Driving into cyclists the Emma way

[Alex Simmons/RST]

Now the Police are getting in on the action:
https://www.bicyclenetwork.com.au/general/media/3847/

 

[winkybiker]

Re:

Now the Police are getting in on the action:
https://www.bicyclenetwork.com.au/general/media/3847/

It's not even safe indoors from NSW drivers.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/terrifyin...station-caught-on-camera-20160117-gm7stp.html

 

[42x16ss]

Re: Re:

I've a mate who's convinced the whole road deal of motorist v cyclist is a class war, and the issues with tradies really tends to back this up...

It's likely not just tradies, but I think those that drive for their jobs can tend to see "recreational" road users as not being entitled to a space on the road, relative to their "professional driver" status. Having said that, most professional drivers (truck and bus) seem pretty good around where I live. Taxis in the downtown area are fairly unpredictable, however.

I live in London and I think your analysis is pretty good. Its usually fairly busy when I hit the road but most drivers are fine.
It does seem though that there is more of a issue in Aus judging from the posts on here and the serious incidents.

'straya is by far the worst country I've ever cycled in. Aggressive, ignorant, incompetent bogan motorists everywhere that go out of their way to scare and hurt you. Terrible roads, too. I left 11 years ago, never to return.

It's improving, quite a bit TBH, once you get outside of Sydney. The drivers there are actually probably better overall, they just get totally irrational when it comes to bikes and implementing safe routes.

The other capitals all have much better infrastructure and bikes are far more common on the roads as a result. You still get vicious drivers but they're far less common. Here in Brisbane the drivers are usually more focused on competing against each other

 

[Stingray34]

Re: Re:

I've a mate who's convinced the whole road deal of motorist v cyclist is a class war, and the issues with tradies really tends to back this up...

It's likely not just tradies, but I think those that drive for their jobs can tend to see "recreational" road users as not being entitled to a space on the road, relative to their "professional driver" status. Having said that, most professional drivers (truck and bus) seem pretty good around where I live. Taxis in the downtown area are fairly unpredictable, however.

I live in London and I think your analysis is pretty good. Its usually fairly busy when I hit the road but most drivers are fine.
It does seem though that there is more of a issue in Aus judging from the posts on here and the serious incidents.

'straya is by far the worst country I've ever cycled in. Aggressive, ignorant, incompetent bogan motorists everywhere that go out of their way to scare and hurt you. Terrible roads, too. I left 11 years ago, never to return.

It's improving, quite a bit TBH, once you get outside of Sydney. The drivers there are actually probably better overall, they just get totally irrational when it comes to bikes and implementing safe routes.

The other capitals all have much better infrastructure and bikes are far more common on the roads as a result. You still get vicious drivers but they're far less common. Here in Brisbane the drivers are usually more focused on competing against each other

Here's another Oscars for Public Dullards nomination:

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/man-charged-after-allegedly-robbing-cyclist-and-threatening-police-with-wine-bottle-20160118-gm8r2g.html

I agree with your earlier post about the cyclists v motorists mindset is a case of xenophobia - a fear of difference and the possibility of change. Where this irrationality comes from, I don't know, but it seems worse in Oz than anywhere else. Does anyone know what it's like to ride in Auckland or anywhere in New Zealand? How about Scotland, Ireland and Wales? It seems to be mostly a problem in English-speaking nations.

 

[Archibald]

Re:

Now the Police are getting in on the action:
https://www.bicyclenetwork.com.au/general/media/3847/

Been reports of a motorcycle cop grabbing a cyclist by the arm and causing him to crash [here in (you guessed it) Sydney].
This has been backed up by witnesses on both the incident in question and others.
Possibly more than one motorcycle cop harrassing cyclist, but likely one who has a beef...

 

[42x16ss]

Re: Re:

[quote="
It's likely not just tradies, but I think those that drive for their jobs can tend to see "recreational" road users as not being entitled to a space on the road, relative to their "professional driver" status. Having said that, most professional drivers (truck and bus) seem pretty good around where I live. Taxis in the downtown area are fairly unpredictable, however.

I live in London and I think your analysis is pretty good. Its usually fairly busy when I hit the road but most drivers are fine.
It does seem though that there is more of a issue in Aus judging from the posts on here and the serious incidents.

'straya is by far the worst country I've ever cycled in. Aggressive, ignorant, incompetent bogan motorists everywhere that go out of their way to scare and hurt you. Terrible roads, too. I left 11 years ago, never to return.

It's improving, quite a bit TBH, once you get outside of Sydney. The drivers there are actually probably better overall, they just get totally irrational when it comes to bikes and implementing safe routes.

The other capitals all have much better infrastructure and bikes are far more common on the roads as a result. You still get vicious drivers but they're far less common. Here in Brisbane the drivers are usually more focused on competing against each other

Here's another Oscars for Public Dullards nomination:

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/man-charged-after-allegedly-robbing-cyclist-and-threatening-police-with-wine-bottle-20160118-gm8r2g.html

I agree with your earlier post about the cyclists v motorists mindset is a case of xenophobia - a fear of difference and the possibility of change. Where this irrationality comes from, I don't know, but it seems worse in Oz than anywhere else. Does anyone know what it's like to ride in Auckland or anywhere in New Zealand? How about Scotland, Ireland and Wales? It seems to be mostly a problem in English-speaking nations.

