Cyclist dies in hit-and-run

[slowpoke]

DangerDassie and BigS, what was really embarrassing was that there were more motorbike safety officers than there were cyclists!!!

[Danger Dassie]

Easy guys...Sign Up is still a new organisationand awareness of them and their activities is low. 
I joined their FB page and was not aware of this initiative until I read this thread. 
I also e-mailed Shaun @ Sign Up 10 days ago asking to purchase the bumper sticker and for more info on the org' date=' and am still waiting on a reply. 

The point is that this will take time to gain the necessary momentum - doesn't mean we're not interested. 

Let's stay united as a body of cyclists in dealing with this scourge. 
[/quote']

 

You want one, I have a spare that you can have.

It is gathering momentum, but very much the result of a single person's efforts. Shaun essentially runs Sign-Up on his ace. His time, his money in between running his business and having a family life.

So it's understandable if the guy takes time to respond on occasion, for more info though the website is available http://www.sign-up.co.za/

 

As cyclists we've largely been apathetic to respond, yet we'll sit here and rubbish efforts to do something positive.

Interestingly a large bike shop that many love to hate, came on board with the stickers and signed up a batch for their shop.

 

[Keithc]

My condolences to the family.

Why am I not surprised though?!! I live in the area and leave to meet my cycling buddies between 4:00 - 4:30 am and I must say that I have stopped riding to the meeting place because of the fact that the motorists just dont stop at any of the intersections at the at time of the morning! They seem to believe that there are no other road users out there at that time! I see it every time out go out! Perhaps we should be putting a few cameras up at these intersections?

Why is always the cyclists that need to adjust?? I hope the culprit is caught!!

[nikki]

You know what, I've now come to the conclusion that this carnage will never stop. No matter how much we complain, protest, put up sign's etc there's nothing we can do to change the mentality of motorists. Even with a massive "arrive alive " campaign we still get a 1000 plus people dieing every December on our roads. This is the country we now all live in and we must just accept that this is the way it is.

I will ensure that I never ride alone at any time (morning or evening), Will always ride in a bunch (not that this will gaurentee my safey either). Wear bright coloured cloths, fit front and rear lights to my bike, ride as defensivly as possible and obet trafic rules.

I refuse, however, to stop partaking in the sport that I love so much!

[Rienzo]

Danger Dassie, thanks for the offer!

 

No disrespect to Shaun - in no way did I want it to sound like I was rubbishing what he is doing. 

What he is doing is great, and I look forward to supporting him where I

can. 

 

I was merely pointing out how long it takes to create an ground-swell.

I think that it is compounded because S.Africans are largely apathetic, as you point out. 

 

The current political climate doesn't help our cause. 

What gets me is the difference in reaction to cyclists being killed on the road (lack of action, media attention, national outcry etc) versus that we've seen from the tragic killing of the four school children in Soweto due to reckless driving. 

 

[scotty]

Shaun H is also on facebook,

 

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Glenvista-South-Africa/Sign-Up-Cyclists-Safety-Initiative/255500249022?ref=nf

[Canaris]

Danger Dassie' date=' thanks for the offer!

No disrespect to Shaun - in no way did I want it to sound like I was rubbishing what he is doing. 
What he is doing is great, and I look forward to supporting him where I can. 

I was merely pointing out how long it takes to create an ground-swell.
I think that it is compounded because S.Africans are largely apathetic, as you point out. 

The current political climate doesn't help our cause. 
What gets me is the difference in reaction to cyclists being killed on the road (lack of action, media attention, national outcry etc) versus that we've seen from the tragic killing of the four school children in Soweto due to reckless driving. 
[/quote']

 

Creating a ground swell among cyclists in RSA, yeah right, pull the other leg. 

 

RSA cyclists are too self absorbed, snobbish, wealth?! to actually give a stuff about their own or anyone elses safety. 

 

The CSA has eventually associated itself to THINK BIKE, almost three years AFTER THINK BIKE added the cyclist to their bumpersticker, AND provided marshalls at a discount to road races.  There is still not a SAFETY officer on the CSA committee.  CSA also has done NOTHING for cycle commuters, but rather focused on competitive cycling only.

 

The current political climate doesn't help?  Different reaction to.....  This is not political but rather social.  Firstly, we have yet to have a celeb like Jub Jub driving over a cyclist in a drug induced haze.  Now that sells newspaper!  Maybe Joost, Klay, Steve or Kurt could be persauded to say or do something silly cycling related?  Secondly, we as cyclists are a minority within a minority.  We are indeed of little interest to society (except as a road hazard and irritation). Where was the raging mob of cyclists at the last court hearing of a motorist that hit a cyclist?  did not happen, did not sell newspapers, not of public interest.  Nothing political here.  Cyclists don't make a good news stories.  Even the attempt to wear black armbands at the argus (which is the mecca of RSA cycling) failed to happen. 

 

Collectively, cyclists in RSA don't take their own safety seriously, so why should others?

[Old_Timer]

My heartfelt condolences to the family over their tragic loss. May they be given the strength to continue with their daily tasks in this very sad time.

