http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11185644
Check out the “View More” links at the bottom of the page. Still wondering how pathetic some peoples’ lives are that they feel a vehicle is a weapon AND how arrogant we are blowing through red lights & weaving through traffic.
It’s sad to think that this is becoming a life and death situation when if both sides used a little common sense then we could all share the road and not have these major incidents.
As both a motorist and a cyclist I get why the other side is blamed for these problems. Motorists think cyclists feel the rules of the road don’t apply to them (running red lights is regularly cited) and that by riding in big groups they feel they have the right to take up the whole road. The flip side is that cyclists now ride in fear that some dickhead of a motorist is going to blast by way too fast and way too close and knock them off their bike - and unfortunately that happens quite a lot as drivers (especially those who get stuck behind a big cycle group) get annoyed at being held up!
I was knocked off my bike 3 years ago going through a roundabout (I had right of way) and I came away with just a broken wrist and some road rash. I was lucky that he hit me on the front wheel - if he had hit me about 30 centimetres closer to the centre then it could have been a lot worse. Since then I am very wary when I go out on the roads to the point that if I’m going out I am doing it very early in the morning when there is no traffic around. And I do not ride in bunches except when it’s in a race - it’s a personal preference but given I live in Auckland so most of my rides are through the city and down Tamaki Drive, I don’t see a need to try and antagonise motorists any more than they are.
End of the day, do you really want to be remembered by a white cross on the side of the road?