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Road rage and training riders
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Enlarge textAs Pavel Brutt showed some serious strength in keep away rivals to take Stage 5 of the Giro, Mike reflects on the alleged road rage attack by a driver on a group of cyclists, which included 2005 German training crash survivor Kate Nichols.
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Podcast: video highlights of every stage of the 2008 Giro d'Italia
I dare say not!
This was another incident waiting to happen.
For those of us who rise in the early hours several days a week to experience the joy of the bunch ride - the confrontation between motorist and cyclists is nothing new.
It happens all the time, but who is to blame?
It's like oil and water - a car and and a bike on the same piece of road just doesn't mix!
As a recreational cyclist myself, who loves to get out on a regular basis, I get fed-up with the lack of tolerance, patience and respect from motorists who completely ignore our rights on the road.
But as a motorist also, there have been times when I've been left shaking my head when behind the wheel of my car at the antics of some of the two-wheeled warriors who also completely ignore the laws of the road.
So there are good and bad on both sides.
I'd say 99 per cent of bike riders in Australia obey the road rules and genuinely try to avoid upsetting motorists.
When you ride a bike on Sydney roads, you take your life into your own hands.
The sheer size of Australia's biggest city, the geography and endless flow of heavy traffic simply makes it awkward for parties from both sides to share the busy roads.
I believe part of the problem for the "us and them" attitude between drivers and riders stems from the Critical Mass group.
Why these cyclists aim to disrupt Friday night peak-hour traffic in a bid to get their message across has me scratching my head.
This is a classic example to the reasons motorists have no affinity with bike riders.
Surely there must be other ways to protest!
If respect from motorists is a requirement then I'm all for paying an annual registration fee.
I understand this is a scenario that doesn't sit well with many cyclists.
With these taxes more road space could be spared and sharing the roads wouldn't be such an issue.
At a time when the sale of bicycles out-number that of motor cars and as governments from all levels continue to encourage us to ride our bikes on a regular basis, perhaps a better education programme is needed.
At the same time drivers should be encouraged to regularly refresh their knowledge of road rules.
If anything positive has come out of last week's incident it's the awareness from the publicity generated.
Cyclists ride the roads with next-to-no protection and therefore have much more to lose in a confrontation such as that.
It only takes one lunatic motorist from the millions of law abiding road users to have a brain explosion and create unnecessary carnage as was the case on Thursday last.
Let's lead by example - it's not worth losing your life over.
And let's not forget last highlights. Enjoy the racing, and respect each other on the roads.
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Comments (45)
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03 Dec 2008 18:23 AEST
From: sydney
damn this traffic jam
great reference to James Taylor mr Colnago do you remember the last line in the song `when I die I don`t want no coffin I thought about it all to often .Just strap me in behind the wheel and bury me in my automobile.` And the left over fuel i`ll leave to my family I havent driven in 10 years at least I`ve been riding in Sydney for the last three I mean the guts of Sydney and every riders fears are well founded buses and cabs are the worst god bless Centennial park I say
10 Oct 2008 14:22 AEST
From: Sydney
Cycle Lanes - Train line borders
So, here's an idea. Why do we not lobby for the space alongside train lines for cycle paths – common SBS, get us this space. There is usually so much extra space that one could be riding from Gosford to Sydney if it just had a decent high speed path (Some of the "Walker/ Cycler" paths you can’t do 30km/h on).
21 Sep 2008 22:34 AEST
From: Warners Bay
city roads suck for cycling but rural roads are great
living in the busy area of newcastle, and also tried cycling both here and sydney, its just absolute crap training or trying to train in built up areas. you can't do serious training anywhere with so many side streets parked cars and traffic lights. the life of a serious semi - pro cyclist in australia is a poor one, if you can accept that and somehow get to train in semi rural areas you'll do very well in cycling think you can hold your pace in a 3 minute interval on windsor rd or george ?
06 Aug 2008 18:02 AEST
From: Artarmon
i agree
i would cycle more if it was easily, but at the moment i can cycle half way to work and then i hit serious traffic with no bike lanes!
06 Aug 2008 16:25 AEST
From: summer hill
would love to cycle more
I would love to cycle more, however it's rare that 2 cycle lanes actually meet each other. a whole-of-sydney approach to building connect cycling paths is what's needed.
31 Jul 2008 19:05 AEST
From: east brighton
user pays...
It would not matter if we paid rego or not would we still get all the abuse from the self important car drivers.So why bother paying any way.As for" user pays",get a life idiot.
19 Jul 2008 21:45 AEST
From: Brighton
'User pays'.. err - only SOMETIMES
The well known 'User Pays' principle doesn't seem to apply to cyclists who demand 'rights' free of charge. Yeah - I've heard about how they pay rego. because they've 'got cars back home' but if we accept that then since I have three cars why cant I use two of them free of rego. on the basis the one 'back home' is registered? Tell me why I can oh wise ones. As for SBS presenting these Tour De France wankers as 'Proper Tough Guys' how come they have to take DRUGS? I LOVE it when they CRASH! Ha-Ha
12 Jul 2008 18:10 AEST
From: werrington
we can get along!!!!!!
i ride the m4 in sydney between st. marys and prospect, and have found that when i obey road rules and signal correctly, most drivers pay respect and take care when near, i think the us and them problem is on both sides and if we all try to respect each other, well, im proof it can work!!!!!
06 Jul 2008 20:10 AEST
From: Tasmania
us and us, we are them.
How sad when a talented olympian cyclist is removed from the team for crashing his car into a training partner. I will now stop arguing my cycling road rights with fed up motorists, which includes my family. we cyclists as motorists appear to be no better drivers than say those in Townsville (or any where in Oz.). I will continue to watch my back, watch on coming traffic and smile and wave to those i regularly see on the roads.
04 Jul 2008 12:23 AEST
From: Canberra
Variation on a theme
cont ... Motorscootor under 50cc licence at 17 - and no rego. Advantages - 1) Kids who have ridden a bike/scooter when young have a greater understanding of vulnerability when older - which translates to cycles. 4) Older motorists will think twice about pushing a scooter/bike around when it may be their kid, or their kid's friend. Us and them becomes we. Won't work ... look at Italy - narrow roads, tons of drivers, every kid on a scooter pushes to the front at lights ... and the drivers smile.
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Stay in touch with the ProTour road cycling season with SBS's cycling blog, featuring race reports, video highlights and blog coverage of every race of 2008, as well as details of SBS's racing coverage
Mike Tomalaris
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