Motorists, cyclists: time to grow up

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Yeah, my mother in law was complaining about the exact same thing a while ago. I told her to rather just stop in future. First time she ever shut up.

 

Haha! I just tell them that they're stupid and deserve the fine.

 

BTW - your signature is very pertinent for this thread!

[marshace]

Patience by all, that's what needed. Give each other a break man, chill out.

 

Cyclist need to adapt riding to conditions, nice yellow wide shoulder - what's wrong with riding 2 abreast, no shoulder, then surely single file. If group is say 25 plus, on road with no shoulder, then we often ride 3 abreast to shorten/bunch it up, the thinking it is then its easier to pass. Would you agree ?

 

Most cyclist do think about motorists, most of them have cars as well, and certainly do not go out there with a mission to irritate motorists...

 

I also commute by motorcycle, and its the same thing....

[Harry Potter]

I nearly got knocked of the bike yesterday afternoon, I had a red flashing light on all three my cycling top pockets and one on the bike. All flashing!!!! Looked like a flippen ambulance. The driver of his Nissan 1400 decided to pull over into the yellow lane to make space for the car coming from behind, guess what??? It was a BMW X5

 

I now have to repent for about a month for all the thing I said and whished to both drivers

[Icycling]

I cant seem to put a post on News 24 - so if somebody can do this for me after reading and making sure it makes sense I would appreciate it.

 

 

I am both cyclist and motorist - With regards to the death last week - if the law was obeyed or even educated probably the accident probably would not have happened. I do not throw blame on the truck drive but rather the authorities and the learner driver education system. Currently the law of the road in RSA says when one vehicle overtakes another vehicle it must be done in a separate lane, it also says that you you use your indicator when ever you choice to change your course of direction - so if it is just one cyclist riding a car should be over taking in the separate lane. My question is if motorist were to obey thsi law what difference would it make if they 2 or even 4 a breast - if they are driving according to the law? In point of fact possibly cyclist are their own worst enemy in this regards by riding as far left as the individual cyclist feels safe has allowed cars to overtake without changing their course of direction (much)! Cyclist are trying to get the law changed that a 1.5m gap should be left between a cyclist and a vehicle, but this concession to motorist still has not be written in the law - but even with this concession it will probably mean on a solid white line with a motorist overtaking a single cyclist would result in the motorist breaking the law as 2 wheels would need to cross the barrier line - illegal!

 

Basically the legal way of over taking a cyclist would be indicate to overtake with the right indicator (this warns the vehicles behind that there is a obstacle in front) wait till you can do the overtaking procedure in a separate (right) lane - normally into on coming traffic, Indicate to come back into the left lane with your left indicator! How often have you or have you seen this procedure been done correctly according to RSA traffic law in RSA?

 

Pity motorist cannot obey this 1st rule of the road (regards less of speed limit) stay left when it comes to driving on the high ways. Most motorist end up driving in the fast lane instead of overtaking in the fast lane in free flow traffic - thus other motorist end up overtaking in the left lane which can be very dangerous. Possible if motorists drove in the left lane when they eventually got to small road they would have the patients to obey the speed limit and show consideration towards other road users.

 

In other countries like The Netherlands they have come to realise that motorist are the major law breakers and not cyclist or other road users. So basically they have put a law in place that if a motorist hit a cyclist the motorist has to prove that he did not see the cyclist (even if the cyclist was going through a red robot) or the motorist is guilty!

 

Some other thought:

 

1. If motorist would show cyclist 1/10 of the patients they show to Baboons while going through Cape Point, or the evasive actions they tend to show animals / pets on roads I as a cyclist would feel 100 times safer than I do on the RSA roads currently.

 

2. I have never heard of a cyclist (A cyclist in cycling kit) who has caused any physical injury to another road users for going through a red robot! I do know of a cyclist who was killed in Lakeside for waiting at a red robot in the 90's while a drunk drive drove over him while going through the red robot. Please also remember a cyclist is not sitting in a air conditioned car - so when it raining stopping and starting all the time may result in physical injury to the cyclist or swine flue! Conversely when hot waiting at robot cause over heating the air flow is a cyclist radiator! Yup it is against the law but as mentioned I have yet to here that it has harmed anybody - I am not in anyway suggesting that cyclist should speed through red robot.

 

3. Driving in a yellow line is illegal - cycling is too! But motorist expect cyclist to ride inside a yellow line and break the law, most if not all oblige - why do motorist never complain about that - but going through a red robot HELL will Freeze over! So when rules are for the guidance of wise men and for fools to follow and it suits the Motorist - then it is OK?

 

4. With regards to cycle lane - sometime the are devil thrown on the new lane in Table view which mean cyclist will probably end up on the road as after one puncture you realize that cycle path is not conducive for cycling on.

 

5. Minor are legally allowed to ride on the public roads in RSA - which we as citizen of RSA need to know that motorist are adequately train and respect the laws they are trained in as other road users do not require road education.

 

6. When last or if ever did a motorist die as a cyclist killed them by cycling on the road? How often has a motorist use their vehicle as a weapon against a cyclist resulting in injury or death?

 

I could carry on but my lunch break is now over!

[Caerus]

Patience by all, that's what needed. Give each other a break man, chill out.

 

Cyclist need to adapt riding to conditions, nice yellow wide shoulder - what's wrong with riding 2 abreast, no shoulder, then surely single file. If group is say 25 plus, on road with no shoulder, then we often ride 3 abreast to shorten/bunch it up, the thinking it is then its easier to pass. Would you agree ?

Most cyclist do think about motorists, most of them have cars as well, and certainly do not go out there with a mission to irritate motorists...

 

I also commute by motorcycle, and its the same thing....

