Rant: Cyclists, Oz Bureaucracy ....

MN5

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="MajorRage" data-cid="560491" data-time="1456276240">
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I don't think a single cyclist or person ever said that. You can of course be fat and a cyclist, as well being skinny and not being a cyclist.
 
From a fitness perspective though, its a pretty tough argument that sitting in a car is better for you than riding on a bike.
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You said it yourself, read what you actually wrote.
 
You're right, aside from a brief period of doing stomach vacuums behind the wheel I really haven't gotten that fit during driving, flipside of that is that I do other things to stay in shape and none of them involve a bike. That's my prerogative.....
 
The point I'm making along with others is the behaviour of a huge number of cyclists that makes us strongly dislike them. For right or wrong they have no leeway when it comes to bad behaviour on the road, I was driving back from the Hutt last week and two dickhead cyclists were going side by side, the right one seriously encroaching on the lane that is designed for vehicles going 100kph. I would have yelled at them but the driver in front of me beat me to it.

MajorRage

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="MN5" data-cid="560494" data-time="1456276828">
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You said it yourself, read what you actually wrote.
 
You're right, aside from a brief period of doing stomach vacuums behind the wheel I really haven't gotten that fit during driving, flipside of that is that I do other things to stay in shape and none of them involve a bike. That's my prerogative.....
 
The point I'm making along with others is the behaviour of a huge number of cyclists that makes us strongly dislike them. For right or wrong they have no leeway when it comes to bad behaviour on the road, I was driving back from the Hutt last week and two dickhead cyclists were going side by side, the right one seriously encroaching on the lane that is designed for vehicles going 100kph. I would have yelled at them but the driver in front of me beat me to it.
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Ha, your right! I guess I did. Although I guess was going all Gus Gould and using a bit of hyperbole to make a point...
 
There are dickhead cyclists around for sure who give all a bad name. But there are also good ones. Just like everything else in life.

MN5

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="MajorRage" data-cid="560495" data-time="1456277062">
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Ha, your right! I guess I did. Although I guess was going all Gus Gould and using a bit of hyperbole to make a point...
 
There are dickhead cyclists around for sure who give all a bad name. But there are also good ones. Just like everything else in life.
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I hear ya but as we've all alluded to there is, rightly or wrongly, a real hatred of them so something pretty minor from a car driver pretty much starts WW3 if a cyclist does it.

antipodean

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="MN5" data-cid="560494" data-time="1456276828">
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I was driving back from the Hutt last week and two dickhead cyclists were going side by side
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That's perfectly legal over here and as a cyclist on the road, you want to dominate the lane. Otherwise fuckwits in two tonnes of metal think they can push past.
 
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Hooroo" data-cid="560493" data-time="1456276426">
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I nearly cleaned up some cyclists on the hills to Kawerau. Their protests fell on deaf ears as I thought they were morons for being on tha bit of tight winding road in the morning. I'm not going to drive at 25kph hoping that there isn't a cyclist round the corner.
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True, but then riding a motorcycle between Khancoban and Thredbo is the same - you need to be able to stop within the distance you can see regardless of how much fun it should be because people towing campervans are as slow.

MN5

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="antipodean" data-cid="560498" data-time="1456277420">
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That's perfectly legal over here and as a cyclist on the road, you want to dominate the lane. Otherwise fuckwits in two tonnes of metal think they can push past.
 
 
True, but then riding a motorcycle between Khancoban and Thredbo is the same - you need to be able to stop within the distance you can see regardless of how much fun it should be because people towing campervans are as slow.
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Yeah but he was over on the left lane of the road at one stage. Delayed my trip by a good few seconds......

Hooroo

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="antipodean" data-cid="560498" data-time="1456277420">
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True, but then riding a motorcycle between Khancoban and Thredbo is the same - you need to be able to stop within the distance you can see regardless of how much fun it should be because people towing campervans are as slow.
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I don't get your point?

Rancid Schnitzel

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="MajorRage" data-cid="560485" data-time="1456275317">
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Cyclists can afford to be sanctimonious because frankly, they are in the right.
 
I wonder what percentage of car commuters could do the same commute on a bike (and thus increasing their fitness, reducing use of fossil fuels, reducing pollution levels, reducing future leniance on tax payers due to not being a fat fluffybunny) in a similar / shorter amount of time if there was equivalent infrastructure available for bikes as there is for cars.
 
Oh that's right there is - it's called THE ROAD. People get so much more infuriated by cylicsts than they do by poor/arrogant/aggressive drivers and I've never understood why. Nepia, would you have posted the above if it was done by some guy on a scooter, or in a Mini? You and I both know you wouldn't have.
 
Times they are a changing kids, either change with, or be caught in the past, permanently. Realistically, half of the roads you see are likely to be designated to non-fossil fuel modes of transports within a generation.
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Ah FFS. Did any of Nepia's examples even involve people commuting to work? As to that last paragraph. That's a pisstake surely?

NTA

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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Hooroo" data-cid="560504" data-time="1456277878">
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I don't get your point?
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He's saying if you're on a tight, winding road - regardless of what vehicle you're in - you need to take appropriate precautions. 
 
You may know the road like the back of your hand* but if its not a bike, it might be a truck, an animal, another accident etc around that bend, not just a cyclist.
 
 
 
 
* Who the fuck studies the back of their hand?

antipodean

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Hooroo" data-cid="560504" data-time="1456277878">
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I don't get your point?
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That the speed of the road is unfortunately not dictated by what you can do.

Hooroo

OK, I get what you mean. It's kind of irrelevant though as I am only travelling along with the rest of teh traffic on the road, not tearing it up. I'm not going to beat myself up if I clean up some cyclists that are in the middle of the road going up hill and I am doing a non aggressive 50 odd + k's an hour.

