nastyness at the traffic lights.

[ucwepn]

It is annoying when a bike tears past you in the middle lane when you are crawling at the lights and he's doing 60 + km/h, I've nearly had my mirror and arm ripped off before (close call) I'm not saying I wouldn't do it if I had a bike but I probably wouldn't do it all the time, and what if something happens to the rider who is the first one they blame? The bloke in the car who checked his mirror and head checked and then switched lanes and gets a motorbike slam into him up the middle lane (they are hard to spot) most of your attention is focused on whats happening ahead of you, so you trust the bike to stay in his lane to make it safe for both parties.

and cyclists riding next to each other like they are a car LOL that pisses me off especially when its a single lane road.

there are allot of valid points to this thread but there are always morons with their opinions of what is right and such lol. I'm by no means a perfect driver but I try to be a safe driver and respect the other road users and I expect the same in return.

and remember no-one forces you to buy a motorcycle that is the choice you make.

 

[Bax]

Cyclists.. The ones that ride in packs of 20 and take up the whole road and are under the impression that they're going 60km/h but all they're doing is holding up a heap of traffic yet they still ride three across.

Cyclists that don't use the bike lanes and ride on the road, at bridge crossings especially. And they wonder why they cop abuse.

 

[shaggerz]

I think it's probably safe to say that we can just call it one of the many things that annoy people on the road. There are plenty of things like that and many different ways people annoy each other whether on foot, pushbike, motorbike, car, truck or horseback.

The nature of each vehicle means that there are going to be different ways to annoy but what it all boils down to is that people, by nature, can be selfish.

And we are all guilty of that sometimes

 

[Shounak]

I don't mind if a bike pulls up to me when we're at lights.. Given the nature of the bike, they usually take off much faster then I normally accelerate anyway. It doesn't impede my driving in any way, shape or form.. So why does it even matter?

It's not like they've cut in front of you and dropped their limit to 10 under to piss you off.. Jeez..

 

[luvmycommodore]

For what it's worth bicyclists and motorcyclists are allow to ride 2 abreast in a normal lane. Legally they are entitled to do it - however in the case of bicycles it's not really practical as they are just not up to the speed of cars and other vehicles.

Really it's a safety factor. If i come over the crest of a hill and skittled a pair or bike riders it will be my fault, but is it sensible to travel in the middle of a lane when the only safety measure you have is a helmet and someone encased in a ton of metal might suddenly come up behind you and be unable to stop.

Yes, it's allowed by law (and i hear it ALL the time from local riders) but it's not sensible.

And yes, they ride in packs here too - not a lot more annoying than that. Just about every weekend there are road races from the nearest town to my village and it shits me when they ride in packs.

Bike riders want common courtesy and respect on the road, but how can they expect it when they won't even go out of their way to move to the edge of the road for a car coming up behind them. And yes - i go riding on the road - and i ALWAYS go just off the edge of the road for cars.

The case of the motorcyclist at the lights shits me too.... but only coz i wish it were me being able to sneak up there and not have to wait

 

[Jesk]

exactly what i had tried to say except i keep getting decent replies to threads blocked, but yeah it isn't safe to be on the inside of two abreast and i wouldn't advise in in most situations

 

[Wombat]

What a kind and caring person started this thread... Do that to me and I'll make a few interesting modifications to your car at the next set of lights asshole....you don't really need your door mirrors do you?:devil:

As for being able to closely and dangerously tailgate him...speaking realistically, if that had been me, I would have taken your number and rang the fuzz at the first opportunity. Bikes can usually stop much quicker than cars, and have a much higher concentration level than most car drivers when on thier bikes, and if he had to stop in a big hurry, he would have given you the pleasing opportunity of depriving his family of him. Also, he musn't have been really trying to get away from you, because even my sad old 650 twin BMW will walk away from most cars...and if I was on my 750 two-stroke triple, hell, even a blown big block anything would be hopeless against it... :w00t:

So what if bike beats you to the front of the queue...stiff bikkies. I can fit up between the cars at the lights, I'll do it to get away first and be ahead of the snarl of traffic while they sit there listening to thier doof doof music and playing with thier stereos/mobile phones/power windows... :bang:

I'm with you Rat, and Shazz308 as well...we pay damn high amounts of rego for the size of our vehicles, and use far less fuel and resources than any car. Technically, motorcycle rego should be free given the amount of road we take up and seeing as how some tool can swat us off the road with his car if we "annoy" him.

There's nothing like riding down the highway with a bunch of other guys, maybe up to thirty or more, in double staggered file, on the speed limit and having some moron who thinks he needs to travel at 20 over the limit or feels he simply has to get in front of the line try to overtake and force his way in amongst the bikes when he can't get all the way past because of an oncoming car...butthole... :bang:

I also find that since I started riding years ago, I have become a far better car driver because of the forced drumming into you of how important it is to take notice of your surroundings and what the other idiots are up to.


