The Dumb Cyclists and Pedestrians thread...

[Postieboy]

Ouch Postieboy. Are you (and the bike) okay?

Yeah all good just a bit of bark off. I busted the rear derallieur hanger and put plenty of new scratches on the bike but that's about it.

Lesson learnt.

[g-boaf]

Ouch Postieboy. Are you (and the bike) okay?

Yeah all good just a bit of bark off. I busted the rear derallieur hanger and put plenty of new scratches on the bike but that's about it.

Lesson learnt.

I watched that earlier today, ouch that looked bad. I always give painted lines and metal covers a lot of respect. Mend quickly.

[Saturnstarzz]

Footscray road this morning on top of the bridge at the lights get a chap ( he shall be known as MR avanti) who decides to cut me and 3 others peeps off so he can lead us down the hill.

Get to the near the bottom and Mr Avanti decides to slam on his brakes in the middle of the path with no warning and there's almost a pile up.

Lucky I was watching him and not lady in front.

[trailgumby]

Ouch Postieboy. Are you (and the bike) okay?

Yeah all good just a bit of bark off. I busted the rear derallieur hanger and put plenty of new scratches on the bike but that's about it.

Lesson learnt.

Yeah, ouch. Any kind of dampness and white roadmarking paint DO NOT mix. Man, I winced when I saw your brake hoods dragging on the pavement for so long. How's your skin?

My dad tells me a story of a motorcycle cop chatting to him at the traffic lights a few years ago. Cop says: "You really have to watch this paint, it's deadly."

Light goes green. Cop promptly dumps Honda 750 on the pavement. "I should take my own advice. "

I had a highside at Kirribilli once on a dry day. Rear stepped out and then caught again rolling throu the right turn at a set of lights, and up and over I went. I think I just tagged the edge of the right turn arrow with the back tyre.

I hate roadmarking paint.

[Marto]

Another ouch for Postieboy. I can only imagine how painful your scratched up bits are

Here is one from yesterday, in a section of road that has had roadworks for over a month. The vid shows some cyclists passing cars to the left just before the road narrows to a width that wont allow them to continue passing on the left. The cars are stopped because of a traffic controller up ahead a bit (in a spot with good sight lines to traffic on this side of the road).

Passing on the left here doesn't gain much time, and probably will only serve to annoy motorists. A bit dangerous, too, but the overall speeds are pretty low.

I called out to the guy immediately ahead of me "Looks like a squeeze going up there". He said "yeah" or something like that.

Better clean my camera lens

[malnar]

Cyclist riding towards me after dark last night on the unlit shared path. I was on a sweeping bend so only saw him in my light's beam just before we went by each other. Seeing me approaching, you'd hope a ninja would do the right thing & get off the path, but not this one.

[birdbrain]

Postieboy wrote:
Dumb cyclists was me on thismornings commute.

Touched the white line, and down I went.

Man you were flying

[jules21]

some blasphemy, poor vision.

[ColinOldnCranky]

Ouch Postieboy. Are you (and the bike) okay?

Bugger Postieboy. It's the bike we are worried about.

[BigBadWOLF]

To the idiot Cyclist in the purple polka dot shirt this morning on College st sydney, you dont own the road mate, first you nearly took me out at the lights by whizzing past when it was red then, If the 10 cyclist before you stop for the red light so shoud you. by overtaking everyone you just missed the poor bloke crossing the road.

[Myrtone]

Are you sure they are an "idiot?" Just because they aren't cycling "sensibly" and according to the rules doesn't mean they are less intelligent, maybe their brain doesn't work the right way to understand things that you do. Maybe they were colour defficient (if they have an accident or ticket they are unlikely to voulenteer that information), maybe they were anticipating that the traffic light they weare facing would already be, or turn green and then it didn't. I know it's very common for techically minded men to think this way, but still. Remember that this cyclist is not a proffesional, are they, they are not getting paid for it, they would almost certainly by transporting themself on their bike, not onboard for the sake of controlling it, nor are they required to follow a specific route and may be going to a destination of their choice.

[m@]

...but on the other hand, stupid is as stupid does.

[Summernight]

To each their own, Myrtone. Personally I would have said that if the guy is colour blind or deficient in some respect then he should take MORE cues from the 10 cyclists in front of him who were stopping for the light. There is usually a reason why a bunch of sheeples (or in this case independently minded cyclists ) are stopping. Not being a professional is never an excuse for a car and nor should it be for a cyclist.

