Share the Road: Cyclists rights and wrongs
It seems that not a day goes by on one of my commutes or group rides where a motorist takes umbrage for me riding my bike on the road. It seems that these drivers believe the road was built solely for their use and that anyone else who dares use the same piece of tarmac they chose to drive on are the devil’s spawn! To be honest I don’t think they only pick on cyclists; this class of driver hates ANYONE who dares to hinder their ability to cause havoc.
Based on my experience and talking with other non-cycling motorist, I think there is a general lack of understanding as to what cyclists rights are. In fact I’d say that most cyclists aren’t aware of the rules they are expected and/or required to follow. Both sides are guilty of not following the rules and executing some truly bone-headed moves.
So why is it so hard for motorists and cyclists to just get along and play nice?
Australia Day: Great day to be out on a bike?
We Australia Day has come and gone again. Seems to fly past ever faster with each coming year. This year it was a beautiful sunny day and one best spent out doors soaking up some glorious West Australian sunshine. Seems I wasn’t alone in that thought as I saw more cyclist, surfers, joggers, and walkers than most weekends. There’s something about Australia day, more than any other day, where we all just want to get out and enjoy this great country.
For most of those out and about, the general feeling was that of one of a shared sense of joy and well being, but for others it seems they just hate fun and happiness and are permanently grumpy. These grumpy souls are generally harmless, until they get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. At that point they become as dangerous as a loaded gun!
So here I am out riding with a group of mates down the west coast of WA. Enjoying the sights and sounds, happy to be alive and wishing I could do this more often (the need for a job to pay the bills and buy more cycling toys messes with this dream). Right in the middle of this minor day-dream some numpty in his steel-coffin grazes past our group blasting on his horn, yelling abuse and generally being an angry idiot!
Hospitals, Helmets, and Backpacks
Well it has been a week since my accident, but I’m healing well. All things considered I got extremely lucky.
Lucky? You got hit be a friggin’ car!
Well, yes I did, but the damage is mainly superficial. It could have been much worse. The reason I’m not still in Hospital is due to the equipment I was wearing. Specifically my helmet and backpack. These two (2) items saved me from more serious injuries. Also my choice of clothing reduced even further injuries.
So how did these items help? I mean riding a bike leaves you very exposed, so the risk of injury is quite high. From an outsiders perspective, most cyclists appear almost naked. Compared to a motorcyclist this assessment is fairly apt. So what protection do cyclists actually have?
Car vs Bike…Car wins
It’s kinda obvious, but if you’re riding a bike and car decides to try and take the same space your in, then you’d bet let it. Not that you have any choice really. Cars are somewhat larger than they average cyclist.
Well this is a situation I found myself in less than 48hrs ago. I was riding home from work on Tuesday evening. It was dark and raining, but otherwise it wasn’t a bad ride. All I was thinking about was getting home and having a nice warm shower; I was making good time too.
So the final part of my trip. A right-turn into Gnangara Rd was the only difficult bit to go. This round-a-bout is at the end of Lord St and it’s one, as a cyclist, that you always have to make sure you are visible and signal your intentions to drivers. This is a busy intersection, but not impossible or difficult to negotiate safely. I have done this hundreds of times and never had a close call…until now.
Australia’s Cycling Culture
I sit here eating my lunch looking out the window of the lunch room enjoying the beautiful vista of Perth’s Swan River. All I really want to be doing is getting out there and enjoying this wonderful winter sunshine. For me I’d chose to enjoy the sun on the back of a bike. Cycling around our wonderful city. For others they may chose to walk/jog around the river shores or perhaps just lazy in the sun with a good book. Sounds great huh?
Whilst enjoying this view and letting my thoughts wander; my eyes are draw to the mass of cars, trucks, and buses clogging up the southern freeway all clamouring to cross the Narrow’s Bridge. Do the drivers of these vehicles even notice the sunshine and river? Would they consider getting out of their steel coffins?
Rain and Numpty Drivers
What is about wet weather that brings out the numpty driver? It’s bad enough that we have to pit up with these obstructions to good traffic flow, but when it rains they seem to multiply! Are they Gremlins?! Do we have to fear adding water to these menaces on our roads?
The problem is that these drivers, the Numpty, is an overly cautious and/or nervous driver. They aren’t confident behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. They can probably drive ok when no other vehicles or obstacles are in sight. The problem is this isn’t likely to happen in a city. Thus the Numpty is usually in a mold state of panic causing them to frequently make poor judgment calls.
Take this morning as an example. First off it’s raining and dark, so visibility is not good. Even though it’s daylight you still turn your lights on right? Not the Numpty driving his black/grey sedan/SVU. The numpty wouldn’t turn his lights because it won’t help increase HIS visibility and he might forget to turn them off when he gets to his destination. The fact that turn his lights on helps US see him doesn’t venture into the mind if a numpty.
Next is the overly cautious nature of the numpty messing with traffic flow. It’s bad enough when it dry and the numpty can’t work out how to merge, but in the wet he slows down because the “road might be slippery”. Fair enough, back off the accelerator a little and increase the distance between you and the car you are following. But, this doesn’t mean STOP! We’re all trying to get somewhere so drive the damn car a a reasonable pace. 20km/h under the speed limit is NOT reasonable unless it is truly raining cat-n-dogs!
Oh and finally, for the love of god, learn how to go around corners in the wet! Modern car tires have grooves in them to allow the vehicle to perform well in the wet. It’s just water; not black ice! Oh an the same goes for braking. By all means allow a bit more distance, but your not driving a road-train that needs hundreds of meters to slow down!
For the Numpty drivers out there:
Driving in the rain is just like driving when it’s not raining. The difference is you allow a “bit” more space, need to use windscreen wipers, and turn you f#&kn’ lights on! If you can’t do that or your tires are bald and you haven’t changed your windscreen wiper blades since buying you car 3 years ago, the please do everyone else a favor an leave your car at home and take the Bus!
Egg on Face
Has anyone noticed how damn cold it is in the mornings here in Perth? Didn’t think so…
2 weeks of overnight temperatures below 4°C. First time this has happened since records began! In fact most of the time it’s been at or below 0°C at 7am in the morning; coincidently this is the time I’m on my bike riding to work! Brrr…
Other than the cold, the ride is always invigorating and strangely enjoyable. Yes, I know I mad, but then you already knew that right?
Anyway, back to the main reason for this post:
Perth Drivers…Numpties!
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting Perth, Western Australia you’ll have noted a number of things:
- The weather here is beautiful! Especially in summer
- The people are generally friendly and laid back
- Public transport is a joke (unless you are near one of the train lines, in which its actually not bad)
- Shopping hours are absurd! No Sunday trading; apparently we all go to church on Sunday’s! :s
- The drivers in Perth don’t have a friggin’ clue!!!
For those who don’t live here (or don’t venture out on the road), let me explain:
As far as I know ALL modern cars (ie, post 1950) have the following items as standard features:
- Rear-view mirrors: no-one here seems to understand what these are for
- Indicators: normally used to tell other drivers what you are going to do (not what you’ve just done or what you plan to do in 20 minutes!)
- Accelerator pedals: apparently these make the car go faster?
- Lights: typically used during times of darkness or foggy/overcast days to allow other drivers to see YOU!
So why is that drivers here still don’t understand how the above items work?
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