Bike Lane Hazard?

November 7, 2009 · Comments

I’ve been sent this video quite a few times after it was published in the AdelaideNow online newspaper last week.  I appreciate and respect fellow cyclist’s efforts in lobbing for better bicycle laneways which I’m all for, but seriously, you’re endangering your own life if you’re not confident to ride in the type of traffic shown in the video.  A bike lane is only a white line and a false sense of security.  Most of the times I’ve been hit or almost hit by a car it’s been by a driver turning left into me through the bike lane.

As it states in the YouTube description, this is awkwardly embarrassing:

To minimize the risk of cars passing too close the cyclist rocks from side to side and flaps his arms to seem unpredictable to cars behind so they will not try and pass unless they can give him a wide berth.

I’m not convinced this is the best approach. Instead of flapping your arms like a chicken, simply give yourself some presence by riding a meter out from the curb so that traffic has no choice but to go around rather than squeeze by you.  Be predictable on the road so that drivers can judge how they’re going to get around.  We may be annoying them with our chosen form of transportation or recreation, but 99% of drivers aren’t homicidal and aren’t going to try to kill you. Riding like a maniac isn’t going to discourage the small percentage of drivers trying to give you a scare.

Also, if the unmarked 300m stretch is indeed that dangerous, you may want to consider merging onto the perfectly good walking path on your left in the video.  Riding on it might be illegal, but if you’re not confident enough to ride in traffic the small inconvenience may be the safest bet to get you home.

That said, I’m speaking with complete and utter ignorance to the cyclist/motorist situation in Adelaide.  I’ve only ridden there once but it didn’t seem much different than Melbourne.  However, Queensland drivers are a different beast altogether. Shocking!

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  • buttso
    He didn't look like he was dojng much other than rock a little as he got up to speed to make himself look a bit bigger to have more of a presence. The commentary sounded a bit nutty, but he looks like a better rider than a commentator. I love the fact that as soon as it gets hard (ie lack of road top) the bike lanes end. Which is just where you need them the most. Like to see the TdU riders ride around the roads/hills in smallre packs of 2-3 without their team car escorts (and police in the case of Armstrong) and then give Rann a report on how well Adelaide satisfies it's claim to be a good "cycling" city.
  • grant15
    That guy is nuts. I lived in Adelaide most of my life and it is pretty safe riding around there. It is now even safer due to the Tour Down Under everone knows about cycling. The greatest danger on that bit of road was that guy, giving all cyclist a bad name. Take him off the road.
  • xroadie
    we should ask that this guy wear a bright fluro vest with the word "concerned rider"...on it.....so as a car driver or as a bike rider, that we can stear clear of him.....as he appears to be the problem!
  • pinarello413
    That's at Holden Hill. It's not that bad. Sure it's a busy intersection, but I feel safe when i ride around that neck of the woods. The road is quite wide and the driver's are fairly patient
  • willrs
    I cant really see whats so terrifying about the road in the video. I do agree however that bike lanes in Melbourne (and probably Adelaide) are placed quite randomly and often vanish suddenly... not a massive problem for experienced riders, but for the nervous commuter its probably a bit disconcerting. I had a week of riding in Adelaide a while ago and I thought the drivers there seemed noticeably less aggressive than Melbourne drivers...
  • Clayton
    I rode along this road yesterday and was more concerned about the drill bit in the bike lane that destroyed my tyre.
  • Is that a Bureau Of Statistics fact???
  • Ribs
    Always. Take. The. Lane.

    Also, given how many cars pass me on a daily basis (I'm not that fast!), a 1% homicidal rate isn't good odds! Death would be certain!
  • Totally concur there, all the rath taken vastly underweighs the fact that they simply can't drvie straight past you when you are a metre in from the curb.

    Hooray for commen sense and the cars that treat us with respect.
  • it's a proven fact that 88% of stats are completely made up on the spot. And only 11% are true.

    ;-)
  • Craig
    Adelaide is a strange place, full of strange people. I think he is one of them.

