Commuting Etiquette

[Zynster]

3 seconds at 30kph is 25 metres!
2 seconds at 20kph is 11 meters.

[jules21]

you don't need that much of a gap at such low speeds on a bike. as TG said, a semi trailer needs even more - it depends on the vehicle type and circumstances. a few metres gap between bikes is sufficient, in my experience.

[gavinr]

The 2 second rule is a tip on how to keep a safe distance, but even if you are 2 seconds behind and crashed into the vehicle in front you are still in the wrong.

In the UK as this video shows the mantra is (or used to be) "Only a fool breaks the two second rule".

It takes about two seconds to say that, apparently.

[eeksll]

Commuting etiquette. My number one pet peeve is when other bike riders decide to ride up to the front of a queue (eg at a traffic light) and then make no effort to ride fast ... these are always the commuting types (the racers take off and stay out of my way)... arghhhhhhh, why?

now that I am on the topic, my second pet peeve, is when my riding buddy decide to weave through traffic and then sit in front of the car waiting at the traffic light .... arrgghhhhhh .... why?

[Mat_H]

Commuting etiquette. My number one pet peeve is when other bike riders decide to ride up to the front of a queue (eg at a traffic light) and then make no effort to ride fast ... these are always the commuting types (the racers take off and stay out of my way)... arghhhhhhh, why?

now that I am on the topic, my second pet peeve, is when my riding buddy decide to weave through traffic and then sit in front of the car waiting at the traffic light .... arrgghhhhhh .... why?

The cyclists that take up a full lane at the lights, especially if they want to go straight and block a lane with a green turning arrow really, really annoy me. Anyone who has driven in Perth knows half of your trip is spent waiting at lights as it is so when some toe-rag on a bike who can easily move aside decides not to then turns around and smirks I fully support any action the driver takes. Cyclists that do this need their head kicked in. All they are doing is pissing people off because they can and this further enrages drivers who may take it out on the next innocent syslist they see. We BOTH need to SHARE the road...it is not all about drivers giving way to cyclists only. As a cyclist, when is the last time you gave way to someone in a courtesy situation? Never? Yet expect others to give way to you every time?

As for cyclists that ride up between cars at the lights like the motorbikes do well I think their life expectency is dwindling. All they are doing is passing say 10 cars who will, once the lights change, immediately pass the cyclist again...that is 10 more chances at getting hit. Do they a few times at consecutive lights and look out. I stop behind the last car that is in the line and go once he has gone. This way drivers seem to respect me a lot more for being CONSIDERATE.

[Missy24]

Wow... Bad day?

[zero]

Commuting etiquette. My number one pet peeve is when other bike riders decide to ride up to the front of a queue (eg at a traffic light) and then make no effort to ride fast ... these are always the commuting types (the racers take off and stay out of my way)... arghhhhhhh, why?

now that I am on the topic, my second pet peeve, is when my riding buddy decide to weave through traffic and then sit in front of the car waiting at the traffic light .... arrgghhhhhh .... why?

The cyclists that take up a full lane at the lights, especially if they want to go straight and block a lane with a green turning arrow really, really annoy me. Anyone who has driven in Perth knows half of your trip is spent waiting at lights as it is so when some toe-rag on a bike who can easily move aside decides not to then turns around and smirks I fully support any action the driver takes. Cyclists that do this need their head kicked in. All they are doing is pissing people off because they can and this further enrages drivers who may take it out on the next innocent syslist they see. We BOTH need to SHARE the road...it is not all about drivers giving way to cyclists only. As a cyclist, when is the last time you gave way to someone in a courtesy situation? Never? Yet expect others to give way to you every time?

We give way, move over to far left all the time - extremely difficult to claim many cyclists are actually inconsiderate, and the cyclist is probably in that lane because he's been staying left. Cyclists also don't have a heads-up-display that will tell them the order the lights will move in. Its a really-really-really silly place to move to the left to let cars through as they will all then be encouraged to close pass - and they will tend to do it quickly if they believe the light is about to change. If I'm at the front, I will however happily move to the right and block the middle lane, which often upsets the moron in the middle lane, which goes to show the general pointlessness of being 'considerate'.

As for cyclists that ride up between cars at the lights like the motorbikes do well I think their life expectency is dwindling. All they are doing is passing say 10 cars who will, once the lights change, immediately pass the cyclist again...that is 10 more chances at getting hit. Do they a few times at consecutive lights and look out. I stop behind the last car that is in the line and go once he has gone. This way drivers seem to respect me a lot more for being CONSIDERATE.

I don't move past cars if its likely that they will be doing 60 or more after the lights change, but there is a safety reason for doing it (it moves the cyclists away from the most common place cyclists get killed - being rear-ended by a driver that has never noticed them).

