Bike riders !!! Grrrr - things are getting worse up here

[edz]

True idiots will still be idiots rego / liscence whatever in / on a car bike plane horse etc ..
Wouldnt know if it will / wouldnt work till its tried, but like everything else we do as a user we are required to be liscenced and certyfied as competent users and pay a fee .. A car liscence wont do you zip, when busted riding a motorbike, using a boat or flying a plane, caught with a firearm etc .. So why shouldnt there be an endorsement for pushbikes ..
What I think it would do is put in place a bit of accountability and takes away that air of being anonymous, untracable and I can get away with doing what I like attitude.
Why shouldnt ALL users help upkeep what they use .. Put it this way if you have 4  cars and use on the roads , they have got to be rego'd and insured for each one ... So what makes a pushbike rider so special that they dont have to comply like all other users ..why should other users have to cover the costs and give it to pushbike riders for free..
Hypthetical scenario to consider : The way it is atm a pushbike rider can cause a crash and ride off in total anonymity, be untacable and unaccountable because they cannot be identyfied other than a guy on a pushbike wearing x type of clothes and riding x type of bike ...
Scenario 2: Rider causes an incedent wearing vest with number , witnesses record number .... Blue badge of reality go find said rider from recorded imformation and proceed from there .
Nothing covers all bases but it levels out the field a bit for most everyone, how would it be if cars trucks had no number plates and didnt pay rego or have insurance  and only pushbike riders did [ shoe on other foot ] .the way I see it .right or wrong it will never happen it was just an opinion ...on the matter ..
stay safe outhere on your rides . Oh and I used to ride too .just not in lycra ..

[tk421]

Hypthetical scenario to consider : The way it is atm a pushbike rider can cause a crash and ride off in total anonymity, be untacable and unaccountable because they cannot be identyfied other than a guy on a pushbike wearing x type of clothes and riding x type of bike ...

Lifted from the comments on today's SMH article: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/emily-greenwood-case-raises-issue-of-mandatory-cycling-insurance-but-there-are-no-easy-solutions-20150112-12mmvs.html

"I was the victim of a hit and run while commuting by bicycle. I was knocked unconscious, suffered 6 fractures to my skull, fractured wrist, and needed dental surgery to replace a lost tooth. As the driver left me for dead there was no one to claim insurance against. Licensing, registration and insurance was of zero benefit. Even if the driver had been identified, and had comprehensive insurance, there is only token compensation for the loss of income while you are off work. This is by far the largest financial loss that you can suffer, much larger than any dental bills. "[

[edz]

Tk yep your right it dont cover all bases and every scenario is different . compensation payouts etc, well thats up to people to work out with insurance .. Atleast If there were witnesses they had a chance of possibly being able to identify the vehicle and driver through the rego . Nothing is perfect but its a start .. If If If what if can go on forever ..
Hope the recovery has gone aswell as can be expected for you .Its bloody hard if ever to get back to being 100% again .
I gave up riding after being put into the rails of a bridge by a semi, years ago .

[dales133]

Bike regos as stated is a rediculous proposition that will achieve nothing except give Joe hockey a hard on.
You cant even catch a fish without the government getting a bit of the action.
All this problem requires is a bit of courtesy on both parts and the government be it local or federal to spend some of the revenue they take off us and make the roads safer/work better for everyone involved.
As I stated earlier plenty of other places, in fact most places manage to make it work.
It's more environmentally responsible to cycle over driving so those who get off thier arse and do it shouldn't be penalized for it

[NewieCamper]

Lifted from the comments on today's SMH article: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/emily-greenwood-case-raises-issue-of-mandatory-cycling-insurance-but-there-are-no-easy-solutions-20150112-12mmvs.html

"I was the victim of a hit and run while commuting by bicycle. I was knocked unconscious, suffered 6 fractures to my skull, fractured wrist, and needed dental surgery to replace a lost tooth. As the driver left me for dead there was no one to claim insurance against. Licensing, registration and insurance was of zero benefit. Even if the driver had been identified, and had comprehensive insurance, there is only token compensation for the loss of income while you are off work. This is by far the largest financial loss that you can suffer, much larger than any dental bills. "[

Yes it is true that a rider can just get away but the number of accidents caused by riders where the rider can actually ride away is very small considering the damage caused to said rider in most crashes. It is interesting to note that in a related SMH article there are two instances of cyclist caused crash resulting in significant injury reported, the other one was 12 years ago, if there were more I'm sure they would have been reported. So it only very rarely occurs that a cyclist is responsible for damages significant enough to warrant obtaining insurance etc. It is somewhat different for driving a couple of tonnes of metal where multiple crashes daily cause significant enough damage to warrant insurance being compulsory. The damage that can be caused is a significant reason that motor vehicles are required to be identified, another is theft/ownership but that's a different story.

