The Dumb Cyclists and Pedestrians thread...

[Ads72]

And those bloody lycra clad cyclists with their tippy tappy shoes...

Glad to hear your not talking about me, I decided to skip the lake this morning

Also Twizzle, it sounds like you ride down Northborne Avenue each day. I think Northbourne has the highest number of 'casual' cyclists riding it and this is why I try to stay away because of all the lights, cars and other cyclist breaking rules. Also, I believe that the majority of the cyclists who are running lights and/or not wearing a helmet are the same people who attend our higher Education Institutions and ride from the Inner North suburbs. This is just my experience anyway.

[twizzle]

SIGH....

When I read threads like this I start to wonder whether some people are right about arrogant cyclists. Twizzle being the king this attitude.

It shouldn't matter if somebody rides a flat bar roadie.
It shouldn't matter if somebody is smashing their pedals and sweating hard and only going 15kph.
It shouldn't matter if somebody chooses to not where a helmet.
It shouldn't matter if people overtake you.

Then why do you read them?

1. I don't have an issue with different types of bike, I have roadies, a hybrid and an MTB (which I never ride) - it's just a differentiator.
2. Good on people mashing pedals and going 15km/h - obviously trying hard.
3. Re. helmets - trying to start a new helmet thread? No thanks...
4. I don't have an issue with being overtaken, I have an issue with people doing it unsafely, and overtaking in situations where they know they are now going to obstruct the rest of the traffic. I also don't have an issue with overtaking slower cyclists, and will wait long periods of time to do so safely - and get very annoyed when they break the law to recreate their rolling traffic jam.

Re. arrogant - I don't assume I'm better than stupid cyclists, it's evidence based. It is, however, arrogant to assume that I am arrogant based on the way I write rather the way I act.

[twizzle]

Cyclist standing toe to toe and screaming into the face of a --- balloon pilot who had dared to land his balloon on the bike path.

Must have been the balloonists fault - they are, after all, so easy to steer.

[didge]

A couple of weeks ago I saw someone riding on the footpath and not much later I saw someone pushing his bike on the road.

That reminds me of two blokes I saw once running on the shoulder of Yarra Boulevard, running two abreast, taking up the whole shoulder. Just asking to get mowed down (by a cyclist or a car).

[twizzle]

And those bloody lycra clad cyclists with their tippy tappy shoes...

Glad to hear your not talking about me, I decided to skip the lake this morning

Also Twizzle, it sounds like you ride down Northborne Avenue each day. I think Northbourne has the highest number of 'casual' cyclists riding it and this is why I try to stay away because of all the lights, cars and other cyclist breaking rules. Also, I believe that the majority of the cyclists who are running lights and/or not wearing a helmet are the same people who attend our higher Education Institutions and ride from the Inner North suburbs. This is just my experience anyway.

Not that often - I prefer the Federal Highway, and when I do ride Northbourne it's usually before 7am - mainly to avoid the traffic.

[Ross]

I find ACTION buses are the main hazard on Northbourne Ave, oh and the broken glass in the cycle lane. The side mirror of the buses tends to overhang the bike lane and generally (more often than not) the buses won't deviate 1cm from their lane when going past a cyclist even though the other lanes are free of traffic.

I think I did earn a bit of respect from a bus driver the other week when we were both stopped at the Melbourne Ave/State Circle intersection (I was on my bike of course) and both wanting to go straight ahead to Parliament House. As we were waiting I motioned that he should go first. He gave me a small wave back. Hopefully next time he sees one of "those lycra clad cyclists" he will remember our encounter and give them a bit of room on the road.

[twizzle]

If we ever meet up, remind me to show you the footage of the bus passing me in the on-road cycle lane at 60km/h.

[Biffidus]

Somewhere that flat bar rider is complaining to his mates about this damn roadie who kept taking off really slowly at the lights and then getting annoyed about getting stuck behind!

(Is there a reason that roadies all seem to take off in a really high gear instead of using lower gears to take off quickly?)

[hanzao]

duno if this is dumb.. but my neighbor and i were doing some morning rides from Mullaloo beach to burns beach nice small hills. He has a Trek mountain bike. There is a part on that track you go down hill, turn right, left sharp and turn right up to the new incline. One day he decides to take a short cut and goes straight onto the grass/sand and up the incline. I thought cheating bugger.. so the next day i tried to go around that left sharp slightly quicker and see if i can still beat him.. nope i skid into the beach wire fence jumping off my bike pretty quick.. hmm i only had the bike for 1 week and i have already stacked it.. the guys at bikeforce thought it was funny and didn't care, they just fixed it up for free (1st month service free).. so no more 25k around sharp bend for me.

[Mulger bill]

Roll yer eyes, shake yer head and keep on riding.

I save the vitriol for taxis, another half inch pass effort on the way to work, Arden/Dryburgh Sts, he ran the red 100m after that too.

Shaun

[citywomble]

duno if this is dumb.. but my neighbor and i were doing some morning rides from Mullaloo beach to burns beach nice small hills. He has a Trek mountain bike. There is a part on that track you go down hill, turn right, left sharp and turn right up to the new incline. One day he decides to take a short cut and goes straight onto the grass/sand and up the incline. I thought cheating bugger.. so the next day i tried to go around that left sharp slightly quicker and see if i can still beat him.. nope i skid into the beach wire fence jumping off my bike pretty quick.. hmm i only had the bike for 1 week and i have already stacked it.. the guys at bikeforce thought it was funny and didn't care, they just fixed it up for free (1st month service free).. so no more 25k around sharp

Seems dumb to me!
If its the path I think its a Shared Path, which means you've got very few rights - just allowed to cycle.
25k round sharp bends? What would you do if you met a ped, worse a small kid? Its a footpath, not a cycle path so learn to share it and remember a ped has all the rights and you have to give way to any walking ON or CROSSING it - Simple really, always cycle so that you can.
So bends - SLOW. So path junctions - SLOW. So people walking - SLOW

[familyguy]

SIGH....

