How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

[gretaboy]

Well my ride home yesterday was going all great until an idiot truck driver wanted to skim me and also toot his horn at the same time. To skim me he had to cross a solid white line. Was thinking righto, lets see what the gopro video says and depending on what it shows I will go to the police. I gets home and immediately check the footage...the bloody thing had stopped about 2 minutes, if that, before the incident. Couldnt believe it. Dont know why as the SD card still had 5 gig free. Was spewing.

This mornings ride was a very easy one. Went to boxercise last night, first time in a very long time, and body is shattered. Didnt help that I didnt get much sleep last night, stayed up to late.So all up my entire body is struggling today. Ride home is going to be pain city.

[TailWind]

Beautiful warm afternoon in Melbourne yesterday, so lots of traffic on the paths, but made it home incident free.
Looked at the radar this morning, saw a few minor areas of rain but they didn't appear as if they would affect me. Wrong! Nothing to start with, but then light drizzle, increasing to rain the closer I got to the CBD. Had chosen not to wear boots because I thought the rest of the day might be dry. Anyway, shoes and socks nicely sodden, but hopefully they will dry out for this afternoon's ride back.

[Summernight]

Yesterday night: It looked like a cyclist had been right hooked at the black spot on MacArthur Street near Treasury around 6pm (the cyclist was going downhill and a car looks to have turned right over the tram tracks). A few people were around the bike standing on the road with cars banked up as the right turners were blocking the through lane. I didn't see anyone on the ground and the bike looked intact so hope no-one was injured.

Also it was like riding a slalom course on Albert Street on the downhill separated bike lane with all the cars and rubbish trucks blocking the bicycle lane and doing left turns. I'm glad that bike lane doesn't have concrete separators as I was having to go into and out of the vehicle lane to get safely around them.

* * * *

This morning: I got honked, tailgated and abused by a man in a small van (not the moving company) because I was claiming the left lane in the two block section of Albert St heading towards the city that doesn't have a bike lane. How pleasant. He honked me, then passed me in the right lane (why couldn't he just have done that in the first place?), then moved back into the left lane in front of me and then got stopped at the lights further ahead where the bike lane starts, so rolled down his window and shouted something at me as I'm passing him on the left so I replied "Read the Road Rules. Share the road. It's my lane."

Then a block from work I was heading towards a red traffic light so shifted to a nicer gear because it was an uphill start and my gears haven't shifted completely (which I've noticed it does when I'm shifting for a traffic light and then coasting and rotating the pedal backwards to put it in the right position for take-off) and this time the chain came completely off when I went to push off once the lights changed. I walked it the one block to work after having put the chain back on the big ring (so had really greasy hands and couldn't touch anything) and when I got to work I noticed the chain had also come off the top jockey wheel. I think that happened because the derailleur was out of position compared to where the chain was on the cassette and that may have been the reason the chain fell off.

Anyway, it has been fixed until I double check it at lunch and then I'm going to go buy myself disposable latex gloves so I don't get grease on my hands, clothes and gloves again. It's not fun having to try and get the grease out of the white parts of the gloves.

[Lizzy]

Total faff getting out the door this morning, forgetting keys / phone / water bottle. On the fourth attempt I'm finally on my way, then I realise I don't have my sunnies. Can't face going back again so I press on, fortunately it's cloudy so I don't miss them too much. Light misty shower on the way. Found my sunnies when I got to work - they were perched on my head, apparently sitting between my beanie and helmet the entire way which I had no idea was possible. Sheer talent

Nice uneventful ride on the way home - some serious birdy num-nums were happening on the river just SE of Canning Bridge. Wanted to stop and get a pic but wanted to get home more.

[vortex1018]

I'm sorry, but that is NOT a bike lane and if council class it as such it is a cyclist's death waiting to happen. That lane is pencil thin and even if you were on the right of the line by a fair margin you'd still be in the dooring zone.

