Moron Motorists #3

[The 2nd Womble]

I'm here all night, don't touch the Veal.

[FuzzyDropbear]

Had a good one this morning, there's a part of my commute which I ride through a 150 - 200m long narrow street (50km/hr), I'm usually doing 35 - 40km/hr so traffic pretty much doesn't worry about me, just trundles along behind me. This morning, not so much different, bar the lady who tried to overtake me just after the halfway point, unfortunately she for some reason didn't click that there was a car coming the opposite way, so I look around and angrily look at her and put my hand up in a stop gesture. At the last minute, both cars hit the brakes, swerved and narrowly missed each other (car coming the opposite way had already slowed and must've expected that the numpty lady would pull back onto her side of the road)... This lady then just continues on her way totally unphased by the fact she just ran someone off the road..... all in the attempt to overtake a bike which was going the same speed as her. People like that are a genuine concern for everyone's safety, I let her go at the other side of the intersection, but was still riding behind her 3 blocks later.... So cyclists are really slow eh?

Link to googlemap view of street

[Summernight]

Wednesday this week. Riding down the La Trobe St separated bike lane. Peak hour (6PM or thereabouts). Cars are banked up stuck in traffic on my right. A ute in the line lets a right hand turner turn right to enter a car park. Said right hand turner completely ignores the fact that there is a bike lane they must give way to before crossing to reach the car park and crosses without even looking (accelerating at the time). I was 20 metres further up the hill. Glad I wasn't two seconds earlier or I may have been a bonnet ornament.

I think some motorists can only do one thing at once. As soon as the ute gave the space to allow the right hand turn said right hand turner has checked the little box off in their head and thinks they are home and hosed (when in reality they have the bike lane and the footpath to negotiate).

I've done La Trobe St a few times in the last two weeks (I don't normally do it). It doesn't feel like the safest of lanes, considering the people who fail to look before crossing the lane (both motorists entering car parks and turning left and pedestrians who treat it as a meandering lane that they'll walk in for about 20-30metres before reaching their parked car. Maybe I'm just used to riding in these types of lanes during clear ways (ie. Albert St).

[Cowcorner]

I think some motorists can only do one thing at once.

I think that's being generous to some motorists. Mornings can get exciting along La Trobe St as you get both left and right turners going straight over the copenlanes without looking - and that's when there's not a lot of other traffic to worry about. Combine that with the cretin that likes to park his 428 wheelie bins in the lanes mid-week and the north side of La Trobe anywhere between Queen and Russell is not a fun place to be at times. I must admit I like the concept, but some people really need to learn what those lanes are for.

[rustychisel]

First close pass I've picked up with the new camera. Wondering if anyone here has any recommendations on what I could do differently next time to avoid this, or if I did all the right things and it was just an impatient motorist...

I'm hoping to get a camera set up for the rear soon so I can give another point of view, but the forward facing is all I have right now.

75382037

Just your standard knob jockey rushing down from Auldana or Skye. Good chicken shop in that centre, BTW

[Summernight]

I think some motorists can only do one thing at once.

I think that's being generous to some motorists. Mornings can get exciting along La Trobe St as you get both left and right turners going straight over the copenlanes without looking - and that's when there's not a lot of other traffic to worry about. Combine that with the cretin that likes to park his 428 wheelie bins in the lanes mid-week and the north side of La Trobe anywhere between Queen and Russell is not a fun place to be at times. I must admit I like the concept, but some people really need to learn what those lanes are for.

Bicycles? What bicycles? Those lanes are just there to pretty up the streetscape and make it look greener. Like fake grass.

[foo on patrol]

Just found out that one of my old foes fo the Gold Coast was hit today in a road rage incident. That's all I can say at the moment. Charges pending!

Foo

Sent from my GT-I9210T using Tapatalk 2

Update. He is now at Pindara Hospital trying to get someone to operate, as the fracture broke and is now trying to come out the skin.

Foo

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[jules21]

moron taxi driver. if you're curious as to why he was in such a hurry, he did a u-turn a few metres up the road after this and pulled into the rank.. probably trying to beat the other taxi into the queue. numpty.

[ldrcycles]

Update. He is now at Pindara Hospital trying to get someone to operate, as the fracture broke and is now trying to come out the skin.
Foo

Geez that sounds horrible, hope he can get on the improve soon .


I've got one to add from this morning, riding up the david low way and an older woman in a mini 4wd going the other way tooted her horn at a couple of riders riding 2 abreast, because she was impatient and wanted them out of her way. Nothing too unusual except that we're talking about her wanting to overtake on a downhill, with the riders going at least 40 maybe 50, just before a blind corner, on a bridge, over double white lines! IDIOT.

[Thrilloilogy]

Had a lady in her brand new Merc turning left onto Epping Rd from Moore St who refused to move forward after the car in front had made their turn; leaving just a small part of the edge of the lip to continue on the Epping Rd bike path. I overcooked it slowly as I was coming back around to go through the safety island; and I could see that she was scared that I was going to hit her car. As I was going a slow speed I was able to correct my mistake without damage to me or her.

I really dislike that intersection.