 

 

 

I speak from the heart having lost a son in a cycle accident 27 months ago and have contemplated this issue for a while now and feel I need to put pen to paper

 

I am astonished that there are so few cyclists injured or killed on our roads due to the blatant disregard of basic road safety by certain elements within the cycling fraternity

 

 

 

1.     Very few stop at stop streets today in fact I nearly hit a man on a bicycle who popped out from behind a truck and rode through a stop street. After jamming on breaks to miss him I got finger signs from him (Basic Safety), This seems to be the norm in my area.

 

2.     A 4 way stop is for cars only and if a car stops the riders ride into the intersection and you have to wait while five, six or ten riders all travel through without stopping

 

3.     Riding two abreast on narrow roads and you dare not toot to let them know you are coming along as once again it is finger language from them and then they stay in the middle of the road

 

4.     I have actually have a stone thrown at my car causing damage when I hooted at two riders riding abreast on a narrow road.

 

5.     The keep left rule of the road is nonexistent in the mindset of the cyclists (again I emphasis it is only certain elements)

 

 

 

I feel all cyclist should fist practice what they preach and adhere to the rules of the road before pointing a finger. If you recall years ago all motorcyclist were classed as scum and it has taken numerous projects to change the mindset of motor vehicle driver towards motorbike riders. It seems to me that cycle riders now have now been classed in the same bracket as motorbike riders due to certain elements portraying the ?I have the right of way?. Coming back from Durban last week I was listing to the radio and this was the subject (Cycle riders) and it astounded me to hear the same complaints over and over.

 

 

 

Let?s clean up our act as cycle riders and then point fingers. As a cycle rider and motorbike rider for years I have experienced the best of both worlds

 

 

[HeadMarshal]

Think Bike wishes to again express our horror at this senseless loss of life and hope that the family can find peace.

The CSA has eventually associated itself to THINK BIKE, almost three years AFTER THINK BIKE added the cyclist to their bumpersticker, AND

provided marshalls at a discount to road races.  There is still not a

SAFETY officer on the CSA committee.  CSA also has done NOTHING for

cycle commuters, but rather focused on competitive cycling only.

 

We have no cyclists on our committee either, go figure, we give up offering

 

 

[Keithc]

Point taken - very true regarding the bahavious of many cyclists. We cant point fingers without we are doing our bit for road safety, but I think we need to get back to the core reason for this specific topic.

 

This was one cyclist (I presume) riding on his own - which he should be able to do. Riding inside the yellow line, with visible clothing (not sure about lighting) Unless he skipped the intersection, what was he doing wrong to deserve to be killed? To make matters worse, the driver of the vehicle apparently drove away??!!

 

 

[Keithc]

Just on THINK BIKE - fantastic! I can't say enough about what a great job the guys do. Although I live in the East, I drive all the way out to 4ways on Saturday mornings to be able to ride with CycleLab because of their structures and relationship with Think Bike. CycleLab have had their fair share of problems because of some riders still not obeying basic rules, but the fact that they have Think Bike guys, and Marshals on their training rides makes a huge difference - WELL DONE guys!

[SteveS]

Old Timer

 

Sorry for your loss. Your post has some valid points, but again people are blaming the cyclist in this instance for his own death. If you made some effort and read up on what exactly happend you will know that this cyclist did absolutely nothing wrong. See the quote below from the Beeld article:

 

?Ons voorlopige ondersoek wys ?n motor het die man van agter getref,? het Mokheseng ges?.

?Hy het helder en duidelik sigbare fietsryklere aangehad en het in die noodbaan gery toe hy getref is.?

There are loads of other threads on the hub were you can go and slate some cyclists behaviour on the roads. This thread is not one of them.

 

[HeadMarshal]

 

Just on THINK BIKE - fantastic! I can't say enough about what a great job the guys do. Although I live in the East' date=' I drive all the way out to 4ways on Saturday mornings to be able to ride with CycleLab because of their structures and relationship with Think Bike. CycleLab have had their fair share of problems because of some riders still not obeying basic rules, but the fact that they have Think Bike guys, and Marshals on their training rides makes a huge difference - WELL DONE guys![/quote']

 

Not adverse to doing this in other area's either, but Club 100 and Cyclelab have worked hard on the relationship.

 

Agreed getting back to the point, we bleed when you bleed, we know how devastating it is when a family member is lost. It is just so senseless and needless.

 

We need to band together and do this

http://ukfrancebikers.com/2010/03/19/british-motorcyclists-gridlock-london/

 

 

[cat-i]

oh no, another one    

 

 

 

[Chris2]

What about cycling on the wrong side of the road. Then you can see what the oncoming traffic is doing. Perhaps you might be able to go off the road

[Sharkie 2]

Condolences to the family,I was involved in a hit and run two years back, the driver drove into me from the back after cutting a corner but also did not stop and drove away, also a double lane with a rather big yellow lane. I came down at 64km/h, woke up three days later in ICU and had to get reconstructive surgery to my face, my right eye had to be operated on to save my sight as my sunglasses damaged the eye(the doc could not give a guarantee I will see out of that eye until the bandages came off three weeks later), I dislocated my shoulder and damaged the ligaments which have to be operated on now because it got worse. The physical pain and all the scars I have dealt with and live with no problem( take it as battle scars), but the fact that one human can do this to another and just run/drive off took time to deal with, if the driver would have stopped and helped me I would have forgiven as accidents happen. Really Cycling SA needs to wake up and join forces with think bike to stop these type of things!!!