Welcome to Queensland, the sunshine state

[DavidS]

Also it was like riding a slalom course on Albert Street on the downhill separated bike lane with all the cars and rubbish trucks blocking the bicycle lane and doing left turns. I'm glad that bike lane doesn't have concrete separators as I was having to go into and out of the vehicle lane to get safely around them.

This is my problem with these separated lanes Melbourne seems so enamoured with at the moment. They get badly blocked by cars coming out of driveways and the like and you have to be more careful at intersections than you would be if the road had no separated bike lanes. I don't regularly ride along a road with these lanes, what do you think of the design given you seem to ride up Albert St every day?

DS

[TailWind]

Another beautiful afternoon in Melbourne after the soaking I received yesterday morning - all is forgiven and forgotten, Melbs!
Cold (2C), dry and clear this morning, doubled up on the socks and all was well for the ride into the CBD.

[jasonc]

coot-tha-mute this morning. perfect weather.
(thanks for making me laugh Lizzy, again)

[gretaboy]

Had another trucker use his horn on me yesterday....was there a free handout of horns recently??

My body is hurting so bad today...just sore all over, nothing in the legs at all and two more days of riding to go. Woke up this morning and checked the BOM, there was a massive rain cloud over 3/4 of my ride but the start looked dry. Given how my body is feeling I was really tempted to take the car but then I thought of TW coming up behind me and I just couldnt let him pull back some k's

What a fizzer...roads were wet and the only downpour I received was within my jackets as I was simply too hot. Am not complaining however. Strong headwind against me too, just got to hope it stays blowing a southerly so I get the benefits going home...I need all the help I can get.

[Summernight]

Also it was like riding a slalom course on Albert Street on the downhill separated bike lane with all the cars and rubbish trucks blocking the bicycle lane and doing left turns. I'm glad that bike lane doesn't have concrete separators as I was having to go into and out of the vehicle lane to get safely around them.

This is my problem with these separated lanes Melbourne seems so enamoured with at the moment. They get badly blocked by cars coming out of driveways and the like and you have to be more careful at intersections than you would be if the road had no separated bike lanes. I don't regularly ride along a road with these lanes, what do you think of the design given you seem to ride up Albert St every day?

Key thing with my riding Albert St is that I am usually riding it with the clearway in effect so I don't have parked cars on my right to worry about (as much) and can merge a lot more easily with the flow of traffic. The one issue I have with Albert St is that the springy bollards are spaced too far apart giving the ability for cars to go between the bollards to get out of the vehicle lane (but by doing so they block the bike lane). I've had a few times where taxis have come a bit too close for comfort because they can move between the bollards, thinking they are getting out of the way of cars that are quick to honk horns when they stop (even though apparently taxis have an express right in the legislation to stop in a clearway to let off and pick up passengers), but failing to check for bikes before they roll into the bike lane.

Apart from that, I think the Albert St bike lane is fairly good, although you do have to be very watchful for cars pulling out of driveways as well as cars indicating to turn left at intersections or into driveways. I don't like it as much out of clearway times when cars are parked on my right and if I regularly rode it outside of clearway times I probably wouldn't recommend it as much.

I sent a complaint to Melbourne Council via their website about the spacing of the springy bollards but never heard back.

* * * * * * *

It was an absolutely brilliant morning for a ride to work. No silly cars to leave rotten tastes in the mouth.

Although speaking of rotten, I did my usual early morning jog this morning prior to the ride to work and I went past the Collingwood Children's Farm at around 7:30AM. I believe they were emptying the septic tank (there was a truck with 'Eastern Liquid' written on it with pumping equipment)... Oh. My. Gods... I had to stop jogging because I was retching so much the smell was that bad. And I had to go past it twice because I turn around just after there. It was terrible.

I actually had a nice car sit behind me for a block after I'd merged in front of it at a traffic light (prior to having the Albert St bike lane start) on the ride in. Of course, I was pushing 38 kph to try and not give them reason to be annoyed at me. Got a bit puffed from that little ride but it was fun.

