The Dumb Cyclists and Pedestrians thread...

[jules21]

you'd have known if it was, then again she was pretty oblivious.. (as were the others who were luckier)

i've noticed that there's a trend shared by peds, cyclists and car drivers - if one person crosses a road/pull out, often others will follow blindly.

[thomashouseman]

Not cyclists, but cycling around Parramatta Park, two ladies were pushing prams.

In the opposite direction.

In the car lane.

Around blind corners.

What blind corners in Parra Park? I can't think of any except maybe the mild hairpin at the far end (Northmead).

It is a 30km/h zone though, I'm sure my car would stop within a meter or two at that speed.

T.

[Alycat]

It is a 30km/h zone though, I'm sure my car would stop within a meter or two at that speed.

Very good! Most stats show in dry conditions with excellent reflexes and good brakes about 11 metres in required.

[JV911]

saw a teenager on a pushie who'd been stopped by the coppers on the Anzac Bridge approach (west-bound 5:15pm) !!!

there was a broken down bus city-bound which i assume the cops had stopped for and nabbed the young bloke on the bike

[Mulger bill]

i've noticed that there's a trend shared by peds, cyclists and car drivers - if one person crosses a road/pull out, often others will follow blindly.

Yep, avoid Spencer St near the station in the peaks, sheeple everywhere. I mind the time I had to come to a screamin' halt for a dumb ped redmanning it there. Noticing I had stopped the rest of the mob wandered across...

Shaun

[rooster]

There's an idiot I saw on Erskineville Rd a couple of months ago who was dinking his young daughter to school. They're heading in the opposite direction to the traffic and of course he's got a helmet on and she doesn't.

[twizzle]

There's an idiot I saw on Erskineville Rd a couple of months ago who was dinking his young daughter to school. They're heading in the opposite direction to the traffic and of course he's got a helmet on and she doesn't.

I saw something similar a couple of weeks ago - guy riding around the local lake with his daughter (around 5 - 7 y/o) sitting on the pannier rack. At least they both had helmets... but it looked stupidly dangerous to me, with her feet hanging down near the wheel.

[trailgumby]

i've noticed that there's a trend shared by peds, cyclists and car drivers - if one person crosses a road/pull out, often others will follow blindly.

A long time ago (late 80s IIRC) a friend of mine used to make a game of this when driving. He was quite proud of his cleverness and thought it was really funny. He'd make as to start moving off, and stop hard just before the white line. About 1 in 4 would just continue on through the red light obliviously.

I wasn't a fan of his "game".

[Nooby McNoob]

Not cyclists, but cycling around Parramatta Park, two ladies were pushing prams.

In the opposite direction.

In the car lane.

Around blind corners.

What blind corners in Parra Park? I can't think of any except maybe the mild hairpin at the far end (Northmead).

It is a 30km/h zone though, I'm sure my car would stop within a meter or two at that speed.

T.

Near the re-vamped main entrance, before the bbq, by the river. The retainer wall is quite high there. I can take a picture to re-enforce the point.

As if they weren't bad enough, a week later, a lady was driving in the opposite direction. Doing I guess 40 km/h.

It was on the straight after the cafe, but still.

[jules21]

A long time ago (late 80s IIRC) a friend of mine used to make a game of this when driving. He was quite proud of his cleverness and thought it was really funny. He'd make as to start moving off, and stop hard just before the white line. About 1 in 4 would just continue on through the red light obliviously.

it may be a dangerous joke, but it is a testament to how careless so many drivers are.

i witnessed a crash where a driver drove straight through a red, without stopping, and cleaned up another car. this guy just wouldn't accept the obvious truth - he insisted it was all the other driver's fault (who was in tears). if i wasn't there the *$%(#$ would have gotten away with it. he was really angry with me. the funny thing was, the angrier he got, the better i felt about nailing him

[Fred Nurk]

i've noticed that there's a trend shared by peds, cyclists and car drivers - if one person crosses a road/pull out, often others will follow blindly.

A long time ago (late 80s IIRC) a friend of mine used to make a game of this when driving. He was quite proud of his cleverness and thought it was really funny. He'd make as to start moving off, and stop hard just before the white line. About 1 in 4 would just continue on through the red light obliviously.

I wasn't a fan of his "game".

I remember when mobile phones first came out, and you could nudge forward 1/3 a metre (well, we're metric, aren't we?) and the turkey in the lane next to you, whilst sitting on their phone, would think the lights are green and floor it.

Given I wasn't yet of driving age at the time, its not a game I indulged in, but I do recall at least one set of tyres screeching as the driver realised. I don't doubt its a game that could be easily played these days, thankfully I'm on 2 wheels more than 4 and don't get to play such games.

[gdt]

On the roadabout at Esplande and Military Road, Adelaide in my car. Two cyclists enter the roundabout and do their thing. Numby car thoughtlessly enters roundabout and cuts them off. Cyclists shout at car. I shout at car. Car behind me shouts at car. Driver behind car beeps horn. Embarrassed moment as we realise that we're all cyclists shouting at a numby, whatever we are driving at that moment. Numby looks startled, close to frightened, then drives away with care.

On Military Road, riding home from school with my daughter in the bike lane. Lots of after-school traffic. A group of cyclists behind us shout "coming through". I'm thinking "yeah, like we can move anywhere, we're already in the cycle lane; how about you wait for the car lane to clear, move out into the car lane and overtake us properly?" But no, our lads keep shouting because god forbid anything should lessen their training pace, insist and try to push us into the gutter. I'm a bit annoyed. My daughter is fully annoyed, catches them, and gives them a piece of her mind about being shouted at and attempts to force her off the road. A group of fully grown lycra cyclists on carbon bikes caught by a single nine year old on a Giant kids' bike. Just beautiful.

