Motorists Behaving Badly

Comment

Comment by Luke Revolution on May 4, 2012 at 2:17pm

Hitler doesn't like cyclists, gets angry because registering bikes isn't feasible.

Comment by Travis Franklin on April 9, 2012 at 1:16pm

Easter Blitz nabs 5,000 speedsters

Reading the comments left by the readers both depresses and angers me. 

I couldn’t have written the comment by “roaduser” any better ;-)

Comment by Aaron Ball on November 28, 2011 at 8:14am

Cadel Evans commenting on Brisbane motorists:

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/cadel-slams-brisbanes...

Comment by Iain on October 25, 2011 at 8:58am

http://video.news.com.au/2159136058/Hairraising-rides

Comment by Aaron Ball on October 24, 2011 at 3:07pm

I've had a couple of serious incidents along McDonald Rd Albion in the last week. Two separate instances of drivers threatening to run me off the road. This is part of the Council approved route to the northern suburbs, and is used a lot by cyclists, and is also an industrial area with a lot of cement trucks. This is shaping up to be a dangerous area.

Comment by Luke Revolution on October 9, 2011 at 12:56am

Had another run in with a 4x4 jerk. The NRL grand final was on that afternoon so I suppose the bogans were fuelled up on beer and brimming with football related anger.  They gave way on the terminating road on a T intersection.  The ten seconds of inconvenience was just too much for them so they decided to yell "f*^%off" at me with a little emphasis given by letting their 4x4 roll forward a little.  

 

I was on the recumbent trike so I was low to the ground but it's easy to be on your feet really quickly with them.  Apply the brakes and sorta lean forward then push up off the handlebars.  So, much to their surprise, I was standing at their window asking if they "had a f%^&*ng problem" within seconds of their abuse.  Anyway, they wandered off to dumber pastures.  

Comment by Ben Atherton on October 8, 2011 at 9:42am

Got noised up by a passing ute yesterday, caught up to him at the lights, pulled alongside and asked him what he was up to - bad idea. Three blokes in the front, all shirtless, bad-tempered. Decided the risk of being clubbed to death by the roadside not worth it and didn't prolong the discussion.

After months of no trouble I've now had two run-ins with drivers in the last week. my stars must be aligning. 

Comment by Ride2Wk on August 9, 2011 at 7:29am

I'm glad to see Aaron has mentioned rates not rego pays for most roads. Even the Cycle Promotion Fund missed this major point in their brochure - http://www.cyclingpromotion.com.au/content/view/213/150/ that only considered State & Federal funds & costs. The fact that OUR rates, NOT rego, pays for most roads is something every cyclist needs to understand and to drive home at motorists whinging about "bikes don't pay rego." It's an urban myth.

Read these 2 articles. They are in $US and the system is slightly different but the concept and order of magnitude is similar. http://www.teamestrogen.com/content/cycling_myth1

http://www.teamestrogen.com/content/cycling_myth2

 

Next time the motorist sprouts that crap the 1st reply is not "I pay rego on my car too" but "My council rates pay for this council roads NOT you rego."

 

Most roads are council roads and they are funded mostly from council rates (& a few grants of various types). All the suburban streets and many arterial roads are council roads. Cyclists pay rates just like everyone else and we have paid more than our fair share. Rates is far more money than rego in most cases. Have a good look at your rates notice and your rego. Not much of hte rego actually goes to roads and rego is half insurance because cars crash so often.

State controlled roads (Dep't of Transport & Main Roads) are only partly funded by rego since raising rego is always too politically sensitive. I haven't seen exact figures recently but a large proportion of their funds comes from other state taxes like Stamp Duty and mining royalties. Rego does not pay for ambulance, SES, hospitals, police and everything else needed to keep motorists under control and rescue them & their victims when cars crash.

 

The maps of TMR roads are available online at -http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Travel-and-transport/Maps-and-guides/Quee... Brisbane maps are the Metropolitan region.

 

Federal Fuel Excise pays for part of Federal Highways (eg a share of the M1 & Bruce Highway). There is more fuel excise received than the Feds spend on roads but the Feds also give about $3-4Billion in subsidies to car & oil companies. When you add up the total cost to the community of motoring it far exceeds the fuel excise and rego!

Comment by Aaron Ball on August 8, 2011 at 12:41pm

We didn't get down to snappy lines about registration.  To be honest I was polite, he was rude, I called him on it and was rude back, then it sort of degenerated from there I'm afraid to say. he did say I should have lights, I pointed out it was broad daylinght and we were on a quiet suburban road, I remember saying something about his inability to see me may indicate he shouldn't have licence, then we went on to discuss the ligitimacy of each other's births.

 

With regards to registration, the other ones I know of are:

How about you get out of your tank and I'll give you my personal details, and you can give me yours too.

Paying rego only goes some way towards paying for the damage you cause.

Your rego doesn't pay for this road, my rates do.

Comment by Luke Revolution on August 8, 2011 at 10:34am

A helmet mounted video camera may have won the day, Aaron.  Jerks know they're being jerks and will shut up.  A guy in Sydney is submitting the videos to the police and they are taking it seriously.  

 

A friend has fitted a bit of electrical conduit to his rack.  It's about 600 mm long with a 90 degree elbow pointing straight up.  Each elbow has a standard flashing light on it.  He says the lights being out as far as his shoulder encourages cars to give him a little room (only anecdotal evidence).  He runs them day and night.  I think there's good numbers on lights day and night being a good idea. 

 

The last guy that abused me copped a mouth full of cheek.  For some reason he thought I should give way to him when he approached from behind and wants to turn left.   This, apparently, was best expressed with honking, turning too close to my back wheel and roaring off.  He was only going 100 metres down the road to the fish and chip shop so I followed him.  When he said I shouldn't be on the road I asked if he would like to discuss it further with the police present (as I felt for my mobile which I knew I didn't have).  He decided that my being on the road wasn't such an issue after all.  

They know they don't have a leg to stand on. They're just being jerks and giving all motorists a bad name.  

 

So, what are the arguments against the rego/insurance claim?

The few I know:

. I pay rego on my car/s.

. If I'm not in my car then there is less traffic on the road.

. Rego and insurance doesn't pay for roads, taxes pays for roads. I paid tax on the money I used to buy this bike.  I pay tax on the interest I earn on the money I save riding it.  And I'll pay even more tax than you when I out live you cause I'm keeping fit. (Gotta work on the snappiness of that one.)

. Insurance is for third party injury.  How am I going to injure someone on my bike?

Less constructive:

. There's no where to stick the plate but up your arse.

 

Any other arguments. They've gotta be snappy because the road-trolls only like listening to slogans.  

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