Another Smidsy

[gwigs]

Just got the bad news that a good mate of mine has just been hit at a roundabout in Albany today.Left leg broken in two places,broken ribs,shoulder and may loose his spleen yet.Its going to be a long road to recovery as he is 70.
He has only been riding for about 18 months and has just passed his test so he could loose his L plate.
I,d say his motorcycling days are over,his wife certainly wont be happy if he doesnt stop.I,m just hoping he is going to be ok,just waiting for some more news.
Apperently the elderly lady driver didnt see him but her passenger did.Flouro jacket of no use at all,might as well been wearing a monkey suit.
Be carefull out there people.
(he is a KB member,though not a big poster)

[ExpertoCrede]

All the best to your mate.

Some of the roundabouts in the Albany area eg. near the motorway and industrial area are quite hectic even at the best of times. One needs to be extremely aware of your surroundings (as always).

[gwigs]

His wife told me she drove right past the accident scene which was just around the corner from his home and didnt realise it was him until she got home and saw his bike wasn,t in the garage,she drove back to the scene just as they were loading him into the ambulance .

[Mom]

His wife told me she drove right past the accident scene which was just around the corner from his home and didnt realise it was him until she got home and saw his bike wasn,t in the garage,she drove back to the scene just as they were loading him into the ambulance .

I negotiate several roundabouts in Albany on my commute, it absolutely amazes me how bad the skills of some drivers are. I have even had to stop midway through a round about as a friggen bus decided he needed to enter the roundabout without checking for traffic

I hope your old mate recovers without complications.

[oneofsix]

Just got the bad news that a good mate of mine has just been hit at a roundabout in Albany today.Left leg broken in two places,broken ribs,shoulder and may loose his spleen yet.Its going to be a long road to recovery as he is 70.
He has only been riding for about 18 months and has just passed his test so he could loose his L plate.
I,d say his motorcycling days are over,his wife certainly wont be happy if he doesnt stop.I,m just hoping he is going to be ok,just waiting for some more news.
Apperently the elderly lady driver didnt see him but her passenger did.Flouro jacket of no use at all,might as well been wearing a monkey suit.
Be carefull out there people.
(he is a KB member,though not a big poster)

seem to be a lot of roundabout accidents or near misses this winter.

I guess she wouldn't have seen him if he had been a bus. The monkey suit might have worked better but only as in "oh the young people these days" - crash. (yeah I read he was 70)

I he doesn't lose his spleen. Hope his wife lets him decide and hope he sticks with it but totally understand if he flags it or decides he is only going out with large groups, protecting on numbers etc. Of course the previous presumes he is able to stick with it so hoping for the best there as well.

Good on him for following his (presumed) dream and taking up riding at his age.

[gwigs]

Its always in the back off my mind at roundabouts when I,m turning right.Is that car going to give way or not?I,m always ultra cautious in that situation.
The whole thing has bummed me out really and I even feel a bit reluctant to ride my bike but I,m sure that will pass.Hoping to get into hospital to see him today.

[BoristheBiter]

Its always in the back off my mind at roundabouts when I,m turning right.Is that car going to give way or not?I,m always ultra cautious in that situation.
The whole thing has bummed me out really and I even feel a bit reluctant to ride my bike but I,m sure that will pass.Hoping to get into hospital to see him today.

Hope your mate gets on the mend.
As for Albany roundabouts, they are shocking. Not only do people not know, or care, what lanes mean the signage on the road is all wrong, right turn from left lane, WTF??

[ExpertoCrede]

The Albany roundabouts are worse that Greenlane. Approach with extreme caution. The offramp at Greville for example competes with indutrial traffic from Tawa Street and traffic coming form the Mall area - everyone is always in a hurry.

[willytheekid]

Truly hope your mate recovers ...never good to read about another biker going down.
Good on him for getting on two wheels at his age

[baptist]

Best wishes to your mate... long may he ride (if he wants to after this). Those roundabouts are interesting to say the least at times.

I have roundabouts at each end of the main road I live off of as well. If I had just arrived in this country and was watching either of them I would come to some worrying conclusions on the NZ driving rules...
1. Give way signs do not apply to buses, they always go first
2. Indicating is optional for all road users
3. Lanes are just "guides" to help you choose which direction you might like to travel in
4. Traffic on the roundabout will always giveway to vehicles entering it.
no wonder I ride round them like a nana...

[baffa]

Best wishes to your friend. Not a nice way for his wife to find out either.

I'm extremely cautious at roundabouts.

And also when you travel straight through on a set of lights, and traffing coming towards you and turning right (left from your perspective) running the red really pisses me off.

I've come close to kicking car doors and mirrors on several occasions. One day I'm going to snap and start smashing windows I'm sure.


I was thinking the other day how fantastic it would be to own a Ford F150/250 with giant black bullbars, driving around town ramming anyone cutting people off and running reds etc, scaring people straight. One can dream right?

[hellokitty]

Poor buggar I hope he is okay! You don't bounce back from accidents when you are 70!
I work in Albany and some of those double laned roundabouts can be a nightmare, bad enough in a car let alone a motorbike! I have lost count of the times that buses have pulled out on me.

[gwigs]

I,ll be passing on all the good wishes,thanks.