Bicycle Network Victoria: Ride On magazine

Claim your rights

Apr-May 2011

Dr John Tully wrote in the Feb-Mar Ride On: “I've given up commuting to work by bike . . . until such time as (1) motorists realise that they share the road with riders and (2) we have a network of on-road cycle paths . . .”

I suggest to John that motorists are only going to realise that they share the road with bicycle riders if we are on the roads, demanding our legal right of way at roundabouts, and shouting when we are treated as invisible. I call it driver training; i.e. claiming our rights. If we withdraw from the streets and roads we are lost.

Also, by riding, our numbers will be included in the statistics, which drive business cases and the resulting expenditure for cycle paths.

I encourage you, John, to discover the safer streets, the links to existing cycle paths, and keep commuting, not only for cycling as a whole, but for your own enjoyment and physical and mental health.

This is why I commute to work by bicycle.

Peter Grasshopper, Loftus, NSW

Cereal offender

Apr-May 2011

Motorists using phones aren't the only hazard for bike riders, of course. I was nearly sideswiped by a driver in Gipps Street Collingwood who had swerved into the bicycle lane to avoid a speed bump.

I caught up with the car only to find that the driver was holding a bowl of cornflakes in one hand and steering with the other. They obviously wanted to avoid the speed bump so they wouldn't spill their breakfast.

Bill Stent, Kew East, VIC

Heavy praise

On reading the Feb- Mar RideOn I was interested in the number of letters regarding bad behaviour of drivers towards riders. I would like to put an opposite case and give praise to professional truck drivers.

A mate and I are currently doing our 'Tour de Murray' ride; Corryong to Goolwa in three stages. A majority of our riding so far has been on the Murray Valley Highway in Victoria and its continuation in South Australia.

I can only give high praise to the many professional truck drivers who pass us on the highway, most times giving us a very wide berth as they pass, or slowing down when passing and unable to cross to the opposite side of the highway; never have we received insults or rude gestures from these professionals of the road. Our thanks to their courtesy.

On the other hand though, the worst offenders are often the 'grey nomads' who are unaware of the width of the caravan/trailer they are towing. Yes, they give us the one metre between bike and car, but forget that their towed van is often a lot wider than their car. Then there are the usual abusive ignorant fools usually in a giant 4WD; but I note their number plate for reference later in the day.

Thanks, professional truck drivers, you make cycling the highways a pleasure.

Ray Martin, Creswick, VIC

Had enough

February 2011

I used to ride daily from my house west of the intersection of Francis Street and Williamstown Road in Yarraville to my work at the Footscray campus of Victoria University. I say “used to” because I decided it is too dangerous. Now, I walk as much as possible or catch a bus or drive if I have to (I would prefer not to drive).

After the nth near miss I decided to call it quits until the Federation Bike Path links up with the Bayside and Maribyrnong trails. While on a couple of occasions it was my own fault, I've lost count of the times that cars and trucks have been at fault. Often they are oblivious to the fact that there has been a near collision.

A small minority of drivers are also hostile to cyclists and on a number of occasions mild remonstrance on my part has been met with torrents of abuse and threats of violence.

Until such time as (1) motorists realise that they share the road with riders, and (2) we have a network of on-road cycle paths (as opposed to lanes), crashes will happen. And as you know, riders always come off worst.

I shall continue to ride for recreation on bike paths and rail trails and occasionally venture on country roads, but I've given up commuting to work by bike. I wonder how many others have had similar experiences.

Dr John Tully, Lecturer in Politics and History, Victoria University

Hidden Danger

February 2011

Another great December 2010 edition. I read with interest the article “Learning from vital statistics,” especially the top five causes of crashes and the suggestion to “always try and make eye contact with drivers”.

Can I point out that when the regulations regarding the level of car window tinting was relaxed it means that these days, with heavily tinted windows, it is often impossible even to see the occupant of the car, let alone make eye contact.

It was a poor decision by our regulators to allow such a high degree of window tinting and by some degree can only result in more accidents for our most vulnerable road users – cyclists.

