The Womble wrote:I think the most important aspect of road saftey is driver attitudes........
As a cyclist who legally takes control of the lane that I occupy, driver attitudes matter very little to me.
Why would you blame a driver for dismissing you if you don’t want to protect yourself by legally occupying a lane?
In every state of Australia all vehicles (including bicycles) are suppose to drive in the middle of the lane that they occupy. You are only suppose to deviate to the left or right of a lane when you are about to exits a lane; this is fundamentally why driver dismiss “Gutter Huggersâ€, they rightfully assume that you are about to exist the lane and when you don’t they are also quite rightfully confused, frustrated, etc...
Remember, in every state of Australia, the laws that apply to keeping to the “far left†does not apply to roads that have “lanesâ€. This universal law only apply to un-laned roads and it applies equally to all vehicles (including bicycles).
Any quote that you see, that suggest otherwise is wrong; see your states legislation for the correct rules; here is Queensland’s.
Therefore, I have to genuinely ask; why are so many of you so quick to blame motorists for your woes?
For over 30 years I have been riding about 13,000km/annum and have only encounter about three or so A-holes motorists per year. You know the ones, those who “really want to playâ€; and there will never be a law that would deter those individuals from the behaviour that they engage in.
The Law has already provided, cyclists like me, with a workable legal frame work to use the roads; however if you are a “Gutter Huggersâ€; I agree, your cycling experience can suck, quite literally and I am somewhat sympathetic with your plight but let’s not kid ourselves; it is self-inflicted.
If we are to craft an effective petition surely these things must be acknowledged? Yes, I agree that something more needs to be done for “Gutter Huggers†but blaming vehicle types and motorists in general is not productive and only serves to amplify the us Vs them mentality.
I accept that there will always be cyclists who are “Gutter Huggers†and I am somewhat sympathetic your plight but tell us please; what changes in the road rules might assist you to feel safer?