The Dumb Cyclists and Pedestrians thread...

[fatdudeonabike]

(I need a camera... that would've been much easier than explaining it...)

google street view helps

You're asking a lot of me to figure out how to use that - I don't think i even have the 'thing' downloaded to be able use google maps.

And also, it's not really on a street - it kind of is, but its more spitting out of a nature reserve. I wouldn't even know how to look for it on street view.

[human909]

Hit the rear brakes (learned my lesson!) managed to go round the kid...

My advice to everyone that is willing to listen is to use the FRONT brake only (when on solid dry sufaces). This ensures that you are able to achieve maximum braking forces without skidding and get you used to using the most important brake.

Using both brakes means you will almost certainly be braking less than maximum and will not gains the skills to be able to brake hard in emergencies.

Using rear brake ONLY increase stopping distance by approximately FIVE times.

[g-boaf]

Sure but we will all rue the day a Strava like tool is adopted by the WRX/Skyline crowd for public road segments.

Imagine riding a popular twisty 1 lane road and Danny d'head in a hotted up WRX, completely focussed on beating a strava time, emerges from a corner in front of you at 140kph, runs wide, wrong side of the road, two wheels off the shoulder... Fishtailing out of control towards you... You have a fraction of a second to react.

Is this the end game of the arms race being fueled by Strava? I hope not.

Keep the racing for climbs, tracks and or sanctioned events.

Have you heard of a thing called Facebook? That's all they need to organise street racing. And they do it already. Come to Western Sydney, park yourself on the Cumberland Highway around Wentworthville area at around 9:00pm through to 1:00am on Friday through Sunday evening - you''ll see plenty of evidence of that. Drivers with hotted up muscle cars that are excessively noisy who deliberately have extreme difficulty maintaining traction - even at a standstill when the cars seem prone to smoking their tyres. And just now, 3:08pm today, hoon driver in C63 AMG just went tearing off down the Cumberland Highway. Unfortunately, us people who live in the area have to deal with this all the time, nobody will deal with these hoon drivers.

I'd be all for banning the C63 AMG in particular. They seem to be most popular for the well-to-do hoon drivers in my area.

[Lukeyboy]

So all they need now is a global web based leaderboard with segments such as Bobbin head road, or the Old Pacific Hwy. Lovely.

I suggest you look into the Japanese street racing/performance speed scene from the early to late 90's. Maybe even did into the 80's. Bogan levels here haven't even scratched the surface of that stage yet in terms of speeds and production standards.

IIRC this video was first recorded in 1998... which was only just a few years before Strava really took off . Videos like this and others of street racing were distributed amongst friends/groups and by direct to video magazines way before the internet came along as a mainstream media like it is today. Even in the late 90's internet forums and chat rooms had people displaying how fast they have been.

[Summernight]

With an AZ you wouldn't have thought that

Maybe he only had one of these:

Haha. I have one of those on my messenger bag near my chest (bright pink I got as a joke Christmas present because I broke my previous bell ringing it too much and the new freebie bell I got from the City of Melbourne is woefully soft and nobody even looks if I try to ring it. ):
Something like this: http://th09.deviantart.net/fs18/PRE/f/2 ... yStock.jpg

The cyclist pressed what looked to be a button, connected to a line that looked like it went to the top tube.

if you just bleep the trigger, you won't get full volume. takes a good press to get it at full volume.

I will never know now, not unless the same cyclist goes past, bleeps his horn of some variety and I manage to chase after him and ask him whether it is an AirZound. I'm going to stick to my uneducated belief that the AirZound is friendly.

I had the usual suit cross Collins Street this morning during peak hour without looking- he did a check for cars and then sauntered diagonally across the road from the middle tram tracks. I knew he wouldn't look when he crossed the bicycle lane because he was literally looking in the air like he was off with the fairies once he'd satisfied himself that he wouldn't be hit by a car. He got a shout from me (because said freebie bell really is just there to comply with the rules now) before he could do any damage to anyone and all was right with the world. His and mine.

[g-boaf]

Air Zound devices are higher pitched, but they have about the friendliness factor of a TGV sounding its horns at high speed. Unbelievable how loud the Air Zound is! I don't think you'd win many friends using it on pedestrians but car users are really the intended audience. I suppose it can be quieter.

You probably did come across an air-zound.

Bells required by the law are amazing, never knew such a device could be so effective. People wearing noise cancelling headphones hear it over their music... Err, maybe not!

Air Zound devices perhaps should be required by law to be used to warn cars and peds of your presence. That would remove my reluctance to use one. Hey, I'm required to use it by law!!

[Summernight]

Air Zound devices are higher pitched, but they have about the friendliness factor of a TGV sounding its horns at high speed. Unbelievable how loud the Air Zound is! I don't think you'd win many friends using it on pedestrians but car users are really the intended audience. I suppose it can be quieter.

