Anyone Else Feeling Invisible?

[BM-GS]

Start of rant:

Filled up last night on the way home (about 5:10pm, still light). Pulling out of the gas stn (Shell Forrest Hill, on Auckland's leafy North Shore) I wanted to turn right, so I pulled to the right-hand side of the exit, arranged myself so that I could see past the signs & lamp-posts along the road and waited for gaps in the traffic (both ways) to appear. It took a while, with everyone rushing home.

I ride a BMW 1150GS, not noted for being a small bike. It's also bright yellow. I admit that the yellow bits on my leathers are the same yellow as the bike, so I look like a bumble bee, but the combination (with lights on and an indicator going) should be hard to miss.

Not for Mrs Integra, who wanted to perform the same manouevre as me. She pulls up 2m to my left, indicating right. The gas stn is sort-of opposite a side-road, so I thought maybe she was going down there. She'd still probably take me out if we both went together, but I'd be a bit in front of her so she might at least see me. The trouble is that I still have to get through the gutter, etc, so I edge forward a bit, a bit more, a bit more, and suddenly she sees me - her face just lit up in surprise and "where the f*ck did that come from?"-type confusion, as if I'd been dropped there by aliens. Very scary, but not as bad as what nearly happened next. An appropriate gap appeared, and she hooned off without waiting to see if I was going or anything. If I hadn't already appreciated the presence of only half-a-brain, and waited to see what might happen, I'd have spent the night in N Shore hospital. Funny how some vehicles seem to have a big neon Watch What Happens Next sign on them. It can be handy though.

I went off after her, made sure she knew I was there without being aggressive, and longed for the good old days, when people half expected bikers to beat them up. Maybe I should trade the BM for a Hardley Ableson and wear some old denim?

The best bit is that I saw her again this morning, so it looks like she'll be a regular hazard to add to the list.

I'm not sure if she was being a bit thick, or genuinely didn't see that I was there first (forgot her specs, maybe?), or if she thinks that bikes have to give way to cars (don't laugh, it's been documented in post-crash police interviews) or had a load of more important things (than my life) on her mind. Or maybe she's just a psychopath?

Everyone has the odd lapse and it's probably best not to take it personally (unless it's you doing the lapsing) as life is too short. No need to make it shorter...

That's it, rant mode off,
Bumble Beemer

[zeRax]

sux dude, yeaap, every day, people on the out of town roads in blenheim dont look, constantly having cars go out infront of me at giveways.

just 2 days ago a mate at work driving a fucking big white van tboned some girl cause she just didnt stop for the giveway and went straight through. happens all the time on out of blenheim roads :\

[crashe]

awwww mate, that happens all the time...
If I get the chance I do let them know...hehehe.

But at least you survived to tell the story.

And now you know what car to look out for now....
Wave to her, until she see's you... then cut her off...hehehhee. No don't.

Keep riding safe.

[zadok]

Yep. Twice in particular I've had a car turn right in front of me and had to come to a sudden heart-thumping stop. Fortunately I was traveling and legal speeds both times and managed to pull up just in time. I even had the headlight on, so what does that say!?

[Jeremy]

All the time. Expect that everyone else is driving blind.

As Dad said during the three driving lessons I had.

Look out for: Anyone who couldn't afford the car they're in, anyone with dents especially those in the front or sides of the car, anyone who can't drive in a straight line or get in the right lane, anyone who didn't indicate before, anyone who's driving too fast, anyone who only relies on their brakes to stop, anyone who doesn't use their mirrors and most importantly anyone who is ONLY using their mirrors rather than turning their head. If you don't see a head turn stay far far away.

Which basically boils down to your better off trusting the boy racer who has to work to afford his car than the stay at home mum in the cockroach carrier to notice you.

[pritch]

In my bus driving days "geriatrics" were regarded with great suspicion.
(God, now I almost am one. Almost?)

Scariest story I heard in years concerned the kid of a guy I know.
The local Boy's High is on top of a hill so at 3:30PM or whenever there is a stream of pushbikes coming down there at warp speed. Not a snowball-in-Hell's chance of stopping or taking any other avoiding action.

Old lady turns across the path of "the kid" and inevitably he T bones her. Ambulance and Police attend.
Her explanation to the Police was, "I had given way to three of them, it was my turn".

I bet you didn't know that rule...

[Lou Girardin]

North Shore women drivers, just as bad as hat wearers in Volvo's. Be afraid, be very afraid.

[thehollowmen]

I could swear I saw Ray Charles driving yesterday. Pulled out infrount of me and I came to a rubber-squealing halt.

I kid you not:

Sunglasses

White dog in the frount seat

And a thin white cane with a red handle.


Generally people in SUVs, people wearing hats (you can see they are old afterwards), White halos (old ladies hair), anything with a ding in it. Anything drifting to one side of the lane (and will do a unsignaled / short signal change without a shoulder check) .. those are things I watch out for.

The boy racers are pretty good around here, and usually have more than one set of eyes watching the road.

