I use cycleways as often as i can wherever they are available mainly because the majority of car drivers in Perth can't drive or are too inconsiderate to other road users.
I cycled all around London when i was a student for five years in full on traffic with a lot less care than i do now and only once got nailed by a car, who jumped a red light.
I have lost count the number of near misses in Perth and would never ever let my daughter cycle to school.
You know its ok to slow down a bit, give way to others, allow someone to merge in front of you and when overtaking a cyclist to give them a wide berth.
More people should cycle, asthma tells me so.
If only there more responsible and considerate cyclists were like Poor Reli and Formula Nova.. perhaps there would be much less aggro from motorists towards cyclists?
I understand that cycleways aren't always practical, but in Perth the major cycleway routes are pretty good (wide, 2 lanes), and cycle traffic is pretty much one-way during peak hour.
Nova, I never said that cars shouldn't slow down and give cyclists as much room as possible, however I don't see why cyclists can't show the same courtesy and move to the side of the road as much as possible when traffic lanes are tight and busy. Especially if there's a group... no reason that they can't go single file.
Lycra gaylords should pay rego! If they want to own the road otherwise stick in the bike lane or get a mountain bike and HTFU
Also no disrespect to the road bike cyclist that do the right thing and stay to the left, when I ride my bike I keep as far away from car drivers as possible because half of them are just as stupid as the Tour to cafe latte's lycra wearing no talent ride my bike in a straight line all day because Lance Armstrong is a drug cheat!
Thank you.
Hey we're not all tour de cafe riders!! I have no desires to ride competitively and didn't watch any of the TDU. I ride to and from work, partly because i want to stay healthy, partly because I'm concerned for the environment, but mostly because I enjoy it!
I obey ALL of the road rules and touch wood, so far haven't experienced any agro from motorists. As I said previously I wear knicks because they're padded and a riding jersy because it has really convenient pockets on the back. I've tried wearing sports shorts, but because I live in the hills when I go downhill at speed they turn into parachutes and nearly flap my balls off. Knicks are just more comfortable when riding, thats all!
I don't drink lattes and if you don't like how I look, then look elsewhere!
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Nebs what you may not realise is that most cyclists that are serious enough to get kitted out with lyra andspend big $'s on a bike travel quite fast approx 30km/hr. It is very dangerous riding on a cycle way as the leasure cyclist just cruises along at 15km/hr. This in its self is a way more dangerous that riding on the road.
I love that argument cyclists have it cracks me up every time i hear it.......
They don’t like being inconvenienced by slow moving cyclists or traffic on BIKE paths so they ride on the road.....
WHAT THE CRAP DO U THINK U ARE TO CARS WHEN YOU ARE ON THE ROAD!!!!!
Slow moving!
And if you are going to illegally undertake cars while they are at the lights at least run the red light so you can clear out, so we dont have to over take you every 500m.
"Fed up with stupid cyclists not using the adjacent bike path, Nebbian took the only sensible option."
The fact of the matter is that all lycra wearing bike riders are hated when on the road. Simple. There is no need to justify your reason for being there. The point is that your not wanted there in the first place.
So anyway Im gonna go put on my Freo Dockers shirt and go sit behind the West Coast Eagles goals.
It seems that the aggro goes both ways.. I was driving to a mates place, overtook a 'mob' of lycra clad cafe tourists going up a hill. They were doing whatever speed, maybe 30-35km, and I was travelling at the marked speed limit - 50km/hr.
I came to an intersection where I needed to turn left, taking me across the path of the cyclists. Knowing that there were cyclists not far behind me, and that as I braked, and turned they would be right there, I took what I thought was a civilised and courteous action. I indicated, moved left (so as not to obstruct other cars using the road), leaving plenty of room between me and the kerb (I estimate at least 2 m) and stopped.
My thinking was that without deviating from their current course, the cyclists could see that I was intending to turn left, had courteously stopped to let them through, and could simply carry on with their ride.
Of course not. Unfortunately we had a couple of windows down, and had to listen to the stream of abuse that several of them threw our way as they passed. "What the f**k are you doing you f**ing stupid a**ehole" etc. etc. etc.
Umm.. just trying NOT to knock you and all your mates off your bikes???
I'm sure not all cyclists are arrogant nobs, but as is always the case, it's the few that ruin it for the rest.
Seems pretty obvious to me.. ~100kg of bike, lycra and rider vs at least a tonne of steel and passengers?
I'd be riding defensively rather than offensively!
Communication here was the problem, seems to arise a bit on the road.
In Europe I found a quick flick of the headlights meant "I'm letting you thru", If you do that here people assume you mean the opposite, "I'm coming thru regardless".
So what should you do when you can't beat a line of cyclists to the road you wish to turn left at?????
Think I'd drop in behind the cyclists, stay as far left as I could so other vehicles can pass.
I think the tour to caffe riders shave their legs because they are in transition on the way to turning into females or easing into letting every one know their gay instead of just coming out of the closet.
This guy was clearly way too good to ride 1 metre to the left, he was doing all of 15km/h uphill. I certainly couldn't have kept up that blistering pace on a pushie.
As a cyclest surely to get from a to b in the best possibile way is the way to go ,allways looking forward and hoping that what lurks behind will show some patiance and wait for a appropriate time to overtake.The cycle parths in perth are a road to nowhere,goin arround in circles,thats fine if you want to stay metro ,but how can one go on a long distance bike trip
say down south or up north...ya fkt ain t no path that takes you north or south or evan east.Go it at your own risk,cos it is a risk unfortunatly.
Some cyclists are fine, some are definately not and think they are so holy.
Here in the ACT the government is turning some double lane roads into single lane, so there can be a huge cycle lane, phuch that!! They dont pay rego, and worse, there are purpose built cycle paths 2 metres away. So now thousands of cars are squashed into single lane and the odd cyclist now and then uses the bike lane or bike path. Stupid.
Its pure physics, bikes and cars dont mix.
