Why do push bike riders think they can just ride out in front of cars and expect cars to stop and give way when the bike rider is breaking the law.
"Bicycle riders must dismount and walk across pedestrian crossings"

Rant over

Just about every bicycle in WA breaks the law.

www.legislation.wa.gov.au/legislation/prod/filestore.nsf/FileURL/mrdoc_44997.pdf/$FILE/Road%20Traffic%20(Vehicles)%20Regulations%202014%20-%20%5B01-x0-00%5D.pdf?OpenElement

404. HandlebarThe handlebar of a bicycle must extend not less than 180 mm nor more than 330 mm on each side of the centre of the bicycle and the height of the uppermost point of the handlebar must not exceed the height of the uppermost part of the seat by more than 300 mm

And plenty of mtbs of modern geo: (586 fork and 64 deg head angle is illegal) :

405. Rake and angle of front forksThe horizontal distance between the axle of the front wheel of a bicycle and a line dropped vertically from the centre of the pivot head bearing on the front tube of the frame must not exceed 250 mm.


But - are you not also breaking the law if you don't stop ? Probably several in fact.

And also if you are in Victoria and you don't like kiters - just tell a copper they are annoying you and get them fined :

www.legislation.vic.gov.au/in-force/acts/summary-offences-act-1966/136

Offences Relating to the Good Order
4 Offences relating to the good order of towns etc.
Any person who-
....................
(d) in a public place-
(i) flies a kite; or
(ii) plays at a game-
.................
to the annoyance of any person;
..................
shall be guilty of an offence.


.... but maybe some random maritime law means the ocean isn't considered 'a public place' in terms of the act. So maybe you can only be annoyed at kiters who are launching and landing ?

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Craig66 said..
Why do push bike riders think they can just ride out in front of cars and expect cars to stop and give way when the bike rider is breaking the law.
"Bicycle riders must dismount and walk across pedestrian crossings"

Rant over

Over the years I have decided that the same numpties that do that are the same numpties that do stupid things in cars. It is the same mentality where they don't think.

I remember when I was 18 or so and some idiot kid just rode straight across in front of me on a bike. I remember thinking 'it's not a magic fu#king crossing kid'. I don't know what he was thinking riding straight across in front of a car doing 40kph or so.

I ride in groups now where I see some of the other riders very unaware of their surroundings and of the impact they are having to other road users or pedestrians. It always seems to be the same ones. If they leave their bike across a pathway or stand on a shared path to chat, they are also the same ones that ride in the middle of a lane when its easy to stay to the side and let cars past. They are also the same ones that can be a danger to the rest of the group because they don't see risks and obstructions themselves.

Me, I rarely walk across a pedestrian crossing, and will ride across it, but I won't do it unless I see that the cars around me are giving me right of way. I would rather let them drive through than run me over because they weren't watching and I assumed that they were.

I really dislike pedestrian crossings and will go out of my way not to use one. Putting all your faith in the driver of over a ton of metal to stop, or not to let their foot slip off the brake pedal is simply madness.

I have elderly parents who still drive, both need a doctors certificate each year to maintain their license. Doctor shopping is a thing with the elderly, they know some will easily pass them for another year. So off they go in their one ton of metal and your putting faith in the doctor that issued the certificate, no thanks.


And what's the go with councils landscaping around pedestrian crossings, trees obscuring anyone stepping onto the crossing. Doing 40kph and someone steps out from behind a tree in front of you, bloody stupidity.

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FormulaNova said..

Me, I rarely walk across a pedestrian crossing, and will ride across it, but I won't do it unless I see that the cars around me are giving me right of way. I would rather let them drive through than run me over because they weren't watching and I assumed that they were.

Ah huh, want to be respected as a vehicle when using the road but at the drop of a hat suddenly turn into a pedestrian when it suits, see it all the time.

Another example of this type of double standard is the requirement of cars to leave a metre of clearance when overtaking but when cyclists want to overtake on the left they are suddenly quite fine about leaving only a few centimetres of clearance between themselves and a car.

Often seeing them overtake cars at pedestrian crossings as well, they overtake down the left and ride straight over the pedestrian crossing before the pedestrians have even finished crossing.

In a nutshell double standards and entitlement are two common traits among cyclists.

Don't forget the mandatory "bell, horn or similar device" that most bicycles don't have.

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cammd said..

FormulaNova said..

Me, I rarely walk across a pedestrian crossing, and will ride across it, but I won't do it unless I see that the cars around me are giving me right of way. I would rather let them drive through than run me over because they weren't watching and I assumed that they were.

Ah huh, want to be respected as a vehicle when using the road but at the drop of a hat suddenly turn into a pedestrian when it suits, see it all the time.

Another example of this type of double standard is the requirement of cars to leave a metre of clearance when overtaking but when cyclists want to overtake on the left they are suddenly quite fine about leaving only a few centimetres of clearance between themselves and a car.

Often seeing them overtake cars at pedestrian crossings as well, they overtake down the left and ride straight over the pedestrian crossing before the pedestrians have even finished crossing.

In a nutshell double standards and entitlement are two common traits among cyclists.

I'm a pragmatist. When I see there is a situation where I could be holding up cars, I will use the footpath. When it makes sense to cross at the pedestrian crossings and it doesn't block cars, I do that too.

Here in WA its allowed for people of any age to ride on the footpaths. It makes a lot of sense a lot of the time as you could be legally riding along a highway, blocking one lane of a two lane highway through suburbia, or you could be riding on the footpath where it is safer for you and the cars. Which would you prefer?