[Brutus]

That is so much not the idea of 1m clearance. Not to build 1m on the side of all the existing roads, if we did that there would be no need for the 1m clearance. It is a rule that adds a measurable amount to the existing must overtake safely rule, in fact in many areas it is illegal to overtake another vehicle (a bicycle is legally a vehicle) unless you completely change lanes. 1m clearance is a concession to the existing rules that says the minimum space required to pass a bike safely. If you can't pass with the required clearance waiting for a safe opportunity should, on most roads, only take seconds or maybe a minute.

Having ridden on roads a fair bit having cars pass within 1m is too close for comfort. Where there is space on the shoulder I use it. Where there is not enough, I use the lane, but move over where possible if it looks like I'm going to hold motorised vehicles up for too long.

So the law regarding 1m as I understand it requires a cyclist be given a 1m clearance buffer. There is no mention of it not being required if a bike lane exists, in fact the local rag had a story in it a few weeks back where the green lanes painted in the city will result in cars in adjacent lanes breaking the law by using them and not having the 1m buffer. So which is it? In a bike lane I can drive within a few inches of your handle bar or I have to give you 1m? We have cycling lobby groups singing out for dedicated bike lanes on a few roads so if your right once these lanes go in then the buffer no longer applies. Seems illogical..........

[Bird]

I don't get why you reckon a licence and rego plate will make any difference.

I agree - so lets ban car licenses and rego.. think of the savings..

[Brutus]

Hypthetical scenario to consider : The way it is atm a pushbike rider can cause a crash and ride off in total anonymity, be untacable and unaccountable because they cannot be identyfied other than a guy on a pushbike wearing x type of clothes and riding x type of bike ...
Scenario 2: Rider causes an incedent wearing vest with number , witnesses record number .... Blue badge of reality go find said rider from recorded imformation and proceed from there .
Nothing covers all bases but it levels out the field a bit for most everyone, how would it be if cars trucks had no number plates and didnt pay rego or have insurance  and only pushbike riders did [ shoe on other foot ] .the way I see it .right or wrong it will never happen it was just an opinion ...on the matter ..
stay safe outhere on your rides . Oh and I used to ride too .just not in lycra ..

Hypothetical not! About 15 years ago I am stopped at the lights several cars back in middle lane and old mate on his racing bike trying to work his way through the stopped traffic flicks the mirror of car next to me falls on my car dent in bonnet and deep gouge from pedal in front door and quater panel (cost me almost $600 in repairs), picks self up, looks around, shrugs shoulders, (I am out of vehicle now checking if he is okay) he nods, back on bike, slips past remaining cars, through red light and down street to the left never to be seen again. Not even a flamin sorry!!! Bloke next to me jumps back in his car as lights have now changed and shakes his head and drives off.

I guess I could have gone to the police station and given a description, blue bike, black helmet, multi coloured spandex etc with a sore shoulder......... but what's the copper going to do? Guess that was the day my respect for cyclists on the road ended.

I have some compassion and try give as much room as I can but it irks me these cyclists have so much rights but total anonymity. And now they capture footage of a car too close and squeal to the coppers.

[Brucer]

Same old us vs them argument repeated ad nauseam on talk back radio week in week out.
A$$holes come from all walks of life. Some of them drive cars, some ride bikes. The problem isn't cyclists OR motorists. It's a-holes!

[oldmate]

Same old us vs them argument repeated ad nauseam on talk back radio week in week out.
A$$holes come from all walks of life. Some of them drive cars, some ride bikes. The problem isn't cyclists OR motorists. It's a-holes!

