Picked up on the net, a lot of truth in here!
Don’t get me wrong, I do cycle and used to cycle around London for a few years without problems. And yes, it is not the non-motorised cyclists that worry me.
My question to any of our legal eagles out there: “Do I really have to ditch my car into the nearest pothole, kerb or garden wall just because some guy in a helmet and on two wheels decides to overtake 15 cars on a solid white line and then is surprised when a car comes the other way?”
There is also this other road. Under normal circumstances it is an extremely wide road for single lane traffic, but during rush hour when traffic moves slow, it can be, and usually is, used as a double lane. A tight squeeze that requires a lot of care.
Yesterday this happened in both directions, so there were four lanes of traffic. So we got this guy weaving his way between the cars. He had to actually stop when the mirrors aligned, so really there was no space.
I think I will install little cameras around my car and record anyone that thinks he can “push” me out of my lane of traffic on two wheels.
My message to those bikers: You cannot disobey the rules of the road and then cry “think bike” when something goes wrong! I will not ditch my car for this kind of behaviour, why should I?
Taxis also don’t move for these guys, but as most taxis are dented and scratched, they may not care as much as those of us who have thus far avoided any such mishaps on their cars.
Come on Bikers – Think Car! After all - you are the vulnerable ones.
I'm sorry, just because motorists feel that way does not make them right. Is Mr. Holier-than-thou-on-a-bike a good driver?
- When he moves over to let a bike pass, is it intentional or is it because he is on his cellphone, or texting, and weaving all over the road. The poor bike thinks he had better pass because the car is making space but then has the gap close on him just as he is in it.
- At the traffic light, does he inch forward when other cars get the green arrow - then stop halfway in the intersection just as the light changes, then take a good 15 seconds to get going again while everybody waits?
- When he takes curves along a pass, does he stay squarely in his lane, or does he think he is schumie and cutting the apex of the turns into the oncoming traffic?
- Does he indicate his intentions at a traffic circle, while changing lanes, or any other turn for that matter? (And hooking the indicator as part of the turning of the wheel does not count). Does it occur to him that even though he is in a left-turn only lane he should indicate, because others cannot necessary know what kind of lane he is in.
- In slow-moving traffic, does he wait patiently behind the car in front of him, or does he hover on the centre-line trying to see what is causing the obstruction and blocking bikes from passing?
So yes, maybe you don't like your car to get scratched by unscrupulous bikes, but that is up to you and your driving. Us bikers do 'Think Car', because if we don't we get hurt. And sometimes it is safer to face oncoming traffic and dip and weave, than to get embroiled in stop-start driving amongst a jam of cars - with drivers texting, putting on makeup, reading a book, going through notes or in a driving trance.
On my way home from work, a 'concerned motorist' almost rode me over when he went through a stop street without stopping. But it was OK, because he had on his hazard lights. I think he had them on so that we would not scratch his car...
I also read the article and all the responses - I think the problem does not lie with motorists, or bikers. The answer lies in people - attitudes - both from car drivers and bikers. And it starts with me. It starts with us. To blame is to ask the next person to start first.
| © BMW Motorrad Club Cape 2006 - 2020 | Back to live site | Site built and hosted by HoneyBadger.net |