And there were two men on roadies in lovely black with rainbow-ish coloured lycra in front of me down Collins St. I think it was custom-made lycra (as it had a company name on it) but I was trying to work up an opportunity to compliment them on it and ask where to buy it. Didn't get the chance though as the lights conspired against me and the two men were busy gossiping as they rode so there wasn't a gap in their conversation to butt in.

Last evening on the way home I had my first close encounter with a zombie (headphone wearing pedestrian) on Collins St between Queen and Elizabeth. He looked like he was going to step out from the footpath in front of me so I said loudly "Uh uh uh!" (which normally gets them to look and then usually give me lip for saying it) but this guy didn't even turn around, didn't check the road before stepping out and just stepped out in front of me. I then shouted at him as I'm slowing down to miss him and he still didn't react. I was a metre away and had stopped and was tossing up whether to tap him on the shoulder as he was that close to me but he kept walking through the line of cars so I called out to him loudly from a metre away. Absolutely no response. Zilch. Zero. Nada.

Even the other peds on the footpath had turned to look at the shouting lady.

It was then I noticed the ear pieces and just gave up as it was a lost cause. I'm not sure an AirZound would have got through to him. Completely unaware of his surroundings. Absolutely suicidal as he was also crossing tram tracks and didn't seem to have looked for trams either.

[jasonc]

I'm not sure an AirZound would have got through to him.

trust me. they get through. and i would have tapped him on the shoulder. probably would have been a brown pants moment for him

[kb]

Must have accidentally donned the cloak of invisibility this morning. Had a driver look left, somehow not see me with bright clothes and several hundred lumen flashing light and pull out right in front of me. Front wheel turned from contact and my brake lever and bell made a satisfying noise scraping along the side of his car. Another driver wound his window down and recited the number plate for me. Very nice gesture but I just didn't have the energy to follow up this morning. I am considering joining the swelling ranks of camera-carrying commuters though. Likely, he probably was as surprised as I was and will be more vigilant for at least day or two anyway...

[Summernight]

Ouch. I hope you and the bike are okay, KB.

[ColinOldnCranky]

Perth:

Anyone travelling into the CBD from south of the Cuaseway after 8 may, even now, still be in traffic. There were about a dozen vehicles parked either side of the north end of the southern Causeway spans, blue and red lights flashing, cops and others in hiviz gear, ambos, a main road dept vehilce or two and a bunch of people on the island. I don't know what happened but the traffic was banked right up to where I work and beyond. I expect Mint Street or further as it wasn't moving. Explained why traffic was so light on Roverside Drive. Canning Highway approach was also gridlocked.

All in all not a good day to be driving in or taking a bus along that corridor.

Still, the weather quite mild - a bit drizzly but not too bad for the first day of the final set of planned rail outages.

[kb]

Ouch. I hope you and the bike are okay, KB.

All good, thanks. I was more surprised than anything. It was near the corner of Whitehorse and Burke Rds so not exactly fast moving traffic.

[jasonc]

Ouch. I hope you and the bike are okay, KB.

+1
definitely report it.

[lammy]

[quote=Anyway, it has been fixed until I double check it at lunch and then I'm going to go buy myself disposable latex gloves so I don't get grease on my hands, clothes and gloves again. It's not fun having to try and get the grease out of the white parts of the gloves.[/quote]

Yep I worked that out a while ago, I always keep a pair in my kit, even just changing a tyre they are great. particulary if you got colored bar tape, grease and dirt tends transformed them very easily after mid commute mechanics.

