Don'tcha just hate cyclists? Poll

[FROSTY:Me]

Me I don't have a problem with b(cycle) ers as a rule. My only gripe is the ol "I'll just swing over,round,under here without looking back " trick
I know darn well who's gonna come off worst off --Me on my bike /van cage Im pretty sure the pushy guys gonna be a lot sorer

[vtec]

Of course you know that there'll be hordes of KBers on Google at this moment typing in the keywords "hills" "CBD" "city"...

Hahaha, I'm glad I've sparked such interest in the bike courier plight.

[madbikeboy]

bullshit. if i have to pay rego per vechicle on the road, why don't those lycra wearing homo's have to? its tax evasion.

.

I pay 2 x rego for the road bikes. I pay 2 x car rego's (well, one is the company cage). I pay tax. I enjoy sexual relations with a woman.

Find another argument.

[vtec]

You should pay registration for each woman that you ride aswell you lucky bastard.

[Grahameeboy]

You should pay registration for each woman that you ride aswell you lucky bastard.

I hate to think what the refund is like for exemption...

[Grahameeboy]

I think that like all road users there are idiots

Cyclists list of crimes

Riding 2 abreast and not pulling in for cars.
Ignoring red lights
Undertaking cars at zebra crossings
No indicating when turning left / right

Meet tomorrow's practicing car drivers.

[vtec]

The real question is, of most things that people get annoyed about on here I've probably done it, but am I an idiot for doing it, or am I a genius for being able to do it without making mistakes and causing an accident? Just because you break rules doesn't make you dangerous. It's how you break them, and whether you are able to factor in and assess and allow for all possible outcomes when you break said rule. Hence spending thousands of hours in CBD traffic on a bicycle often going as hard as I can, without ever having to have a day off for an injury caused by bicycle couriering. I did have about a week off for a motorcycle racing accident though.

What most people will get annoyed about is that they don't think that each individual should have the right to decide what rules they can break. But I think I would get very depressed and feel life was meaningless without doing things that excite me. In me that kind of depression would just make me more dangerous.

[The Pastor]

I pay 2 x rego for the road bikes. I pay 2 x car rego's (well, one is the company cage). I pay tax. I enjoy sexual relations with a woman.

Find another argument.

so you should pay rego for the cycle AS well.

(as much as i hate the user pays per vehicle)

[madbikeboy]

Well, I think I'm qualified to post on this one. I was a bicycle courier for about 18 months in Auckland finishing at the end of last year. If I was keeping up with traffic, I would ride the same as if I was on a motorbike, and it really works. I'd assert my position on the road.

I don't fully understand why people get annoyed with bicycles, it's some weird thing that only psychologists can answer. But my dad used to blast them with his airhorns and think it was great... Bastard.

As a bike courier I never used to follow any road rules, for several reasons. To most people pedestrians and drivers alike we are invisible, and they don't follow any rules when it comes to cyclists. Secondly, the less rules I followed the faster I could go and the more money I could make. Thirdly, following the rules doesn't keep you safe. I made my own rules and they go as follows: Don't crash, and don't hit anyone. I was quite happy riding down the wrong side of the road, running reds constantly, and riding on the footpath if necessary. I managed to survive 18 months 9 hours a day all weather conditions going full tilt a lot of the time without getting or causing any severe injuries or damage apart to my own bicycle (and accidentally pulling off someones very rusted rear spoiler). I think what pisses people off so much about this is that they are jealous because they are all pent up from sticking to all the unnecessary rules put onto them, and when they see someone else with the freedom they deny themselves it makes them angry. People hate to see others having fun, same reason some people hate motorcyclists.

I used to and still do grab onto peoples vehicles for a tow when it's beneficial. Like the trays on utes, rear spoilers, wheel arches. Some people would think it was great and give you the thumbs up or big smiles, and some people would hurl abuse, it all depends on the state of mind of the person in question. I'm not doing any harm, I'm having fun, I'm saving the environment, I'm keeping the road clear of one vehicle, and I'm going fast. Some people just need to vent, and cyclists are an easy target because "they are smaller than you in your car". Some people like telling others what to do, they are the ones that toot and try to tell you to let go, to which I've yelled back "NO" with a cheeky grin on my face. And others like to vent with abuse. I always give a big cheeky grin and perhaps a thumbs up, which really riles these people up.