I spent a bit of time racing and training in Colorado and SoCal when I was younger (about a month in each) and can say that both are far better than a lot of places here in Aus. New Zealand is generally really good, I think not having big cities helps.

I can't say what the UK is like.

 

[Stingray34]

Cyclists on Beach Rd early morning: check; Green Commodore full of bogans: double-check; Violence and injury caused by latter to former: obviously.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/coke-bottles-thrown-at-cyclists-in-shocking-beach-road-attack-20160120-gm9t4v.html

What a waste of Coca-Cola

 

[42x16ss]

Cyclists on Beach Rd early morning: check; Green Commodore full of bogans: double-check; Violence and injury caused by latter to former: obviously.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/coke-bottles-thrown-at-cyclists-in-shocking-beach-road-attack-20160120-gm9t4v.html

What a waste of Coca-Cola

The comments give some hope, for once

 

[Archibald]

Cyclists on Beach Rd early morning: check; Green Commodore full of bogans: double-check; Violence and injury caused by latter to former: obviously.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/coke-bottles-thrown-at-cyclists-in-shocking-beach-road-attack-20160120-gm9t4v.html

What a waste of Coca-Cola

probably only charge them with littering if they catch them

 

[frenchfry]

Caught in the act.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/tineke-kraal-handed-suspended-sentence-for-sabotaging-north-shore-mountain-bike-trails-1.3413582

 

[winkybiker]

Re:

Caught in the act.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/tineke-kraal-handed-suspended-sentence-for-sabotaging-north-shore-mountain-bike-trails-1.3413582

She seems to be a bit of a nut-job, and I would never condone her actions, but I agree with her sentiment that the MTB trails and users can be detrimental to the Northshore forests and other users in general. The trails are definitely wider and more torn up than the hiking trails. When hiking, interactions with mountain bikers can be annoying, if not sometimes dangerous. Having said that, there are plenty of trails for everybody in these fabulous mountains. While I don't use the mountain bike trails, I think that the benefits they bring as a recreational asset outweighs their environmental impact for the most part.

 

[movingtarget]

At Least Prison Time For A Change But Not Enough Of Course !

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jan/29/woman-who-hit-cyclist-while-using-mobile-phone-jailed-for-three-years

 

[Stingray34]

Here's a real doozy

http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/cyclists-onbike-camera-shows-road-rage-incident-in-glen-forrest-20160201-gmij8m.html

Most of the comments condemn the driver's actions and call for serious punishment, however, quite a few also question what the cyclists MUST HAVE DONE to 'provoke' the driver (victim blaming, surprise surprise) and some just take the opportunity to vent their displeasure of cyclists in general. A couple of trolls even applaud the driver, with one saying he's doing the 'Lord's work.'

I wonder which god that dork prays to?

 

[nayr497]

I like to ask aggressive motorists, "How many cyclists have gotten in your way/have you had to wait behind today?" Just you. "And how many cars?" Many.

Okay, so back the hell off and leave me alone, I'm not the problem.

 

[nayr497]

Re:

At Least Prison Time For A Change But Not Enough Of Course !

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jan/29/woman-who-hit-cyclist-while-using-mobile-phone-jailed-for-three-years

A skilled cyclist was hit and killed in my neighborhood. Motorist admitted to the police that he saw the cyclist...but decided to pull out anyway.

NOTHING happen to the driver. No jail time, not even a loss of license. Good lord.

 

[winkybiker]

http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/cyclists-onbike-camera-shows-road-rage-incident-in-glen-forrest-20160201-gmij8m.html

Never any shortage of 'strayan stories to keep this thread lively....

One of the commentators suggests that the driver was reversing to make the turn on the left that they overshot, and wasn't targeting the cyclists at all. I think that they might be right. You can see the vehicle just start the left turn just before the video cuts off. That makes the driver typically incompetent, but not malicious.

 

[Alex Simmons/RST]

Re:

http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/cyclists-onbike-camera-shows-road-rage-incident-in-glen-forrest-20160201-gmij8m.html

Never any shortage of 'strayan stories to keep this thread lively....

One of the commentators suggests that the driver was reversing to make the turn on the left that they overshot, and wasn't targeting the cyclists at all. I think that they might be right. You can see the vehicle just start the left turn just before the video cuts off. That makes the driver typically incompetent, but not malicious.

If that were the case, then they would have remained on the left side of the road while reversing and not moved to the wrong side of the road and directly at the cyclists.

 

[winkybiker]

Re: Re:

http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/cyclists-onbike-camera-shows-road-rage-incident-in-glen-forrest-20160201-gmij8m.html

Never any shortage of 'strayan stories to keep this thread lively....

One of the commentators suggests that the driver was reversing to make the turn on the left that they overshot, and wasn't targeting the cyclists at all. I think that they might be right. You can see the vehicle just start the left turn just before the video cuts off. That makes the driver typically incompetent, but not malicious.

