60 Minutes story about cyclists

[GTsteve]

Anyone see it?

I like to ride a pushy myself but I was always taught to not be in the way in the first place and therefore I am not one of the problems that were shown tonight. There are too many lycra loving idiots out on the road already without me adding to the mess. I took offence to Liz Hayes implying that the reason we don't like cyclists is because in peak hour traffic they can wizz between lanes - who really gives a crap? Unless they wizz between lanes and then wait in the lane right in front of me I couldn't care less.

I can't stand cyclists and the story did nothing but make me think even less of them. I live in Brisbane and I was shocked to hear that there is a monthly "disruption ride" complete with police escort across the Sydney harbour bridge in peak hour - I guess you Sydneysiders are already endeared to this "event". If I'm there next time its on I'll be an innocent pedestrian with a back pack full tacks that will mince bike tyres while leaving car tyres alone.

Any cyclists on here care to speak up or any other paying road user that feels the same?

 

[Bushfire]

I'm in a hate cyclist mood too. Last week one came flying downhill on a track and swerved to miss me walking on the correct (left side) of the track forcing him to lose control and hit some scrubs, smashing up his bike. Now he wants me to pay for the damage. I told him where to put that idea!

 

[schizmz]

They grab the back of my truck n traler to get a free ride through kings way..they are very annoying not to mention how unsafe that is.then if they go under the wheels im the one in therapy.. yay!.

 

[Mayhem]

whats annoys me is that they often have a bike lane but insist on riding on the part of the road designated for cars anyway. Or they use the footpath and fly up behind pedestrians (or smash them over) like the pedestrian was supposed to the see bike comming up behind them at speeds often +60kph

 

[GTsteve]

Signs all over the roads and freeways say "Keep left unless overtaking" but in the story it had cyclists sitting in the overtaking or right hand lane NOT turning right or overtaking. Thats not to mention the running red lights, riding through packed pedestrian crossings so on & so forth!!! FFS fine some of these fools!!!

 

[cris]

Some of them make me wish i had a bull bar, but to be honest most are pretty good. You just tend to notice the bad ones more. I usually just give them a bit of a rev and flipm the bird if they are being obnoxious. Anyone seen the Pizza episode where Davo is on shrooms? :lol:

haha i found it got to love youtube
[video=youtube;p6-rGzSXkt8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6-rGzSXkt8[/video]

 

[TigerCoastal]

god i love being a shift worker...the only cyclists i see are the few brave retards that share a 2 lane road with the potato trucks that bounce along the road and then pull over and clog both verges while waiting untill their drop off time, when there is a perfect cycle path for them to ride on.... late last year one of them went under a truck............

 

[naledge]

The only problem I've had with a cyclist is when one Burmese lady, riding her bike that was packed with bags and had a kid, looked about three years old, on the back. The kid wasn't wearing and safety gear and had nothing to restrain him came up behind me on the footpath, and then rang the bell on the bike giving me just enough time to jump off of the footpath so she didn't hit me.

I thought it was illegal for people to ride bikes on the footpath anyway. Let alone recklessly endangering the life of a child and forcing a pedestrian to walk on the road.

 

[Kitah]

I hate riding on roads, because I simply don't trust the majority of drivers. and when I'm driving, I don't trust cyclists! I don't know why they insist on riding ON the line for the bike lane, or in the vehicle lane, when they have their own designated lane? I find that the most frustrating thing. And of course when you come across say two cyclists riding dead centre in the middle of the road, and they just stay there- they can turn to look at you, and won't move etc.

When riding on footpaths I try to avoid regions where theres a high density of pedestrians, both for their sake and mine. Though, granted it would be nice if pedestrians would stay to the left of the path- I've come across many instances where two people will somehow take up a very wide path, and will make others move around them rather than them making the effort to move over a bit. Also, when cycling I always slow down, leave the path and go well around people to try and avoid startling tem.

I think there needs to be more consideration between cyclists, pedestrians and drivers- everyone is always willing to complain about other people, but are never thoughtful enough to think how their actions affect others, either

 

[Naja_nivea]

I see it from both ways. Lots of really dumb dangerous drivers nearly killing me on my bike so they can shave 1 second of their journey driving kids to school in 4x4 or driving their 4x4 shopping truck to shoe shop. I also see lots of daft cyclists riding erratically with no regard for other motorists or highway code with a similar outlook on life as a WWII Japanese pilot. But what i really dont get is the spandex? I must have cycled 50,000 miles in my life and never wore spandex, although dont mind so much when pretty woman wears it hehe.

Everybody is in desperate rush to get to wherever they r going, why not leave a few minutes earlier and take in the scenery and enjoy the journey?

 

[grannieannie]

I didn't see 60 Minutes, but when you talk about cyclists in "lycra".....oh some of those tight bums are....hot !!!! (evil giggle)

 

[toximac]

This is why I disagree with Cyclists Riding on the road..