Andrew Heard, Longley, TAS

Target for abuse

February 2011

Mike Hopkins (Morons Alert) has suffered from abusive car drivers in Western Australia, but they are just as bad in Tasmania, and I would be curious to know if the WA morons are mostly groups of young men in the 17-30 age bracket suffering from an excess of testosterone behind the wheel of their machine.

In 19 years riding to and from work every day and anywhere else in hilly Hobart (I don't own a car), I have had numerous objects flung at me, ranging from beer bottles to fruit, though they usually miss.

Ideally I would not allow any male a licence until they are 25 but that wouldn't work in Tasmania, where the car culture still prevails and public transport is dreadful. I suspect a lot of them are driving illegally anyway.

Peter D. Jones, Lenah Valley, TAS

Morons alert

December 2010

A while ago I was driving down the Great Northern Highway in WA with a P plater in front of me. As we approached a cyclist the passenger from the P plater car lowered the window and threw a package at the cyclist! I pulled over to help the cyclist and asked if he had been hit. “Sure,” he replied, “And it’s not the first time!” Fortunately I had recorded the registration number of the car and gave it to him.

In all my years of cycling in the UK and France I have never seen this happen before, but yesterday it happened to me – and it hurt! I was cycling to Guildford via Lord Street with a nice, strong tail wing pushing me at 32km/h when the driver of a small truck coming towards me in the opposite direction launched a missile at me and it connected just below my left ribs with a stinging blow.

I wobbled a bit but kept going, and now I have a nice black bruise the size of an orange. Thinking about it, the road has an 80km/h speed limit, so the missile probably would have been travelling at about 110km/h. I’m lucky it never hit my head!

Mike Hopkins, The Vines, PERTH

Seeing red

October 2010

In the August-September edition, Owen Crombie's letter 'Red Light Bandit' calls for more tolerance and 'common sense' in the application of the road rules. In most cases, the road rules already allow for this. In the case of a solid centre line it is permissible to cross the line to avoid an obstruction. An 'obstruction' could be interpreted as slow moving traffic like a cyclist.

I know that stopping at red lights can be real pain for us cyclists; you lose all that momentum and then there is the extra energy required to get going again. It is particularly annoying at a pedestrian crossing where the pedestrian has crossed early and you're stuck at a red light with nobody crossing. However, there are very good reasons why stopping at red lights is mandatory. The only circumstance I can envisage where going through a red light is permissible is if the traffic light is faulty and is not going to turn green any time soon.

Lately, I've noticed that some motorists and cyclists treat stopping at red lights as optional. It is this selective adherence of the road rules that can make life on our roads more difficult than it should be. As cyclists, we are in no position to complain about motorists doing the 'wrong thing' if we are also being selective in our observance of the road rules.

Glenn Hilling, Watsonia North, VIC

Weighty issue

October 2010

I have just received the latest Ride On, and read a letter complaining about riders not stopping at red lights. Are you aware that many controlled intersections have lights which are demand activated? All well and good, but apparently the weight of a bike is not enough to register, which means you will have to wait forever if it is just you and your bike waiting to cross.

Peter Newman, Cheltenham, VIC

Editor's note: Australian intersections use electromagnetic sensors, not weight-based systems.

Don't run the red

October 2010

I am writing in response to a letter published in the August edition of Ride On. Mr Owen Crombie, there is no excuse, or reason, for a cyclist to run a red light. I am a lycra-clad cyclist, and I ride 300-400kms a week on suburban roads. I stop for red lights, all lights; traffic and pedestrian. Every day I see cyclists flaunting the law, riding without helmets, failing to stop at red lights, passing to the left of left-turning vehicles, etc. And I shake my head in bemusement.

Yes, almost every day I see car drivers ignoring the road rules and running red lights; this doesn’t make it acceptable for me to do the same. How would it be if motorists took the same attitude?

I wish to be treated with the respect and recognition of being a road user and to do so I respect the laws that govern all road users and those that apply to me as a cyclist. In another published letter David Lucas said that we are all tarred with one brush; I don't appreciate the likes of Mr Crombie loading that brush with tar – it’s bad enough out there with inattentive, unobservant and selfish drivers. We don’t need to add anger into the mix. Ride smart, ride legal and enjoy the ride. It’s not hard to do.