If that were the case, then they would have remained on the left side of the road while reversing and not moved to the wrong side of the road and directly at the cyclists.

Possibly, but they may just have been poor at controlling the car in a high speed reverse. As I said, typically incompetent. We'll likely never know, one way or the other.

 

[Stingray34]

Re: Re:

http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/cyclists-onbike-camera-shows-road-rage-incident-in-glen-forrest-20160201-gmij8m.html

Never any shortage of 'strayan stories to keep this thread lively....

One of the commentators suggests that the driver was reversing to make the turn on the left that they overshot, and wasn't targeting the cyclists at all. I think that they might be right. You can see the vehicle just start the left turn just before the video cuts off. That makes the driver typically incompetent, but not malicious.

If that were the case, then they would have remained on the left side of the road while reversing and not moved to the wrong side of the road and directly at the cyclists.

Possibly, but they may just have been poor at controlling the car in a high speed reverse. As I said, typically incompetent. We'll likely never know, one way or the other.

We do know it was malicious - check out the video again. There's shouting from the Rover before and after it had stopped. The driver was also hanging out the window looking at the cyclists.

 

[winkybiker]

Re: Re:

http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/cyclists-onbike-camera-shows-road-rage-incident-in-glen-forrest-20160201-gmij8m.html

Never any shortage of 'strayan stories to keep this thread lively....

One of the commentators suggests that the driver was reversing to make the turn on the left that they overshot, and wasn't targeting the cyclists at all. I think that they might be right. You can see the vehicle just start the left turn just before the video cuts off. That makes the driver typically incompetent, but not malicious.

If that were the case, then they would have remained on the left side of the road while reversing and not moved to the wrong side of the road and directly at the cyclists.

Possibly, but they may just have been poor at controlling the car in a high speed reverse. As I said, typically incompetent. We'll likely never know, one way or the other.

We do know it was malicious - check out the video again. There's shouting from the Rover before and after it had stopped. The driver was also hanging out the window looking at the cyclists.

I looked at it again with the sound on. Sadly, you're right. The guy was trying to kill them.

 

[Archibald]

I bet he would have behaved differently if not in a 4WD or SUV

 

[movingtarget]

Re: Re:

At Least Prison Time For A Change But Not Enough Of Course !

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jan/29/woman-who-hit-cyclist-while-using-mobile-phone-jailed-for-three-years

A skilled cyclist was hit and killed in my neighborhood. Motorist admitted to the police that he saw the cyclist...but decided to pull out anyway.

NOTHING happen to the driver. No jail time, not even a loss of license. Good lord.

There is no real justice. You only have the watch the news every night to know that. No one can explain these decisions.

 

[winkybiker]

Re: Re:

At Least Prison Time For A Change But Not Enough Of Course !

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jan/29/woman-who-hit-cyclist-while-using-mobile-phone-jailed-for-three-years

A skilled cyclist was hit and killed in my neighborhood. Motorist admitted to the police that he saw the cyclist...but decided to pull out anyway.

NOTHING happen to the driver. No jail time, not even a loss of license. Good lord.

There is no real justice. You only have the watch the news every night to know that. No one can explain these decisions.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/cyclist-hit-and-run-attack-captured-on-video-20160203-gml4b6.html

And this one. GBP150 fine. Pitiful. It's not true that decisions such as this can't be explained. They are readily explained by an undercurrent of prejudice against cyclists, along with a general feeling that we get what we deserve for having audacity to be on the same roads as cars. "It's simple physics" etc....

 

[frenchfry]

Re: Re:

At Least Prison Time For A Change But Not Enough Of Course !

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jan/29/woman-who-hit-cyclist-while-using-mobile-phone-jailed-for-three-years

A skilled cyclist was hit and killed in my neighborhood. Motorist admitted to the police that he saw the cyclist...but decided to pull out anyway.

NOTHING happen to the driver. No jail time, not even a loss of license. Good lord.

There is no real justice. You only have the watch the news every night to know that. No one can explain these decisions.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/cyclist-hit-and-run-attack-captured-on-video-20160203-gml4b6.html

And this one. GBP150 fine. Pitiful. It's not true that decisions such as this can't be explained. They are readily explained by an undercurrent of prejudice against cyclists, along with a general feeling that we get what we deserve for having audacity to be on the same roads as cars. "It's simple physics" etc....

Maybe the driver was sending a text message or consulting internet on his phone when he hit the cyclist. This is not to excuse the driver of any fault, as this behavior is willfully putting at risk cyclists and pedestrians.

 

[42x16ss]

I got hit yesterday on my afternoon commute home, by a girl in her mid 20's who simply made a right hand turn straight into me. I was following a car down a single lane of traffic and she turned immediately after the car had passed. Luckily I wasn't injured too badly and the girl who hit me pulled over straight away.

Initially I actually had to calm her down, she was so worried about my safety! She was in tears at one stage. I also had several people who saw it come forward and offer themselves as witnesses. I've already got all the necessary details for an insurance claim and I have to say that the reactions I've received have only been positive.

I suspect that once most reasonable people see the actual human toll, attitudes can change. Sadly my beautiful Johnson is written off after only 10 months Lucky I know the owner of the brand!