 

No, its illegal. Thats as silly as the woman questioning why she got a fine for not stopping a stop street.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

The thing is - it is NOT illegal for a vehicle to occupy the yellow lane. There is, however, a proviso in the RTA that allows for cyclists / slow vehicles to occupy the yellow lane. This is the proviso that dictates that as a slower vehicle, you may move over into the shoulder (yellow lane) in order to let faster vehicles pass, as long as it is safe to do so.

 

Insofar as I know, a cyclist is always going to be slower than a powered vehicle (especially up the hills) and as such has a right to occupy the yellow lane in order to grant other road users the freedom AND space to pass in a safe manner.

 

All this tripe about "illegal yellow lane riding" just shows how little we and the common populous know about the RTA and the perceived illegalities / legalities pertaining to road use.

 

 

With regard to the guys jumping reds & stop signs - I have said it before, and I shall say it again. It is stupid. EXPECT to be the victim of a darwinian event.

[marshace]

No, its illegal. Thats as silly as the woman questioning why she got a fine for not stopping a stop street.

 

You don't have to get personal.

Silly !!!

Edited January 26, 2011 by marshace

[AndreZA]

Cyclist need to adapt riding to conditions, nice yellow wide shoulder - what's wrong with riding 2 abreast, no shoulder, then surely single file. If group is say 25 plus, on road with no shoulder, then we often ride 3 abreast to shorten/bunch it up, the thinking it is then its easier to pass. Would you agree ?

 

If the yellow lane is wide enough then you can ride ten abreast. But on a road with no shoulder or even a narrow one, then riding single file should always be practiced. Single file is the law.

 

The one guythat responded to that article mentioned that they have about 40 people on their club rides. So we can guess who they are. He says how can anyone expect them to ride single file. Well, if you make smaller groups of 10 then you can very easily.

[Caerus]

The thing is - it is NOT illegal for a vehicle to occupy the yellow lane. There is, however, a proviso in the RTA that allows for cyclists / slow vehicles to occupy the yellow lane. This is the proviso that dictates that as a slower vehicle, you may move over into the shoulder (yellow lane) in order to let faster vehicles pass, as long as it is safe to do so.

 

Insofar as I know, a cyclist is always going to be slower than a powered vehicle (especially up the hills) and as such has a right to occupy the yellow lane in order to grant other road users the freedom AND space to pass in a safe manner.

 

All this tripe about "illegal yellow lane riding" just shows how little we and the common populous know about the RTA and the perceived illegalities / legalities pertaining to road use.

 

 

With regard to the guys jumping reds & stop signs - I have said it before, and I shall say it again. It is stupid. EXPECT to be the victim of a darwinian event.

 

I concur, I was refering to riding abreast (anywhere), just to clear that up.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

If the yellow lane is wide enough then you can ride ten abreast. But on a road with no shoulder or even a narrow one, then riding single file should always be practiced. Single file is the law.

 

The one guythat responded to that article mentioned that they have about 40 people on their club rides. So we can guess who they are. He says how can anyone expect them to ride single file. Well, if you make smaller groups of 10 then you can very easily.

 

Yep - in our club if there are more than 15 riders in any particular group, it gets split up into smaller groups for safety, not to mention common decency on the road. 2 smaller bunches are easier to pass than one big one, and generally tend to clump less.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

I concur, I was refering to riding abreast (anywhere), just to clear that up.

 

I know... I generally read posts before replying. And therefore, tend to grasp what the writer was referring to. Unless, that is, your address is 143 Left Field Road, Vague-town.

[Caerus]

You don't have to get personal.

Silly !!!

 

 

Not getting personal at all, so if you think I was, I apologise

Edited January 26, 2011 by Caerus

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Not getting personal at all, so if you think I was.

 

Yeah, you were getting *physical, physical!*

[Caerus]

Yeah, you were getting *physical, physical!*

 

Huh?

[Nikolais]

My 2 cents worth... (I have no idea as to the ins and outs of the Death of that poor little girl, so my text has nothing to do with that incident, or any incident in particular)

 

I remember reading Lance Amrstrongs 'Its Not About the Bike' and if i can recall, he said that he had lost count of the number of times he had been knocked by cars.

I rode to school on a bicycle from Grade 5 right up until Matric. I then also used to commute to college (+-8km, PMB Central) every day . Recently I also commuted to and from Work for a spell (+-12kms, DBN Central). In all these years I have never once been even close to being in an accident.

I keep to sidewalks and try to keep my speed down around pedestrians. Some people might not agree that cyclists should ride on pavements but I base my reasoning on one simple fact...

 

Before a car is driven on the road, the actual vehicle needs to pass a roadworthy test, the driver needs to have a drivers license (This is of course omitting the many illegal road users out there).

Now bicycles dont need roadworthy tests and Cyclists dont need to pass a license This means that bicycles have no right to occupy the road as a vehicle.

(A cyclist could ride on the road with a brakeless bike and with absolutely no knowledge of the basic laws)

If we allow cyclists to 'Claim their Lane' as I have heard stated before, then there should be no problem with Skaters, Rollerbladers and even toddlers on push bikes being on the road!!! Or any other form of Transport, no matter how unroadworthy for that matter!! Nothing separates cyclists from these other forms of transport.

 

This is why I believe that cyclists have no right to be on the road, but... This is a grey area and I do believe that if cyclists wear all the correct lights and Hi Vis vests and they obey the rules of the road then they are welcome as a GUEST on the road.... They should make themselves as little of a hazard as possible and always think ahead. Anticipate ANYTHING and EVERYTHING.

 

This is my honest opinion, I am not trying to create a stir.

 

Nic

Edited January 26, 2011 by Nikolais

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Huh?

 

Sorry - google Olivia Newton John Physical.

 

It was one of those left-field comments I was talking about.