il padrone wrote:A word of advice - semi-trailer drivers are THE most considerate drivers on the roads..... but they are lazy drivers. Hold the left edge and a straight, predictable line and they'll pass you like you're not there. Ride wider - even better, ride a little erratically and they'll give you a full-lane overtake. Even in busy city traffic. They are professional drivers and can ill-afford to lose their licence over side-swiping a cyclist. They all* know this!!
* Possible exclusion for quarry truck drivers. There is a direct relationship between road consideration and the value of the cargo (possible inter-relation of intellect )
Wear a Pink Floyd jersey and they'll go out of their way to push the car in the next lane out of the way to give 6m of clearence, give you a toot toot, a thumbs up and a big wave as they pass by. I and others here can testify to this.... well, all apart from pushing the car out of lane
bychosis wrote: I quite enjoy sounding my car horn beside drivers on the phone, especially if they have the window down. Bike bell doesn't ave the same effect.
I rarely have trouble with the big wheelers. It's thise little white vans with a tiny "Freds couriers and a smudged mobile no" on the door that are a worry. Oh, and Skybuses
...whatever the road rules, self-preservation is the absolute priority for a cyclist when mixing it with motorised traffic. London Boy 29/12/2011
The Dude Abides wrote:Here is one of a semi and trailer passing me in Brisbane in October. I have had a few pass like this so the lane is now mine when i use this piece of road
Damn!! A cigarette paper would barely fit between you and the truck!
jasonc wrote:To the woman in the Merc at the toowoong roundabout texting whilst driving. Yes the airzound was meant to scare the bejesus out of you. You had a child in the back. Chose. Drive or text, not both. Hope you needed new underwear when you got home.
Did she drop the mobile phone in fright?? Seriously, they know it's not right to talk on the phone or text while driving, why must they do it?
Mulger bill wrote:I rarely have trouble with the big wheelers. It's thise little white vans with a tiny "Freds couriers and a smudged mobile no" on the door that are a worry. Oh, and Skybuses
On our Melb to Adel tour other troublemakers were: black Audis, and small white compacts. Terrors for the close shave
Riding bikes in traffic - what seems dangerous is usually safe; what seems safe is often more dangerous.
Oh yeah, the small compact cars, typically with young female drivers are always notorious for aggressive behaviour against all road users smaller or equal to their own vehicle size. They'll tailgate like fury and rant aggressively if you ask them why they are doing it.
I've found the truck drivers in the unmarked trucks (except for a number) going to and from Port Botany to be pretty notorious for bad behaviour on the road too. If you've got a camera on your car, they'll use high beam on their headlights to try and obscure their number plates.
jasonc wrote:To the woman in the Merc at the toowoong roundabout texting whilst driving. Yes the airzound was meant to scare the bejesus out of you. You had a child in the back. Chose. Drive or text, not both. Hope you needed new underwear when you got home.
Did she drop the mobile phone in fright?? Seriously, they know it's not right to talk on the phone or text while driving, why must they do it?
can't remember. just remember the freaked out look on her face with her hands in the air. lesson learnt? probably not.
A full description can be found on the YouTube page but a second or two of critical video is missing as my video camera records files in segments, i.e., it creates a new file every 50 minutes of recording and of course at the critical moment ended one file and started the next one so there is a gap of a second or two where I had to actually take evasive action to avoid hitting the bus.
Due to this loss of a second I have decided to not take this matter up with the Joondalup Police but have reported it to Transperth.
As the bus was coming back into the lane, it had not cleared me and I had to swerve to my left to avoid being collected. More frustrating as the driver gained stuff all by his actions as I passed him again within a minute as he had to stop at a bus stop.
Regards Andrew
Proudly "a bleeding heart with too much spare time on his hands"
Can't fathom the mentality of some of those types Andrew, you would've been as fast if not more so through the roundabout unless you were head on into the Doctor with spinnaker flying. And it looked like neither of the above.
Shaun
...whatever the road rules, self-preservation is the absolute priority for a cyclist when mixing it with motorised traffic. London Boy 29/12/2011
Mulger bill wrote:Can't fathom the mentality of some of those types Andrew, you would've been as fast if not more so through the roundabout unless you were head on into the Doctor with spinnaker flying. And it looked like neither of the above.
