could you guys do me a favour?

rexy wrote:i cant believe this cr#p gets onto a vw website, suck it in and harden up fellas, i get the sh#ts when cyclists take up the whole lane and slow the traffic down, untill you guys pay rego you should keep to the side and not winge, and im sure you guys were all young once and gave other people a bit of cr#p along the road with your mates in the car at some stage!(no offence intended)

Mick058 wrote:im on the fence with this argument.

A couple of things i don't like - When riders use the road and the footpath. If your riding on the road, stay there, don't use pedestrian lights to your advantage.

- I dislike it when you pass a guy on a bike (in a controlled and polite way) and then when you hit the lights they come to the front and you have to pass them again, thats not on in my book.

-i dislike it when they do not follow the red lights, or stop signs or give way signs - when they zoom past at stop or red lights and take a left hand turn at the intersection.

Sometimes i think they need their own demerit system.

In saying all that some driver are idiots and intolerant - the above mentioned are the equivalent idiots in the biking world.

2slow wrote:Yep, there are a lot of bad riders out there who should not be on the road and do not obey the laws.

rexy wrote:i cant believe this cr#p gets onto a vw website, suck it in and harden up fellas, i get the sh#ts when cyclists take up the whole lane and slow the traffic down, untill you guys pay rego you should keep to the side and not winge,

and im sure you guys were all young once and gave other people a bit of cr#p along the road with your mates in the car at some stage!(no offence intended)

rexy wrote:I understand a few people pay 3 regos, i personally pay more than that but it doesnt excuse the fact that no one on a pushbike pays rego which is what i was originally stating.
on another note, if you never yelled something at someone on the side of the road before then you are either not being honest or you have missed a really good laugh, egging or use of water blasters is also a lot of fun, i know many people have at some stage of their teenage years,of course that was many years ago now😂

byronbus wrote:Cyclists have a legal right to be in the lane on the road, and they have a legal right to go to the front of the line at a set of lights...

Thats the law, seek to change the law if you dont like it, or drive elsewhere, as intimidating a cyclist or driving like a knob is breaking the law...

I encounter drivers from 2 different states that have no idea about the road rules or how to drive, eg: driving in the right hand lane, whats with that? Isnt it taught up north and down south to stay left?

Or stopping, changing lanes, turning without indicating?

And parking nose in when its reverse in parking...

Anyone who has ever been to Byron has seen a car from another state parked like that... haha only ever 2 states...

byronbus wrote:Its actually legal to ride two abreast in NSW...

squizy wrote:

byronbus wrote:Its actually legal to ride two abreast in NSW...

Well aware of the legalities of it Bruce, but just because it's legal, doesn't make it right or responsible cycling.

byronbus wrote:There is always going to be knobs, in cars, on bikes, on surfboards, at the pub...

Its actually legal to ride two abreast in NSW...

If cyclists want to be treated within the law, they need to obey it, indicating especially...

pete wood wrote:^ fair enough.

recumbants should be blown up.

karmann54 wrote:I have read all the above comments with some interest. I am in my early 40’s now, and have cycled probably over 100 000 kms on mostly Brisbane/SEQ roads, as well as held a car licence since I was 17.

My cycling has covered the gamut of BMX etc as a kid, to broke uni student cycling, a few triathlons (when Noosa Tri had 2-300 participants, not 2-3000) eventually leading to road racing through my 20’s. Kids stopped all that by 30, and now I just commute 2-3 times a week (about 12k each way) and do some weekend rides/charity rides, typically around the 50-100k mark.

As above, I’ve held a car licence since 17 so I see it from both sides. I live near the esplanade at Wynnum/Manly, which is a common destination for cyclists of all persuasions in Brisbane.

My general observations from my experiences, in a general rambling order of no significance;

• Most complaints about ‘other road-users’ seem to stem from the largest group ie car drivers. There is a basic human trait to pick on minority groups, so therefore to a greater or lesser extent all cyclists/truck drivers/4WD owners/non car-drivers are a mob of lunatics who should be banned and locked up for life. Most people think this way to a certain extent, only a few actually talk or act on it.
• I have never had a problem with truck drivers, despite their size. My work is in an industrial area near Brisbanes port, so I do see a lot of trucks.
• I have had relatively few cases of abuse/ things being thrown at me etc. Most common is some 18 yo bunch of yobs showing off yelling out a window. Whatever you say to them won’t actually make them mature, they are just young d**kheads – ignore them. They can’t help it, they are just young and stupid. Time, about 7+ years, is the only healer. NB, most 18 year olds are not young d**kheads, so don’t shout me down.
• I have had one orange thrown at me, which hit my front wheel at speed. It threw me off line, and could have easily chucked me off the bike. This falls into the area of assault, and is about as intelligent as throwing bricks at cars from overpasses.
• Apart from the above isolated cases, most issues I’ve had with other road-users are not to do with deliberate intent, but simply that a large proportion of people on the road at any one time are only partly concentrating on driving – how many times have you got home and can’t remember anything about the drive home?
• Most of the ‘large group’ ie car drivers do not think about the differences of other road-users, like trucks needing more time to stop, bikes basically just need to not be squeezed off the side of the road. They have just as much right to be on the road as any other vehicle, and an overtaking vehicle must give way.
• Registration of bikes would be an administrative nightmare. It would present a pile of issues with fairly limited benefits. Where do you stop? Are ALL bikes registered? Does little juniors bike with training wheels require registration? Is it just adults bikes? Why? Why not? Just seems to be a bit of a nanny-state knee-jerk.
• I do not condone cyclists dis-obeying road rules such as going through red lights. There are times when I have done it though, as early in the morning with no traffic about, bikes do not trigger the road sensors to regulate traffic signals. You could sit there as long as you like, but until a car comes nothing will happen. See the note above about recognising differences.
• Bikes travel at different speeds, mum dad and the kids would be lucky to get to 20 km/h, a bunch of racers can easily sit on 45-50 km/h. If turning and cyclist are approaching, make sure you recognise relative speeds.
• When I ride, I try to be as clear as possible as to what I am doing. You keep steady lines, indicate when turning. Although it is not actually the case, I assume all other motorists on the road will do the wrong thing. As a cyclist, it doesn’t matter who is right or wrong, you will come off worse in an accident – avoid it in the first place. This may mean conceding your equal rights at times. Big deal, get over it.
• When it comes to turns, roundabouts etc, as a cyclist I get off the edge of the road and ‘own the lane’. It is safer for me to sit in the middle of the lane as it can create confusion for myself and others if there are essentially multiple vehicles in a roundabout lane. I am an ex-racing cyclist so can get around probably quicker than the cars – this may not be the best approach for everyone.
• I believe there is a slightly higher percentage of bad/inconsiderate cyclists compared with the percentage of bad motorists. Primarily the racing fraternity, I don’t know if this is the human pack mentality or if this is just something athletes tend to do eg footballers tend to be more aggressive. Bit of both maybe.


As with most disputes between humans from cars V cyclists to war, most people involved are not fundamentally bad. They have just not taken the time to consider another point of view or perspective.