[Lukeyboy]

Today after my lunch ride I took the long slow paced route to the shops to pick up some items for dinner when someone made a obvious CCR overtake. I wasn't going to have any of it. Let him get a little distance on me so I could spin up and repass with some speed....which I did.... doing 66kph.... heading further and further away from the shops. I spotted one of those jumbo cameras on the blokes helmet so hopefully its someone on here

[TailWind]

Good ride until about 3.5 kms from home. I was on one of the rare "Bike Only" lanes running alongside McKimmies Rd at Bundoora. I catch up to another guy on a mountain bike, and I stick behind him as I can see a ped (who strictly speaking shouldn't be in the bike lane) up ahead. Getting closer, I ding my bell, and suddenly his doglet bolts across the path and into the road, nearly getting cleaned up by a car that somehow managed to swerve right to avoid it. Could have been nasty.
As I go past, I opine that he should use the pedestrian path to the left. He yells at me to f-off, and I pull to a stop ask what his issue is. He approaches aggressively, head-butts me. I restrain myself and make a few lame comments... Off to the boys in blue again I suppose, to report an assault.
Worst thing was that the cyclist ahead of me, who didn't see the aftermath (nor the dog I think), thought the dude was less fortunate than me and I should not worry about this sort of thing.
Losing my faith in this place. I just want to get to work and back unmolested. Maybe I should grow a thicker skin and just ignore all the carp. Dunno. Just despondent at the moment.
Here's the vid.

[jasonc]

don't worry TW. I'm with you. if you hit that dog, not only would you have killed it, you would have most likely been injured in some way.
His "bad way" would have got worse.

[ldrcycles]

don't worry TW. I'm with you. if you hit that dog, not only would you have killed it, you would have most likely been injured in some way.
His "bad way" would have got worse.

+1, good on you for giving him an earful, the sign doesn't say 'bikes only, unless you are having a bad day'.

[gretaboy]

I cant believe the other rider and what he was saying...he was justifying the actions/behaviour of this idiot. To be honest, I would have smacked the guy back...but...in saying that, you would have needed to increase your aggro factor immediately as the idiot was obviously a nut case and aggro.

Sad thing is this...I reckon you will have a hard time getting the police to do anything over it. I may be wrong, actually hope I am wrong but I will be very surprised if they do do anything.

Despite the nutjob and his actions...be grateful you are alive to live another day and go home to the family

[TailWind]

I cant believe the other rider and what he was saying...he was justifying the actions/behaviour of this idiot. To be honest, I would have smacked the guy back...but...in saying that, you would have needed to increase your aggro factor immediately as the idiot was obviously a nut case and aggro.
Sad thing is this...I reckon you will have a hard time getting the police to do anything over it. I may be wrong, actually hope I am wrong but I will be very surprised if they do do anything.
Despite the nutjob and his actions...be grateful you are alive to live another day and go home to the family

Thanks gretaboy, that's what I figure...better to avoid escalation .. not easy when you're full of adrenaline. I'm useless at confrontation anyway.
I'm cooling off on reporting it...while assault is a serious issue I'm thinking that without any physical evidence of injury and only a video/stills of the dude I also don't think reporting this is really going to yield any results.

Anyway, incident free ride in this morning, unusual amount of traffic at the early hour I commute at.

[TailWind]

don't worry TW. I'm with you. if you hit that dog, not only would you have killed it, you would have most likely been injured in some way.
His "bad way" would have got worse.

Yeah, was thinking about how nasty this could have ended up:
- MTB guy hits dog, stacks it and I run into him, we end up in a tangle of broken bikes, dog and limbs
- Same as above, but we fall into the road and get flattened by 70 km/h traffic
- Driver of car that swerved to miss the dog over-reacts and veers into oncoming traffic - head on collision....
- ???

Got off lightly, I recon.

[TailWind]

don't worry TW. I'm with you. if you hit that dog, not only would you have killed it, you would have most likely been injured in some way.
His "bad way" would have got worse.

+1, good on you for giving him an earful, the sign doesn't say 'bikes only, unless you are having a bad day'.

Just a pity one can't stand up for what's right without being assaulted these days...