Up Front: This is a Photograph of Me
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@Emma: My partner (whom you have briefly met, signing your book) has a story about needing photo ID for something, and not having any. Until eventually, rummaging through her wallet, she pulled out: her membership card for the Auckland Sword & Shield.
I also think drivers AND pedestrians don't turn their heads far enough to the right when they look, so they miss cyclists vooming along the left-hand side of the lane.
As a cyclist, the faster I'm going, the closer to the middle of the lane I am. If I'm "vooming", I make sure I'm more than a car-door-length out..
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So what position should I have been in?
I think either "behind the wheel of a car" or "in your living room".
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I found myself checking out beginner motorcycle models
Protip: avoid any Suzuki GN built in the last 10 years.
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That's a fairly large generalisation, don't you think Ben?
Of course it is, Emma. I'm doing it to explain, from a lifetime driver's perspective, how it feels. I'm being honest. Naturally I give lifts ungrudgingly to people all the time, and yes, I do like doing it. It's the times when I don't like doing it, and I get guilt tripped into it, that these thoughts occur to me.
Jack, I totally agree about cycling adding to the road experience. And being a motorcyclist opened my eyes even more. I have driven trucks too, although I draw the line at getting an HT license (although now, saying this, I'm tempted). I deal with trucks by giving them right of way, on the automatic assumption that driving them is really hard. I do the same for buses, with the added factor that there's karma in it - you're giving up a little of your time to get the same amount of time back for a lot of people. Indeed, often, you're not giving up any time at all, you pass the bus at the next stop anyway. Also, I want more people on buses, means more road space for me.
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Ahh, the thing is, I have a theory. Perhaps the driver didn't see you because you were not there, separate universes an all that. You would see the car but the driver was in a different dimension, that is until you collided of course. You see it's the old observer thing.
I ran over a cat once, belonged to a bloke up the road, a Mr Schrödinger. The neighbour came out to see what all the fuss was about, that bloody nosey Heisenberg. Schrödinger was all "Oh My Cat, is it dead?" Heisenberg took a look but said he couldn't be sure so he asked me to have a look an I was all "well I cant look, you know, what if he's like just hangin' in there" So we never looked.
The car smelled a bit for a while but we thought it best, you know. -
My car was written off last year, by a driver who just didn't see the red light. Those perceptual errors are genuine. (I was totally unhurt, he acknowledged responsibility - a bit bloody not to - and I got a full payout, and a nice shiny new car.)
As a pedestrian, I keep in mind that bicycles are bigger than people. As a cyclist, I keep in mind that cars are bigger than bikes. Being in the right and dead strikes me as a very bad deal.
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A *lot* of cyclists I meet while driving the southern western & eastern south highways really really need to learn about how drivers see them...to wit, coming home from Franz this afternoon, two cyclists, complete with pannier bags (i.e taking up the north lane) round a blind corner.
My brakes are good: my horn is loud. And I reported the incident to the cops in Franz (as we have locally been advised to do.)The main highway this side of the island is NARROW. In a lot of the length. There aint room to avoid cyclists taking up the entire lane.
Incidentally, there is a move to ban cyclists from the main road here - unless the gummint & tourist operators spring for a dedicated cycle lane. (That isnt going to happen.)
Motorcyclists are a whole different kettle of fish: because I have several i te whanau, I keep an eye out - and I know they have really good road senses...
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BTW, has anyone heard from Danielle recently (given some of the comments upthread about imminent arrivals precipitating driving lessons)?
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LOL Steve Barnes! Literally-
Deborah, one of the other threads had details and announcement of Bobby's arrival- cheers!
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There are a lot of crap drivers, inexperienced drivers, drunk drivers, drivers with something else on their mind, some distraction etc. But none of that goes to suggest that their vision did not improve from driving. It just says that cars are still dangerous. Which is part of the very reason the vision improves - it has to.
Definitely cars should be more aware of cyclists and pedestrians. But equally, cyclists in particular should acknowledge that they are putting themselves in danger by doing what they are doing, and that they have an extra special duty of care because of it. They are on something that is extremely underengineered, low powered, has very little braking power, no ability to protect them in an accident whatsoever, wobbles from side to side, extremely slim profile lowering their visibility, requires no license to drive, and yet can actually go quite fast for all that. Furthermore, the rider is usually quite distracted because they are also concentrating on powering the bike, they are often tired, and they're thinking about the end of the ride. It is no surprise that cyclists are often injured. If they can put themselves in drivers shoes then they will be a lot safer.
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Being in the right and dead strikes me as a very bad deal.
That pretty much sums it up for me. Still, to hear a spiel along the lines of "oh, you really should try driving a car, it broadens your perception, you feel the pressure waves, I tell you, ,man, it's like the fucking Matrix out there" quickly followed by "you either place yourself where I can see you or you're going to die" is still a bit galling!
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Being in the right and dead strikes me as a very bad deal.
Being in the right and killing someone doesn't seem so great, either.
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Happened to somebody very dear to me, and no, it wasn't a great experience.
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The one thing that truly fucks me off about not driving (pardon my French) is the curious, almost pitying look I get when someone finds out, as if they're thinking, "What's wrong with you?"
