Moron Motorists #3

[elantra]

^^^
Waterworks Rd - what a classic example of a puss-poor road design outcome.

Well no fault of the original designers as it was probably an engineering masterpiece when it was built to service the transport needs of the suburbs of Red Hill and Ashgrove and Ithaca almost a hundred years ago.

I would guess that it was made “wide” like a Parisian boulevard to give room for a Tram service in the middle of the road.
But then at some stage (after the disappearance of trams presumably) some misguided persons authorised it to be battleaxed into a 4 - lane road.

What a disgrace to the art of Town Planning it is now.
It probably wouldn’t be quite as bad if parking on it was prohibited at any stage of the day, and if the transit lane was actually policed .

It’s especially bad when it it isn’t clogged up.
The fact that there are 4 lanes gives many clown motorists a subliminal message that they can go nuts with the speed.
Trying to cross Waterworks Rd can e very frightening for pedestrians, especially the elderly, who are quite numerous in those suburbs.

At least I was vindicated to some extent when years ago I booked an appointment with the local state member for that area, and told him about this problem.
Which he duly ignored and tried to belittle my concerns.

So I shed no tears when he was voted out at the next state election.

[Mr Purple]

Waterworks road is a death trap for cyclists. No shoulder, cars often parked down the left hand lane, rolling hills and entitled motorists combined.

I've been abused for daring to claim the left hand lane on a quiet morning when the T2 lane is active. By a single driver in a car. So they're the one breaking the law and they're abusing me.

Ironically it's actually safer when it's busier because of the T2 lane.

[mikesbytes]

I think I have a new least favourite type of driver.

There's a couple of roads in Brisbane that have multiple lanes, and a left lane with absolutely no shoulder. Waterworks Road is a classic, but Logan Road is also that way.

I absolutely avoid them at most times because they're usually busy. However they're almost completely empty on weekends which brings me to the problem.

There's a certain type of driver that will come up behind you when you're doing a decent speed in the middle of the left hand lane on an otherwise empty road because there's no shoulder and no safe way of passing you in that narrow lane. This type of person is completely incapable of the fraction of a second of labour involved in briefly merging into the completely empty right hand lane and will instead honk and abuse you. Or even worse accelerate at the back of you and deliberately narrow pass.

I have no idea what they're thinking. Some idiot in a beaten up Mazda did this to me this morning on an otherwise empty Logan Road at 7AM while giving me the finger. The act of raising the finger involves more effort than simply going around, so I assume they're just out to intimidate someone. Even worse going the other way the road is three lanes wide with the far left hand lane partly blocked by parked cars. I've had people abuse me for riding in it, squeeze past, cut in and then almost drive into the line of parked cars.

Why are people this stupid?

They are using you as an opportunity to express hatred

[Mr Purple]

Yeah, that's sort of what I figured.

There's literally no alternative. Either I ride within inches of the kerb and have them pass me in the 3m wide lane in their 2m wide car or they go around in the entirely empty other lane.

I figure if they're getting angry at me they've at least seen me. Just hope they do it to the wrong person one day. I suspect that they don't do it to anyone who looks likely to be capable of punching their head in.

[am50em]

This motorist was complaining about me not using the "cycling lane" but as I told them it disappears on the other side of intersection. They were delayed by maybe 5 seconds.This is coming up to Bobbin Head turnoff. I take lane early as no traffic and being in the "cycling lane" is not a good option.

[elantra]

…….

There's literally no alternative. Either I ride within inches of the kerb and have them pass me in the 3m wide lane in their 2m wide car or they go around in the entirely empty other lane.

I figure if they're getting angry at me they've at least seen me. Just hope they do it to the wrong person one day. I suspect that they don't do it to anyone who looks likely to be capable of punching their head in.

Yes, a significant numbers of people will either abuse you, or intentionally intimidate you in this situation (claiming a lane on a multi-lane road)
They are gross hypocrites because they would never do it to a Police vehicle- even if it was a bicycle !
Also they are usually bullies.
I’m sure there is a more pseudo-scientific word to describe the behaviour trait of being a bully.
But suffice to say this behavioural manifestation is surely quite complex and can be influenced by all sorts of the usual things, Drugs, Testosterone, stress, age etc.

As an aside, Waterworks Rd ( Brisbane) can be fairly easily avoided but to do that you need to have the local knowledge, and also not be committed to the shortest and fastest route inbound or outbound.
The alternative routes include a lovely shared -use trail that goes past the Ashgrove Golf course.
But this is not without its hazards - at the bottom of a steep section is a creek with lots of big reptiles (water dragons, not crocodiles)
A mate of mine once collided with one, went over the bars, and got a broken arm.

[CmdrBiggles]

This motorist was complaining about me not using the "cycling lane" but as I told them it disappears on the other side of intersection. They were delayed by maybe 5 seconds.This is coming up to Bobbin Head turnoff. I take lane early as no traffic and being in the "cycling lane" is not a good option.