Ahhh....that's better....I needed that.... :flame:

 

[Julie]

I can totally understand everyones disgust at mr 'thoughtful's behaviour and I agree thats just plain stupidity. But I am still bewildered by the attitude of some riders here. I thought hang on maybe, just maybe I am wrong, maybe these guys are allowed to cruise up the middle of lanes and get ahead of the traffic. So I checked and well this is what the go is in nsw:

From rta Motor Riders Handbook:

"Sharing Lanes

Cars and motorcycles each need a full lane. Drivers should not share lanes with motorcycles and motorcycles should not share lanes with cars or other motorcycles.

Do not ride between rows of stopped or slow-moving cars. Anything can happen - a door could open, a car could turn suddenly, the traffic may begin to move leaving your trapped between vehicles."

Pretty black and white there, no grey area. So given they are the rules, what the hell makes riders think they have the god given right to break this rule as they please? A licence is a privledge, not a right and if people should learn to play by the rules. :bang:

What I would like to see now is a rider offering a reason as to why they think they are above the law and why they can't have a bit of patience and wait their place in the traffic queue like every other bastard has to. :ranting:

 

[semmi]

I'm with Julie on this one... by all means condemn Mr (I don't know how to spell and I'm really not very) Thoughtfull. He's a dick and his behaviour is clearly road rage. But don't do it and at the same time excuse the rider for doing something which is, after all, illegal.

If I posted here advocating running a red light when there's no other traffic around, I'd be criticised, and rightly so. Even if it's perfectly safe and convenient to break the road rules, as a licensed driver, I am expected to follow them at all times, not just when it suits me.

It's really as simple as that.

 

[TehFastyOne]

As a motorcyclist myself, I know pretty much every experience a rider has out there and of course, drivers since I'm one of those too.

The thing that gets to me is the amount of horse5hit a lot of road users get.

Now the initial posts in this thread has got me wondering again, why are you tailgating a motorcycle when you know it's illegal, dangerous and stupid?

Regardless of what the motorcyclist did YOU DO NOT TRY TO BE THE F'ING HERO! (If he damaged your car then yeah I'd probably follow him home and ask nicely for compensation)

I've been in accidents in cars and on my motorbike and I'm lucky to still walk to this day. Or even post this. I've seen death as well and when you see a body half ejected out a drivers window with lots of blood staining an infinite twist of metal, it changes your perspectives on everything, even your beliefs. That image is burned in my memory till I die.

Back to the matter, the following is about lane splitting:

Lane splitting
(Going between cars/lines) is the controversial practice of riding between lanes of traffic. Some riders take the view that the practice should be avoided at all times, while others believe that splitting lanes of stationary traffic can be done safely. Out there on the streets, it's obvious that some riders are prepared to take bigger risks than others.

Legal Issues
While there are no specific statutes against lane splitting in Victoria (This applies to other states), there are laws against changing lanes without indicating, passing on the left, and dangerous riding. If a rider pays sufficient regard to these laws, it is likely s/he will not be breaking the law when splitting lanes.

Before you jump to the conclusion of 'Well lets put a law in for it!' remember that traffic congestion is a big issue in today's modern world. At this point in time it's still debated in legislation drafts which are neither a go ahead or abandoned. Granted, there are riders out there that ride dangerously, potentially putting drivers at risk, not just themselves. These riders are responsible for damage to your $200 left mirror. This makes up for about 5 - 10% of riders. Just like cars, we have our bad eggs too and it is these riders that give us a bad name. Most motorcyclists are safety advocates and very nice people, including myself! There have been many improvements to road safety and regulations solely by motorcycling groups since we are more concious of our frailty compared to a car.

Yes I can be nice, but only when I have to be. The next time I get a55holes cutting me off, tailgating me, throwing empty beer cans/flicking butts/spitting at traffic lights, dangerously driving (playing) with me or just down right being a phucking moron, I will put my kevlar reinforced glove to good use and take out a mirror or stick a boot out and run it up the door. Obviously if you're not using your mirror, then you certainly don't need it, do you?

There are plenty of other times I've had trouble from drivers and also the cops. I've contested 2 fines in court and won due to insufficient evidence and the other time was for safety reasons of riding out wide after a car pushed me out of the way. Yep, the nice officer targeted me, not the driver that forced me to make a quick decision.

Remeber, WE ALL SHARE THIS ROAD! If you can't handle that, then stay at home or take public transport. But also remeber, if I'm the one being harassed or abused by road rage or dangerous riding/driving from another road user, it is my legal and moral right to defend myself. And the mirror will come off if it continues.

My 2 cents.