You have it pretty much correct. I just cruised through a bit behind. The driver didn't gain anything at all.
Andrew
Proudly "a bleeding heart with too much spare time on his hands"
On the second time I watched it I thought to myself, "A dollar for a large frozen coke? Imma gonna get me one of those!" That bus advertising does work!
Kenzo wrote:On the second time I watched it I thought to myself, "A dollar for a large frozen coke? Imma gonna get me one of those!" That bus advertising does work!
Did exactly that the other day. Passed a bus with a giant slurpie on it. Not long later I was flying down the road doing 40kph with 36 degrees on the Garmin. Right hand on the handlebar left hand holding a giant slurpie from 7-11. Didn't last long even though it was an extra large. Felt like stopping in at the one down the road from my place to buy another haha.
How much road space does this driver need to plan a simple overtake in very quiet traffic before 6am? Tops it off with a pass less than 1 meter clear but not super close.
Zebralight h51r ftw too powerful to point directly back at night but perfect for daytime at night I point it up into my saddle where it reflects back down and out. Single aa lasts about 2 to 2.5 hours (rechargeable) in the blinky mode. Waterproof to 2 meters
InTheWoods wrote:How much road space does this driver need to plan a simple overtake in very quiet traffic before 6am? Tops it off with a pass less than 1 meter clear but not super close.
White tradie's tray truck. A predictable pass, sadly
Last edited by il padrone on Thu Jan 17, 2013 11:33 am, edited 1 time in total.
Riding bikes in traffic - what seems dangerous is usually safe; what seems safe is often more dangerous.
I normally don't have too many to report on this thread, I kind of ignore hecklers and that is really all I get. In the lunch room at work I had someone ask me If I was ever abused on the bike as she had gone out riding recently and had been screamed at and then they turned around and came back at her, she pulled out her phone and went to take a pic when they just shot off. This led to a discussion about riding. No one there had a problem with it. In fact it led to a lively discussion about the greatest problem on the road, people with tatts riding Harleys, one of the people I work with and was in the lunch room is a Fink and there is always a few jokes going around about his outside work activities. Anyway back to story… The pest control contractor was in the lunch room and he pipes up with “I hate cyclist because they run red lights” I turn and say, “But I see cars run red lights” his reply of “but cyclists stop and then take off through the lights”, once again my reply of “So do cars”, he come back with the best reply ever throwing his arms up yells out “YEH WHATEVER!” Where do you go from there, it is really a conversation stopper that one. Except for Mr Fink who turns around and says “Why do they have red light cameras? It’s not for bikes.” Pest control guy storms off.
Just after I started I am riding through a roundabout and some lancer driving twit approaches from the left and starts honking and rudely gesturing at me. figuring that this was some sort of sign language I replied with the same middle figure gesture that I could only assume to mean 'Hello'. He took off past me once I was through and then got caught at a set of lights further up the street. For some reason both driver and passenger appeared to not be able to turn their heads as I was beside their car and they just stared directly ahead.
Then the good one (brown pants moment), I was sitting in the second lane from the left (far left being a turning lane) to travel strait through a set of lights. Car passes me, didn't think much of it, he was a little close but not enough to care about. However the boat he was towing was a whole lot wider than the car and trailer it was on and it brushed past my shoulder. Scared the hell out of me I jumped left into the turning lane, thank god there was no cars coming up at that point.
PB12IN wrote:Then the good one (brown pants moment), I was sitting in the second lane from the left (far left being a turning lane) to travel strait through a set of lights. Car passes me, didn't think much of it, he was a little close but not enough to care about. However the boat he was towing was a whole lot wider than the car and trailer it was on and it brushed past my shoulder. Scared the hell out of me I jumped left into the turning lane, thank god there was no cars coming up at that point.
PB12IN wrote: “Why do they have red light cameras? It’s not for bikes.”
I'll remember that one...
PB12IN wrote:Then the good one (brown pants moment), I was sitting in the second lane from the left (far left being a turning lane) to travel strait through a set of lights. Car passes me, didn't think much of it, he was a little close but not enough to care about. However the boat he was towing was a whole lot wider than the car and trailer it was on and it brushed past my shoulder. Scared the hell out of me I jumped left into the turning lane, thank god there was no cars coming up at that point.