Nigel Kimber, Kensington, VIC

Red light bandit

August 2010

In the June-July edition there is yet another writer being upset about riders who go through red lights. That would be me (on the positive side. I don’t wear lycra, and you couldn’t give my bike to an op shop).

My reasoning is as follows: almost all our road code or traffic laws are based on solving problems with cars; they only mention bikes as an afterthought. For example, on Mt Dandenong Road, if a driver gives the rider one metre clearance, the driver has to cross the solid centre line and thus commit an offence. If, on the other hand, they don’t cross the centre line, they are still ‘lane splitting’, which is the grievous offence committed by motorbike riders at traffic light queues.

If the whingers who want me to obey all the same laws as them insist, then I will also insist they do not share a lane with me, and thus stay behind until they can move entirely into another lane, just as if they were passing a car. They will, of course, say I am being unreasonable. This sort of zero tolerance attitude helps no one.

What is needed is a revision of the road rules to take into account that BIKES ARE DIFFERENT, not just an intolerant bureaucratic insistence that ‘this is the law, and every last nuance must be obeyed’.

Being already 60, I expect to die of old age before common sense strikes in this area, however.

Owen Crombie, Blackburn South, VIC

Reverse crackdowns

August 2010

I have ridden to work for a year now and every single night, without fail, drivers will run red lights at the corner of Flinders and Swanston Streets: blocking trams, lurching forward as pedestrians and riders attempt to weave between them. Cars also regularly continue to turn left from Flinders Street into St Kilda Road, even after pedestrians are almost all the way across the road.

Police have cracked down on pedestrians and cyclists, and quite rightly too if they're doing the wrong thing. But police crackdowns would have more credibility if they did not continue to turn a blind eye to appalling driver behaviour, the worst I have seen anywhere.

When one rider does the wrong thing, all hell breaks loose and we are all tarred with the same brush. But for some reason, we all just accept bad driver behaviour as being that of a small minority and not worth dealing with.

David Lucas, Rowville, VIC

Registering the right to ride

June 2010

I am surprised at the ignorance of people who are worried that riders are getting away with 'free' use of the roads. I am a commuting rider. Every day I drive from Woodend to Kensington, where my wife works. I park the car in Kensington and ride my bike the remaining 14km across Melbourne to Camberwell. While I'm riding, my car is sitting unused, but the rego is still paid. It's another car off the road, giving the businessmen and women more room for their BMWs.

Those people who want to see bikes registered seem to think we riders don't also own cars. Most of us do, but we choose to ride when we can, rather than drive. We still buy fuel and pay taxes and registration; we just don't drive as much. It's time to put the bike registration whinge to rest.

Sheldon Rothman, Woodend, VIC

Out of a rut

June 2010

A couple of weeks ago, I had the misfortune of having my front wheel jammed into a rut next to the curb as I was pulling to a stop at the corner of Russell and Collins Streets in the Melbourne CBD. I fell off my bike and the saddle made a slight dent to the car next to me.

Being a responsible rider, I alerted the driver of the car and we exchanged details. To cut a long story short, the driver lodged an insurance claim and the insurance company rang me demanding details of my insurance and car licence number. I declined, saying I will disclose these when I receive the actual claim.

I immediately rang Bicycle Network Victoria. The staff member (David) was very supportive and understanding. He not only helped me with the crash report, but also suggested I contact Melbourne City Council about the rut. I did this via their online form. I was contacted within 48 hours and within the week the rut was patched over. Thanks to Bicycle Network Victoria and the City of Melbourne.

Bo Li, Preston, VIC

Car makers' quid pro quo

April 2010

An observation. Car companies seem to like to get involved in riding — be it through advertising in riding magazines, sponsoring events, sponsoring riding teams or branding a line of bikes.

I ponder if those in the riding community that enter into such relationships with car companies do so for purely economic reasons, or do they see forming such relationships as an opportunity to be a vehicle for change in the interests of riding.

