Always sensible Mc Jim!!!! you need to live a little break a law here and there it's only illegal if you get caught!!Originally Posted by McJim
HIROSHIMA SCREAMER
Always sensible Mc Jim!!!! you need to live a little break a law here and there it's only illegal if you get caught!!
NEVER LET THE TRUTH GET IN THE WAY OF A GOOD STORY!
Moped rider
Never had a problem with them until today. Was riding up one of the back roads in Te Puna which has narrow lanes, is very twisty and is full of blind corners.
Come round a corner and they are riding 2 abreast which I guess is legal. The thing that really annoyed me though is that they turned around and saw I was there but made no real effort to make room for me. After sitting behind them for a while one finally moved off the center line and let me pass.
They are so vunerable yet they act like they own the road, bigger ego than some of the boy racers.
Eagles may soar, but weasels dont get sucked into jet engines
Still Ridin'
Until the day you go through a red light as you described and someone fails to stop the ton or more of vehicle they're driving quite legally - at 50km/h through a green light - and takes you out. The SCU will find you at fault after they've squeegeed your remains off the tarmac and picked bits of you out of the front grille but that's not going to stop the driver from feeling like shit and waking up from nightmares for years and it won't stop your family and friends from blaming him/her for failing to stop.
Or maybe they'll do a panicked swerve into the other lane and you'll survive - too bad about the motorcyclist or car carrying toddlers travelling quite legitimately in the opposite direction...
Or maybe it will be me that fails to stop on my little XT225 - we could get sequentially numbered toe-tags or whatever it is they use to identify corpses here in NZ. That cock on the treddley that swerved in front of my TS125 endangered both of our lives with his stupidity.
I don't, but I do call a spade a spade and when I see cyclists clumping six abreast without warning, people running red lights or charging through roundabouts without slowing (or even looking), or doing a number of other bone-headed things - irrespective of what vehicle they are in or on - then I call 'em arrogant fuckwits.
Cyclists who move from two-abreast to single file when vehicles approach as per the road code, people who actually stop at red lights and check when they are about to enter an intersection etc I respect and usually acknowledge with a wave or nod. Those who go out of their way to let me out of a side road onto a packed main road or pull over because they know their slow speed is holding up traffic I usually give a wave and a toot on the horn to acknowledge that they are courteous above and beyond the call.
The gist of your post is that you feel you have some sort of right or privilege over other road users. Fine, you're entitled to your deluded opinion but do it in front of me and expect at least the "bird" or the fingers - I won't throw anything at you, though. Get yourself killed doing it and I'll call it "evolution in action". Nothing personal - I'd feel the same about any idiot who removed themselves from the gene pool by doing something stupid. Get someone else killed or injured in the process and you can prepare to be hated... Consequences.
You and forkoil are promoting the myth that cyclists are above the law and free of consequence and "everyone around the world does it as it is our right".
You're both wrong. Only luck has stopped you from being dead wrong.
You complain that people seem to have a grudge against cyclists in the same post in which you brag about flagrantly breaking the law. If you don't want people to think cyclists are dangerous retards without a clue of basic road safety, do something about it: demonstrate that you are a safe rider and obey the fucking road rules.
You complain that people view all cyclists as arrogant and inconsiderate in the same post you admit to being arrogant and inconsiderate. You want people to view cyclists as considerate people rather than arrogant wankers, show consideration for other road users and "keep as far to the left as practicable" like the "Good Book" says.
No, people don't like to have to pull out and swerve around two push bikes blocking the whole lane. People tend not to like having to brake and downshift suddenly, whilst frantically looking to see if it is safe to cross the centre line and pass, when they round a corner to find slow traffic blocking the lane.
Personally I don't like it when cars/vans/trucks/whatever pull out into the road in front of me and practically come to a complete stop before starting on their way again - I don't like it so I make sure I accelerate smoothly out of the side road and up the road out of consideration for other road users.
It's a mix of safety and consideration for others. By your own admission, you seem to care for neither.
Motorbike Camping for the win!
Forum whore
In fairness, that is not in itself the fault of cyclists. Obviously, they are slow traffic. But if someone has to brake suddenly and frantically on encountering slow traffic round a corner, then they probably came round the corner too fast. After all it could have been anything round that corner. Animals, children, tractor, boat.
What annoys me is when cyclists are spread across the road , and will not move over even when it would be practical to do so.
