Advocacy & Safety - Think your city has problems? look at this

read what our paper's attitude is towards Sydney cyclists....


"Hell on wheels"
http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story.jsp?sectionid=1260&storyid=3323700

My blood is boiling right now, especially since a kid on his bike was killed by yet another hit and run motorist the day before yesterday not far from my place..... which the cops haven't decided if they're going to charge him or not yet!!! :mad:

I'm soooo going to the local Critical Mass ride day after tomorrow, and I'm writing some letters to a few pollies and the paper. That's if i don't get mowed down and killed on my commute tomorrow morning by some lame a$$ cager that read that article and is fully aware that the police will at least be hesitant in charging him if he decides to make a red stain out of me :mad: :mad: :mad:

3 hours to get photos of a dozen cyclists 'endangering themselves and others'?

You could get 12 photos of drivers 'endangering themselves or others' in about 2 minutes on Sydney streets!

3 hours to get photos of a dozen cyclists 'endangering themselves and others'?

You could get 12 photos of drivers 'endangering themselves or others' in about 2 minutes on Sydney streets!

Same here... it amazes me what some motorists get away with.

The article was right on target. It wasn't a story about driving it was a story about cycling so why would they focus on driving? What exactly are you upset about? Obey the rules of the road.

Hahaha, it would take me about 5 minutes to compile a dozen photographs of drivers endangering the lives of others...

Look at the picture. Wow, that cyclist is sure a renegade! Look at her, she's going up a hill, probably 8-10mph, AT LEAST 3 FEET FROM THE PEDESTRIAN! What a rebel!

heh, yeah on the one hand that picture looks more like an ad for recreational riding than a condemnation of it. On the other hand, the article says that riding on the sidewalk is illegal there. Looks like they're riding on the sidewalk to me. May not seem dangerous at that moment in time, but if it were timed just right, a picture of a car going the wrong way down a one way street could look perfectly fine if there wasn't any signage in the shot.

You need to organize a bicycle blockade of this morons driveway. I bet he is just the type to squeeze cyclists off the road when he passes them in an SUV, and complains about cyclists on the sidewalk too, when hes walking. Probably has some investments in the oil world as well.

They're called sideWALKs for a reason. They're intended for pedestrian use. They're not called sideBIKES. Cyclists that use the sidewalk only reinforce drivers' ideas that we shouldn't be on the road. It doesn't matter whether she's going 2 mph or 15 mph. She's a renegade law breaker. It's a black and white issue with no room for justifying her behavior just because she was going slow. She's either breaking the law or not. Why don't you ask that guy with the briefcase what he thinks about her being on the sidewalk? Get off the sidewalk, wear a helmet and obey the rules of the road.

The mention of helmets in the article is totaly out of place. How does one's choice to wear a helmet endanger other road users? Soda, we're angry because the article states that certain cyclists are becoming one of the biggest scourges on the road. Then it fails to prove that point. How many accidents or deaths are caused by cyclists? I'll bet it pales in comparison to the scourge of unsafe and drunk car drivers.

A television news reporter stated cycling was "dangerous" in my city. She used for her conclusion that since 1997, eight cyclists had been killed in 784 bicycle crashes. There was no effort on her part to determine how many were riding against traffic, riding at night without lights, or other unsafe or risky practices.
She also failed to point out that within that same time period, 301 motorists had died in 177,000 crashes involving motor vehicles. I suppose those are acceptable.

The tone of the article is really negative. I don't think what they said is wrong, necessarily. I see quite a few cyclinsts here in the Midwest blowing stoplights, stopsigns, cutting in and out of traffic, riding sidewalks, etc.

To read this article (because of the image of cyclists it portrays) makes me mad, too. Not only because I get defensive about such things, but also because I know they are right!

Many cyclists I know (and ride with) obey the road rules and city/state laws. Many I know, don't.

I will still defend what I do. Commute. Teach safety. Follow the laws. Be as safe and predictable as I can. Enjoy cycling.

The mention of helmets in the article is totaly out of place. How does one's choice to wear a helmet endanger other road users? Soda, we're angry because the article states that certain cyclists are becoming one of the biggest scourges on the road. Then it fails to prove that point. How many accidents or deaths are caused by cyclists? I'll bet it pales in comparison to the scourge of unsafe and drunk car drivers.

Entry Word: scourge
Function: verb
Text: 1 to bring destruction to (something) through violent action <barbarians scourged the countryside, leaving village after village burned to the ground> -- see RAVAGE
2 to strike repeatedly with something long and thin or flexible <scourge the tree with a whip to loosen the bark> -- see WHIP 1

The cyclist in the picture was causing not causing any such action. It sounds more like a motorist.

Wow! I'm surprised his editor let that rant pass as news. It belongs on the Opinion page. He should have staged the photo to better make his point by having the girl swinging a length of chain at the peds ala Mad Max.

That article blows chunks, with splashback.

Not to burst you bubble, but

Unfortunately, motorists do have a legitimate gripe at times.

Technically bikes should not be on the sidewalk. My state requires them to ride on the street in the direction of the traffic flow. Yet I still see my share of children and adults riding on the sidewalk, weaving in and out of pedestrians.

