Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

What's with all the seriously rude riders on the Sydney city cycleways?

This afternoon I was riding through the city (a long detour for me because it was a nice day) and I took the Kent st cycleway from the harbor bridge to pyrmont bridge and then through to Anzac bridge. Along the way though every time I stopped at a set of traffic lights at least one person but usually more would split along the inside or outside of me and stop their bike next to or ahead of mine and then try to get ahead of me when the lights turned green. The problem being that I was oodles faster than any of them and I either just broke away from them as soon as the lights went green or quickly passed them back along the way, but some people tried it out several times in a row

It's not like I would have looked slow and I obviously wasn't so I don't know why they'd try. Maybe it's just me but I really did find it very rude when people tried to act like the queue of bikes behind me was beneath them and pushed to the front, sometimes the 'starting grid' at the lights was four bikes wide which just means everyone has to jostle for position when we started rolling again.

Amen brother

The lane splitters are probably doing that because of the incredibly short green light
cycle for cyclists. I was with a group of a dozen friends on Monday, and lined up two
abreast at the lights, there was no way we could all get through on one change of
lights. The RTA/RMS obviously wants us to take the lane on the road

A safer option is to try riding down Sussex St and Hickson Rd instead. Or better
still, the Barrangaroo waterfront if they ever get over the asbestos scares.

Much less hassle than Kent St cycleway. Fewer way too serious commuters, and
there's not 50 million traffic lights carefully designed by the RTA/RMS to
frustrate cyclists out of using the cycleways.

It's been a while since I ventured along the Kent St Cycleway, but when I tried
on Monday, the rumble strips just added insult to injury. Obviously much more
preferable to put bumps in front of those cyclist deviants than to impede the
fabulously wealthy cagers that can afford CBD parking. Hell will freeze over
before I go that way again

wombatK wrote:The lane splitters are probably doing that because of the incredibly short green light
cycle for cyclists. I was with a group of a dozen friends on Monday, and lined up two
abreast at the lights, there was no way we could all get through on one change of
lights. The RTA/RMS obviously wants us to take the lane on the road

A safer option is to try riding down Sussex St and Hickson Rd instead. Or better
still, the Barrangaroo waterfront if they ever get over the asbestos scares.

Much less hassle than Kent St cycleway. Fewer way too serious commuters, and
there's not 50 million traffic lights carefully designed by the RTA/RMS to
frustrate cyclists out of using the cycleways.

It's been a while since I ventured along the Kent St Cycleway, but when I tried
on Monday, the rumble strips just added insult to injury. Obviously much more
preferable to put bumps in front of those cyclist deviants than to impede the
fabulously wealthy cagers that can afford CBD parking. Hell will freeze over
before I go that way again

No kidding, as nice as it is to have them they're still terribly designed. The Pyrmont bridge lights never seem to change (at least I've never seen them change), the number of bikes on the cycleway in the afternoon already seems close to capacity due to the terrible light cycle and narrow lanes and then there's the disaster of crossing Pyrmont bridge itself...

I had a vintage roadie serviced at Stanmore Cycles, that I'd just bought, last year. It was about 5PM on a Friday. Decided to ride it to the Outlaws' at Milsons Point. I concur with the comments about the 'bike route'. Had I been doing it again, would have taken a more circuitous 'urban deer' route.
As for cyclists nudging to the front; just human nature I think. Some people just can't help but feel they have to compete, or think they're racing someone. Of course sometimes that can be an advantage. Heading uphill on the Bridge cycleway, with a stiff nor'easter headwind, I managed to tuck in behind a very wide guy on an MTB who maybe thought he was passing me. Assisted passage to the top, then a coast to the stairs at the north end. Shoulda seen his face when he realised I was flicking the leg off right behind him.

Oh yeah. Pyrmont Bridge. what a nightmare.

the only reason i would nudge in front on the bike lanes (and i am guilty of doing this) is if the lights are about to change and i don't want to unclip. yes i know it is lazy and annoying, there isn't really an excuse for my rudeness

Bike lanes are cool for 2 abreast in a lot of places, definitely at lights so more riders make the green. I also have a handful of times just rolled into lights about to change but am never overtaken when I do. Very rare but it is a temptation to not unclip and just get out of the way.

My pet hate:
Cyclists when we line up at lights should leave a break for peds to walk along the footpaths that intersect. Especially when we line up for the lights near that pub in Pyrmont, Union street maybe? I leave a space and everytime someone puts their bike in it or blocks it and eds have to circumnavigate the bunch. Totally rude. Also happens on the Anzac Bridge side of the Pyrmont Footbridge, people can't get past us.

JM

Eh, I'm not sure it's a rudeness thing (Or I'm misunderstanding maybe?), I ride into work along Parramatta/Pyrmont Bridge rd and generally a bunch of us weave through the stopped cars and pull up at the front of the queue so we can catch the green light without being run down, Personally I find it far more rude when someone stops in the gap between the first car and the gutter, preventing any other cyclists from peeling out, and forcing us to take off in a foot wide gap with traffic flowing alongside, Or equally annoying, when people stop before the sensor at Pyrmont Bridge so I either roll in front of them to trigger it (Looking like a dick in the process) or ask them to roll forward, which also usually gets me a filthy look.