NTA

Dunno about that - if they're clowning around you'd beep the shit out of them etc.
 
You wouldn't clean up some old granny in a Torana, would you? :)

Hooroo

I'd not clean up any on purpose, I mean if I cleaned them up I would be thinking they were foolish, not me

Nepia

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Hooroo" data-cid="560441" data-time="1456268736">
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How come in scenario one you just didn't overtake in the third lane before the parked car?
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I don't tend to enjoy driving into other moving vehicles. ;)
 
 
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="MajorRage" data-cid="560485" data-time="1456275317">
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Cyclists can afford to be sanctimonious because frankly, they are in the right.
 
I wonder what percentage of car commuters could do the same commute on a bike (and thus increasing their fitness, reducing use of fossil fuels, reducing pollution levels, reducing future leniance on tax payers due to not being a fat fluffybunny) in a similar / shorter amount of time if there was equivalent infrastructure available for bikes as there is for cars.
 
Oh that's right there is - it's called THE ROAD. People get so much more infuriated by cylicsts than they do by poor/arrogant/aggressive drivers and I've never understood why. Nepia, would you have posted the above if it was done by some guy on a scooter, or in a Mini? You and I both know you wouldn't have.
 
Times they are a changing kids, either change with, or be caught in the past, permanently. Realistically, half of the roads you see are likely to be designated to non-fossil fuel modes of transports within a generation.
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Firstly, since this a rant thread then fair enough with your rant, but it didn't address any of my rant really. If drivers of a scooter or a Mini were being dicks (blocking a lane for no good reason, driving off a ferry Goodbye Pork Pie style) then of course I'd get pissed off. You're acting like no one gets pissed off with crappy driving.
 
Also, in the first occasion I mentioned they weren't commuters and in the second one the non cyclists are walking.
 
So in a generation everyone will be pricks ....

MajorRage

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Nepia" data-cid="560564" data-time="1456293953">
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I don't tend to enjoy driving into other moving vehicles. ;)
 
 
Firstly, since this a rant thread then fair enough with your rant, but it didn't address any of my rant really. If drivers of a scooter or a Mini were being dicks (blocking a lane for no good reason, driving off a ferry Goodbye Pork Pie style) then of course I'd get pissed off. You're acting like no one gets pissed off with crappy driving.
 
Also, in the first occasion I mentioned they weren't commuters and in the second one the non cyclists are walking.
 
So in a generation everyone will be pricks ....
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I think that generation has already started to be honest ...
 
I'm not saying you wouldn't get pissed off about it, I'm saying you wouldn't get so pissed off that you'd feel the need to do a TSF rant!

NTA

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="MajorRage" data-cid="560572" data-time="1456296663">I think that generation has already started to be honest ... </blockquote>
 
We rename this thread to "grumpy old men"

jegga

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Nepia" data-cid="560435" data-time="1456267585">
Bonkers. I do get quite conflicted when a hot female cyclist comes riding past me - I'd imagine it would be similar to Jegga finding himself physically attracted to a Green Party member. </blockquote>
 
This has happened. Unfortunately Ms Holt was under the mistaken impression anyone cared about her opinions. God bless the man who invented the mute button. 
My main objections with cycling are: 
Its a very third world way of getting around, its understandable if you live in Cambodia less so when a half decent jap import costs less that the bikes most of these people get around on. 
No one is interested in your lycra clad scrotum , surely you can wear surf shorts? 
Also what MN5 said about Island bay is bang on, someone will be hurt or die there soon. 
Do these weirdos still mess the traffic up in Sydney? <a class="bbc_url" href="https://www.facebook.com/SydneyCriticalMass/">https://www.facebook.com/SydneyCriticalMass/</a> if so fuck them.

Frye

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="antipodean" data-cid="560456" data-time="1456270575">
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Pedestrians shouldn't move - the cyclist will have determined their path and is only warning you not to do something sudden or stupid. Unfortunately the fat bitches walking four abreast taking up the entire path startle like gazelle and show remarkable alacrity in moving, like someone just announced free donuts... 
 <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://i.imgur.com/dcsTxyl.png'><img src="http://i.imgur.com/dcsTxyll.png" alt="dcsTxyll.png"></a>
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Indeed. The bell is just a courtesy that a cyclist is passing. 
Not to get out of the way.
 
It's amazing the amount of pedestrians who get upset because some nasty cyclist dare rung their bell at them.

NTA

"On your right" is my preferred courtesy

Nepia

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="MajorRage" data-cid="560572" data-time="1456296663">
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I think that generation has already started to be honest ...
 
I'm not saying you wouldn't get pissed off about it, I'm saying you wouldn't get so pissed off that you'd feel the need to do a TSF rant!
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Maybe I would maybe I wouldn't (I see a lot of stupid driving but not prick-ish stuff like I mentioned in the OP) - but I'm damn sure all the drivers on the Fern wouldn't be coming out defending the pricks for being pricks and considering them to be in the 'right'.

gollum

The bit about roads & use is right tho' Once everyone is in auto-pilot cars & you take out the abysmal driving & add in lightning reflexes & 360 degree monitoring cycling will go thru the roof. No more blind spots, no more trucks turning across cyclists etc.
 
While I very much agree a lot of cyclists are asshats, the ones in the car are far worse & they are the ones who will kill you, so the impending removal of them - coming from the likes of Tesla, Ford, Audi etc can't get here fast enough.
 
You'd assume it will very quickly become the case that user driven cars are initially banned from city areas.

The Silver Fern

Rant: Cyclists, Oz Bureaucracy ....