"...I take lane early as no traffic
No traffic...??
Here's what I see.
There is space available for you to the left of and nearer the left line, even where the parked cars are. I think in the earlier part you should be in the bike lane in this instance (as other cyclists are), and at least closer to the left line later. Yes, you risk getting doored that close to cars, but that's the lesser of the two big risks you are taking here. You appear to be occupying much of a faster-moving traffic lane — this scene is frightening; I am not surprised motorists are getting agitated — I've seen this sort of thing too (often!), on a busy road that could have ended badly for the erratic riding of the cyclist.

[am50em]

I suggest you watch the video again.

[warthog1]

This motorist was complaining about me not using the "cycling lane" but as I told them it disappears on the other side of intersection. They were delayed by maybe 5 seconds.This is coming up to Bobbin Head turnoff. I take lane early as no traffic and being in the "cycling lane" is not a good option.

"...I take lane early as no traffic
No traffic...??
Here's what I see.
There is space available for you to the left of and nearer the left line, even where the parked cars are. I think in the earlier part you should be in the bike lane in this instance (as other cyclists are), and at least closer to the left line later. Yes, you risk getting doored that close to cars, but that's the lesser of the two big risks you are taking here. You appear to be occupying much of a faster-moving traffic lane — this scene is frightening; I am not surprised motorists are getting agitated — I've seen this sort of thing too (often!), on a busy road that could have ended badly for the erratic riding of the cyclist.

The lesser of "two big risks"
Riding in the door zone is the worst place you can ride.
Encourage cars to sqeeze past with no clearance and in the meantime have someone open their door into you throwing you onto the road in front of the passing vehicles. Far, far safer to proceed as Am50em did.

[Mr Purple]

This motorist was complaining about me not using the "cycling lane" but as I told them it disappears on the other side of intersection. They were delayed by maybe 5 seconds.This is coming up to Bobbin Head turnoff. I take lane early as no traffic and being in the "cycling lane" is not a good option.

The bike lane ends after the lights I see. Very bad road design - they would have been better off ending it at the lights and having a 'safety' space for cyclists in front of that lane.

There's a similar intersection near me I avoid. It's primarily a single lane road but there's a small 'jump lane' with two lanes at a couple of the intersections on this road - the second lane ends about 5m after the lights. No shoulder, of course.

Quite a number of times I've been waiting in the middle of the left hand lane at this intersection which is slightly uphill, with only one other car in the right lane. And some genius driver gets behind me and then becomes all irate when I fail to accelerate faster than the car next to me.

I've always wondered why. Surely no matter how unfit and unpracticed you are, at some level you must have some understanding that bicycles in general do not go uphill faster than cars. And yet they jump into the lane I'm occupying expecting to get around the solitary other car waiting at the intersection.

It's just occurred to me that people do that precisely for one reason. It's because one of their pet gripes is that 'cyclists slow traffic', so they go out of their way to make it true so they can go home and complain about it later. This also explains why I have absolutely no comprehension of the hatred many drivers have for cyclists; because I honestly can't remember the last time a cyclist even slightly inconvenienced me as a driver. Because I don't go out of my way to be inconvenienced by them.

It's a bit of a scary thought.

[find_bruce]

Yes, you risk getting doored that close to cars, but that's the lesser of the two big risks you are taking here.

You might want to do some more research- dooring comes with a high risk of death and serious injury. What happens in that the front wheel turns left on impact with the door, causing the rider to be jettisoned right, landing on the roadway, with a high risk of you being run over by that car you were trying to avoid.

[CmdrBiggles]

Yes, you risk getting doored that close to cars, but that's the lesser of the two big risks you are taking here.

You might want to do some more research- dooring comes with a high risk of death and serious injury. What happens in that the front wheel turns left on impact with the door, causing the rider to be jettisoned right, landing on the roadway, with a high risk of you being run over by that car you were trying to avoid.

I have been doored. I do know what happens. It was a moving experience.

Speaking of being run over...
How about the car immediately behind passes in the right lane, but the car behind that does not, and collects the cyclist at speed. Not pretty. This has happened on Dynon Road, Heidelberg Road and Bell Streets of those incidents I can recall. Not all cars will 'follow the leader' in changing lanes if their view is occluded. I would not say as a driver it is easy to pick out a cyclist two, three cars ahead of me (ridjbg like this vid) , much less a cyclist moving slowly, and not particularly visibly.

[mikesbytes]

Having seen a car get doored on Bourke st, Sydney, you really appreciate just how tough car doors are, the damage to the vehicle that hit the door was excessive for a low speed collision and the noise. I never want that to happen to me.

[DavidS]

The driver had a choice of 2 lanes. They chose the lane with a bicycle in it. Then they are somehow surprised when they have to take off at bicycle speed?