You probably did come across an air-zound.

Bells required by the law are amazing, never knew such a device could be so effective. People wearing noise cancelling headphones hear it over their music... Err, maybe not!

Air Zound devices perhaps should be required by law to be used to warn cars and peds of your presence. That would remove my reluctance to use one. Hey, I'm required to use it by law!!

Mmmhmm. I've seen all the people here extol the AZ's virtues and have looked into them but I haven't had cause to warrant making my bike uglier with a canister under the toptube (vanity will kill!). Although I probably already look a fright in my bright pinks and reds with my silly hot pink horn strapped to my chest so going an extra uglier step probably won't hurt.

In the shop I thought my joke girl's horn was loud, but it doesn't have the air bladder big enough to hold an extended noise like the AZ which is the part that grabs the attention (like ringing my old bell once would do nothing but ringing it 4-5 times would get a reaction as the constant persistent noise attracts people's attention even over their music). I tried my joke horn once to warn a pedestrian crossing incorrectly on a red over my bike lane that I was coming but I didn't have the correct squeezing pressure sorted out yet and it did nothing to make her turn her head.

[il padrone]

Using both brakes means you will almost certainly be braking less than maximum and will not gains the skills to be able to brake hard in emergencies.

I actually do not see how using the rear brake as well as the front brake fully on, could possibly lead to lesser braking power

99% of the time I use both brakes, to varying degrees depending on the circumstances.

[il padrone]

Have you heard of a thing called Facebook? That's all they need to organise street racing. And they do it already. Come to Western Sydney.......

I suggest you look into the Japanese street racing/performance speed scene from the early to late 90's. Maybe even did into the 80's. Bogan levels here haven't even scratched the surface of that stage yet in terms of speeds and production standards.

So are you guys suggesting this makes Strava-hoonish behaviour OK??

[InTheWoods]

Using both brakes means you will almost certainly be braking less than maximum and will not gains the skills to be able to brake hard in emergencies.

I actually do not see how using the rear brake as well as the front brake fully on, could possibly lead to lesser braking power

99% of the time I use both brakes, to varying degrees depending on the circumstances.

The idea is that if you are using the front brake at its maximum effectiveness, the rear tyre has virtually no weight on it and is about to lift off the ground. Braking with it will add little stopping power. It won't lead to less braking power though... unless due to its very low amount of traction you lock it up and your rear starts to overtake your front

[jasonc]

I'm an advocate on the AZ. The advantage for me is I can use it further away. Using it further away means both you and the pedestrian has more time to react. And then obviously if they don't react, you can give them a blast with the AZ and tell them to get rid of their stupid headphones and to pay attention.

[herzog]

I'm an advocate on the AZ. The advantage for me is I can use it further away. Using it further away means both you and the pedestrian has more time to react. And then obviously if they don't react, you can give them a blast with the AZ and tell them to get rid of their stupid headphones and to pay attention.

A couple of things Jason.

1. Pedestrians are perfectly entitled to wear headphones. For some people going for a walk while listening to their music is a simple pleasure in life.

2. Pedestrians are under no obligation to get the hell out of your way on a share path. Much the same as when you occupy a lane on the road and a car is honking you from behind, you are under no obligation to move over for him.

Save the AZ for the road big fella.

What you are doing is basically the cycling equivalent of this motorist:

[jasonc]

What you are doing is basically the cycling equivalent of this motorist:

my first choice is not to AZ them. But if they are taking up more than half the path, and there is no response from the initial further away AZ, then I have another go. It's a SHARED path, not a pedestrian path.

There's a knucklehead I see regularly on a bike only path (the pedestrian path is ~10m away). He cops a longer warning blast.

[il padrone]

The idea is that if you are using the front brake at its maximum effectiveness, the rear tyre has virtually no weight on it and is about to lift off the ground.

I would suggest that if you are about to do a nose-wheelie you are in a position being about to lose control - not a very safe place to be. I would never be in this situation, even in a state of emergency braking - probably becuase I will have thrown my body backwards (a little trick from MTB riding) to maintain some rear-end traction, and balance for control

[Lukeyboy]

Have you heard of a thing called Facebook? That's all they need to organise street racing. And they do it already. Come to Western Sydney.......

I suggest you look into the Japanese street racing/performance speed scene from the early to late 90's. Maybe even did into the 80's. Bogan levels here haven't even scratched the surface of that stage yet in terms of speeds and production standards.

So are you guys suggesting this makes Strava-hoonish behaviour OK??