For example, before accepting cart blanche a car company’s money, is the question asked, “What are you doing in car design that would enhance the safety of riders who share the road with your cars?”

What design features might achieve this, you may ask. Well, here are a few that come to mind that could reduce the most common of car/bike accidents — getting doored by parked cars.

• Engraving Look for Riders on the driver-side external mirror.
• Making all headrests see-through so a rider can see if anyone is in the parked cars.
• Ensuring rear windows are not tinted so a rider can see if anyone is in the parked cars.
• Ensuring the internal light is permanently connected to the car’s doors so at night, when the door is open, the light comes on, giving a rider some warning that a door is about to open.
• Connecting the car’s doors to the four-way flashers, so on opening they flash — again giving a rider some warning that a door is about to open.

Plus:
• Ensuring driver’s side windows are not tinted so a rider can see if the driver is looking their way or see if they have eye contact. Especially important in situations where a car is entering from the rider’s left.

Alan Tonkin, Canterbury, VIC

Cars/bikes don't mix

December 2009

I was surprised to hear about the driving behaviour of Tassie drivers in what should be the premier cycling state (Ride On, Dec 2009) although I hear New Zealand is an A1 cycling country.

I think social times have changed, there is much more angst and aggression in people and it comes out in road rage. Some of the risks and behaviour of cyclists you see is on the nose - especially some of the lycra road bikies who think it's always Tour de France. Up in the Diamond Creek area, it's still a good road/mountain bike cycling place and the drivers aren't too bad if you do the right thing. (There are exceptions). Remember cycles are low-energy biomechanical devices, cars are high-energy driven devices and they just don't mix.

Maybe someone needs to invent a cycle gravity control unit - got an agro driver? Just fly over the top and land on his bonnet!

I've also noticed an increase in other two-wheeled vehicles - motor cycles. They are even more vulnerable than cycles with their greater power and speed. But one thing is for certain, the modern bicycle in its present form, or redesigned with power assist will be the prime transport mode for short distance, inner city travel.

I've been toying with the idea of eliminating the chain and using pedals to turn a high-tech generator, power motors in wheels. It would be a totally electric system with a battery booster included, a solar-array or wind generator could also be attached.

RE Walter, Diamond Creek VIC

Look before your open your car door

18 September 2009

I was riding along St Kilda Road this week at around 1:30pm. A cyclist stopped on the traffic lights with me but as we kept riding along I lost sight of her. I then just heard a smash and saw her on the ground.

The cyclist was another victim of the constant accidents caused by lack of caution from drivers who park their cars on busy roads like St Kilda Road and do not look before opening their car door.

As others on the road, I stopped to give support to the cyclist who was lucky enough to be helped by an off duty paramedic on the scene to make sure the cyclist was conscious and calm before the ambulance and the police arrived. As people gathered around they talked about how it can actually be hard to remember to look before you open your car door.

On the same morning I had a driver who also suddenly opened the car door next to me as I cycled along the bike path. I could have been the one going to hospital that morning.

Cycling is also a way to contribute to a sustainable environment. Cyclists should be considered on the road and treated with respect. Please look before you go ahead, open your car door or drive in front of a bike.

Gabriela Guimaraes

Prahran, VIC

Sharing the Road

5 November 2008

To my surprise there are still some out there with their heads stuck in the sand when it comes to bicycles and cars sharing the same piece of road. What happened back “in the not so long ago” era, when automobiles were first introduced and horses and wagons were still the main mode of transport. Did the horses suddenly try to run over the top of that hard earned brand new automobile? I THINK NOT!

Come on Victorians, be a sport and (excuse the pun) JOIN THE BAND WAGON.

Russell Campbell

Laverton, VIC

Response to taxi tirade

24 July 2008

Australian Taxi Drivers’ Own Magazine: "Unlike motorists, cyclists don't pay registration and insurance, no fuel excise or GST, no parking or speeding fines and they don't need a licence to drive on the road."

