Here we go AGAIN - collision with car. [Bike photos added]

[trailgumby]

Riding home last night through Ryde. Two buses pass me up Blenheim Road towards Epping Road. A couple of seconds after the second one passes, a woman in a white Honda Accord initiates a right turn into Cutler Parade.

I start yelling loudly because I am out of other options, she keeps coming but finally registers my presence just as I'm about to become her new hood ornament. I'm up on the bonnet, fall back down on top of bike, run into end of handlebar with my left pectoral (thank heavens for end caps) and end up in a tangled mess on the road.

Fortunately I seem to be OK except for a little skin off, the corked pec and a bruised inner thigh.

Front wheel looks like a taco shell, bar and pedals need replacing for the second time in under a week, a little scuff on the bottom of the Lefty fork and end of the ODI grips - about $450 damage in total. I only got the bike back from the insurers last Friday.

I'm in a really foul mood this morning - not happy about the prospect of having to abandon cycle commuting to Sydney Olympic Park. And I was having such a brilliant run last night, I was looking forward to the climbs up Mowbray Road and up from Roseville Bridge.

[jules21]

that's just bad luck TG, glad that you're OK.

[human909]

GRRRRRR! Man, you are damn unlucky.

Glad to hear that you are ok. Good luck with the insurance and healing. Though I'm sure you're an expert now. The bigger concern of all this is creating a fear of cycling.

I was in an argument with a friend on the weekend. He was blaming cyclists for making life difficult for motorists making right turns. Apparently cyclists are too difficult to see. I did my best to set him straight, he wasn't your normal bogan cyclist hater. He was genuinely concerned about hitting a cyclist. I did try to convey the message that the onus was still on him, no matter how 'difficult to see' cyclists are.

[V17L]

Really sorry to hear this again. Glad your're ok.

Did you kick a black cat recently. Your've had a terrible run.

Your run of bad luck has to end soon, perhaps help it turn to good luck by getting a xlotto ticket.
steve

[Christine Tham]

That's terrible.

I see you have been taking a similar route to me whenever I go to SOP.

Have you considered a more direct route, such as just going up Lane Cove Rd (there's 3 lanes, so hopefully you won't annoy too many motorists?) Or perhaps Victoria Rd, then Ryde Rd, then climb up Burns Bay Rd?

My usual route has been Epping, Blenheim, Badajoz, Pidding, Cressy, Charles, then the cycle path all the way to Rhodes via the bridge. But lately I have been concerned that this route involves too many intersections.

I'm starting to think a nice 3 lane each direction motorway may be a better option. Haven't quite built up the courage to cycle down Lane Cove Road, but strongly considering it. After all, I cycle on Military Rd, which is far busier, and I never get a honk from anyone, and drivers even allow me to change lanes.

[familyguy]

You can hardly be called a bike ninja. The 'travelling behind buses' thing always gets me nervous.

I think your statement about being annoyed at giving up commuting shows that you're not being mentally scarred (despite the physical) by the events, so thats a good thing. Right?

Jim

[wombatK]

Crikey, how many ladders have you been walking under ? Maybe it's time to hang a rabbit's foot somewhere on your backpack or bike

Areas like this around shops are a magnet for driver stupidity - I try to avoid them, but sometimes you can't. Just wish drivers weren't so stupid and could somehow do better at discharging their legal responsibilities.

Very glad you aren't too seriously hurt, but kinda p#$$3d you've been crashed. Were there witnesses and appropriate police action taken against the driver ?

[hartleymartin]

Sounds like another case of SMIDSY syndrome. Heal quickly mate - bicycles are easier to repair/replace than human body parts.

[herzog]

Oh strewth, AGAIN? You must have drowned puppies in a previous life or something!

Did they accept responsibility?

[goneriding]

Kicked a black cat? Sounds more like ran over one, backed over it, hunted down its mother and did the same. Dude, any more crashes and your skin will be scar tissue only! Glad to hear you are up and about.

Personally, I am being very cautious at the moment because of the amount of riding I am doing in low light. The dark is fine (lights) but the low light is where we seem to get missed. Especially, as in your case, when something as large as a bus (make that 2) has gone past you we just don't get seen. Anywhere there are turning cars I am on the brakes at the moment.

This morning is a good case in point. The traffic at SOP was heavy with the start of the Easter Show. Along Edwin Flack drive at least 3 cars pulled into the cycle lane as I was just about to pass them. I also had a car turn left in front of me at the Aquatic Centre right in front of a Cop who watched the whole thing and did nothing! The only thing that saved me was being on the brakes.

As an alternative to Ryde have you looked at coming through Meadowbank and across Silverwater Bridge into SOP? It is much quieter.

Heal soon and here is hoping that the beastie is back on the road soon!

[trailgumby]

In part I think folks were in Friday night mode a couple of nights early with Easter school hols approaching.

In part I think it was also the principle of perceptual contrast: with bulky buses having just passed, my road presence was negligible by comparison, and I wasn't registered until it was impossible to miss me ... and she didn't.

I was also thinking as the second bus was passing, this is dodgy, next time I'm going to claim the lane and make the buses damned well wait.

Light was good. I don't believe the Ayups would have changed anything had they been turned on.

As to the cat theory, I had a near miss with my neighbour's Persian last week. She has a habit of lolling about in our driveway watching the cars and people go past. She's just too used to us waiting for her to move, and a half a metre right and I'd have cut her in half with my 23mm tyres. Her response was to look up and enquire "Meow?" We are very fond of her, so I'm glad I didn't have to explain a messy result to Mary my neighbour. I take it easy coming in to the driveway now.