 

[Topender]

Same old us vs them argument repeated ad nauseam on talk back radio week in week out.
A$$holes come from all walks of life. Some of them drive cars, some ride bikes. The problem isn't cyclists OR motorists. It's a-holes!

 

[dales133]

As for the pedestrian getting clouded by the bike they got the cyclist without him having a Rego, the problem was the justice system not the cyclist.
Once again the victim winds up out of pocket and disregarded while the justice system decide what sort of punishment or fine suits THEM.

But that's a whole new conversation

[TheWall]

I once had a pedestrian step out onto a cycle path in New Farm (heading up to the Storey Bridge) and it was a decent collision and minor injuries were had by both parties. My bike also lost some paint. Pedestrian was not  wearing their license plates so I had no way of id'ing them. That was 18 years ago. Can't believe the Govt hasn't acted on that one yet!

[Brutus]

I once had a pedestrian step out onto a cycle path in New Farm (heading up to the Storey Bridge) and it was a decent collision and minor injuries were had by both parties. My bike also lost some paint. Pedestrian was not  wearing their license plates so I had no way of id'ing them. That was 18 years ago. Can't believe the Govt hasn't acted on that one yet!

Surely if you had such a collision there would have been time to exchange pleasantries or did you quickly gather your paint chipped bike and flee?

That's another thing with bikes, fast moving and silent which come from behind and startle a pedestrian. Maybe you should have one of those clackers on your forks and the pedestrian would have heard you coming.

[Footy Shorts Shane]

That's another thing with bikes, fast moving and silent which come from behind and startle a pedestrian. Maybe you should have one of those clackers on your forks and the pedestrian would have heard you coming.

Or maybe a working bell or horn. You'd think it would be mandatory.................

 

[JD-120]

Same old us vs them argument repeated ad nauseam on talk back radio week in week out.
A$$holes come from all walks of life. Some of them drive cars, some ride bikes. The problem isn't cyclists OR motorists. It's a-holes!

Wow. Think you just summed up this entire thread!!!!!

[JD-120]

Or maybe a working bell or horn. You'd think it would be mandatory.................

 

I do believe bells are mandatory. Weather anyone follows this is another question. The bell is the first thing I take off my new bikes . Not streamlined enough

[fishfinder]

I reckon all cyclists that are disrespectfully using our roads and foot paths should be culled. If you stuck to cycle lanes or hug the left hand side of road ride single file then your safe from bull bars and then the hypocrites say they have the rite to use the roads (ok they do ) but how often do you see 50 odd cars, trucks motor bikes parked on the FOOTPATH blocking shop doors rite near coffee shops- if they carry on about how they have a rite to be on the road then park your bikes on the road. IT is simple respect the motorists you will get respect back in return - respect the pedestrian again they will in return respect the cyclists but keep up with the attitude and bull bar it should be

[JD-120]

Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone.  Ever run a red light, done 67 in a 60 zone. How many infringements assumes you are using the road in st disrespectful manner. Wow can't believe this thread its still going. Thought I shut up shop a few weeks ago. Oh well makes the train ride interesting to work

[cancan]

I do believe bells are mandatory. Weather anyone follows this is another question. The bell is the first thing I take off my new bikes . Not streamlined enough

Bells are mandatory in qld and every now and again the police do a blitz on Mt Cootha and book everyone without a bell.
I have never once been pulled over and had my car horn checked.

I do have a bell on my commuters which I use on shared bikeways/footpaths but but not on the other bikes..to much extra weight

[time]

................... to lighten the mood, this cyclist has my respect

http://youtu.be/WREyAicJXkM
	Small | Large

[Footy Shorts Shane]

That's tops! 

I suddenly have an interest in cycling now. Where can I get one?

[wilson79]

That's tops! 

I suddenly have an interest in cycling now. Where can I get one?

How the hell are does he stay on that thing!!! at 300kmh imagine getting a speed wobble up at that pace...

[Steffo1]

That's tops! 

I suddenly have an interest in cycling now. Where can I get one?

I'd hate to think where you'd pack the chute, Shane? (Please!No info required )
Steve

[NewieCamper]

How the hell are does he stay on that thing!!! at 300kmh imagine getting a speed wobble up at that pace...

And I'll be he doesn't have a bell