And some people are just plain stupid, even if they are intelligent in other aspects.

Until the law is changed, running reds is illegal, no matter what you think of it and when people run them they are making a conscious choice to do so. If someone cannot read the cues of traffic or cannot see the colour of the lights then they really shouldn't be riding/driving or whatever without serious training to mitigate the problem (if possible).

Just my two cents.

I was going to comment on his purple polka dot top. Is that the 'King of the Red Light Running' jersey? Or the 'King of the Push in Front' jersey? Also known as a Knob.

[Big_Red]

I was going to comment on his purple polka dot top. Is that the 'King of the Red Light Running' jersey? Or the 'King of the Push in Front' jersey? Also known as a Knob.

+1 to that! Excellent summation I thought, couldn't have said better myself

[Ranga Tang]

Riding along the cycle way (Fairy Meadow) today with the two kids (5 and 9), both in front, me taking rearguard position to look for other cyclists, to make sure they kids don't impede too many people's progress.

Here comes Lycra clad toss bag from behind doing at least 40kph, blazes past me, just clipping my arm and the almost drafting my daughter off her bike. No warning.

Called out to the tosser, doesn't stop but does the same to the next group way up.

I'm just hate these people. He's probably lucky I had the kids with me otherwise we would have had a spoke removal party with his bike.

Why,why,why.....you...yes you....you know who you are.....

[Summernight]

Oooo. I've never been to a spoke removal party. Sounds like fun.

[biker jk]

Riding along the cycle way (Fairy Meadow) today with the two kids (5 and 9), both in front, me taking rearguard position to look for other cyclists, to make sure they kids don't impede too many people's progress.

Here comes Lycra clad toss bag from behind doing at least 40kph, blazes past me, just clipping my arm and the almost drafting my daughter off her bike. No warning.

Called out to the tosser, doesn't stop but does the same to the next group way up.

I'm just hate these people. He's probably lucky I had the kids with me otherwise we would have had a spoke removal party with his bike.

Why,why,why.....you...yes you....you know who you are.....

What does wearing Lycra have to do with stupid behaviour on a bike? I see plenty of stupid riding by non-Lycra wearing cyclists. Please drop the stereotypes.

[Ranga Tang]

Just calling it as it was. If it was a bogan wearing trackies, I would have wrote that too.

Funnily enough, all the cyclists that hammered past us (but not as close as him), were in fact clad in similar attire.

Everyone else who approached us from behind in shorts/trackies etc, either slowed down or yelled out they were coming through.

Just sayin' ........

Oooo. I've never been to a spoke removal party. Sounds like fun.

Yeah. Had to go to one of those once when I was on rollerblades and was body slammed from behind. I rode/skated home..... not a story proud of though, long, long time ago

[Walst]

Crossing the Mounts Bay Rd freeway entry point the other day and there's usually an unspoken understanding between cars and cyclists that cars halt from time to time and let us get over the 2 lane exit to the shared footpath on the other side. It's usually quite a civil affair. Anyway, some turkey ahead of me on his MTB instead of waiting for the cars to stop just decides to go forcing them to brake suddenly. Seemed pretty proud of himself too as he weaved through the traffic and then did a snakey skid or whatever their called (help me out here) once he got to the other side. Got a few honks for his troubles. Just another instance of hero cyclists not helping the cause.

[Myrtone]

To each their own, Myrtone. Personally I would have said that if the guy is colour blind or deficient in some respect then he should take MORE cues from the 10 cyclists in front of him who were stopping for the light. There is usually a reason why a bunch of sheeples (or in this case independently minded cyclists ) are stopping. Not being a professional is never an excuse for a car and nor should it be for a cyclist.

You cannot rationally base your decisions on those of a group independently minded road users, what if you are in the Northern Territory and 3000 vehicles (some in front of you and some beside you) run a red light, can the police rationally accept that excuse. You and all other road users need to base any evasie action you take at a given intersection on the rules that apply there and the signs signals and markings there. I never said that being an amateuir driver is an excuse (per se). The point is that proffesional drivers need to pass a lot more and stricter tests, are because of that, and the stricter vision and medical standards they must meet, they are less likely to make such mistakes. Also if a proffesional driver, even a taxi driver or limosene chauffer brakes a road rule like the one you menition, than the consequences are much bigger (such as getting into trouble with your employer or even your employer being charged with not ensuring that you follow the rules) that if they were driving on a private class of license, and note vehicles licenced to carry up 15 passengers may be driven on a private class of licence provided that use is not commerical and the passengers are not paying for the ride (directly or indirectly).