    Adelaide's roads are fine. I road on them every day for 5 years. The drivers are pretty good too. Like everywhere, you need to steer clear of trucks and cabbies, but that is basically common sense. I wouldn't read anything into it. Typical Adelaide fruitcake. So glad I left that place...
  • Nat
    Nice one Craig, keeping to the topic. The guy is a dickhead and the Advertiser is a terrible newspaper but really, aren't there a few nobs on beach road too?
  • I used to ride this exact route a couple of years back whilst commuting to Uni, it's a little hairy but if he was seriously worried about it, there is a perfectly good bike path along the river torrens about another 500m down the road rather than turning right. It would take him into town and the only things he'd need to worry about is ducks, magpies, hoses, and walkers/runners. I could think of a heap of places riding in adl that is worse than that.
  • Max
    What a loon. If he really thinks riding in traffic for 300m is way too dangerous, he needs to get off the road. All he's done with his "maniac on a bike" routine is make the road more dangerous for everyone! Riding safely on the road isn't hard. It's about being assertive, consistent and predictable. I know I'm preaching to the converted here ;)
  • Speaking of bike lanes, I was riding down fitzroy st today and noticed the new lane on the city side. Is it me or is this the most ridiculous lane ever? Even though it's completely segregated from the traffic it feels like a death trap as I don't think drivers would see you when turning left because it's way too dark and there are no signs at all. I would assume the car is to give way but I'm actually not sure what the rule would be.
  • Haha, this is the exact bike lane i was just discussing with my mate when we saw this post. I've only ridden the road 5 times since the lane was installed, the first time i got hoaxed into riding the bike lane, and all of a sudden i'd just ridden through a give way sign before i realised and with out looking!!! WTF and nearly got killed by a pedestrian. Let's just say the other 4 times i've just ridden along the road. Absolute psycho bike lane. it's as though it was designed to kill people. Riding that 500m stretch of road was about as dangerous as 3 months worth of solid training in one hit.
    And yes, i'm pretty sure your supposed to give way to side traffic entering and leaving. Redicolous!
  • Tim
    No offence intended, but I don't think it's that bad. The government is trying, and for that they deserve some recognition.

    It's not ideal that's for sure, especially the couple of left turns across the lane, but I think in line with the other goals for that area (more of a destination precinct rather than arterial access) it's not too bad. I ride it every second or third morning, and you just have to keep your eyes up.

    We'll see more and more of them, so I think as motorists become aware and the engineers work stuff out they'll improve.

    Tim
  • Well that was a little strange. Agreed, if confidence in these conditions is an issue probably foot path (yes not legal but safe), or bike way. I've long agreed that Melbourne is probably one of the best cities in Australia for cycling inspite of the constant war stories and the difficulties of getting both parties to enter into dialogue as opposed to random shouting at each other in passing moments of frustration or fear. I rate Adelaid as probably my 2nd favorite state to ride.

    Being unpredictable causes accidents not prevent them. Car driving straight and merging lanes predictable, pulling the hand brake doing a 180 whilst reading non descript political litrature on the monash might create a panick response from other drivers. No different for cyclists.

    Back the comment bout QLD, I've been finishing studies there for last 6 months. The homicidal box is actually an option just above the donor box on QLD licenses.



  • haha, yes you can employ that strategy! however, you'd be surprised that drivers here do not get mad with cyclists. They treat them like other traffic. So, the best strategy is to be predictable and ride in straight lines without sudden weaving. It pays to go straight to the front at traffic lights, the area where scooters wait.
  • Tim
    It's an interesting dichotomy between drivers. After having ridden in France, Germany and Switzerland and Italy, I was shocked at how incredibly patient they are, probably,
    a) they all ride, or know someone who does
    b) they've been cycling for years
    c) they're way more laid back (Aussies are highly strung on the road)
  • I have seen worse roads than the one depicted in the video! Its quite tame compared to riding here in Taipei. My no.1 tip for riding in traffic is to take charge and be confident. In "dangerous" areas, I often speed up to 40km/h or more just to keep pace with traffic and "safely" take up a whole lane without overly bothering drivers. If you make eye-contact with the drivers and signal your intentions (esp if you want to cross a wide laned road full of traffic and you look back and signal, they will often slow for you to get over to make the turn). Bus drivers seem to be the worse for the disregard for cyclists, so the best way to handle the bus is to let them go past or sprint hard for a few seconds so that your momentum keeps you in front (the bus has to make frequent stops, you'll soon leave them behind in heavy traffic areas)
  • I've had the pleasure of cycling in Taipei for a month. I highly recommend the "flapping like a chicken" strategy there to be safe. It was nuts!

    ;-)
  • ericmoritz
    Looks like a perfect opportunity to take the lane. There's two other lanes for cars to drive in. The cars can deal with it for the 1 minute he traveled in the lane. That guy's fear is going to get himself killed.
  • Daniel S
    I agree, this video was so embarassing to watch. Traffic in Adelaide really isn't that bad. Like you say, just ride out from the kerb a bit and force cars to go around you.
  • mattcoop
    Wow... I've never had the pleasure of biking in Australia (being from the US), don't know anything too specific about your laws and whatnot, but even I think the guy is a fool. I agree that last thing I would ever want to do in heavy traffic like that is appear 'unpredictable' and think I was safe just because I was in a bike lane.

    Honestly, I wouldn't want to even be on a road like that to begin with unless I absolutely had to, and usually try to get off of them asap.
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