Road Blitz Melbourne - gettin' silly...........

[WTSDS]

Just heard on the news that there was a big blitz in Melbin yesterday. Apparently a number of bicycle riders were given a ticket for failing to give a signal whilst turning a corner _ that's gonna make us all safer on the roads.

[GK]

Will certainly raise a few more dollars for consolidated revenue!

GK

[lukevo]

In Pyrmont (Sydney) yesterday the boys in blue were booking bicycle riders on their commute home for riding through the red lights. Hilariously they  were hiding in a cafe on the other side of the intersection and would jump out when the unsuspecting bike rider(s) came through on the red signal. They must have got quite a few as most commuters  run the red at that intersection..

[GK]

Bicycles running red lights is certainly something that hacks me off and I'm glad that, at least in one city of our country, someone is doing something about it.

GK

[mattyvas]

Also heard on the news this week that a cyclist was booked for speeding......
Really  I thought you had to be on a registered vehicle to be booked for such a thing.
Red lights is one thing and I get that but speeding!!!

[suzyj]

Also heard on the news this week that a cyclist was booked for speeding......
Really  I thought you had to be on a registered vehicle to be booked for such a thing.
Red lights is one thing and I get that but speeding!!!

But what if that speeding cyclist had lost control and ploughed through a crowded bus stop?  Someone could have sustained a nasty bruise, or even a sprain.

As I teenager I was pulled over for speeding on my pushie through a school zone, but the copper point blank refused to fine me.  I wanted the fine to show all my mates!

I also understand cyclists treating red lights as give-way signs.  The consequences of hitting someone in a car are dreadful.  For a bicycle, not so much.

[ducmeister]

Hmm, lucky that I get to ride where there are no red lights.

[dragonworld.]

Well a pushy can kill when it hits a body. As evidenced here in Vic when one of the Beach rd Lycra tossers ran a light and cleaned up an elderly man!

I myself while travelling along the same road have been put into oncoming traffic by these Bozo's racing each other and pushing out over 2 lanes, and have had them coming at me on the wrong side of the road and forcing me (And others) to go up gutters, driveways etc to avoid them!! 

Nup sorry!! Ride responsibly or piss off and dont go blaming others for yourselves getting cleaned up!! I have to pay rego for my bikes and cars, and I pay insurance also! How about yourselves!! 

Like unlicenced motorcyclists, pushy riders use the Compulsory Third Party insurance that all road users pay for WITHOUT any contribution!! 

I too ride a pushy and I too get the shits with way that some car drivers treat the rider, BUT all too often its the unlicenced, uninsured clown on the pushy that has created the situation. How many of you that ride a treadlly has been hit, pushed, shoved and abused by some arrogant Lycra clad hero because you were in his/her way or somehow offended their delicate sensibilities?? 

This'll pprobably create some angst with our pedally members but, I look at it from a Car, Ducati, Pushy operators' point of view! I used to tell my LP and Licence students in class to behave in a responsible manner on the road because it'll be someone else that will cop the shit from a car driver that you might have pissed off with your slashing lane change, wacking mirror lane split, and middle digit communicating!

Get real, there is a BIG chance that pushys might end up having some form of licencing, rego and insurance coming along! Governments are looking at screwing more money out of the poulace so dont think it will never happen!! While treadlly riders continue to flaunt road rules, ride irresponsibly etc, the chances of incurring these things will increase!!

Never say NEVER!!

[Betty]

Good rant Dragon ... but the last thing we need is more rego and insurance. Two cars, 5 bikes ... +4 pushies would be taking things way too far. We would be better off hiring a driver.

But I do share many of your frustrations. After hearing about some of our members being labelled hoons endangering the lives of cyclists I wouldn't mind point out a couple of recent encounters:

. The 'peloton' travelling at about a third of the posted speed limit and riding up to 5 across (that's fun to come across in a corner)
. The cyclists ducking and weaving amongst the motocyclists obeying the speed limit on a downhill section

I'm afraid these cyclists are doing far more to endanger themselves.

[dragonworld.]

Good rant Dragon ... but the last thing we need is more rego and insurance. Two cars, 5 bikes ... +4 pushies would be taking things way too far. We would be better off hiring a driver.

But I do share many of your frustrations. After hearing about some of our members being labelled hoons endangering the lives of cyclists I wouldn't mind point out a couple of recent encounters:

. The 'peloton' travelling at about a third of the posted speed limit and riding up to 5 across (that's fun to come across in a corner)
. The cyclists ducking and weaving amongst the motocyclists obeying the speed limit on a downhill section

I'm afraid these cyclists are doing far more to endanger themselves.

I hear ya Betty!! 

[ducmeister]

Wow !  Where do I start? 
As a cyclist I've been abused for riding 2 abreast where it's legal, abused for riding single file (it's always legal), run off the road by grandmas, school mums, and truck drivers, abused for not running myself off the road so that some impatient person can get past, I've had all manner of food and beverages thrown at me, young punks in cars have taken swipes at me, I've even had a bloke drive straight at a couple of us at 100kph+ causing us to bail off into a paddock.  Not sure if he was just being an idiot or if he wanted to avoid some speed bumps leading up to an intersection.
The ones that really make me see red though are the ones that sit behind on a windy road for a short time then just decide that they've waited long enough and go around even if they're on a blind corner or crest.  It scares the crap out of me because I never know what's coming the other way and I know who's going to cop it if it all goes pear shaped.
I guess I'm fortunate though because where I live is mostly hills and cyclists don't tend to hang around in bunches much.  The climbs tend to string them all out.
I guess riding a pushy is just like riding a Ducati or driving a car or truck for that matter.  Dragonworld said it right when he said that we have to ride responsibly.  Minimum grief all around that way.
Sermon over ...

[Betty]

They were back in Pyrmont this morning (oops, yesterday morning) booking cyclists for 'running the red' and for not wearing helmets ... apparently it is a bit harder to get them for terrorising pedestrians across the bridge.

[lukevo]

They were back in Pyrmont this morning (oops, yesterday morning) booking cyclists for 'running the red' and for not wearing helmets ... apparently it is a bit harder to get them for terrorising pedestrians across the bridge.

Yeah its got me stuffed why they dont have a bikeway accross that footbridge to at least attempt to segregate the pushys from the pedestrians seems like it would be easy enough to do as there is plenty of room for each.

[dragonworld.]

Yeah its got me stuffed why they dont have a bikeway accross that footbridge to at least attempt to segregate the pushys from the pedestrians seems like it would be easy enough to do as there is plenty of room for each.

Aaaaah, but that might just mean using common sense??