[Aushiker]

Commuting etiquette. My number one pet peeve is when other bike riders decide to ride up to the front of a queue (eg at a traffic light) and then make no effort to ride fast ... these are always the commuting types (the racers take off and stay out of my way)... arghhhhhhh, why?

now that I am on the topic, my second pet peeve, is when my riding buddy decide to weave through traffic and then sit in front of the car waiting at the traffic light .... arrgghhhhhh .... why?

The cyclists that take up a full lane at the lights, especially if they want to go straight and block a lane with a green turning arrow really, really annoy me. Anyone who has driven in Perth knows half of your trip is spent waiting at lights as it is so when some toe-rag on a bike who can easily move aside decides not to then turns around and smirks I fully support any action the driver takes. Cyclists that do this need their head kicked in. All they are doing is pissing people off because they can and this further enrages drivers who may take it out on the next innocent syslist they see. We BOTH need to SHARE the road...it is not all about drivers giving way to cyclists only. As a cyclist, when is the last time you gave way to someone in a courtesy situation? Never? Yet expect others to give way to you every time?

As for cyclists that ride up between cars at the lights like the motorbikes do well I think their life expectency is dwindling. All they are doing is passing say 10 cars who will, once the lights change, immediately pass the cyclist again...that is 10 more chances at getting hit. Do they a few times at consecutive lights and look out. I stop behind the last car that is in the line and go once he has gone. This way drivers seem to respect me a lot more for being CONSIDERATE.

Hi

Oh, dear someone have a bad day?

Andrew

[Mat_H]

Not a bad day at all...just venting as all I see is 90%+ of cyclings flaunting the laws and disrespecting everyone they see (but DEMANDING everyone show them respect) yet when I read forums all I hear is how well mannered and considerate all the cyclist are. These figures do not match. I really dont think people are being honest with themselves. If you genuinely are a law abiding cyclist that is great but on my daily commute and leisurely rides over the last month I can say I have seen at most 5 riders that have done the right thing. (ie stopped at red lights, kept left, ring their bell when approaching pedestrians on paths, etc.) As a group there is no doubting cyclists deserve the reputation we have.

BTW this is a general rant and not directed at eeksll whom I quoted.

[hannos]

Not a bad day at all...just venting as all I see is 90%+ of cyclings flaunting the laws and disrespecting everyone they see

The laws you say?
Well for one, it is legal for a bicyclist to pass cars on the left if the cars are stationary.
Secondly, if it were a motor bike, car or truck in the left lane waiting to go straight ahead whilst a left turn arrow was lit up, do you expect them to get out of your way as well?

What about the disrespect motorists have for just about every other road user? Or is that allowed since they're in a car?

[Mulger bill]

I demand respect not as a cyclist but as another legitimate road user. If my legal and reasonable actions cause anyone grief then boo hoo.

Shaun

[jules21]

As a group there is no doubting cyclists deserve the reputation we have.

some cyclists do make an effort to behave and lift their image. however, there are a lot that don't.

i make a deliberate effort to share the road with others - doing anything less is hypocritical and counter productive. on a LH turn arrow, i'll always shift to the right (ironically - this is an example of where it's advantageous to be 'stuck' behind a cyclist - we should receive praise, not criticism for this).

what is stupid is stereotyping cyclists for the actions of the admittedly too high a proportion of irresponsible riders. you don't randomly abuse a 75 year old grandmother driver because you are upset at hoons doing burnouts. why is it OK to stereotype riders as a homogeneous group? the answer is, it's an expedient way of justifying prejudice - whether it's racism, religious vilification or any other group.

[Aushiker]

Not a bad day at all...just venting as all I see is 90%+ of cyclings flaunting the laws and disrespecting everyone they see (but DEMANDING everyone show them respect)

Hi

Can you please clarify as to what laws you are referring to? As you are in WA you can find the WA Road Code 2000 here. I thought I had a pretty good handle on the road code but maybe I missed something so I am keen to know what law(s) you are referring to here.

Regards
Andrew

[Mulger bill]

...the answer is, it's an expedient way of justifying prejudice - whether it's racism, religious vilification or any other group.

There's laws against that. I'm afraid it's us or smokers these days.

Shaun

[goneriding]

Smokers - burn them, I say! Either that or there hasn't been a good lynching for a while.

[m@]

Saw a bloke smoking while riding a bike the other day

Matt, I reckon you're preaching to the choir here. I'm not saying we're all perfect (only some of us ) but reckon someone who is committed enough a cyclist to sign up and contribute to a cycling forum probably has a better grasp of the road rules and how to share the road respectfully with other users than your average fat bloke commuting to work on a pos mountain bike (er... that me, but moving right along... ).

That said, there is definitely an element of arrogant cyclists out there who take pleasure in holding other road users up to prove some kind of obscure point - those people are idiots. Then there are also some common misconceptions about why cyclists do some things (like filtering to the front at traffic lights, or moving right to claim the lane where it would be unsafe for a car to overtake) that may appear inconsiderate but are actually not only perfectly legal but advisable for safety reasons under certain circumstances.