Highway Biker
So, anyone in for a spot of motorcycle racing on some country roads? I hear that being a menace on the roads is OK as long as you are racing! Yeeehaaaa! Bring it on! Not sure if the following quotes will work but here goes...
So, forkoil, you had an accident. Why was that?
Ah, so you're saying you were speeding and you fell of while wearing hardly anything (while racing?). I hope you weren't in the centre of a public road in front of any cars at the time. It could have been much worse!
I, for one, don't care about keeping up with which bicycle races will be blocking which roads! I suggest hiring a track for race days! Any other organisation has to!
For F**K sake, cyclists that inconsiderately block roads do not deserve consideration for their sport or any other reason. Why should we consider the inconsiderate?
Yes, so buy an indoor trainer. Don't piss us off on the roads!
Yawn, yes so do motorcyclists generally and we are not allowed to race on the roads. (It's a safety thing, you know)
Yawn, yes so do motorcyclists generally and we are not allowed to race on the roads. (It's a safety thing, you know)
Oh, and bicycles are limited to, aren't they? Like, much more limited than anything else on the roads with a motor and registration. I guess that's why everyone gets so p*ssed off with them being in the centre of the road.
Hmmm, is flatout like about 200km/hr or 100km/hr, forkoil? I've always thought that it wouldn't be dangerous if I just quickly buzz across through that red light after waiting for what seems to be an eternity with no cars coming or going but, no, it's against the law. Please also consider most of us could go from zilch to 'flatout' in the time it takes you to create another wiff of dribble.
I had to pass a few pseudo racer cyclists in the weekend. Luckily, with all of the great downhill corners involved on a narrowish road they had spread out and I could pick them off as short straights allowed, still a pain in the arse though. I had one that decided to go centre very early on a straight. I met him as I exited a corner and lined him up (in about 0.5 of a second) to naturally pass him on right (while he was still left), of course the f**kwit picked just the moment that I had committed to change his line to the centre (a foot or so from the centre line)! Luckily, I wasn't over committed and with a quick brake & change took him on his left. Talk about a dirty look from him! I think he knew I was approaching and didn't want me to pass because he was a long way from the next corner!! I WILL NOT SIT BEHIND F*****N SH*THEADS P*SSING ALONG AT SLOW SPEEDS ON SOME OF THE BEST ROADS OF THE DAY!! I'm out there for a good time to!
Yes, I have ridden bicycles a lot to BUT I'm shit scared of cars (or anything for that matter) approaching from the rear. Especially on country roads I break the law (hehehe) and ride on the opposite side of the road just so I can see if any of those cages are too far left. The last thing I want is to be knocked off my bicycle by some idiot. I saw big dirty dark Ford (on the same ride as above) cruisin' along ahead of me and drifting into the dirt on the side of a decently wide road. DEFINITELY MUST get past that one before he damages me. Sure enough he had frontal left corner damage! Those are the sorts of cars bicyclists should be thinking of. KEEP 'EM scared!!
Still Ridin'
I'm not talking sideways drift and burning rubber, here. A lot of winding roads have pretty much blind corners - and they are not marked "55" - the theory is you are allowed to do 100km/h around them and, since "driving so you can stop in half the visible distance" would entail slowing to a crawl, pretty much everyone takes them at the open road speed. You round the corner and Lo! you've caught up with a tractor or granny's Morrie Thou' or a couple of cyclists. You aren't speeding so you can stop/slow in time but you do get the "Cripes!" reaction. You slow, down-shift and you're on a winding road so i's probably not safe to swing out past them. Mildly annoying already - you're on your way somewhere and you've had to slow "unexpectedly" (bearing in mind that you should be driving/riding with the expectation you may have to brake suddenly to avoid Mr Ixion's animals.)
Granny and the tractor driver can't do a lot abut it - the old Morrie goes through a pint of oil a day and the last time it exceeded 40km/h was when she left the handbrake off outside the shop at the top of Queen St, the tractor is by nature wide and lumbering. The cyclists, however, can swing into single file to let you pass. Failure to do so is discourteous and arrogant. The transition to "rather annoying" is a short step and "bloody infuriating" is not far behind.
As to pulling out of a side road in a car (especially one capable of fantastic acceleration and top speed), slowing to a halt, reselecting first gear and then slowly crawling away up the road while drivers (that should have been let to go by) are treading on the brakes behind them: Fuck sakes! some people need to learn how to power around a corner. Believe me, the "squid" phenomenon is not limited to motorcycles...
Motorbike Camping for the win!