[Paul B]

So the moron in his 60s overtakes us (4 riders) on a quiet rural road with the overtaking lane completely available, pulls back in, slams on the brakes and stops HARD right in front of us. A dangerous manoeuvre made more so by the fact that he jumped out of the car, which was blocking half the lane, and proceeded to abuse us. So cars coming along had to avoid the idiot's vehicle. Felt like slamming the fool in the mouth.

[skull]

Should have. Just claim you were feeling in danger and had to defend yourself.

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[InTheWoods]

Not sure if I'm the moron or not here.

But tonight (ie it was dark), I was driving on waterworks road, and the P plater in front had no lights on (followed for about 500 meters like this). Gave them a flick of the highbeams but that didn't seem to work so about 10 seconds later put the highbeams on for about 5 seconds, and that didn't work either and I gave up. A few seconds later the car's left indicator goes on (to change into the left lane), and after a few seconds of indicating, the car just gradually drifted right - ending up a meter into the oncoming lanes and almost had a head on

They then swerved back into their lane, moved into the left lane (all the while their indicator is on), and a bit further down the road they turned left down a sidestreet. Lights were still off.

Then on the way back (same road) saw a car turn right from the left hand right turning lane, but it changed lanes into the right hand turning lane while doing so - even though there was a car there. The innocent car emergency braked, then 50 meters down the road when I wasn't looking (i was turning too and watching other traffic), the dumb car did something silly again because the innocent car finally got on the horn...

[queequeg]

So the moron in his 60s overtakes us (4 riders) on a quiet rural road with the overtaking lane completely available, pulls back in, slams on the brakes and stops HARD right in front of us. A dangerous manoeuvre made more so by the fact that he jumped out of the car, which was blocking half the lane, and proceeded to abuse us. So cars coming along had to avoid the idiot's vehicle. Felt like slamming the fool in the mouth.

Sounds like the perfect opportunity for one rider to grab his keys and toss them into the bush at the side of the road, then ride off.

[find_bruce]

So the moron in his 60s overtakes us (4 riders) on a quiet rural road with the overtaking lane completely available, pulls back in, slams on the brakes and stops HARD right in front of us. A dangerous manoeuvre made more so by the fact that he jumped out of the car, which was blocking half the lane, and proceeded to abuse us. So cars coming along had to avoid the idiot's vehicle. Felt like slamming the fool in the mouth.

Sounds like the perfect opportunity for one rider to grab his keys and toss them into the bush at the side of the road, then ride off.

What a silly idea - a responsible citizen would hand the keys in to the nearest police station.

[jasonc]

a responsible citizen would hand the keys in to the nearest police station.

I was thinking the same thing. The owner can then go and explain why their keys are there. oh to be a fly on the wall.....

[ldrcycles]

So the moron in his 60s overtakes us (4 riders) on a quiet rural road with the overtaking lane completely available, pulls back in, slams on the brakes and stops HARD right in front of us. A dangerous manoeuvre made more so by the fact that he jumped out of the car, which was blocking half the lane, and proceeded to abuse us. So cars coming along had to avoid the idiot's vehicle. Felt like slamming the fool in the mouth.

Sounds like the perfect opportunity for one rider to grab his keys and toss them into the bush at the side of the road, then ride off.

What a silly idea - a responsible citizen would hand the keys in to the nearest police station.

Brilliant!

[queequeg]

So the moron in his 60s overtakes us (4 riders) on a quiet rural road with the overtaking lane completely available, pulls back in, slams on the brakes and stops HARD right in front of us. A dangerous manoeuvre made more so by the fact that he jumped out of the car, which was blocking half the lane, and proceeded to abuse us. So cars coming along had to avoid the idiot's vehicle. Felt like slamming the fool in the mouth.

Sounds like the perfect opportunity for one rider to grab his keys and toss them into the bush at the side of the road, then ride off.

What a silly idea - a responsible citizen would hand the keys in to the nearest police station.

True, but in a rural area the next police station might be a few hundred km away.
I certainly like the idea of making them front up to the police, but I have also heard a similar story where the motorists keys ended up in the parramatta river and the motorist had to explain how their keys had been lost in the middle of a bridge.

[find_bruce]

Gee that would be a long way for the poor moron to walk

[iaintas]

Just ride off with the keys, dont bother tossing them!

[FuzzyDropbear]

Just a few people I met on the way home on friday....

[InTheWoods]

Just a few people I met on the way home on friday....

Roundabout was a shocker. The bike lane in the 2nd half was total rubbish.

[GeoffInBrisbane]

Roundabout one would at least have copped a wallop to the window from me, or a visit to the cops with the video. That sort of thing really gets my goat. Got a nice left hook close call this morning by some stupid woman trying to go pick up some fast food for breakfast, so my tolerance for such things is even lower than normal. Morons!

[apsilon]

Same here. Anything that gets close enough to touch get's "touched" if I can do it safely. Carbon fibre knuckles are great attention getters.

[Paul B]

my tolerance for such things is even lower than normal. Morons!

My tolerance is non existent. Too many incidents, and that is on out quiet rural Tassie roads. Would hate to be cycling in some of the locations I see on the videos posted here.