When I read threads like this I start to wonder whether some people are right about arrogant cyclists. Twizzle being the king this attitude.

It shouldn't matter if somebody rides a flat bar roadie.
It shouldn't matter if somebody is smashing their pedals and sweating hard and only going 15kph.
It shouldn't matter if somebody chooses to not where a helmet.
It shouldn't matter if people overtake you.

But it does matter that the recently aggravated driver, possibly caused by a dawdling rider on a busy road, then vents anger at ME bcause I am "just another cyclist" on the road.

Eg: yesterday, young lady wobbling on a bike, the wrong way around a roundabout, nearly having a head-on with a car turning left into the roundabout. Wobbles off without a wave or acknowledgement, thereby p*ssing off the driver who proceeded to shake his head and cuss. Try telling me he didnt see red at the next bike he saw.

I believe this thread highlights the line people draw between seeing one actual idiot and having us all tarred as "idiots". The majority of drivers indicate, pass with reasonable safety, dont flip the middle finger to everyone on a bike, etc, etc. But at least cyclists have the sense to realise that you've got to get your own house in order before you blame others.

Jim

[humpy125]

I often see a guy on the bike path in Hobart with his helmet secured to the handle bars. Is the concrete softer on a bike path?

[twizzle]

I often see a guy on the bike path in Hobart with his helmet secured to the handle bars. Is the concrete softer on a bike path?

No, but I bet his head is.

[oldplodder]

1. A few years back I was climbing a long hill in suburbia. Up ahead a car had just been parked. The female driver jumped out without checking behind, slammed the door and stood in the middle of the lane directly in my path attempting to lock the car with the remote. She was having some problem as I approached at a slow pace. I rang my bell vigorously, no response. She was completely focused on that door. I'm getting closer, and I don't want to go to the right as that was her intended direction of travel. She is still in the middle of the lane and I'm almost upon her. I called out "Coming through!" She immediately screamed and hurled abuse at me as I climbed past between her and her car.
2. Approaching a roundabout at night, just as I entered, I caught the silhouette in my light of a rider in black clothing without any lights or reflectors, cruise across my path without looking. I missed hitting him by centimetres.
3. Same roundabout at the bottom of a steep hill I am coasting down the hill ready to give way to any vehicles when a couple step out and proceed to walk around the roundabout without looking. They had their backs to me when I called out "Coming through!". More abuse. Different outcome if it had been a car behind them!!!!!

[DaSchmooze]

Was walking down George St, Sydney to go from Martin Place to a chemist one block away. Total trip time was 10 mins there and back again.

During that 10 minute period, saw 13 cyclists (all but one were riding fixies... some pretty nice looking fixies too... but I digress!), ride through red lights on their way up or down the street. 2 of them actually swerved into oncoming traffic to make their way around cars stopped at the lights (one actually zig zagging through the oncoming traffic).

It's been said before, but I cope !! BAN ME NOW FOR SWEARING !! from motorists when I'm doing the right thing as a result of guys like these doing the wrong thing.

[trailgumby]

Bike couriers.

What's with the cards in the spokes thing anyway?

[twizzle]

Bike couriers.

What's with the cards in the spokes thing anyway?

Some people never grow up.

I guess that's one plus about not living in a 'big' city - I'm pretty sure we don't have bike couriers here. But as a minus, it means I can't quit my job and ride for a living.

[Max]

What's with the cards in the spokes thing anyway?

Dunno, but I saw one just the other day, here in BrisVegas. I found myself thinking "I heard about that card in the spokes thing on the internet.. but I didn't know people actually did it!"

Max

[Mulger bill]

Bike couriers.

What's with the cards in the spokes thing anyway?

Couriers are professional road users just like taxi and Skybus drivers. They have every damned right to do whatever they bl00dy well want to out there, just ask 'em.

Spoke cards are their version of race numbers. Anybody who hasn't alleycatted but wears them prolly has 50mm rims and Token CF jockeys on their geared bikes too

Shaun

[DaSchmooze]

Bike couriers.

What's with the cards in the spokes thing anyway?

Yeah that was my first thought, but it was early evening on a Saturday and none of them were carrying bags or anything other than themselves.

[jules21]

cyclists crossing Brunswick Road on the Capital City Trail this morning. banked up, stationary eastbound traffic on Brunswick Road, so they decide to cross against the lights. of course, they don't think to check that the westbound traffic might not be stationary - the lane was empty when they set off across the road.

one unbelievably negligent lady cyclist owes her health to an attentive driver. i was sure she was about to get launched.

[Missy24]

one unbelievably negligent lady cyclist owes her health to an attentive driver. i was sure she was about to get launched.

Wasn't me was it?

[jules21]

i hope note

it was about 8.15. she looked like a 'part time' cyclist.

[Missy24]

i hope note

it was about 8.15. she looked like a 'part time' cyclist.

nope not me I was off Brunswick Road at about 2 minutes to 8 this morning