[Wolf]

If you're not expected anywhere in a hurry, following the SoB everywhere they go is rewarding. I had one bitch wind up stopping outside the police station, shaking uncontrollably - and all I had done was follow her... no threatening gestures or anything.

She knew she'd cut me off and nearly caused an accdent and she picked up quickly enough that I was tailing her so she was rather scared. She headed directly to the police station once she twigged what I was up to.

I just rode on past.

Do I feel stink intimidating some chick? Not if it makes her think about boneheaded driving twice next time. I felt kind of intimidated nearly getting flattened by almost a ton of cage, good to be able reciprocate in some way.

[vifferman]

My problem area (probably everyone's) is intersections. The last road I go down on the way to work has 7 intersections on it, and for all but one of those I have right of way, with Stop signs on the intersections. But every day, there are cars on several of those that don't loook like they're going to stop. If I slow down to ensure they've seen me and that I'm not going to get crunched, every so often there'll be some eejit that will take this as meaning I'm going to let them go, or some other eejit that starts to go before I'm safely through.

I've had many near-misses (and three crashes) from people not seeing me, and I nearly crashed into a scooter myself because I didn't see it! And I was on my bike at the time, in SuperVigilantMode, AND the scooter's headlight was on. It's very easy to not be seen.

[vifferman]

If you're not expected anywhere in a hurry, following the SoB everywhere they go is rewarding. I had one bitch wind up stopping outside the police station, shaking uncontrollably - and all I had done was follow her... no threatening gestures or anything.

She knew she'd cut me off and nearly caused an accdent and she picked up quickly enough that I was tailing her so she was rather scared. She headed directly to the police station once she twigged what I was up to.

I was cut off by some eejit woman one morning, so I followed her to her destination (a primary school), pulled up alongside her, waited till she wound the window down, and told her what she'd done, that she was an idiot, and that she shouldn't have a licence. She just nodded dumbly.

[pritch]

I just received this from a mate in the USA:

A strange news item: Yesterday, at a local Richmond Hospital, one of the employees { a nurse I believe} was taking a break in an alley that was only used for trucks backing up making deliveries. A big tractor-trailer unit delivering bottled oxygen backed over her killing her. She was standing in the middle of the alley with fellow employees yelling at her to watch out.

She was looking the other way talking on a cell phone with her spare hand covering her other ear because the warning beeper from the truck was making so much noise she couldn't hear the cell phone…

[Wolf]

My uncle is a "geriatric" (hell, I practiaclly am) but he's also a rally driver, been involved with cars, trucks, bikes, planes all his life etc - so he's the one getting pissed at all the dickheads on the roads. He's also my "measuring stick" l- "Look, you dumb old fart, my uncle's older than you and he can drive, what's your real excuse for being a wanker?"

Pissed as I get with the boi racers making a racket and hooning around, I have to admit that at least they know they're behaving recklessly and tend to be on the look-out - it's the "Joe Random Citizen" types who don't realise they're a rolling (or stationary, even) hazard that really suck... they drive around with their heads up their arses and don't realise how close they come to having serious accidents every day.

[Wolf]

I just received this from a mate in the USA:

A strange news item: Yesterday, at a local Richmond Hospital, one of the employees { a nurse I believe} was taking a break in an alley that was only used for trucks backing up making deliveries. A big tractor-trailer unit delivering bottled oxygen backed over her killing her. She was standing in the middle of the alley with fellow employees yelling at her to watch out.

She was looking the other way talking on a cell phone with her spare hand covering her other ear because the warning beeper from the truck was making so much noise she couldn't hear the cell phone…

I love watching evolution at work. (Sorry, Zed...)

[Wolf]

I was cut off by some eejit woman one morning, so I followed her to her destination (a primary school), pulled up alongside her, waited till she wound the window down, and told her what she'd done, that she was an idiot, and that she shouldn't have a licence. She just nodded dumbly.

Years ago, when I felt energetic/suicidal/too-poor-to-afford-a-motorbike and was riding a pushbike down Victoria Street, I went past a bus. As I approached it was not signalling to turn out, I got past the rear end so I couldn't see the tail lights any more and then suddenly it started to swing out into the traffic, forcing me to swerve out further into the lane. I presume he did indicate after I had gone past his tail lights - but obviously did not check his side mirror properly.

I caught up at the lights, they changed as I appropached so I was able to speed past, shaking my fist, next I know I have this bus beside me forcing me into the curb. I stop and dismount, the bus stops and the door opens, driver gets out of his seat.

"You got an issue with me?" he roars.

"Fuckin' oath" says I in a voice that carries beyond the back of the bus and down to the intersection. "When you pulled out back there you didn't check your mirror and fucking near hit me."

"Oh, you're just a fuckin' arsehole," he says hastily, jumps back into his seat and takes off as fast as possible.

I don't think he liked all his passengers hearing that I'd had a reason to be pissed. Especially after they'd just seen him crowd me off the road.

Always hated pushbikes - at least on a motorbike I can make it past a bus in less than the required three seconds of indication.