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Driving into cyclists the Emma way

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winkybiker

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Stingray34

Stingray34

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winky, what's BC like to ride around? I know it's a beautiful part of the world, but do the motorists behave anything like what Rob 'Where's my crack pipe' Ford over in Toronto would have them?
 
42x16ss

42x16ss

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movingtarget said:
How dumb is that. Must be bored or god knows what. Another one killed in Tasmania yesterday. Australian stats for bike related deaths must be climbing rapidly.
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This country is getting seriously f#$ked up. Between the behaviour described in this thread and the "King Hit" cr@p currently in the media I'm becoming ashamed to say that I'm from a nation where obnoxious antisocial behaviour is considered normal.
 
Archibald

Archibald

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42x16ss said:
This country is getting seriously f#$ked up. Between the behaviour described in this thread and the "King Hit" cr@p currently in the media I'm becoming ashamed to say that I'm from a nation where obnoxious antisocial behaviour is considered normal.
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along with all the 'shark culling' nonsense :rolleyes:
 
Stingray34

Stingray34

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42x16ss said:
This country is getting seriously f#$ked up. Between the behaviour described in this thread and the "King Hit" cr@p currently in the media I'm becoming ashamed to say that I'm from a nation where obnoxious antisocial behaviour is considered normal.
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It does seem that way, doesn't it. People seem to have lost all sense of community and humanity. The ideas we carry today that seem normal and true - to look out only for oneself, everyone else is the enemy or competitor - seem more medieval than modern, or even post-modern. On a personal note, I think rising inequality has, at least, something to do with it. We're perpetually afraid and suspicious of everyone else. The other is not friend or brother; the other is combatant.

Things will get better, but first, they will get worse.

As a cyclist, I'm tired of death riding on my shoulder. Everyone I meet has a friend, brother, sister, partner or other significant other who is also cyclist, it always enters conversation. They also always relate their fears for their loved ones. Twenty years ago, this wasn't the case. It's approaching critical mass, which is a good thing - a very good thing - but there are difficult days ahead.
 
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movingtarget

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Stingray34 said:
It does seem that way, doesn't it. People seem to have lost all sense of community and humanity. The ideas we carry today that seem normal and true - to look out only for oneself, everyone else is the enemy or competitor - seem more medieval than modern, or even post-modern. On a personal note, I think rising inequality has, at least, something to do with it. We're perpetually afraid and suspicious of everyone else. The other is not friend or brother; the other is combatant.

Things will get better, but first, they will get worse.

As a cyclist, I'm tired of death riding on my shoulder. Everyone I meet has a friend, brother, sister, partner or other significant other who is also cyclist, it always enters conversation. They also always relate their fears for their loved ones. Twenty years ago, this wasn't the case. It's approaching critical mass, which is a good thing - a very good thing - but there are difficult days ahead.
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As bad as the accidents are, leaving the scene is just appalling. What is wrong with people ? And it seems these days, most accidents between bikes and cars are hit and runs. Some of these accidents may even have happened because of the cyclist's actions but to leave after knowing what has happened is just beyond the pale.
 
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winkybiker

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movingtarget said:
As bad as the accidents are, leaving the scene is just appalling. What is wrong with people ? And it seems these days, most accidents between bikes and cars are hit and runs. Some of these accidents may even have happened because of the cyclist's actions but to leave after knowing what has happened is just beyond the pale.
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Leaving the scene is indeed apalling, but it is usually the only serious thing that these murderers get charged with. Killing cyclists is otherwise just an "oopsy" at worst.
 
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movingtarget

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Stingray34 said:
Looks like they got the driver who left Brendan Braid for dead with a broken back near Helensburgh on Sunday.

http://www.theland.com.au/news/metr...ist-with-broken-back/2683692.aspx?storypage=0
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Well that's something. A professional Rugby League player pleaded guilty to assaulting another guy and stomped on his head multiple times. They guy was surprised that the judge sent him to prison for two years and the judge actually stated that the community was sick and tired of alcohol fulled violence. Needless to say an appeal is being prepared but the assailant could not believe he was going to prison. My question is when are they going start sending people to prison for bike related incidents, not accidents. One of the reasons apart from panic for drivers leaving the scene is undoubtedly to avoid alcohol and drug tests. More reason for jail time. Careless driving is bad enough but driving under the influence deserves much stricter penalties and unbelievably some drivers do this with children in the car !
 
