Hell ride revisited?

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/...608886262.html

On Jan 16, 10:09*am, terryc wrote:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/...ound-to-be-rou...

here is the actual report

http://www.monash.edu.au/muarc/reports/muarc285.pdf

As usual, the press report significantly distorts the findings

phillip brown

In article ,
terryc wrote:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/...e-rough-riders
-study/2009/01/15/1231608886262.html

The downloadable report is at:
http://www.monash.edu.au/muarc/reports/muarc285.html

(about to read it)

regards,
20cents

In aus.bicycle on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 01:20:32 GMT
20cents wrote:
In article ,
terryc wrote:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/...e-rough-riders
-study/2009/01/15/1231608886262.html

The downloadable report is at:
http://www.monash.edu.au/muarc/reports/muarc285.html

(about to read it)

(needs a password)

Zebee

"Zebee Johnstone" wrote in message
...
In aus.bicycle on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 01:20:32 GMT
20cents wrote:
In article ,
terryc wrote:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/...e-rough-riders
-study/2009/01/15/1231608886262.html

The downloadable report is at:
http://www.monash.edu.au/muarc/reports/muarc285.html

(about to read it)

(needs a password)

Zebee


I did not need any password to view it, it loaded into foxit reader fine.

In article ,
Zebee Johnstone wrote:

In aus.bicycle on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 01:20:32 GMT
20cents wrote:
In article ,
terryc wrote:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/...o-be-rough-rid
ers
-study/2009/01/15/1231608886262.html

The downloadable report is at:
http://www.monash.edu.au/muarc/reports/muarc285.html

(about to read it)

(needs a password)

Zebee

No password required but I did have to use Adobe Reader instead of
Preview on my Mac.

In article
,
phillip brown wrote:

On Jan 16, 10:09*am, terryc wrote:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/...ound-to-be-rou...

here is the actual report

http://www.monash.edu.au/muarc/reports/muarc285.pdf

As usual, the press report significantly distorts the findings

phillip brown

Agreed - even taking into account my slight bias.

I don't think it was well researched or written. Compare apples and
oranges and decide that bananas are not grapes.

I think the usual standards of newspaper reporting applied. Skim through
the executive summary, extract (not always accurately) a few alarming
snippets and sensationalise to achieve a good headline.

regards,
20cents

On Jan 16, 11:18*am, Zebee Johnstone wrote:
In aus.bicycle on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 01:20:32 GMT

20cents wrote:
In article ,
*terryc wrote:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/...ound-to-be-rou....
-study/2009/01/15/1231608886262.html

The downloadable report is at:
http://www.monash.edu.au/muarc/reports/muarc285.html

(about to read it)

(needs a password)

Not for me using IE.

I didn't think the newspaper article was very misleading at all. Sure
they took the exiting bits, that's what they do, otherwise no-one
would read their papers.

Theo

On Jan 16, 3:23*pm, theo wrote:
On Jan 16, 11:18*am, Zebee Johnstone wrote:

In aus.bicycle on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 01:20:32 GMT

20cents wrote:
In article ,
*terryc wrote:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/...ound-to-be-rou....
-study/2009/01/15/1231608886262.html

The downloadable report is at:
http://www.monash.edu.au/muarc/reports/muarc285.html

(about to read it)

(needs a password)

Not for me using IE.

I didn't think the newspaper article was very misleading at all.

examples

Para's 1 and 3 in the article imply that the part of the report is
about current behaviour, when in fact it is about the behaviour
observed in the 2005 video, which is significantly different to the
later behaviour.

also, from the article

"Footage from 2005 used in the study - taken on the same cycle route
where the man was struck - appeared to support advocates' claims. But
footage of the route from 2007 appeared to show that cyclists had
improved their behaviour - slightly."

then take a look at table 1 on page 14 (p 36 of the pdf) and see if
that would fit the definition of 'slightly'


Theo

phillip brown

terryc wrote:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/...608886262.html


I read this article in today's press.

It makes out cyclists are virtually "road terrorists".

Here in the ACT I ride 10,000 km a year and on both roads and cycle
paths and both alone and in bunches.

The general behaviour of local bunches is excellent.

On Canberra roads, riding 3 abreast and not stopping on redlights is
vitually non existant.

One big exception I observed one Sunday am was a visiting bunch of about
30 racing cyclists in town and sponsored by Turramurra Cycles.
They rode right down the main drag Northbourne Ave using one of the 3
car lanes in each direction and they completely ignored the 1.2 metre
cycle lane where I rode along following them and singing made up
occasional songs about Turramurra to let them know where I was.
That may have mystified them but I grew up in Turramurra.
The car drivers were not brave enough to drive right over the *******s.
Sunday am is quiet, and there are two alternative lanes for cars.