Nothing is wrong with me, thankyouverymuch. I can get anywhere I need to go at any time I need to be there. There's this thing called public transport, which allows me to do everything you do on the road and read a good book while doing so. I choose not to drive, and that's that. (I only got my passport a couple of years ago, and I've used it maybe twice as ID since then-never mind I was being asked for ID for bottles of wine at the supermarket not two weeks before...)
It's a bit of a myth that Auckland public transport is terrible anyway. I've lived places where it's better but it's still entirely serviceable here, as long as you take the time to do a little research. You can always spot someone who doesn't use it regularly because they'll stop the bus driver for a chat about all the stops that are in the exact opposite direction to the route listed on the timetable beside them at the stop, and then spend five minutes fumbling around in their wallet/purse for a twenty dollar note for a one stage trip.
As for cyclists not being aware of other road users-it really does work both ways. There's a cycle lane up Lake Rd to Takapuna from Devonport, and I've taken to only ever sitting on the righthand side of the bus so I can't see all the near misses car drivers have when they drive too close to cyclists who are doing exactly what the road rules say they should be doing. 1.5 m clearance my arse.
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two cyclists, complete with pannier bags (i.e taking up the north lane) round a blind corner.
The road code (pg20) says that two cyclists *can* ride next to each other legally.
Almost all sealed roads in NZ, especially state highways, are at least two lanes wide, so there is room for oncoming traffic. All vehicles are required to travel at a speed where they can stop in the distance they can see - so on a blind bend, you should have slowed down such that you could easily slow for the cyclists, and wait for it to be safe to pass.
Having said that, NZ drivers are a bunch of inconsiderate dicks, and a sensible cyclist should realise this and make allowances.
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I got my learners license when I was pregnant with my first but discovered that the wonky vision and general vagueness inherent to my condition meant I was even more of a road hazard than I normally would be. I got a few lessons when my son was a baby but it didn't come naturally and it's not much fun practicing piloting a deadly weapon around town with your pride and joy in the back seat. My youngest starts school later this year and maybe I'll try again then. Or maybe not.
I make a big effort not to ask for lifts and, in fact, usually turn down two or three offers for every one I accept. People don't seem to get that I quite like using my feet or taking the bus.
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But that's the point of defensive driving, and defensive cycling, and defensive walking. It's about being aware that the other person might make a silly mistake, and adjusting your own behaviour accordingly, so everyone gets to go home that night.
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Being in the right and dead strikes me as a very bad deal.
This is what gets me about yer average Kiwi driver that insists on taking right of way far too literally. Like the guy who won't slow down when you edge out into busy traffic, he hoots and honks and swerves across the road causing chaos whilst simultaneously giving you the fingers. I learned to drive in the UK where drivers understand that you have to share the road to make it work. People complain about Asian drivers but sheesh, 50 year old Kiwi blokes who think the road is there for them alone are a nightmare.
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...a bright yellow Suzuki Carry Van called Wee Jock Silly McPlop
Yay...glad to see i'm not the only one who names my vehicles. We currently have a people mover named Lexi and a van named Kobe.
My favourite was a Morrie Minor named Boston. I'm still toying with the idea of writing a kids book about him just so's i can illustrate it.
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The road code (pg20) says that two cyclists *can* ride next to each other legally.
Doesn't mean it's not a fucking rude thing to do if you're holding up traffic, or risking a potentially fatal accident on a highway. It's also legal to drive your car at 1 km/h in a 50km/h zone, but how hard is it to let traffic pass before you do?
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Motorists in particular should acknowledge that they are putting others in danger by doing what they are doing, and that they have an extra special duty of care because of it. They are in something that is extremely underengineered, overly high powered, has very little braking power, no ability to protect others in an accident whatsoever, has extraordinary momentum relative to the usual cargo, extremely wide profile lowering their visibility, requires an inadequate license to drive, and yet can actually go quite fast for all that. Furthermore, the driver is usually quite distracted because they are also multitasking while operating the vehicle, they are often tired, and they're thinking about the end of the terrible traffic. It is no surprise that motorists often injure others. If they can put themselves in cyclist and pedestrians' shoes then they will be a lot safer for other road users.
Sorry to pick on you Ben, but I really have had enough of this idea that cars are the default, normal class of road users, and that others have to just suck it up. EVERYONE needs to be careful, the dangerous as much as the vulnerable.
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The word from South Westland police (see our magnificent "Community Contact") is - they will go and explain to cyclists riding two-abreast on our roads as to why this is A Really Bad Thing To Do.
RichofObetc. - it is *physically impossible* to slow down sufficiently on some of the corners on SH63 to avoid fuckwitted cyclists like those I encountered this afternoon (let alone the ones riding four-abreast up Mount Hercules that I encountered years ago.
It was then & there that I determined, in a similar situation, I'd go straight through the cyclists, rather than hit an innocent oncoming vehicle-
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(and by "normal" I guess I mean "normative" rather than "usual").
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Stephen Judd - just how much road tax do overseas cyclists pay?
And, frankly, cars, trucks, and other powered vehicles are *the major road users* in ANZ.
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BTW, has anyone heard from Danielle recently (given some of the comments upthread about imminent arrivals precipitating driving lessons)?
Oh, the wonders of facebook. Our lovely Danielle had a boy, Deborah. A bonny big one.
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