Cyclists

Some drivers are idiots. Most drivers are not idiots though.
Some cyclists are idiots. Most cyclists are not idiots.
Some people in society in general are idiots. Most people are not idiots.

End thread (or at least all the haterz towards cyclists in here)

I would say most NZ drivers are idiots. We are pathetic when it comes to driving.

Mate of mine at work got knocked off his bike on the Old Hutt Road "cycleway" last week. He was going at a good clip and the driver pulled off the road to answer the phone. Driver didn't see him, he didn't anticipate the car pulling off the road quickly. It was nobody's fault. He is okay.

But what it highlights is how sharkhouse the cycleways are around Wellington. 

They wrap cyclists in a false sense of security while doing nothing in practice to increase safety or protect cyclists.

Better cycleways are good for everyone. Celia is a useless hag who nobody likes and can't get anything done. This grinds my gears.

Anything is better than John Morrison.

Would you buy a used car from this man?

Thank god we have the stadium though.

#ThanksJohn

Hey- that's the guy that sold me my ropey mitsi chariot grandis.  

I doubt if the previous owner was a careful, old lady who only took it on trips to the shops.

We're awful and there also seems to be silos of even greater awfulness. There are no parts of Greater Wellington (incl Kapiti) with worse drivers than Johnsonville/Khandallah & Mana through to Paraparaumu.

Hmm I dunno. I used to ride regularly up the Hutt Valley and would say the drivers local to the Stokes Valley/Taita region are far from saint-like. 

I also had a nice man on the Hutt motorway near Tirohanga take the effort to slow down once to tell me and a fellow cyclist that he "hope[s] someone runs youse c*nts over". Which I thought was considerate of him.

I had a run of three in a week that felt the need to roll down the window and abuse me around the Petone interchange.

All of them showing a lack of understanding of the Road code that matched the wit of the words thrown at me. 

I live in Karori and have started to experiment using tracks wherever possible. I've had to many close calls on the hills (either being cut off while going slow up hill or having people pull out in front of me without looking when going fast down hill), and a guy at work was recently hospitalised when someone opened their door without looking. 

At the moment I'm struggling with the following: Go up through the botanic gardens by carter observatory to Kelburn, then around Zealandia a bit - up Wrights Hill then take the tracks to Landsowne Terrace (most of which is a dedicated bike track, but some of which is dual use). 

As I said It's a struggle, starts off with Aurora Terrace and it doesn't get much better after that.

That was me.*

*not really.

Do you go around the perimeter of Zelandia, then to the fortress, down Wright's Hill Rd to the carpark on the bend and then back on to the track that goes by Landsdowne?

Rezpect if so!

I have some far fetched mid-life crisis aspirations of refurbishing my M2 and becoming a self-righteous eco-warrior by commuting to work* - that route looks interesting (but excessively hilly)

(*I doubt this will last more than a few weeks or whenever I can afford a car again).

No I go around Zealandia as far as the scout hall, and then up Wrights Hill road itself. Or if I'm feeling lazy I skip the parameter and go up Birdwood St - but BIrdwood St is nasty for cyclists, heaps of close calls there - so that defeats the purpose of my round about trip. On Birdwood St it seems acceptable to take the footpath (at least there is a sign there saying cyclists give way to pedestrians) so that might be my route.

I'm soft, the ride really sucks and at the moment involves a few stops / checks to make sure my heart hasn't exploded.

The reason to do it is I'm simply too lazy to exercise without an end goal, my end goal is getting to work or home. Wellington is excessively hilly no matter where you go, makes going to work easy though.

I tried Birdwood many years ago.  Sod that for a game of soldiers.

Never Say Die

Being a cyclist most of my life until I had kids (only been driving for about 5 years) I have to say most cyclists are good (having to share Karori road with a lot of them) but what pisses me off are the go-pro righteous warriors who love to post videos of bad drivers but never show footage of themselves skipping lights, using the centre line as a cycle lane or dodging through slow moving traffic as if the road rules don't apply to them.

This applies to motorcyclists as well.

My wife being in the passenger side is the one who usually gets a close up view, and thinks most cyclist don't show enough caution. " "It was the cars fault" or "But I was in the right!" doesn't make for fitting epitaph" is something along the lines of what she says. 

If you choose to share the road with cars while on a lightweight frame of metal or carbon fibre then expect to come off the worse when either you or the motorist makes the mistake.

Its like gambling with your life and being on a bike drastically reduces the odds on you winning. I've ridden bikes for over 30 years but I wouldn't get on a bike on Wellington roads if you paid me.

multiple post. no delete option. come on mods.

multiple post. no delete option. come on mods.

Have faith Ryan. After being caught doing the 80min belly dance when we dicked Gold Coast with 6 goals, I decided to do much the same as you. When I first startedd I would almost heave and the commute up and down the skyline would take well over an hour. It's almost under 40mins on a good day now, and who knows I might be fit for master's grade for the first time in 8 yrs...

Unlikely though!

Stuff Motoring Editor throws his weight into the endless cyclist vs motorist debate

http://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/69498792/motoring-...

I think I just lost IQ points reading that.  It looks like a forum post, not an article/editorial.  Still, Fairfax, not shocked.

Not even reading it, I'm over this irrational hatred of cyclists. I've had so many near misses recently riding at the side of the road and still getting cut up and buzzed I'm sick of cycling in this country.

I ran into a car once, it was back in the days before disk brakes were widely available on bikes. I was going down Kelburn Parade in the wet, some guy pulled out in front of me without indicating or looking. I slammed on my brakes straight away but still managed to run into the back of him. The person yelled at me a bit and then took off, still have no idea how it was my fault. I should have filed a police report  I guess.

http://cyclingchristchurch.co.nz/2015/06/18/alex-m...

Unreal. We are allowed to take the lane, sadly this will lead to more hate on the roads.

I read the article and as soon as i saw the tourists didn't pass him on the straight road, then I voted for the cyclist.

Cyclists rejoice

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/69712345/governmen...

Don't hold your breath on that. Cycleways are usually the best example of political promises that never actually happen. Ref: John Key's national cycleway from Cape Reinga to Bluff.

This has been a long term pledge from John Key from when he first came into government. It is happening but on a glacial level after Key got to power and lost interest.

I'm not holding my breath, I'm not a cyclist. Just thought some of you might be happy about it. 

Guess you really are the miserable bunch we assume you to be!

There is a difference between realistic and miserable.  It's taken 7 years to get to this point, if the work moves at the same pace my grandchildren might get to use it.

And if Junior News is anything like his dad that's a long way off :p

To me that post seems both realistic and miserable. 

I was on my first cycle ride in years the other night. A passenger in a car apologised to me for coming too close.

Gobsmacked doesn't even come close.

Video evidence of bike ride required.

Maybe we get fed up with stereotypical sneering bullsh*t comments about who we are and what we represent?

Good article from the Guardian, and to think the UK is usually a much nicer place to cycle around.

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jul/01/sabotage-and-hatred-what-have-people-got-against-cyclists

People who ride bikes hate drivers who don't.

People who don't ride bikes hate cyclists.

Surprise surprise. Everyone's just in it for themselves.

Anyone see the cyclist crashes on crash tv last night? Classic.  One guy got taken out by another cyclist and not a car.