Highway Biker
Good call, in fact a cyclist on-the-move is often faster. I used to love blasting down this side of the Kaimai's on a push bike, knee out, carving it down through the sweepers, passing or at least keeping pace with trucks, and many cars. 70-80kmh downhill in a Lycra outfit can be kinda thrilling
yeah, but lets be honest, these things are just likely to be caused by a Kiwibiker member as a TeAwamutu sports cyclist.
A Ship in Harbour is Safe, but that is NOT what ships are built for
Highway Biker
Yeah but, notice they're approaching a give-way sign, it's normal for a group of bikes to bunch up like this at a give-way or stop-sign, in fact in the long run they probably save you time when they all move off a little closer together than when they would if you demanded they stay in single/double file.
I just love the way this topic gets all you non-push-bike riding types so upset.
A Ship in Harbour is Safe, but that is NOT what ships are built for
Armature speller
And more than 2 abreast is illegal unless there's a road closure involved.
Armature speller
Maybe not dangerous but illegal.
Forum whore
I hope no Kiwibiker would be guilty of such dereliction, but if one were I would be as swift to condemn him or her as I would a cyclist. There is very seldom any excuse for being on the wrong side of the road on blind bends, and whilst a sneaky sneak through a left hand turn against a red light is not a big issue , shooting across the intersection against a red is downright stupid. And pulling out in front of faster traffic without checking is a good way to end up as a hood ornament.yeah, but lets be honest, these things are just likely to be caused by a Kiwibiker member as a TeAwamutu sports cyclist.
Still Ridin'
Oh, any topic in which someone spouts drivel abut it being OK to break the law and/or be inconsiderate because of the vehicle they ride/drive gets me upset - especially when they start whinging that nobody respects them and that everybody is too quick to condemn all of their ilk.I just love the way this topic gets all you non-push-bike riding types so upset.
Sure, there are advantages to all vehicles - I saw a classic on the way home: heading up Tainui Street towards Lake Road, a guy on a scooter turns down Tainui St. From the way he suddenly appears I know he's come off Lake Domain Cres over the crest of the hill rather than along Lake Road. I'm a fair way from the intersection so he U-turns smartly around the traffic island and stops at Lake Road. I pull up alongside him and I can see the long queue of cars waiting to turn right out of Lake Domain Cres onto Lake Road and I know what he's done - he's taken the Left-turn track up to Lake Road, turned left onto Lake Rd then right to do a U-turn in Tainui St rather than wait behind all the cars to do a right-hand turn.
He then safely pulls out into Lake Road heading in the direction he wishes to go, I follow and turn down Lake Domain Cres to head home - not one of the cars waiting to turn right onto Lake Road has left its place and he's already on his way.
Did he use the advantages of a small, light motorcycle? Yes.
Did he break the law in doing so? No.
U-turns are not illegal on Tainui St and I was a safe distance away when he executed his manoeuvre, then he waited safely (first in line for a left-hand turn rather than last in line for a right-hand turn) for a clear break to continue on his way. He didn't lane split, he didn't behave dangerously.
There are advantages to push bikes, too...
Breaking the law and being an inconsiderate road user are not among them.
And breaking the law and being inconsiderate then whining that everyone assumes all cyclists are arrogant and irresponsible is just fucking stupid.
I guess I just get upset about stupidity...
If people don't like the general public's image of their group (whatever it is), it is their responsibility to demonstrate to the public at large that they are not like that and spread a positive image.
BTW, I also had some dork in a cage pull out in front of me at the roundabout - no worries, I was travelling with due care and did not endanger myself. I did, however, judge him to be a fuckwit, as is my wont.
Motorbike Camping for the win!
Still Ridin'
Oh bugger, so the boi racers are in the right, then.
Good idea, actually. That's why pedestrians are supposed to walk on the right-hand side of the road - so they're facing the on-coming traffic and have time to evade if necessary rather than getting caught unawares from behind. On a pushbike you wouldn't be taking up any more room than a pedestrian, anyway, so it wouldn't matter.
I wouldn't recommend trying the same tactic in a car or even on a motorbike...
Motorbike Camping for the win!
Highway Biker
I was lucky tyhe cyclist got the blame when I hit one. My insurance paid out and now he is going pissy cause my insurance company are suing him for around $10K.
Hope that teaches the bastard a lesson
I feel like I'm diagonally parked in a parallel universe.
Still Ridin'
What'd he do?
Motorbike Camping for the win!
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