Idiot.

A bicycle is a road vehicle and we are entitled to ride in lanes for road vehicles as am50em was doing.

Their problem if they feel inconvenienced, their lane choice was not good.

DS

[biker jk]

This motorist was complaining about me not using the "cycling lane" but as I told them it disappears on the other side of intersection. They were delayed by maybe 5 seconds.This is coming up to Bobbin Head turnoff. I take lane early as no traffic and being in the "cycling lane" is not a good option.

I always take the lane there as you did. Much safer than being squeezed on the other side of the intersection where there are always parked cars. Just last week I was riding with a friend in the same spot and a driver who was held up for five seconds honked us while passing in the right lane and then abruptly swerving back into the left lane. You can't educate bogans.

[Mr Purple]

The driver had a choice of 2 lanes. They chose the lane with a bicycle in it. Then they are somehow surprised when they have to take off at bicycle speed?

Exactly my point above. It only makes sense when you assume some drivers go out of their way to be inconvenienced by cyclists. So they can complain about it later.

Either that or they're just really, really stupid. Which is also possible.

[am50em]

I think some drivers don't look more than 20m in front of them so cannot adjust for traffic. And a good percentage of them are just stupid!

[am50em]

On a couple of occasions I have been stuck in the extremely narrow "bicycle lane" due to heavy traffic and had to stop on the otherside of intersection till the traffic cleared. I won't enter door zone and merging with fast moving traffic is also not an option.

[uart]

Yes, you risk getting doored that close to cars, but that's the lesser of the two big risks you are taking here.

Suggest that you look at the video at 2.16. There is no way that the cyclist could have squeezed through there without having to swerve back into the left lane. I understand that there's no ideal option, but in my opinion am50em was making the best of the very poor road infrastructure there.

You appear to be occupying much of a faster-moving traffic lane — this scene is frightening; I am not surprised motorists are getting agitated — I've seen this sort of thing too (often!), on a busy road that could have ended badly for the erratic riding of the cyclist.

No, the erratic cycling option would have been to try and keep as far left as possible, and then swerve in and out of the lane to avoid the parked cars.

[mikesbytes]

The driver had a choice of 2 lanes. They chose the lane with a bicycle in it. Then they are somehow surprised when they have to take off at bicycle speed?

Exactly my point above. It only makes sense when you assume some drivers go out of their way to be inconvenienced by cyclists. So they can complain about it later.

Either that or they're just really, really stupid. Which is also possible.

Both

[familyguy]

I think some drivers don't look more than 20m in front of them so cannot adjust for traffic. And a good percentage of them are just stupid!

Then you get drivers that look beyond 20m and discount anything in that distance.

Case in point. Dash cam driver appears to be turning left, vehicle in front passes side street, "oh, must be clear".
Skip to 0:55 or so. Consider any viewer warned, but guy must have been OK.


The truck at 7:00 is just nuts. I hope he loses his license, if he even has one.

[am50em]

Yes I watched that yesterday. I really don't understand how drivers can be that bad.
The truck one was frightening, really hope it was sent to authorities.

[Mr Purple]

I think some drivers don't look more than 20m in front of them so cannot adjust for traffic. And a good percentage of them are just stupid!

Then you get drivers that look beyond 20m and discount anything in that distance.

Case in point. Dash cam driver appears to be turning left, vehicle in front passes side street, "oh, must be clear".
Skip to 0:55 or so. Consider any viewer warned, but guy must have been OK.


The truck at 7:00 is just nuts. I hope he loses his license, if he even has one.

That's about the first Youtube video I've seen where every comment about the cyclist agrees it wasn't their fault! Often in that situation I'll hold up a flat palm towards the driver to say 'Stop' - not sure if it works but at least I know they're probably not going to stop if they don't acknowledge it. That cyclist did absolutely nothing wrong though.

The truck, Say What? There were a few comments about how slow the driver was going, however given they were last in a long line of cars it's not as if he had a choice. Truckie needs to have his licence taken off him.

[vbplease]

That youtube clip supports my opinion that most motorists are unable to detect a cyclist on the road (even if the cyclist is wearing yellow fluro), until they're sliding across their bonnet.

That truck driver definitely needs to have his license removed, or at least suspended for a long time.. I can understand his frustrations.. but acting on them in a way thought could cause a fatal accident is another thing.

If a car in front (in this case towards the front of a line) is varying their speed between 70-100km/h, in what I'm assuming is a 100km/h zone, it begs the question how safe they are on the road too.

[uart]

That cyclist did absolutely nothing wrong though.

Yes, absolutely nothing wrong, but it does tie in neatly to the previous discussion about road position where there's no shoulder and you're forced to take the left lane. Something I've learnt from painful experience is that the closer you ride to the gutter then the less chance that drivers coming from side streets (like in this case) will see you. And it's not because you aren't visible, it's because they're just not looking there.