Patrick Turner <info@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> writes:
> cfsmtb wrote:
>> I'm helping to compile re****ts + images of the Australian Rides of
>> Silence. Please free free to PM (if on cycling forums) or email
>> infoATwoj.com.au
>>
>> In all, there was eleven rides across Australia in Adelaide,
>> Bendigo, Bowral, Canberra, Geelong, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Mount
>> Isa, South West Rocks, Sydney and Townsville.
>>
>> Additional re****ts, blogs, images, media coverage (including pdf
>> scans) and feedback are most welcome.
>>
>> Many thanks to all for creating such an inspirational national
>> event. ;)
>>
>> -- cfsmtb
>
> Good to see that 230 riders here gave the public a message.
>
> I forgot it was on, and did a ride of 100km from Watson to Mt Stromlo,
> Point Hut via the suburbs, then Gordon, Theodore, Belconnen.
Sounds very enjoyable. I stayed home and looked after a 3wk old baby!
> But in the last 3km before returning home a guy rides past me at
> Yowani golf course, and at the Barton Hwy he runs the red light, and
> nearly gets hit by a ute with a trailer making a turn left from the
> Hwy into Northbourne Ave because the driver thought he had a clear
> run, because he saw the cars all stopped at the lights where I was.
> The lights went green, I take off, and catch up to this dude, and
> attempt to pass him and after a "g'day", he doesn't reply, and I
> notice he's wired for sound from a walkman. He sure didn't like an
> old bastard like me passing, and takes off with haste, and I cruise in
> the draft until I stopped to turn for home about 300metres further.
> Not only are some cyclists silly and blind at traffic lights, they are
> not friendly. And like idiots, some ride with music to drown out the
> noise, which deprives them of any sound of approaching vehicles which
> can be deadly.
Nah, some *people* are silly, blind or idiots or are not friendly. On
foot, in cars, on bikes, there are idiots about. Some wear headphones
while walking, riding, driving or running. Some put groovy dark window
tint on their cars so they can't see, some wear motorbike helmets so
they can't hear (oh yeah, the law requires that), some drive cars that
expressly advertise how well insulated they are so that "nothing
intrudes" and then bike bells, horns even emergency services sirens
can't be heard inside them. I have had to bang on the side window of a
car and point back to show the driver that there was a big red fire
engine with fla****ng lights and siren running sitting behind him at the
traffic lights and would he please wake the f##Q#$ up and get out of the
way! Oh, and I was wearing an iPod at the time.
> I don't recall breaking too many road rules myself yesterday. I
> slowed down for the dog walkers and toddlers and everyone else on the
> "cycle paths". There is a lot of fear amoung the non cyclists who use
> the "cycle paths" for everything except cycling. However, most of
> them realise that if they KEEP LEFT at all times, and avoid sudden
> movement to the right, the inevitable cyclists who do ride past
> without a bell ring won't crash into them. But I never insist mums
> with prams move quickly, and I often have to ride off in the rough
> around them. The mothers think their kids are more im****tant than a
> damned cyclist. Cyclists don't like that, but after doing it
> countless times, I've never copped a puncture or damaged anything.
Here in Victoria there is no law requiring pedestrians to keep left,
there is a "recommendation" to that effect, and there is a law requiring
cyclists to give way to pedestrians on shared-use paths under regardless
of what the pedestrians are doing.
> Recently, an older woman here went walking in Westbourne Woods along
> the cycle path, a very pretty walk around Lake BG and well
> forested. She was hit by a cyclist as some speed. He'd yelled "BIKE!"
> when he was only 10 metres behind her and this woman steps right
> instead of left and the cyclist crashes right into her. Older ladies
> are fragile creatures, and she's taken a long time to recover so far.
Very sad, like any of the victims in hit and run collisions.
But that'd be why many many cyclists will *not* ring a bell or call out
when they approach a pedestrian from behind, choosing instead to pass a
relatively stationary hazard quietly, rather than make a noise and risk
them leaping in a random direction. Of course young males and
testosterone are likely to pass quickly and unsafely regardless of mode
of trans****t, I've seen joggers barge through families walking around
Lake Burley Griffin and knock kids flying.
People behave incredibly unpredictably, some people will have been
taught to 'walk on the side of the road facing traffic' so on the
footpath they'll go right, some will go left, not all come from
Australia or the UK, and may be used to walking on the right. Around my
place we have a huge Greek, Chinese and Vietnamese population, I have
people step into my path and walking into me when I'm out *walking*
when they leap to the "wrong" side of the footpath.
As for jaywalkers... http://www.flickr.com/photos/ajft/2338229457/
> The young male cyclist roared abuse at her when the accident occured,
> fini****ng off with "I ain't gonna fit a ****ing bell to a $7,000 bike,
> OK!!!" after she'd complained she didn't hear a bell.
Have had this happen quite a few times, ride up behind pedestrians and
call out (loudly) *BIKE!* or "KEEP LEFT PLEASE". Due to pervesity, bad
cases of get stuffed, or general perveseness they ignore you, or leap
left, or leap right, then scream abuse telling you to get a bell.
Obvious that they have heard, equally obvious that they don't give a
damn or just want to be angry. AFAICT the various road laws state "An
audible warning device such as a bell". My voice can be louder, more
expressive and more controllable than any tink-tink bell and I'll be
willing to argue that with any magistrate.
> Well, I have a couple of road bikes worth only $500 each maybe; one
> has a beautiful Reynolds 753R frame, and since I can ride past a heck
> of a lot of younger riders with $7,000 bikes, maybe I am right in
> thinking my bike is damned priceless.
>
> And I have a bell, and I use it all the time.
I have a voice, similar goes for that. Except for when in my opinion
warning people of my approach will not help their safety or mine. I
don't lean on the horn in the car or motorbike everytime I approach a
slower car, motorbike, cyclist or pedestrian, I *cannot* see why I need
to do so when on a bicycle when the law already requires that I overtake
safely and give-way to the pedestrian.
> For stupid agressive young males to expect old ladies et all to have
> eyes in the back of their heads or have fast and correct reaction
> times is just unforgivable and idiotic.
> There is a strong case for all cyclists to carry a license number
> plate of the same size as an auto number plate, firmly fixed to the
> top tube of the frame.
Since we all know that the presence of registration plates on cars has
meant that the Australian public are pure innocents when behind the
wheel of their identifiable cars...
> This would mean a cyclist must act with respect and care as he could
> be identified. ( maybe it'd prevent so many bike thefts as well ).
> The young fellow who would insist he's in the right might have got his
> come-uppance if a male friend of the lady had extended a knuckle
> sandwich to him, as well as trampling his carbon fibres into
> splinters.
Ah, road rage and vigilantism, the great Australian way of the road.
> One can get oneself into trouble thinking you are always right, and
> that you have rights above those of others towards whom you think you
> have no duty of care.
> And despite the numerous slowing downs during my ride, I averaged
> 25kph for my 100k ride on a mix of 50% cycle paths and roads.
>
> So there is always time to use the brakes.
Sometimes there is no time to use the brakes. At 20-25km/hr I have had
an oncoming cyclist pull out to overtake two side-by-side oncoming
cylists, he heard my shout as I swerved left off the path into the
grass, however he swerved even further to his *right* managing to hit me
headon, destroyed his bike (yay) and dislocated both my shoulders (boo).
There are idiots about, they use all modes of trans****t.
> Patrick Turner.
Adrian
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