[trailgumby]

I was a lot more composed this time. I had three witnesses stay back, two of whom spoke to the Police who attended from Gladesville.

The woman driver was pretty mortified at hitting me. We exchanged details. One witness was one car behind the driver, the other was a resident in his driveway who heard me yelling and looked up to see it unfold. The third took off before Police arrived, and I didn't get her details as there was only one pen.

CT, I think you have a good point regarding intersections.

She'll get done for neg driving - failure to keep a proper lookout. (Interesting to hear that phrase seems to have gained some currency in NSW since the Jongewaard case in SA.)

[Boognoss]

TG I can't believe your luck but glad you're mostly OK (of course) and had witnesses to the accident.

This incident is too close to home for me as it's not far from my daily outbound commute route (and I occasionally ride up Blenheim to mix it up a bit).

[misterpms]

Far out.

I hope the powers that be have you scheduled for a long run of good luck sometime soon

[slowflow]

Good that you're not too badly hurt.
The majority of motorists just don't look but do seem to be able to see a sand truck.
They have no idea of how fast your travelling & can't account for it.
Passing a breath test station this morning, stupid woman in a4x4 started to pull out, I whistled & fortunately the boy in blue called her to stop. Obviuosly not a clue, crossing a bike lane in a high bike volume area ( south toward Waterfall, Sydney) hope he spoke to her about the neglect. End of rant.
Hope the repairs & recovery are speedy and thats your last incident.

[msn]

Sucks heaps mate. Glad you seem to be OK.
Hope you can keep the down time to a minimum.

Just read your response to Aushiker's post in the Moron Motorists thread.

Make sure the body armour comes with one of these accessories.

[queequeg]

I'm in a really foul mood this morning - not happy about the prospect of having to abandon cycle commuting to Sydney Olympic Park. And I was having such a brilliant run last night, I was looking forward to the climbs up Mowbray Road and up from Roseville Bridge.

That really sucks! I hope the police give her something more than just "Neg Driving". There is probably quite a few tickets they could write up.

In regards to your route though, have you considered bypassing Blenheim Rd entirely by going along Cressy Rd, cross over Pittwater Rd to Magdala Rd, then take the bridge over the river to the bottom of Mowbray Rd?

The 288 bus route runs quite frequently, and the buses tear up Blenheim Rd. I face similar issues on Miller St Nth Sydney in the mornings, with cars turning left onto Miller St from the Pacific Hwy (heading North) failing to look at what is right in front of them, even with AyUps shining right in their faces. Sometimes I think I am a ghost because drivers look directly at me and then proceed as though I am not there.

[silkishuge]

ouch, glad to hear that you are not as seriously hurt as your last stack. Sorry to hear about the bike. I hope you got all her details beacuse insurance company might get suspiscious after recently getting your bike back.

Take care

J

[twizzle]

And people ask why I have TWO 5-LED blinkies on the front. And I've still had peds step out in front of me.

[trailgumby]

In regards to your route though, have you considered bypassing Blenheim Rd entirely by going along Cressy Rd, cross over Pittwater Rd to Magdala Rd, then take the bridge over the river to the bottom of Mowbray Rd?

The 288 bus route runs quite frequently, and the buses tear up Blenheim Rd. I face similar issues on Miller St Nth Sydney in the mornings, with cars turning left onto Miller St from the Pacific Hwy (heading North) failing to look at what is right in front of them, even with AyUps shining right in their faces. Sometimes I think I am a ghost because drivers look directly at me and then proceed as though I am not there.

I hadn't previously considered Blenheim Rd a high risk area, but I'll take a look at Magdala Rd option. I'd wondered about that bridge but couldn't see how to get to it, as the map seemed to indicate you needed to hike-a-bike down the stairs from the Epping Rd cycleway. I can see now from Whereis that it conects up with that driveway running off Epping Road.

Funny you mention the 288 buses: it was two of them that passed me just before I was hit.

Aarrrgh - I'm starting to feel a lot more of the contact points now. Left pec is quite sore, and I've got sensitive spots on right elbow and hip that I keep bumping. Tie to hunt down some Panadol.

[Christine Tham]

I hadn't previously considered Blenheim Rd a high risk area, but I'll take a look at Magdala Rd option. I'd wondered about that bridge but couldn't see how to get to it, as the map seemed to indicate you needed to hike-a-bike down the stairs from the Epping Rd cycleway. I can see now from Whereis that it conects up with that driveway running off Epping Road.

That bridge is no fun (it's pretty rickety, you'll feel like Indy Jones crossing it, and you are supposed to dismount from your bike - I didn't, but it was so bumpy I wish I did by the end).

And Magdala Rd is very very steep.

[slowflow]

You might want to get checked incase there is injury beyond what you think. Hope it goes well, 4 recovery days is a good start.

[trailgumby]

Thanks for the thought, slowflow.

That was why I got the Police to order me an ambo. Their main concern was the impact between the chest and the end of the handlebar.

Heart checked out all OK. HR was 66 - not bad considering I was still pretty excitable after the bingle. Must be getting fitter.

[ruscook]

oh TG again???? Sorry to hear that mate. Good luck for the recovery for you and the bike!

[william]

Gees! Bloke.
Your last episode is still fresh in my mind thinking I hope that never happens to me.
Now its happened to you again and have to wonder if someone has a curse on you.
In reading through it though, it does scare me the amount of drivers who just don't look and any one of us could be the next no matter how hard we make ourselves visible and ride defensibly.
Get well quickly.

william.