Fri 22 Aug 2008 | 
Watch Video
Podcasts
Blogs
Road rage and training riders
Email to friend
Print
Enlarge text
As 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.
- 42 Comments | Join the discussion
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.
top
Blog Home 
Comments (42)
Previous 10 |
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.
04 Jul 2008 12:07 AEST
From: Canberra
Variation on a theme
Everyone is talking about the one thing ... us and them. It's that way because that's the way we are bought up, and the government does nothing to help. No bike questions on car licences. When was the last time you saw a 'cyclists are road users who have equal rights' add on tv? (Come on SBS how about it?) The solution is to make us and them the same. Thoughts ... no car licence till you're 20. Motorcycle/scooter over 50cc licence at 18.
24 Jun 2008 23:23 AEST
From: Subiaco
What do you call that?
I was sitting at a café after a long ride. We sit outside in an effort not to offend other patrons. After having a quiet coffee, chat and a bit of a laugh we went to leave. The lady at the table next to us looked me in the face and said “I don’t like cyclists”. This dislike of cyclists goes beyond road use, it’s become a lifestyle choice thingy.
24 Jun 2008 4:29 AEST
From: Fremantle
its not about the bike, its the attitude
I did a sort of Critical Mass ride once, a protest ride of 200 cyclists along Mounts Bay Rd back in '82 for want of a bikepath. We got it and there ended the need for protest. What is CM achieving now and by regular meets? Perth has some of the rudest and unskilled drivers in Australia and some of them own bikes. Yes we all need to be more polite and follow the road rules but sometimes a tap on a car window at traffic lights and a patient explanation of the why and what of sharing the road works
Join the discussion
PLEASE NOTE: All submitted comments become the property of SBS. We reserve the right to edit and/or amend submitted comments. HTML tags other than paragraph, line break, bold or italics will be removed from your comment.
Most Popular
- Road rage and training riders (42)
- Cadel Evans ready to step up to top place (24)
- Early signs show Cadel is the Tour favourite (23)
- Beijing road set for twists and turns (22)
- This Tour will be dope-free. No really, it will (19)
- Contador a deserving Giro champion (17)
- Cadel on the verge of great things (16)
- Why the Giro is the Tour's poor cousin (15)
- Contador, Di Luca and Ricco and the mountain (8)
- Giro Stage 2 - Zabriskie stack sends CSC's hopes crashing (7)
About this Blog
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 is SBS's cycling presenter, who has covered the Tour de France for 12 years. Mike is a keen cyclist himself, and covers a few hundred kilometres a week in a social weekend bunch ride. For cycling fans around Australia, Mike Tomalaris is cycling.
Other Blogs
Beijing 2008 Olympics
Sport
- Matthew Hall - Open Season
- Jesse Fink - The Finktank
- Inside Beijing
- Robert Grasso's sport wrap
- Cycling Central
Food
Entertainment
About SBS
Documentary
Business
Radio
World News Australia
Technology
Global Village