Nobody was enraged by the cyclists' behaviour.

I know Sydney traffic. The Turramurrans were Survivors.

In 1988 I rode the Northern Suburbs CC training ride in early weekday
am. They rode two abreast and prevented cars using the lane they were in
so it didn't matter if occasionally there were 3 abreast, or riders
swung further into the lane centre to avoid glass and other debris.

For every dickhead on two wheels there is at least one arsole on 4
wheels, eh?

I often ride down NthB Ave and once some young jerk on a mountain bike
didn't like me passing him, and he tried to elbow me out into the car
lanes. I didn't wince with the contact, and sprinted past and away from
him.

One other time I passed a bunch of slowing riders on NthB Ave only to
find another bunch turned out a side street to prevent me going back
into the cycle lane; I was a foot into the car lane. This second bunch
of cyclists didn't see the first or me coming along. They ****ing well
should have!, and should have given way. Then an irate fuctard in a
small ute chased me even though he still had lane room, and stopped in
the cycle lane blocking it for all of us. People were going everywhere
while he verbally abused me. I calmly said that what he was doing was
against the law bigtime and my lawyer would see he was being very
unreasonable, and a magistrate would agree, and BTW, I'd heard all this
argy bargy BS before. I was bigger than he was, and face to face he
didn't seem so keen to argue. Had there been a donnybrook, other
cyclists may have given me support.

I recall the days before the bike lanes were installed on Canberra
roads, and NthB Av was like a suicide derby every time you rode it. When
the cycle lanes went in, umpteen motorists have never stopped whingeing
like stuck pigs about being robbed of road space they thought should be
exclusively theirs.

The Canberra buses which ply up an down NthB Av can be arsolic to deal
with. When they stop, they block the cycle lane and 1/2 a car lane.
Then when they start off again, they tend to linger in the bike lane,
and one brushed my shoulder last wednesday while overtaking me. It isn't
uncommon for buses to come too close and be cavalier with cyclist
safety. But its better than the past without bike lanes.

20 years ago and well before lanes were installed one had a good try at
killing me by cramming me into the kerb while slowing for a pick up.
Someone with slower reflexes might have gone under its wheels or put a
head into a lamp post.
I chased this bus down and when it turned right and stopped at lights I
came up alongside the driver and banged his window with a fist and told
him and all his passengers he'd nearly killed me. Then he got rattled,
and edged forward into side traffic against a red light, and then I
banged harder and screaned for him to stop immediately and not kill
anyone else. He stopped. I'd made my point, ruined his day, but he
deserved the shaming. In those days I knew a young guy who kept a bidden
full of stale urine on the bike. He'd tap on an offending car driver's
window and when they wound the window down to give abuse he'd quickly
tip the **** into the driver's lap. The same guy wound drop a brown eye
and dawdle in front of an offender on 4 wheels. I saw him do it one day.
But that time his knicks got caught on the seat and he had to ride a
long block with pants down. The other 5 of us laughed a plenty.

There are classic arsoles on two wheels though. A few months ago one was
riding through picturesque woodland down by Lake Burley Griffin when he
approaches a couple walking from behind. When almost passing he calls
out "bike" and the 50yo lady lurches right into his path. She suffers
severe injuries which were slow to heal but not bad enough to stop her
writing a scathing letter to the Canberra Times about this clod on a
bike.
He'd abused her verbally, and when she'd asked why he didn't ring a
bell, he roared "You don't ****ing put a ****ing bell on a ****ing
$5,000 ****ing bike lady!!", and he ****ed off.

Lemme tellya folks, I have a bell on my bike, and I give way to all
ladies, especially those pushing prams after giving a friendly ding-ding
warning in plenty of time using a nice old fashioned bell with lower
frequency ding that is more likely to be heard compared to the present
horrid little bells made in ****ing China. Mothers with prams, or vast
huge "child buggies" nearly as large as a Hummer SUV tend to be slow to
react, and don't often want to react because they are proudly protective
and everyone one else can get stuffed for the sake of not upsetting the
Future Australian Prime Minister in the pram. I think I can see how mums
spend their baby bonus.
Whatever ya do, don't mess with a mother would be my advice......

Most people walking do give way automatically and correctly in 99% of
passings, and they *don't mind* being warned, because they don't have
eyes in the back of their heads. Lately, due to the general summertime
popularity of cycling and numbers doing it the bigger risk on cycle
paths is other cyclists not looking where they are going. Females are
biggest offenders. Blokes know **** happens, shielas tend to be in a
dream.

Little kids and old folks are also a hazard, not to mention dogs not on
leashes.

I always have to be prepared to take my chances in the rough and off the
path to avoid a collision, and know where to slow down a bit.

Motorists are getting used to increased numbers of cyclists wherever
they drive.

Patrick Turner.