Thread: Lost for a month

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

The point is it is very easy to use the road safely on a two wheeled vehicle without actually using the "road" and inconveniencing everyone who is actually paying for the road.

Behavior that seems odd to you is often in the name of safety. Cyclists that ride in the shoulder are often the ones that are hit. Cyclists that make their presence known don't get it. I ride in the shoulder when it's safe, I ride slightly out from the shoulder if the road is curvy so it forces drivers to consciously recognise me and only pass when it's safe, at which point I'll gladly get out of the way and give you a wave. And I'll take the lane when it's completely unsafe to pass, and I can reach a speed similar to that of traffic. I'll annoy the occasional person, but it's all in the name of safety, and even if drivers don't really understand the behaviour it does work. Also in town, I have to give about a metre between myself and the cars parked on the left. My girlfriend was thrown under the wheels of a bus because she didn't know this, someone opened their door and toppled her into the lane. Riding slowly in the cycle lane, out of the way of cars, almost dead. She was under the front bumper, but the bus stopped in time and she didn't go under the wheels. A friend of mine was killed in wellington when a driver cut the corner at a roundabout a few years ago. He was riding in the shoulder. As I said, cyclists ride the way they do for a reason.

Most cyclists own at least one car, so they're paying for their fair share - and they're on a bike, which at the end of the day inconveniences you less than if they did all of their journeys in a car and got in your way that way instead. If you're wanting to get into the user pays aspect then start hounding the truckies - trucks damage the road more than anyone, cause roadworks, pull out in front of people, and drive slower than the speed limit.

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

May there always be a campervan in front of you.

Maybe that's the difference between us. I'd still buy you a beer at the pub, talk some shit and wish you no ill will. But campervans? That's harsh man. Harsh.