1.They Slow Down Traffic... - If we are paying to use roads through ongoing car costs & tax - So should they.

2. If you hit one, its your fault, even if they pull out infront of you, quite commonly backing out of a driveway and them illegally riding along the footpath then road/then switching back.

3. Overtaking them puts Us in danger on a One lane road by supposably moving 'a metre' from the cyclist...
Well.. You cannot Overtake them like that when they drive on the road.

4. I can understand there is no fuel / pollution cost but when their using the road for motor registered Vehicles & this is 'their argument'... Fact is, your using the road we pay taxes and car cost for, the pollution will be considered and you would ultimately be charged less, duh!

5. If anything happens to you, you can get insurance even for damaging the vehicle or them hitting you by being registered.

6. Motorbikes are licensed and cut through traffic, just like some cyclists do, this is both illegal and both should be punished if caught, not just the motorbike rider.

7. I do realise for racing competitions you need to get a racing license, this is a year renewal thing and has more to do with association rather then RTA - People don't just ride for racing events, they practice for them aswell.

Anyway I could come up with many more points, I agree with the post and many of you here.

Cyclists Need to be licensed, and policed just like motorists. It would increase the number of cyclists (Benefit for Bike riders) .. And teach people how to ride bikes, what signals to use & stop them from illegal acts.
If a bicycle rider has no helmet, they can be pulled over and have their license removed if no points left - Just like us with seat belts - HELL, I even got a mobile phone on speaker fine for $226 ... I didn't have a holder for it lol - Oh well, shows you how ridiculous laws can be and how australia choose to ignore the more important ones... oh also like taxing alco pop drinks, phh lmao

 

[junglecarpet]

This is why I disagree with Cyclists Riding on the road..

1.They Slow Down Traffic... - If we are paying to use roads through ongoing car costs & tax - So should they.

2. If you hit one, its your fault, even if they pull out infront of you, quite commonly backing out of a driveway and them illegally riding along the footpath then road/then switching back.

3. Overtaking them puts Us in danger on a One lane road by supposably moving 'a metre' from the cyclist...
Well.. You cannot Overtake them like that when they drive on the road.

4. I can understand there is no fuel / pollution cost but when their using the road for motor registered Vehicles & this is 'their argument'... Fact is, your using the road we pay taxes and car cost for, the pollution will be considered and you would ultimately be charged less, duh!

5. If anything happens to you, you can get insurance even for damaging the vehicle or them hitting you by being registered.

6. Motorbikes are licensed and cut through traffic, just like some cyclists do, this is both illegal and both should be punished if caught, not just the motorbike rider.

7. I do realise for racing competitions you need to get a racing license, this is a year renewal thing and has more to do with association rather then RTA - People don't just ride for racing events, they practice for them aswell.

Anyway I could come up with many more points, I agree with the post and many of you here.

Cyclists Need to be licensed, and policed just like motorists. It would increase the number of cyclists (Benefit for Bike riders) .. And teach people how to ride bikes, what signals to use & stop them from illegal acts.
If a bicycle rider has no helmet, they can be pulled over and have their license removed if no points left - Just like us with seat belts - HELL, I even got a mobile phone on speaker fine for $226 ... I didn't have a holder for it lol - Oh well, shows you how ridiculous laws can be and how australia choose to ignore the more important ones... oh also like taxing alco pop drinks, phh lmao

I am glad you posted that because everything you said I was thinking to... so now I dont have to write it

But just to whinge a little... they disrupt traffic, 99.9% of them do NOT signal when they are merging or turning, they run red lights and abuse US for trying to drive on a road we pay for. Its pathetic! Identification for bikes should be bought in and police should enforce the laws that we abide by every day

 

[RemoverAccount]

.

 

[blakehose]

hahahahahahahahahahaha..... The views and opinions some of the people on this site have are complete and utter crap. The majority of those posts put the cyclist down as being the bad guy, when "99.9%" of the time, in my own experience as a competetive cyclist, the motorists are in the wrong. Yesterday when I was out riding, one of my good friends was mere centimetres from being hit by some idiot, riding in the middle of the bike lane. This shows how good the car control of you motorists is ? Not to mention the 10's of people that gave us the horn for riding in the bike lane, not disrupting anyone, anything, in anyway. In the hundreds and hundreds of times I have ridden my bike on the roads, I think a total of once I have seen the cyclist do the wrong thing. I'm not saying some of them don't, because I know there are some that are losers, who don't deserve to be riding a bike... But more often the not, it is not the riders. Myself and the bunches I ride with do so with complete legality. I really wish it wasn't so hard for most of the motorists out there to gain some respect, and patience.

 

[slim6y]

Nice rark up - but because so many seem to be media driven and on the motorists side - I'll see if I can post some arguments to lament your feelings some....

As follows:

This is why I disagree with Cyclists Riding on the road..

1.They Slow Down Traffic... - If we are paying to use roads through ongoing car costs & tax - So should they.