Correction! I pay registration and insurance fuel excise on a car that is sitting in my driveway. As a cyclist I pay fines exactly the same as motorists and I have had a car licence for over forty years which should qualify me to ride a bike on the road. Unlike some cabbie drivers I have had the misfortune to be in the cab with.

"Bicycle riders are like a herd of cats. They are totally selfish, unpredictable and uncontrollable. They don't understand rules and regulations, possess no common courtesy and they all believe they have 9 lives.

"They roam in packs at dawn and dusk on major roads without lights and reflective clothing, oblivious to the anger and frustration they cause other road users. They change lanes without notice and ride at 20km/hr in 60 and 80 kilometre zones with impunity. They are unlicensed, untrained and unidentifiable, yet they have become 'kings of the road'.

Correction! Yes there is a minority of out of control bike riders. The majority have only one life and we protect it. The majority know where they stand, have lights, reflective clothing and ride within the road rules and with courtesy and caution, if only to protect their own lives. Most "anger and frustration" is because the motorist is grid locked and being passed by cyclists.

Ross Semmens

Greensborough VIC

Nervous on the road

24 May 2008

I ride and drive a car but I am now very nervous to ride on the road. Drivers must be educated somehow about the conditions cyclists have to contend with every day. Usually the half metre of bitumen we get to use is sprinkled with broken bottles, stormwater drains trap or damage our tyres or a concrete gutter is higher than the road. Drivers have no idea that we can't move any closer to the curb for this reason and assume we are taking their lane out of greed or ignorance.

Car doors opening force us out on to the cars lane with little or no notice.

Cars that have only one window cleared of morning frost worry me; there is no way they can see all round the car. As for mobile phone users whilst driving, it happens so frequently it seems to be compulsory.

Every time I ride I am risking my life, and usually come home with a horrible tale of hatred and anger. Cars are being used as weapons on riders. The pleasure of riding is fast disappearing.

Ron Blint

Bentleigh East VIC

Plea to the TAC

8 May 2008

I am a road cyclist. I (mostly) ride on my own on weekends from Murrumbeena to Beach Road, and then along Beach Road as far as Frankston, and return.

I am frequently harassed by car drivers who do not understand how dangerous their behaviour is. While they think their aggressive actions are just a simple way of telling me that only cars belong on the road, car drivers don’t realise their actions are putting my life at risk.

I ride defensively, and am on guard until the moment I get off my bike, safe in my driveway. I wear safety gear, bright coloured clothing so I can be seen, and I follow the road rules. I can’t count the number of times I have been in fear of my safety because a car has exited a side street without coming to a complete stop, or had a car door open so that I have to take instant evasive action; or had a car speed up to overtake me, only to brake suddenly and turn into a side street; or felt the heat from a car’s engine beside me while they pass dangerously close to me.

I want to know when the Transport Accident Commission is going to run a campaign to educate ignorant car drivers about how dangerous their driving behaviour is.

Please note, I am aware that large riding groups or pelotons such as the “Hell Riders” cause problems. I too think they are a nuisance and ride irresponsibly. They put me at risk when I’m riding on my own because they don’t follow riding etiquette or road rules. They also put me at risk because they give all riders a bad name. I fully support actions taken by Victoria Police to control their behaviour.

I am also a Town Planner, and my profession is trying to promote cycling as a healthy and environment-friendly alternative to private car based transport.

I would be more than happy to speak with the appropriate person at the TAC regarding this matter, or provide further information or insights to the TAC that would be of assistance. I have copied this email to Bicycle Network Victoria, of which I am a member.

Dominique Miot

Murrumbeena VIC

Scooters in bike lanes

6 May 2008

I am outraged by the increasing trend of scooter riders using the bike lane. I ride my bike into work in the CBD and recently I find myself having to contend with scooters using dedicated bike lanes and overtaking cyclists in order to avoid the traffic.

Scooters weigh far more than bikes and are capable of speeds up to 60km p/hr. Who's likely to come off the worse when there is a crash? Have other cyclists noticed this? Could it be a consequence of the TAC campaign around scooter safety? Perhaps scooter riders think that THEY are safer in the bike lanes. But what about the cyclists?

Pamela Anders

Fitzroy North VIC