[twizzle]

On Military Road, riding home from school with my daughter in the bike lane. Lots of after-school traffic. A group of cyclists behind us shout "coming through". I'm thinking "yeah, like we can move anywhere, we're already in the cycle lane; how about you wait for the car lane to clear, move out into the car lane and overtake us properly?" But no, our lads keep shouting because god forbid anything should lessen their training pace, insist and try to push us into the gutter. I'm a bit annoyed. My daughter is fully annoyed, catches them, and gives them a piece of her mind about being shouted at and attempts to force her off the road. A group of fully grown lycra cyclists on carbon bikes caught by a single nine year old on a Giant kids' bike. Just beautiful.

Now, that really makes you wonder about the intellect of some of our brethren. Having them calling out 'passing', 'coming through' or 'bike back' to let you know that you are about to be overtaken by bikes is (I would have though) polite... but to try and squeeze past between the cars and a nine-year old... that's just pathetic, dangerous and they deserve to be slapped in the head - repeatedly.

[beauyboy]

Walking home from the Video Store Yesterday I saw a bloke(on a bike) come around the roundabout real slow. I thought thats odd. As he goes past a few cars and comes back into view, the idiot is selecting a number in his phone and proceeds to make a phone call as he dauldals down the road, going past parked cars and having cars overtake him.
Surfice to say I was not impressed.

Donald

[JV911]

i've noticed that there's a trend shared by peds, cyclists and car drivers - if one person crosses a road/pull out, often others will follow blindly.

very common with peds in the cbd. i saw one girl walk into the side of a passing cabbie but its amazing that i've never seen anyone actually get run over.

A group of fully grown lycra cyclists on carbon bikes caught by a single nine year old on a Giant kids' bike. Just beautiful.

gold!

[Max]

My daughter is fully annoyed, catches them, and gives them a piece of her mind about being shouted at and attempts to force her off the road. A group of fully grown lycra cyclists on carbon bikes caught by a single nine year old on a Giant kids' bike. Just beautiful.

I can't tell you how much that made me smile! Good on her!

Max

[Aushiker]

Hi

Had an "interesting" experience with a small group of riders (five I think) on the PSP just south of Scarboroughthis morning. They where wearing grey coloured jerseys if anyone knows who they are.

I was heading north coming down the PSP hill where it exits West Coast Highway, had turned the corner at the bottom to be confronted by four riders I think (two abreast) edging over the white line, when all of a sudden a rider emerged from the back of the group (I didn't even know he was there) to pass the other riders! Just had time to swerve and yell as they flew past.

Just plain stupid ...

Andrew

[jules21]

today's dumb cyclist: me.

i was really tired this morning. trying to do a track stand while waiting to cross a road, all of a sudden i found myself falling over. very ungracefully, i desperately managed to unclip and put a foot down, avoiding falling onto a cyclist waiting next to me, but only just.

[trailgumby]

i witnessed a crash where a driver drove straight through a red, without stopping, and cleaned up another car. this guy just wouldn't accept the obvious truth - he insisted it was all the other driver's fault (who was in tears). if i wasn't there the *$%(#$ would have gotten away with it. he was really angry with me. the funny thing was, the angrier he got, the better i felt about nailing him

Reminds me of a ped I saw step into the path of a bus at Cnr of Pitt and Alfred Circular Quay 20 years ago.

he hit pretty hard, but fortunately bounced clear back onto the footpath away from the bus, where he didn't bounce or roll at all. Just slap, stop. I thought he was dead, but after an eternity (maybe 20-30 seconds in reality) he shivered and resumed breathing. The bus driver was beside himself, and couldn't say for sure whether he had the green or red light.

Fortunately I saw the whole thing. Apparently, I was the only one who did.

The ped was obviously some high powered lawyer type, threatening to sue the bus driver into the next life just about, according to the Police. But I saw the flashing red man go solid red, saw my colleagues who were chatting away stop at the crossing - to my sigh of relief, because I could see the bus about to come through on the green - this guy just keeps walking obviously had his mind on other things, and bang the bus collects him just as he steps off.

I wonder how he took the news.

[Joehax]

A guy riding on the ROAD on the ANZAC bridge heading towards Victoria Road at about 11:00pm one Saturday night.

I couldn't believe it..

[jules21]

this thread is like shooting fish in a barrel, but - saw a cyclist just turn, without warning, in front of another vehicle today on Swanston St. unbelievably, the vehicle was a tram, which jammed the picks on and narrowly avoided creaming him. i wouldn't wish harm on another cyclist, but it was almost amusing seeing him wobble off weak kneed, wheeling his bike away - clearly in a state of shock. HOW CAN YOU MISS A TRAM?!

[Max]

More to the point, how did the tram miss him? It's not like those things can swerve, is it? Kudos to the driver for his quick reactions!!

Max

[jules21]

tram was going slowly, but had to brake hard. who knows what happened to the oldies inside

[Missy24]

The girl riding the wrong way up Royal Parade last night

The girl on the bike sitting behind me on Lygon Street talking on her mobile phone

[jules21]

The girl riding the wrong way up Royal Parade last night

i'll bet she reads newspaper articles on 'lycra louts' and thinks "bloody hoons - no respect for the law"