A person pushing a push chair should pay even more - as they require to cross the roads too - plus they have passengers!!! Most cyclists can stick to the side of the road and do not hold up traffic - the ones that do should be infringed the same way a car travelling at 30km/h in a 60km/h zone would be - that's fair. And as cyclists add much less to pollution than cars, I think cars should be taxed even heavier to subsidise bikes for the public.

2. If you hit one, its your fault, even if they pull out infront of you, quite commonly backing out of a driveway and them illegally riding along the footpath then road/then switching back.

The law is very clear here - it's your fault when it's your fault. For example - a young cyclist cycled out in front of a bus up here - he was hit by the bus and hospitalised - the bus driver was NOT at fault. Backing out of your driveway is actually ILLEGAL! You must always present thr front of your car to the road - ALWAYS - so in fact in that case you're breaking the law and it is your fault.

3. Overtaking them puts Us in danger on a One lane road by supposably moving 'a metre' from the cyclist...
Well.. You cannot Overtake them like that when they drive on the road.

Cyclists must obey road rules as much as you do - they are likely to be charged. Dangerous cycling including speeding is a traffic offence!!!

4. I can understand there is no fuel / pollution cost but when their using the road for motor registered Vehicles & this is 'their argument'... Fact is, your using the road we pay taxes and car cost for, the pollution will be considered and you would ultimately be charged less, duh!

I don't see why my 9 year old child should pay taxes for a road system at all - and on top of that I don't see why someone who wants to be fit and healthy including lowering pollution - when they're doing YOU a favour by saving your world just one petrol tank at a time - that you can argue that your taxes pay for those roads - woodballs! I pay for road taxes in Cairns for bridges in BRISBANE!!! I don't even drive in Brisbane!!! Your statement washes like a dishwasher with no water!

5. If anything happens to you, you can get insurance even for damaging the vehicle or them hitting you by being registered.

Surprisingly if your cycling to or from work, you're insured!!!

6. Motorbikes are licensed and cut through traffic, just like some cyclists do, this is both illegal and both should be punished if caught, not just the motorbike rider.

100% correct - and it should happen - apparently it does.

7. I do realise for racing competitions you need to get a racing license, this is a year renewal thing and has more to do with association rather then RTA - People don't just ride for racing events, they practice for them aswell.

Same with runners, skateboarders, scooter riders etc etc etc. Don't see the point.

Anyway I could come up with many more points, I agree with the post and many of you here.

Cyclists Need to be licensed, and policed just like motorists. It would increase the number of cyclists (Benefit for Bike riders) .. And teach people how to ride bikes, what signals to use & stop them from illegal acts.
If a bicycle rider has no helmet, they can be pulled over and have their license removed if no points left - Just like us with seat belts - HELL, I even got a mobile phone on speaker fine for $226 ... I didn't have a holder for it lol - Oh well, shows you how ridiculous laws can be and how australia choose to ignore the more important ones... oh also like taxing alco pop drinks, phh lmao

Just to add to the argument - a moped pays much less registration than a larger motorcycle which pays much less registration than a small car and so on and so on - yet a small car uses the same roads, but less fuel than a large car which pays even more taxes and so on...

The point is the tax system isn't aimed at road usage as much as it's aimed at vehicle sizes it appears - and as a pedestrian and a cyclist are much of a muchness in size - I see them as being free.

All that aside - I like a friendly argument - and by NO WAY are any of these statements an attack on your personal being - I think you can argue and still be friends

 

[blakehose]

[/QUOTE]All that aside - I like a friendly argument - and by NO WAY are any of these statements an attack on your personal being - I think you can argue and still be friends [/QUOTE]


Agreed. But going through the motions of being a cyclist in the roads everyday, gets just a TAD frustrating.

 

[mebebrian]

There is a time and a place for everything. Pish bikes on main roads in peak times should be illegal. Its dangerous, causes congestion and results in fustration for those who actualy pay for the road. There are so many unused bike paths around sydney its beyond a joke. If you want to ride on the road eg. riding to work, get a safety check, pay a fee and get a rego plate so you Must abide by the laws that all fee paying road users do. Fairs fair.

 

[Hooglabah]

i think dangerous/reckless drivers/riders/pedestrians should all be cracked down on very hard.
i pride myself on safe driving which is probably why im not a statistic (P platers are more likely to have a accident in the first 6 months according to vic roads) and get very frustrated at the number of expirenced and in-expiranced riders/drivers that take stupid risks, forget basic things like INDICATING, speed, weave in and out of lanes, drive drunk or just without regard for anybody else.

 

[xterra]

Its dangerous, causes congestion and results in fustration for those who actualy pay for the road. QUOTE]


Why do drivers think they are the only ones paying for the road..............rego and license fees don't provide infrastructure. Everyone who pays income tax has contributed to the cost of building and maintaining roads. If you take into account fuel tax than drivers pay more and so they should as cars trucks etc do more damage to the roads.