In my 18 months as a bike courier both motorcycle and bicycle I never got one ticket. It was the most awesome job I ever did. But it takes a toll.

A couple of sundays ago on my bicycle, I managed to do 18k's from south yarra to heidelberg (vic wreckers) in under 30 minutes in pretty solid melbourne traffic and that was waiting at most traffic lights. I don't hold cars up anywhere near as much as they hold me up. Google maps says its approx a 41min car drive

This is the best post I've read in ages. I quoted the whole thing just to piss the anti-cyclists off. 10/10. Two thumbs up.

[madbikeboy]

Yeah, second to san fran actually, but have talked to couriers who'd worked both and said auckland was more challenging. The CBD is a great big pit
Think Hobson st, nelson st.. all hills about 1 k long... same with symonds st, even Queen Street is a hill, now the streets perpendicular all go down towards queen st... wyndham, victoria, wellesley, and then you've got the likes of vincent, pitt, not to mention bloody wakefield or airedale.... the only street that isn't a hill is quay and fanshawe and K road.

Yeah, I can back that up. You can get across SF really easily, and most of it is pretty flat - the hills start on one side, but you generally ride across or around, not up. For example, getting from MOMA to fisherman's wharf, you'd just ride around. Fixed gears work well for SF, I had a 'Dale with DA (slumming it, I like record) - the toughest part of SF is the change of temps, it can be more extreme that AK. I reckon it's about 10000 times safer in SF than Ak, and VTEC, you have my respect for being a pedalie in this city. I met one chick who had a Colnago fixed with record pista - but it was about 15 years old with perfect polished lugs. It's a hard road to find the perfect woman.

The best ride in SF? From Golden Gate park, across to Haight Ashbury, you can ride with Satan sucking your wheel - it's inspiring.

[madbikeboy]

You should pay registration for each woman that you ride aswell you lucky bastard.

Only one at a time, and I'd be happy to be with the perfect one and none other forever.

[madbikeboy]

so you should pay rego for the cycle AS well.

(as much as i hate the user pays per vehicle)

As a thought - why don't you come for a ride on a pushie with me and experience it from the other side. Once you've been on our side for an hour, you might reconsider your position.

[Swoop]

Well, I had to have a fuc*ing good laugh this morning! (Nobody injured though).
Approaching a pedestrian crossing and what is happening...?
A cyclist is walking around, a pushbike leaning up against a wall and a white van with "disabled transportation" (wheelchair passengers) painted on the side and a very bent front numberplate!!!
Another lycra-clat tosspot who thinks it is legal to ride across a pedestrian crossing on their bike. Read the road rules, it is NOT legal to do so. Cyclists must stop and push their bicycle across.

Strangely enough, after this, ALL the other cyclists were pushing their bikes across the crossing. I wonder why?

[slowlegs]

Well how much?

A little while back I was cycling scenic drive when some kids in a small green hatch leaned out the car as it passed me, and hit me.
It was pretty obvious they were heading to Piha.
I was so angy.

As a fellow KBer if I had tried to flag down you on your motorbike to get their numberplate for me would you have helped? - see poll

Yes, I would have stopped to help. I ride a pushbike too. Problem is I ride a 50cc scooter so probably wouldn't have managed to catch them, let alone get all the way to Piha. As for cyclists on the road a lot don't follow the rules, going through red lights, etc.

[alanzs]

I always stop for anyone, unless it's not safe. Giving a helping hand is my way of paying back those that have, over the years: rushed me to the hospital after crashing (x2), getting run over by a truck and calling the ambulance, stopped when I was in the middle of the Mexican desert with a flat tyre and drove me to a repair shop, in same desert when I rode off the shoulder, blew a fuse and didn't have a spare and drove me to a parts store, etc, etc...
What goes around, comes around.
Cyclists are a different breed, but we are all on the same roads with cages, sharing the same, if not increased risks.