Angry driver takes out 50 cyclists (Australia)

[curious george]

Unless there is a law exempting cyclists from obeying the road rules, then they are expected to follow the same road rules as all other users. that means they are also legally required to maintain safe following distances.

Correct, but in this case it wasn't a narrow road, and taking up the whole lane obviously was avoidable.

I don't think the cyclists were complaining about hitting one another, just the way it happened.
A deliberate assault on life.
There was another lane for the car to use, if they had of moved over any more they would have been on the footpath!
I cant see anything wrong in this situation from the cyclists side at all.
They paid for the road same as the drivers, they just used it differently.
As is allowed by law.
Why is this so hard to understand by some people?

[BadCompany]

I don't think the cyclists were complaining about hitting one another, just the way it happened.
A deliberate assault on life.
There was another lane for the car to use, if they had of moved over any more they would have been on the footpath!
I cant see anything wrong in this situation from the cyclists side at all.
They paid for the road same as the drivers, they just used it differently.
As is allowed by law.
Why is this so hard to understand by some people?

Because a lot of people really fucking hate cyclists, and everyone who hates cyclists loves that man who got really ticked off.

Why is this so hard to understand by some poeple?

[limbimtimwim]

So I'll ride home on the motorcycle tonight in my usual inimitable fuck-the-traffic style and, undoubtedly, confirm some car driver's opinion that all motorcyclists are inconsiderate law-breaking swine.

Law breaking is one thing, people don't care about that very much. What they care about at rush hour is being held up.

You on your motorcycle doesn't do that. You ride between the slow and stopped cars, they don't have to brake or change direction as you do so and cause no inconvenience at all. At a red light you go to the front, and are 50 metres down the road after it turns green before most car drivers have taken their eyes off their cellphone and released the brake.

60 cyclists taking up a lane when they could be riding single file or 2 abreast just fucks everyone off. While driving into them is a disgusting thing to do (It's amazing no one died, he should be charged with attempted murder) it's not too difficult to understand why the driver got so pissed off.

[jrandom]

... it's not too difficult to understand why the driver got so pissed off.

When one reads between the lines, it's not too difficult to understand why that young lady Sophie Elliot was murdered by her ex-boyfriend earlier this year, either, but that doesn't make it appropriate to use her case as a platform from which to publicly spout off about how much one hates cheating, narcissistic women.

[Forest]

An update from this morning's paper:

http://www.theage.com.au/news/genera...131206412.html

The driver at the centre of an alleged Sydney road rage incident says he is no "cyclist hater" and he did not deliberately pull up in front of a pack of professional cyclists.

The man, who identified himself only as Jason, said it was an engine problem, and not his anger at being stuck behind the pack of 50 riders, that caused him to overtake the pack and then stop in front of them.

The incident occurred on Southern Cross Drive, near Sydney airport, yesterday morning. More than 20 riders - including professional cyclists Kate Nichols and Olympic hopeful Ben Kersten - were injured when they ran into the back of a grey Ford Falcon.

"I'm not a cyclists hater, I'm not nothing," Jason told Macquarie Radio this morning.

"I was just driving along and I had a car failure and now I'm in trouble - I dunno."

[curious george]

Infairness, the paper continues:
"Jason said he had spoken to police at 9pm yesterday and they had photographed some marks on his car.
Injured rider Ben Kersten rang the station immediately afterwards and said Jason was a liar.
"Mate, you're a lying dog. You are a liar and you are going to get caught for it," he said, while Jason remained on the line.
"You were doing 60 kilometres an hour and then stopped to zero ... what you did was ridiculous.
"Who takes off after they accidentally cause such damage - who isn't remorseful?"

I can see this going nowhere without an independent witness.
He said/she said....etc.
Terrible situation all round.
Mikkel = Correct. Nobody I know has ever beaten a car with a 8kg bike.
Bikes always loose. This includes motorcyclists too...

[The Stranger:Me]

Fucken Ford owners.
Arseholes the lot of them!

[mattian]

I have gotta take issue with some peoples agro towards cyclists..... the roads are there for EVERYONE to use !! and, as motorcyclists ( a minority ) we should have some empathy and respect for the "other" road users.... (except skateboarders that ride on the road.... frikkin arseholes!!!) joking.


watch out for grey cars on a grey day with no headlights on....... and grandads on mobility scooters that fly over pedestrian crossings without hesitation !!!

[The Stranger:Me]

The driver at the centre of an alleged Sydney road rage incident says he is no "cyclist hater" and he did not deliberately pull up in front of a pack of professional cyclists.

The man, who identified himself only as Jason, said it was an engine problem, and not his anger at being stuck behind the pack of 50 riders, that caused him to overtake the pack and then stop in front of them.



Ah a perfectly rational explanation.

Ordinarily I may find this suspicious, however we must remember, he was driving a Ford and given their penchant for breaking down any time any where his excuse would appear entirely plausible.

[Mikkel]

Yeah, the cyclists should just consider themselves really lucky he wasn't driving a Holden - then he wouldn't have been able to steer around them.

[Usarka]

Ah the old engine problem that causes you to stop suddenly and then uncontrollably speed off when your rear-ended by cyclists.

i have that all the time

[Forest]

Ordinarily I may find this suspicious, however we must remember, he was driving a Ford and given their penchant for breaking down any time any where his excuse would appear entirely plausible.

Indeed. When I was young my father taught me FORD = Found On Rubbish Dumps

[The Stranger:Me]

Yeah, the cyclists should just consider themselves really lucky he wasn't driving a Holden - then he wouldn't have been able to steer around them.

Right...
I am sure there is some logic in that somewhere, perhaps it's got something to do with the Australian touring car governing body crippling Holdens suspension in order to loosen the Holden death grip in the Australian touring car championship?
It's ok though Mikkel, on the road they suffer no such set backs and are still allowed to run Holden suspension.

[Nagash]

Jesus.. all their stories are all over the place.

It's first describe as a Blue Ford "There was no doubt the driver of the dark blue Ford Falcon"

Then it magically changes colour to a Grey Ford "were injured when they ran into the back of a grey Ford Falcon."

And of all those people including police cars driving with them no one got his license plate number..?


Bloody terrible thing he did, I can understand that he was hassling the back of the group (though don't agree with it) and I can understand that he'd make dangerous maneuvers to get past them (though still don't agree) because everyone hates cyclists. But suddenly stopping just to get back at them is pathetic..

Hang him!

[Skyryder]

Ah the old engine problem that causes you to stop suddenly and then uncontrollably speed off when your rear-ended by cyclists.

i have that all the time

He'd have been better off blaming a wonky leg that suffers from intermitent leaditis. Or perhaps claiming that his invention of an anti gravity device straped to his ankle needs some bugs ironed out.


Skyryder