Monday, July 18, 2011 - 05:11 am, by: Murray Lund(Murray)
Hi all, I commute to work about 30km each way on my road bike (yes, in lycra). Coming home last week a lady pulled out of an industrial driveway across the bike lane and knocked me off. Damage to me - bit of skin off an elbow, damage to bike - front wheel out of true, back wheel - rim cracked. Cost $420. Poor lady - she was very upset. All is good because she is happy to pay for the repairs. Lesson learned - never assume the driver has seen you. Please watch out for bikes people!! We are very vulnerable. (Yes I know some bike riders can be very annoying).
Monday, July 18, 2011 - 08:01 am, by: Matthew Sharpe(Madmatt)
Wow, thats how my uncle died. Glad you are OKish.
Even in a car it can happen - I got forced into the opposite lane on my way home from Auckland on Saturday by a guy in a Toyota mini-van who pulled into the passing lane without bothering to check his mirrors. He was doing maybe 70, I was doing maybe 110, my headlights were on and it was a nice afternoon, so no excuses, he really was just a crap driver.
Fortunately for me there was enough room to move over and slow down enough to avoid both a bash to the left or a head on with oncoming traffic. Took a good 15 minutes for my heart rate to slow down, as it was damn close both ways.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011 - 05:10 am, by: Murray Lund(Murray)
Daniel, that's the dumbest comment I've read for a while, even considering that it's hopefully tongue in cheek. Don't you think that cyclists pay taxes too, don't you think that most of them also have a car (I have 2) and so contribute to the cost of roads. They are doing you a favour by commuting on their bike, reducing traffic for other road users. So they are actually not freeloading on your roads, they are doing you a favour, and deserve you 'looking out for them'.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011 - 10:22 am, by: Matthew Sharpe(Madmatt)
To be clear, my uncle was killed on a motorcycle by a car pulling out in front of him, and it was before I was born - having said that the motorcycle he was on was probably not much faster than a modern peddle bike.
Only time I ever have a problem with cyclists is the odd occasion I've come across them either riding three or more abreast on a single lane and refusing to return to single file so you can pass them safely, or the rare nutter that uses both the footpath AND the road indiscriminately, swapping from one to the other without warning - scares the out of me as both a pedestrian and a motorist.
For the most part cyclists are generally less of a hazard or hindrance than the four wheeled variety of motorist - not sure if that's just a numbers thing though.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011 - 01:07 pm, by: Paul Mainey(Gttv8)
Any accident, whether it's a car or bike is sh!t. I got hit by a P plater on my R6 a couple of years ago. This guy decided he wanted KFC and turned in from the inside lane at 90 degrees across two lanes. I had nowhere to go so slammed into the side of his car doing just under 60kph by the time i reacted. Damage to the bike came in at $9k and old mate still got KFC. I was lucky enough the walk away with only a few bruises and a bit of skin missing here and there.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011 - 07:48 pm, by: Daniel Clarke(Dieseltrain)
Murray , considering how many cyclists i see breaking everyday road rules , like running red lights , failing to give way to pedestrians , makes me stand by my comment partially ( saw one go straight through children crossing outside their school and kids had to jump out of the way . Road bike with skins and the full hog , so should know better )
Plenty of people do the same in cars , however , they have number plates and can be reported .. Bit hard with cylclists to report them whem they cut you off and cause you to hit the kerb ?
Anyways , like i said , happy for them to use the road when they contribute for their bike and have a way of being held responsible .
Also have best mates ' in the job " who agree , and they also ride bikes .
Wednesday, July 20, 2011 - 05:47 pm, by: Aaron Mead(Aaron)
I agree with Daniel. I wrote off a hiAce because a non-registration paying, no insured cyclist pulled out in front of me to avoid having to stop. No recourse for me.
Bicycles should be registered. Just because their owners have cars as well doesnt mean they are doing 'us' any favours. I pay five car registrations, so I must be doing you bicycle morons four favours a day by only driving one at a time right?
Until you guys pay to use the road, have insurance and learn that cars are bigger than you, I wont be giving two sh*ts. Im busy looking left, looking right, and looking bike (the motorised ones :0)
Monday, September 26, 2011 - 07:04 pm, by: Glen Muller(Doom_and_gloom)
Aaron Mead wrote on Wednesday, July 20, 2011 - 05:47 pm:
I must be doing you bicycle morons four favours a day by only driving one at a time right?
Haha gold! I agree.
As someone who didn't get their car licence until they were 21, and just rode motorbikes everywhere rain, hail or shine, I maintain a personal viewpoint that there is almost always something you can be doing to prevent an incident from happening, or at least minimise the damage. If you're in a more vulnerable state on the road, such as riding one of those awful bicycle things, you need to make eye contact with people if you want to have half a hope of not being hit by them. If there has been no eye contact, assume the bastards haven't seen you.
Oh, and start paying tax for that death machine you ride, ditch the freakin' lycra, and cyclists in Ballarat: the helmet goes on your head, not the bloody handlebars!