Not in the slightest. I'm saying that the stava scene that us cyclists have for cars hooning on public roads has been around for a very very long time. Different laws between states and countries evolve over time such as anti hooning laws and that determines how the driver/drivers/groups go about it. It could be someone pulling up at a set of lights to someone driving on a quiet road by themselves to a few friends going for a joy ride or to even a well planned out race over facebook, chat rooms, text message etc etc etc. Some bike messengers/cycling groups do the same thing with planned races. Not long after the M1 upgrade between Brisbane-Gold Coast drivers did races (top speed wise/who is the fastest) on the new extra wide lanes between Logan and Helensvale-Robina which were organised via text messages and group meets. And it still happens today. They used to use the Logan Motorway overpass southbound as the starting mark.... well, that was until they put up some speed cameras on them not long back.

[nescius]

I had a couple of close calls this morning with some space cadet cyclists:

In the first instance I was doing a hard TT effort (on the road), on a slight downhill so I was doing close to 50kmh when a numpty popped out of the shared path to cross the road directly in front of me, I had spotted him but thought he was stopping because he was going so slow and and he wasn't pedalling. Either he didn't see me, or he completely misjudged my speed, anyway it was close enough to raise my eyebrows but not so close that I had to e-brake or anything like that.

The second instance was on the way home, turning right at a major intersection, I was rolling up to the lights when the arrow went green so I started winding up again and was probably doing about 35kmh or so when numpty number two crossed in front of me (one car had already passed through the green arrow at this stage, and there were more behind me). I had to brake hard and cut left to go around him, and the car behind me had to brake hard to avoid turning him into a pancake. Unfortunately the only sound that came out of my mouth was a strange "wah" sound, if I hadn't been in the middle of an intersection I would have probably followed him and let fly with my highest quality insults.

[johnny99]

After riding along the South Perth foreshore bike path to work the past two days for the first time and part of the way along the freeway bike path in the opposite direction to most of the traffic I am glad I dont normally ride this path. After reading all the comments over the past few years about cyclists and pedestrians I would like to give my observations based on two days riding. I have found most pedestrians who use the shared paths to be predictable. However the number of cyclists who appear to be using it as a race track is unbelievable. I stopped counting after twenty the number of cyclists who obviously don't know how to use brakes and cant wait for cyclists coming in the opposite direction to overtake slower cyclists and pedestrians. I am very surprised that their aren't more accidents during peak time along these paths.
Other than the improved scenery I think I prefer my usual commute through an industrial area.

[outnabike]

I stopped counting after twenty the number of cyclists who obviously don't know how to use brakes and cant wait for cyclists coming in the opposite direction to overtake slower cyclists and pedestrians. I am very surprised that their aren't more accidents during peak time along these paths.
Other than the improved scenery I think I prefer my usual commute through an industrial area.

Hi Johnny99,
In traffic with a car, and some thing is slow in front , you have to let the oncoming traffic pass, then overtake.
Is this not the same course of action on a path? I usually come up on a ped and pass when clear. If I move out early all that will happen is a head on with a cyclist coming the other way.
Have I misread something here?

[johnny99]

No outnabike you havent misread it. I frequently observed other cyclists overtaking in dangerous places and situations when other cyclists were approaching. Slowing down and waiting for an appropriate time to pass is what should happen but doesnt. As cyclists we want vehicles to give us a metre clearance when passing but it seems that once on a cycle path the same reasoning gets forgotten and its ok to squeeze through.

[malnar]

This is the dog that bit me. The owner knows it chases cyclists, yet he has it off lead. Possibly a pit bull...

[Mulger bill]

And the video. F word warning at 4:53:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=qoHHts8v7Yw

[Big_Red]

http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/pets/dog-care ... -penalties

Call the dangerous dogs hotline on the above page. The owner has no excuses for having their dog bite you. Penalties are quite stiff.

[human909]

Using both brakes means you will almost certainly be braking less than maximum and will not gains the skills to be able to brake hard in emergencies.

I actually do not see how using the rear brake as well as the front brake fully on, could possibly lead to lesser braking power

Mostly we are on the same page, so I have no great desire to disagree,,, But.... If you are using (braking) with rear brake then by implication you are not fully using the front brake. Sure throwing your weight back will dramatically improved things but under normal conditions you are still limited by the OTB (over the bars) threshold.

[Lukeyboy]

And the video. F word warning at 4:53:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=qoHHts8v7Yw[/youtube]

Damn that's crazy!

[K2]

And the video. F word warning at 4:53:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=qoHHts8v7Yw[/youtube]

The owner doesn't sound like he's in full control of his own faculties, yet alone his animals. I noticed you said you called the hotline, but perhaps follow it up if you don't hear anything to ensure he gets the help he so desperately needs.

Just be thankful you didn't follow them home. You might have saved some poor sod doing renovations 50 years hence from the shock of discovering a cyclist and bike complete with a couple of olde world technology video cameras under the patio.