i beg to differ from experience
I respect all vehicles, and try to be considerate. I even accept that scooters could be more nimble and hence faster through dense traffic. Frequently I dont filter sas I could not be bothered threading between car mirrors, and am quite happy if scooters go past me and through between the traffic. Each particular scenario needs to be adjudged on its own merits.
But occasionally they get ahead of themselves. I mean really! What was this guy thinking pulling in front of a one litre bike on a straight road, with no traffic ahead? Was it arrogance/force of habit/lack of thought? Either of these is bad, as it means they are switched off in traffic. Whatever it was, it was inconsiderate, as he slowed down my takeoff, and he had no place doing that.
I go to the front of cars on the premise that I take off much faster an dont slow them down at all, and have a small traffic footprint. This guy was just being an asshole.
I can honestly say that I have never found a gap in the traffic so small that only a scooter could get through and I couldnt, and I'm on a 650. The only advantage a scooter has over a bike is that you can get off and push it through the lights with paedestrains crossing..... but, up to and over the speed limit they're horrible.
Many years ago I very nearly took out a bike cop who was using the shoulder of the Pakuranga Highway as his own personal lane. I was on my bike and it ran out of gas, the fuel tap was stuck and I could not get it on to reserve, so I pulled out of the traffic so I did not get run over, and bugger me about got taken out by a cop whizzing along in the shoulder half lane. Not sure who got the biggest fright actually. Dick head, I did call him out on it, but he just sort of grunted and sped off - this time in the lane marked for traffic to use.
Was it a little 50cc scooter?
If it was some sort of new GSXR-1000 scooter that I wasn't aware of then I would understand to some degree, though I wouldn't even push in front of any litre bike even if I was riding one myself.
I move my 400cc scooter in front of cars at the lights, but never in front of bikes - that would just be rude! I would especially not move in front of a 1 litre sports bike - that would be rude & stupid. If I was at the front of the queue at the lights then I would be fine with a litre bike moving in front of me - I doubt it would hold me up! I would be happy to filter up and sit behind a thou 'blade if there was room, then I could leave the cars in my rear view as the 'blade was leaving me in its rear view.
I have seen police officers flouting the road rules on plenty of occasions - illegal U-turns, failure to indicate, exceeding the speed limit, running a red light, etc. You would have thought that the upholders of the law would set a better example. It's not like they were in a hurry with lights & sirens going either - the red light runner stopped, nothing was coming so he casually drove through, quite slowly too. Anyone else gets seen by the police doing the same thing and they are getting a ticket.
Of course over 95% of the police I have seen haven't been doing anything wrong at all - but these ones I have noticed breaking the law should definitely know better.
I saw one such this morning. Double lanes at the lights, both lanes turning right, then merging to one lane (typical council created bottleneck...).
As I came up through the LH lane I noticed a scooter rider pulled up beside a car in the right lane, apparently giving the driver a stern talking to... judging by the body language...
Lights go green, we all move off, turn right and start the merge process. Scoot comes roaring up the RH lane, zigs in and out of a couple of cars, trying hard to get to the front of the merge I suppose. Now the road is greasy after light rain and there is bitumen bleed everywhere just here. Scoot gets blocked from intended split and slams on brakes...little wheels lock up, scoot goes this way and that for a split second but somehow stays upright...sheer bloody luck I'd say...cars everywhere slamming on brakes to avoid apparently imminent crash...
Upshot was very little advantage to scoot rider at considerable risk to arse. I wonder sometimes what people think they are doing...
. “No pleasure is worth giving up for two more years in a rest home.” Kingsley Amis
Undertaken?
So he killed you and then buried you 6 feet deep? Damn that scooter rider must be badass.
Overtaken on the left maybe?
my scooter and many others like it(and ive done over 120000kms in auck traffic over the last 3 years)can get up to 100km/h quite quickly then simpley stop on a dime,spin 180 degrees and be going in the opposite direction,it can filter past cars much faster and with more confidence than a bike,and it will beat a superbike from bottom of queen st to the airport on most occassions,id dare anyone for a race for $100 on a friday at 5.00pm
I am not arguing that they are nimble - just not nimble enough to be arrogant and inconsiderate about it and to stop in front of other bikes.
And of course it does depend to a large extent on how brave (or stupid) the rider is...
but that is not something that you can tell from just looking at the rider.
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