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winkybiker

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movingtarget said:
Careless driving is bad enough but driving under the influence deserves much stricter penalties and unbelievably some drivers do this with children in the car !
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Careless driving is indeed bad enough. Bad enough to be sent to jail for, in my opinion. The issue is that currently, without some other aggravating circumstance such as alcohol, drivers can just apologize and walk (drive, actually) away.
 
Stingray34

Stingray34

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movingtarget said:
Well that's something. A professional Rugby League player pleaded guilty to assaulting another guy and stomped on his head multiple times. They guy was surprised that the judge sent him to prison for two years and the judge actually stated that the community was sick and tired of alcohol fulled violence. Needless to say an appeal is being prepared but the assailant could not believe he was going to prison. My question is when are they going start sending people to prison for bike related incidents, not accidents. One of the reasons apart from panic for drivers leaving the scene is undoubtedly to avoid alcohol and drug tests. More reason for jail time. Careless driving is bad enough but driving under the influence deserves much stricter penalties and unbelievably some drivers do this with children in the car !
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Completely true. Maybe someone with some Aus Law smarts can tell us why motorists tend to get let off for killing with a 'whoopsy.' Is there something in Common Law that makes it easier to get off? Perhaps related to the car's mainstream acceptance and cycling being regarded as 'deviant'. We only have to look at the magistrate's comment about how 'motorists and cyclists don't always get along,' as if murderous intent is understandable when it's directed at second-class road users.
 
Aapjes

Aapjes

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Stingray34 said:
Completely true. Maybe someone with some Aus Law smarts can tell us why motorists tend to get let off for killing with a 'whoopsy.' Is there something in Common Law that makes it easier to get off? Perhaps related to the car's mainstream acceptance and cycling being regarded as 'deviant'. We only have to look at the magistrate's comment about how 'motorists and cyclists don't always get along,' as if murderous intent is understandable when it's directed at second-class road users.
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I think the problem is that cycling is seen as inherently dangerous in these countries, like lion taming or bear wrestling. Because cyclists are so uncommon on the road and many motorists (including judges) tend to be incompetent when dealing with them, the idea is that motorists really can't help murdering one now and then.
 
RedheadDane

RedheadDane

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Aapjes said:
I think the problem is that cycling is seen as inherently dangerous in these countries, like lion taming or bear wrestling. Because cyclists are so uncommon on the road and many motorists (including judges) tend to be incompetent when dealing with them, the idea is that motorists really can't help murdering one now and then.
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Seems to me that the reason cycling is dangerous in those countries is because some idiots think it's okay to run drive into cyclist.
 
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winkybiker

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RedheadDane said:
Seems to me that the reason cycling is dangerous in those countries is because some idiots think it's okay to run drive into cyclist.
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It isn't "some idiots" but actually the majority of drivers who think that the occasional murder is OK. They simply think that there is nothing that can be done to avoid running cyclists down from time to time. You know, because they don't pay "road tax". And besides it is actually the cyclists' fault for making themselves vulnerable by being on the road and not surrounded by 2 tonnes of metal. And because the cyclists think they're Lance Bloody Armstrong with all the spandex/lycra and stuff.
 
Archibald

Archibald

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yep. and to illustrate the point...
some months ago on a 7am group ride in the north of Sydney, some idiot in a ute threw beer cans at the group's front wheels. When rung up on the monday morning (his phone number was on the back and side of his ute - being a work ute), his response was "you shouldn't be on the road in the first place" then hung up.
 
RedheadDane

RedheadDane

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winkybiker said:
It isn't "some idiots" but actually the majority of drivers who think that the occasional murder is OK. They simply think that there is nothing that can be done to avoid running cyclists down from time to time. You know, because they don't pay "road tax". And besides it is actually the cyclists' fault for making themselves vulnerable by being on the road and not surrounded by 2 tonnes of metal. And because the cyclists think they're Lance Bloody Armstrong with all the spandex/lycra and stuff.
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To me "some" basically means an un-quantified amount of something, whether it's 50, 500, 5.000 or 5.000.000. Thinking like that always makes you an idiot.
 
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