That would have been very scary... Glad you didn't fall.
I rode home late on Tuesday night - was going down Athllon Drive turning left into Fincham Street Wanniassa (approximately 10.15 pm). Was approaching the roundabout there at St Anthony's school and have had many a bogan try and ram past me and chuck a left while I intend to go straight through so am usually pretty awake there. So I heard the accelleration from behind and thought "here we go again..." and suddenly SPLAT - i'm wet!. Dunno whether it was water, a McDonalds drink or whatever. And the truck it came from zoomed 360 and a bit round the roundabout (I expected it to go out the way it came) so i trundle on straight through. But it didn't do a 360 - it did a 360 plus another quarter - so effectively it was going the way I expected it to - after it did a U-ey and a quarter. So i continued for 20 seconds and thought - no you little sods... and turned around. as I went back towards the roundabout i saw them park in St Anthony's school carpark. So in I went to see about having a word.
It was a white 2 seater truck with a silver tray on the back and rego yg? or yp something? With a red p plate sticker on the left hand side. 2 bodies got out and i pulled up then - thinking about the assault i copped a couple of years ago. I stopped. They jumped back in and drove to the other side of the carpark. I followed from a distance - just to see if i could get the number plate.
They then turned their lights off and sat there with their engine running. finally they zoomed out and up wheeler crescent with no lights on.
Was i stupid? maybe. Did i think they were a pair of gutless wonders? you betcha. Do i wish I had a helmet camera on that night? yup - for sure. I'm a middle aged old and slow duck and these were just 2 young punks. Mind you the coppers wouldn't have probably done anything anyway. I *WOULD* recognise that truck again my pretties... I'll be waaaaaiiiiiiting....
cp123 wrote:I rode home late on Tuesday night - was going down Athllon Drive turning left into Fincham Street Wanniassa (approximately 10.15 pm). Was approaching the roundabout there at St Anthony's school and have had many a bogan try and ram past me and chuck a left while I intend to go straight through so am usually pretty awake there. So I heard the accelleration from behind and thought "here we go again..." and suddenly SPLAT - i'm wet!. Dunno whether it was water, a McDonalds drink or whatever. And the truck it came from zoomed 360 and a bit round the roundabout (I expected it to go out the way it came) so i trundle on straight through. But it didn't do a 360 - it did a 360 plus another quarter - so effectively it was going the way I expected it to - after it did a U-ey and a quarter. So i continued for 20 seconds and thought - no you little sods... and turned around. as I went back towards the roundabout i saw them park in St Anthony's school carpark. So in I went to see about having a word.
It was a white 2 seater truck with a silver tray on the back and rego yg? or yp something? With a red p plate sticker on the left hand side. 2 bodies got out and i pulled up then - thinking about the assault i copped a couple of years ago. I stopped. They jumped back in and drove to the other side of the carpark. I followed from a distance - just to see if i could get the number plate.
They then turned their lights off and sat there with their engine running. finally they zoomed out and up wheeler crescent with no lights on.
Was i stupid? maybe. Did i think they were a pair of gutless wonders? you betcha. Do i wish I had a helmet camera on that night? yup - for sure. I'm a middle aged old and slow duck and these were just 2 young punks. Mind you the coppers wouldn't have probably done anything anyway. I *WOULD* recognise that truck again my pretties... I'll be waaaaaiiiiiiting....
Way to close to home. Any details you could share on the vehicle?
sorry - it was a white small ute/trucky thing (sorry - I'm not into cars) with a silver tray on the back with he edges about a foot high. I think it was YP something or YG. Maybe YGD? I honestly only snapped into "get the rego" mode after i got soaked and it was already off. Plus i had water or piss or whatever it was over my glasses so couldn't see super well.
But i'll be looking out for him. it's gotta be a local bogan i reckon. I should've said i did start cruising the streets for a while - i went back to wanniassa shops just in case it was there and rolled around for about another half an hour but didn't see it again. There were people leaving red rooster about that time (staff going home for the night) as i was creeping around near that carkpark at 11 pm or so and i bet they thought i was casing the joint.
)
A cigarette paper would barely fit between you and the truck! 
Seriously, they know it's not right to talk on the phone or text while driving, why must they do it?
