You know what frustrates me? Bicycles. Actually, to be more specific, what really pisses me off are people who ride bicycles on the road. Before I started writing this rant, I was planning on discussing motorbike riders, but as I was driving home from a short trip, I managed to get stuck behind some idiot riding his push-bike on the highway. From 60mph down to approximately 10mph. In the following article, I’d like to discuss exactly why bicycle riders are the biggest ********s on our roads, and why they should stick to the footpath.
I mentioned at the beginning of the article about my run-in with the bicycle rider, and this, as far as I’m concerned, is one of the main reasons why they simply shouldn’t be allowed on the roads. When the average speed limit is 60mph, how often do you see a cyclist riding at the same speed as the motorists around them? If it is illegal for a motorists to drive significantly slower than the speed limit, why are cyclists given a free pass? The simple fact is, when a cyclist is riding slowly, they disturb the flow of traffic, they cause motorists to want to change lanes unnecessarily and in-turn, all they’re doing is creating a greater risk of an accident.
The last, and undoubtedly the most important reason why bicycles shouldn’t be allowed on the roads, is safety. The fact of the matter is, it just isn’t safe for a cyclist to be sharing a lane with a motor vehicle that is travelling 60mph or more. We hear time and time again about motorbike riders being involved in (near) fatal incidents when they collide with cars, and despite this, the RTA still finds it acceptable for people to ride bicycles (which not only go slower, but are even less safe if the rider is involved in an accident) on the road? I’m sorry, but when the average cyclist wears little to no protective clothing and when the average cyclist wears a helmet which only covers the top half of their head (as opposed motorbike helmets which cover their whole head), who in their right mind would find this safe? If a cyclist gets into an accident with a car going even 40mph they’re ******
There are those people who will then argue that if cyclists rode on the footpath, they’d be a danger to pedestrians. Well, let’s weigh this up shall we? What’s worse – a cyclist hitting a pedestrian going 10mph or a car hitting a cyclist going 60mph? The pedestrian might have a broken arm/leg, perhaps even some scratching, what does the cyclist face in the second scenario? All the injuries of the pedestrian in the first case, with the added possibly of death! If there are too many pedestrians on the footpath then the cyclist could just slow down – worst case scenario, he rides a little slower for a few metres, or god forbid, he has to get off and walk next to his bike for a brief moment .
To me, this sounds a lot less inconvenient that having a whole line of cars slow down, which then causes traffic and changing lanes (now affecting the flow of traffic in the other lane) because some inconsiderate ****** was either too cheap to purchase a car or wanted to ‘save the earth’ on his commute to work.
In my opinion, the only place when riding a bike on the road would be feasible is in the CBD during peak-hour traffic, when cars are moving slow to begin with – but even then, the fact still stands, it’s just too dangerous. We can’t be making exceptions, either get them off all the roads or let them ride on each one. We all know the latter isn’t happening though!
Cyclists are the idiots of the road for so many reasons. They don’t pay for registration, so they reap all the benefits of using the roads without having to pay for them. They slow down traffic to a crawl as motorists focus on not hitting them but at the same time trying to get around them. And they pedal on their ignorant merry way, in those stupid lycra suits, oblivious to the problems and frustrations they are causing behind them.
If the government wants cyclists on the roads so badly, then they should have dedicated bike lanes. This way, they aren’t put at risk of being hit or run-over, and motorists aren’t inconvenienced or forced into unnecessary evasive manoeuvres. Until then, either invest in a car, catch public transport or walk like everyone else. As far as I’m**concerned, if it doesn’t have a motor then it doesn’t belong on the roads – you can save the planet some other way.
