Lord for surviving this episode and being able to get home to see the missus and daughter. Was I mad, sure, but like has been said above , it's just not worth it, to rant and be aggressive.

 

 

 

Apologies for long story, but I act the same on my bicycle when the numnuts try and take me out.[/quote']

 

Hey, I also work at sanlam.

Seen your bike there outside there quite a bit.

I often cycle to work.

Thought you were Marius there for a sec, he also has a bmw bike now, but he stays in table view.

 

 

 

[udxcob]

And the reason they had 3 baseball bats in the car is????????????

[Danger Dassie]

some of the most agressive folks i find riding/living in these upper class neighbourhoods...

 

I've found that quite often whilst commuting. Strangely, the folk who give me the consideration are normally the taxi drivers as opposed to folk in large luxury saloon cars and soccer moms in their SUVs.

 

It's a generalisation I know, but it's been pretty consistent on my morning commutes thus far.

[DJ84]

Its not always the motorists, as i rider i can comment on other guys. Today a group of pro's jumped a red robot and i nearly hit a few of them, had my mother and niece in the car or i would flooked them and told them how to act on the road. Its not the first time i have seen them riding like idiots.

[splat]

And the reason they had 3 baseball bats in the car is????????????

 

Out to cause k@k 

[patches]

Its not always the motorists' date=' as i rider i can comment on other guys. Today a group of pro's jumped a red robot and i nearly hit a few of them, had my mother and niece in the car or i would flooked them and told them how to act on the road. Its not the first time i have seen them riding like idiots.[/quote']

 

Amen! I ride to work 3 out of 5 days. The other 2 it's the car that gets used. My route requires me to go through the William Nicol and Main intersection in Bryanston. Anyone who knows this intersection will agree that it's fairly complex.

 

Just down the road from that intersection, on Main, there's a Engen garage where a bunch of cyclists meet in the morning to go on training rides. One morning whilst on my way into the office, I saw 2 of these guys fly through a red at this intersection, like a bunch of idiots.

 

I'm in a car and I wouldn't do that so what makes it "less risky" to do it on a bike... Must be the "smaller target" mentality. Next time I see it a pic is going up on here!

 

...just not smart guys! C'mon!

[scotty]

And the reason they had 3 baseball bats in the car is????????????

On their way to a baseball game

[Wannabe]

I ALWAYS cycle with my Pepper spray with me, even Mtb. Won't do much good against three guys with baseball bats, but I'm sure at least one will get a face full of pepper dye.