And some people are just plain stupid, even if they are intelligent in other aspects.

More (politically) correctly, peolpe vary in the specific areas in which they are gifted.

Until the law is changed, running reds is illegal, no matter what you think of it and when people run them they are making a conscious choice to do so. If someone cannot read the cues of traffic or cannot see the colour of the lights then they really shouldn't be riding/driving or whatever without serious training to mitigate the problem (if possible).

If you let people ride/drive, the rules and tools need to be suit their abilities, no license is required to ride a bike so cyclists cannot rationally be requried to pass colour vision tests*, or any other tests, therefore traffic lights should requrie no colour vision to understand. Have you ever noticed that the traffic lights are always stacked in the same order*&? Here are some ideas, bicycle only traffic signals often have biycle logos embossed on the lens, one idea would be to make the red one upside-down, another would be a non-illumintaed bicycle logo on a red illuminated background.

*Note that road users are also not required to pass a stereopsis/depth perecption test, and the minimum visual actuity (at least for driving on a pritave class of licence) is only 20/40 in at least one eye, the minimum visual field for driving a private vehicle is only 120 degrees.
**Colourlight railway signals (apart from searchlights) also tend to be stacked in the same order as each other, and opposite to road traffic signals, even though train drivers have their colour vision checked periodically. I believe that train drivers are also requried to have vision in two eyes, and the minimum visual acutiy and visual field requirements are sticter than even for truck licenses. Train drivers have have good memories. They have to not only know every signal aspect but must have full route knowledge, and locations so as you know where the next signal or stopping location is, even in thick fog or rain. Can anyone here spot a pattern as to the aspects in which the requriments for train drivers are sticter that for those driving road vehicles, especially for private use?

[Percrime]

Blinks.
Curses forum rules forbidding personal attacks.
Curses inability to be spelling, grammar or punctuation nazi.
Curses unwillingness to make the effort to point out incomprehensibility of previous post.
As an ex professional driver and motorcyclist curses unwillingness to defend once relevant professional standards.

Sigh.

The only response I can make.. is "sure.. ignore all those around you who have stopped and press on. The next generation will just learn to cope without your independent and revolutionary genes."

[BigBadWOLF]

myrtone are you serious. all i said was some idiot (which they are for not riding in a safe manner) ran a red and was riding in a unsafe manner. As for your rant on color of lights the said light was on a dedicated cycleway and was a cyclist shaped light.

if you spend that much time arguing about running a red i would hate to cycle near you

[Myrtone]

Have you seriously not heard of the concept of assuming good faith. Isn't it best to assume that the other road users care as much as anyone else about behaving unharmfully? I saw no claim that the light was cyclist shaped. I'm not disputing that they were riding in a harmful manner, but it's not an excuse to caim they are "stupid." Please assume good faith, you may find it hard to accept, becasue what I'm telling you strikes you as counter-intuative. And you're in New South Wales so you're unlikely to cycle near me anyway.

[bychosis]

Have you seriously not heard of the concept of assuming good faith. Isn't it best to assume that the other road users care as much as anyone else about behaving unharmfully? I saw no claim that the light was cyclist shaped. I'm not disputing that they were riding in a harmful manner, but it's not an excuse to caim they are "stupid." Please assume good faith, you may find it hard to accept, becasue what I'm telling you strikes you as counter-intuative. And you're in New South Wales so you're unlikely to cycle near me anyway.

Assumeing good faith... This rider still definately did a stupid thing. Some might say there are no stupid people only stupid actions.

[twizzle]

This thread is for posts about observed incidents and discussions of those incidents. Going off-topic to discuss things such as the unfairness of red lights, bicycle helmets or "rights" should be carried out elsewhere.

There is a subtle purpose to this thread - stress relief. I do not wish to see any more stress generation via trolling.

Myrtone - a red light is a red light, take your discussion elsewhere.

Sent from my iThingy...