I have mentioned this before, that I hate it when cyclists do that thing where they slide up the side of stopped traffic. I don't do it, and it bugs me when I see others doing it. My all time worst experience was seeing some idiot in Sydney doing it repaeatedly at every lights for a huge stretch, and at every lights the cars would have to then change lanes to get around the idiot. But I insist, the same tool that did that would also be a tool in a car.

I have had cars overtake me, while I am in a car, stopped, waiting for someone to cross a pedestrian crossing, so its not a unique thing to cyclists.

In a nutshell, double standards and entitlement are two common traits amongst some motorists. It's unfortunate that a lot of these motorists get so excited and want to win that they forget that they can easily kill someone with their negligence. I worry that you don't realise that the exceptions that you see does not mean all cyclists are like this. I hope you don't kill one in your anger and desire for retribution.

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Harrow said..
Don't forget the mandatory "bell, horn or similar device" that most bicycles don't have.

Really? Every bike I have bought had one. I thought it was a law to supply them with bells? Whether people use them or not is a different matter. Same as indicators on cars.

It is annoying when I see two people, chatting away merrily, and I ring the bell a few times from a distance and they don't notice. What do I do? I slow down, and call out if I can just to make sure they are aware I am there. I would guess the same people are crap drivers too and unaware of a lot of things around them, but I am a cyclist, so I slow down and make it safe for all of us.

Who would have thought that people are consistent and bad cyclists are bad drivers too? It's almost like it's obvious...

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Craig66 said..
Why do push bike riders think they can just ride out in front of cars and expect cars to stop and give way when the bike rider is breaking the law.
"Bicycle riders must dismount and walk across pedestrian crossings"

Rant over

Just for the sake of any WA people that want to dismember a cyclist by driving over them at a pedestrian crossing for 'breaking the law', in WA riding across crossings is not illegal:

"Cyclists and eRiders no longer need to dismount at pedestrian crossings and can simply ride across. This new rule applies when the rider enters the crossing from the connected path and not the road. Riders must not exceed 10km/h and give way to any pedestrians when riding over the crossing."

www.wa.gov.au/organisation/road-safety-commission/cyclists#

In other states, I am not sure, but please don't let this bother you. I hate it when pedestrians blindly walk out on pedestrian crossings without looking too, but I am not going to murder them for being stupid.

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FormulaNova said..

Harrow said..
Don't forget the mandatory "bell, horn or similar device" that most bicycles don't have.

Really? Every bike I have bought had one. I thought it was a law to supply them with bells? Whether people use them or not is a different matter. Same as indicators on cars.

It is annoying when I see two people, chatting away merrily, and I ring the bell a few times from a distance and they don't notice. What do I do? I slow down, and call out if I can just to make sure they are aware I am there. I would guess the same people are crap drivers too and unaware of a lot of things around them, but I am a cyclist, so I slow down and make it safe for all of us.

Who would have thought that people are consistent and bad cyclists are bad drivers too? It's almost like it's obvious...

I don't ever see cars or motorcycles using pavements or pedestrian crossings when it suits, bad driver/rider or not.

Clearly cyclist's and a lot of them, see fit to engage in double standards and do it often. You do it yourself, you don't even get off the bike to use a pedestrian crossing.

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cammd said..

FormulaNova said..

Harrow said..
Don't forget the mandatory "bell, horn or similar device" that most bicycles don't have.

Really? Every bike I have bought had one. I thought it was a law to supply them with bells? Whether people use them or not is a different matter. Same as indicators on cars.

It is annoying when I see two people, chatting away merrily, and I ring the bell a few times from a distance and they don't notice. What do I do? I slow down, and call out if I can just to make sure they are aware I am there. I would guess the same people are crap drivers too and unaware of a lot of things around them, but I am a cyclist, so I slow down and make it safe for all of us.

Who would have thought that people are consistent and bad cyclists are bad drivers too? It's almost like it's obvious...

I don't ever see cars or motorcycles using pavements or pedestrian crossings when it suits, bad driver/rider or not.

Clearly cyclist's and a lot of them, see fit to engage in double standards and do it often. You do it yourself, you don't even get off the bike to use a pedestrian crossing.

In your haste to preach to me, you may not have read my reply that showed that in WA it is not illegal to ride across pedestrian crossings.

I live in WA. But I would do it NSW too if I lived there. There was a section of Blakehurst, near where I used to live in NSW where the traffic is congested and it is a 2/3/4 lane highway. In peak hour it is crap. I guess I COULD ride in the lane I wanted and take the entire lane as is my legal right. Any lane. But I never did because it is crazy. It is going to slow down a lot of drivers and more likely it is going to get you killed. I would happily ride along the footpath there. There are few pedestrians and it makes sense. It does appear to be illegal though.

Please think that if you see a stupid cyclist in NSW or Qld that rides across a pedestrian crossing, what would you do if it was your son or daughter, or your mother? If it was a child that was still learning their way around the world. Would you still want to teach them the road rules by driving too close to them?

I see a few motorcyclists around here lane-split when it is too fast, and pull infront of me at the lights and then drive slow. Mehh. They are doing the wrong thing according to me, but I don't care, I am driving a car and it is going to make little difference to my journey. I shrug it off, mutter to myself and get on with my life.

?t=30

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Harrow said..
Don't forget the mandatory "bell, horn or similar device" that most bicycles don't have.

Pretty useless when everyone meandering all over shared paths have EarPods in