In my town, For example, I leave for work in the morning about the time the local "kiddies" head for my town's "middle school". There is 'Hell's Angels' gang of kids on assorted mini bikes who stock up on snacks at the local sweet shop (the bikes are all over the sidewalk), before darting out into traffic helter-skelter enroute to school. There's even a 2 block downhill that they often ride, too fast against the traffic, on the sidewalk and all over the street. Whenever I see them, I slow down, half expecting one to dart out in front of my car.

The tragedy is some motorists have a legitimate complaint. It does not excuse the blatant abuse on the part of motorists of the average cyclist who is legally riding along minding his own business however, so I do hear what you are saying.

Education! Education! Education! Visibility! Visibility! Visibility! We need both! I am glad to hear about the #s of cyclists going up! I am seeing it here in my area. Thankfully there are 6 new LAB cycling instructors in St. Louis! There is some hope that people will become more educated. 2005 is just the beginning for things to get better! I have approval to get a 8 bike rack at my work! I held the first ever bike commuting seminar at my workplace (US Bank). Although I really don't like the title of the article or the beginning... "Hell on wheels" I see the hell everyday with motor vehicles... Really I think the only person truely in danger is the cyclist. Most peds can deal with a bike. No one wins with a car! Cars always win! :0( Does anyone hear about a car getting run over by a cyclist? Or anyone dying from being hit by a bike? Well maybe a "wrong way" cyclist... I actually am having to look out for more of them nowadays ;( (back to Education).

Keep Cycling!

- One Less Car

Talking on the phone while biking...WTF is up with that? Damn people! Pay attention....stop the bike and take the call...unreal! Sometimes you have to jump on the sidewalk,pay attention,slow down,and when it's clear,get back out there. If you know what your are doing there should not be a problem.
C'mon pedestrians...can't we all just get along?

That paper is a tabloid, its target reader has the reading capability equivalent of a 12-15 year old.
Looks as though the writers doing what they need to do, put ideas into peoples heads with no evidence. Its the same as the "current affairs" shows in Aus.

I ride in Sydney (Rockdale to UNSW for those who know) and i can tell you that there are a lot of morons riding, but there are more in cars. My commute is all of 30 mins and i regularly (read 95% of the time) see at least 6 moronic acts by drivers within 50 metres of me. Maybe they should follow me with a camera. Yesterday would have been good, i got told to get off the footpath (MUP in reality) by a ped, told to get on the footpath by two truck drivers, nearly taken out by a moron who also happened to be on a phone and pulled out on three times.

The hit and run in Sydney the other night was sad, the driver should be charged. Fairly though, visibility of two kids on a bmx with no lights on a dark road isn't going to be too good. Still, he ran, that is poor.

[/end rant]

That paper is a tabloid, its target reader has the reading capability equivalent of a 12-15 year old.
Looks as though the writers doing what they need to do, put ideas into peoples heads with no evidence. Its the same as the "current affairs" shows in Aus.



That was my initial thought after reading that article. That paper is a rag. I don't think most people even know the difference between real journalism and tabloid journalism. That was basically an Op/Ed piece with no evidence offered. They at least offered a differing opinion but not until the end of the article. Most people barely get past the headlines when they "read" (skim really) the paper, much less read the whole article. That article just gave a lot of motorists the justification they need to blame cyclists for traffic problems, a horrible commute, and their bad morning.

If I had seen that story under the Opinion heading I wouldn't be so irritated by it.

The tragedy is some motorists have a legitimate complaint. It does not excuse the blatant abuse on the part of motorists of the average cyclist who is legally riding along minding his own business however, so I do hear what you are saying.
---OK everyone, join me and ACT NOW. That newspaper has a letters to the editor box.
Here is what I just sent:
"Regarding your June 22 item entitled "Hell on wheels". Speaking as a member of a local bicycle commuter association, I for one, do not condone lawless cycling. If bicyclists feel it is necessary to ride on the footpath, then they must yield to pedestrians. If your reporters were to consult more local bicyclists, they would find we are among the first to condemn reckless and irresponsible cycling."
Flood that paper with your responses.

.

That stupid mother f**********er who wrote that article originally posted has proalby never ridden a bike before in his life.

I"m a bit late on posting that. Stupid moron.

"In some of the worst cases, caught on camera by The Daily Telegraph, they even ride the streets while speaking or text messaging on a mobile phone."


unbelievable.....

I drove my car yesterday for the first time in two weeks. In less than 10 minutes I saw a semi truck turn from a middle lane. Although he had to because the turn was two sharp for him to make, but he still cut off unspecting drivers. Then about a 1/2 mile up the road, the car that got cut off figured he did not need to wait for a stop sign and went right through it. About 5 miles later, a car approaching did not even slow down for a four way stop sign, the driver went right through at about 45 miles per hour.

oh guys in singapore where road conditions are hell, you won't want to compare it around. they dont even have space to make wider roads, and worst of all the motorist here have the worst attitudes. i can give an early signal, and cars can ignore me and zoom pass me. buses treat bikers as scums, and keep riding close to them purposely to scare them.

i do agree the article has negative implications, but it is so unfair! like it's from a driver's perspective, what about our perspective? as aforementioned, how many inconsiderate driving actions can we spot so quickly?

Wow, I can't believe how many personal attacks and biased terms were used in that article. Depressing to think that this birdcage liner can pass for "news". I can only hope that this paper is generally regarded as a tabloid rag for evolutionary misfits who can't differentiate between news and biased trolling. But that would probably be too optimistic.