Adrian Tritschler wrote:
>
> 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
I have survived about 120,000kms now without wrecking a bicycle
or myself, and without having any life threatening or bone breaking
prangs with anyone on the cycle paths which I use a lot.
The worst prang involving someone else was when I did once collide with
a
chinese student girl in 1989 at Belconnen, the same week the Chinese
were using tanks at Tiannamen Square to crush democracy.
Probably she was distracted by what was happening at "home" and although
there was plenty of
room for us to pass, she became confused and veered straight into me on
a bend
as I veered off to my left to try to avoid her, sorta like your
experience above.
She forgot which was left or right, went onto Chinese auto pilot.
I was the one of us who wore a crash helmet. Just as well because our
heads collided
with a bang, but the helmet survived as did both our skulls.
We both fell into a tangled heap. I picked myself up OK and helped her
up to where she could sit more comfortably
on a nearby log.
I stayed with her for 1/2 an hour just to see if she was OK or not.
Meanwhile I straightened out her handle bars and checked her bike, and
mine, and all was well.
I tried to have a little talk to her but she could hardly speak a word
of english.
But gently I got the idea across to her that you have to keep left in Oz
at all times.
There was no need for any angst.
Eventually, I saw half a smile appear, so I thought she was OK, and she
rode off.
Just after I'd started racing in 1986 I was in a bunch training ride and
I learnt the hard way
not to ever allow your front wheel to touch a wheel in front.
Anyway, I did touch a wheel, and down i went doing 40k like sack of
spuds.
The year after I fumbled with a water bidon on a ride on my own, and
down i went,
sack of spuds II, but onto the opposite shoulder.
After I recovered the second time, I felt brand new; the falls to each
sholder seemed to balance
and the lingering pain apin after spudsI seemed to ease.
Unlike Robby McEwen, I don't break collar bones so easy.
But all those elite riders keep having falls far more often than I ever
did.
Two years ago, a kerb got me as i crossed over it; rain had washed out a
hollow, and I didn't notice until it was too late; oops, KLANG, spuds
III.
I recovered from that immediately and finished the 50km ride,
but a bug got into the wound which didn't clear up for weeks.
But the more you ride the faster you recover.
I did about 200 races in the CCC including 5 Canberra 2 day Tours.
I was never in a race crash in Canberra.
But I was once elbowed off a criterium circuit at Warriewood in Sydney
one sunday morning
by a guy determined to come 4th.
Yeah, 4th. Idiot? perhaps, anyway, young blokes go beserko at fini****ng
lines.
The course had real rough edges, and if you go off almost anywhere its
bad news, but where this bloke pushed me
was a strip of pure sand blown over from the sand dunes at the beach. We
were doing maybe 45kph.
I did a couple of somersaults, the bike went sproing, wizz, into the
air,
and I stopped in a seated position. Nothing scratched, nothing broken,
and the bike was fine.
I went to the bloke responsible for my little impromptu aerobatics, and
said
"now mate, had I injured myself, I'd have still found the energy to
personally cut off your testicles, OK".
He just sorta looks at me like an idiot.
yeah, idiot.
But on another day at the same course a medium sized dog rushed out from
a house to harrass
the bunch of about 30. The dog wasn't the only problem.
Someome had tied up the dog to a large plastic garbage bin, and the dog
was a pullin it behind 'im
in amost un-regular manner.
Bikes and riders skattered everywhere....
Idiot dorgs, idiot garbage bins, eh.
My tip 1 for the week for Canberra's cycle paths :-
Beware the tunnel underpass as you approach one.
All too often the view down the tunnel is obstructed until the last
second as you come around a sharp bend into the tunnel.
And sometimes there will be a cyclist or a pair of them riding two
abreast
coming straight at you and this is real dangerous.
So keep the speed real low at blind tunnel entries or exists; there is
no escape onto the grass.
Tip 2, take extra precautions on the cycle path around Lake Burley
Griffin.
Idiots a plenty think its a grand achievement to ride around LBG.
They rarely ride way out to Amaroo or Gordon where many kilometres of
clear view paths
are available and on which one can step up the pace.
So make extra allowances for idiots around LBG.
Let us all spare thought for Rosemary Robinson.
Rosemary is presently recovering in Canberra Hospital after a car
crashed into her,
breaking her pelvis on the way to the ground.
The story is on page 9, Canberra Times, thurs,29may,
story header "Quitting not an option for cyclist scuttled in two
accidents"
by Noel Towell.
No charges were laid against the motorist.
Her troubles make all mine seem utterly trivial.
Patrick Turner.
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