Death wish and the South Gippsland Highway

"Jake" wrote:

As a motorist, it doesn't seem to matter how good and kind you feel when you leave your driveway. A
few other motorists inevitably make you angry with the world.

There's something about egos, and the disassociation of speed from physical and mental ability that
makes sure that the negative emotions are the contagious ones.

John

Greetings, Tell us something else new. In the past two decades I have had various idiots trying to
kill me, including having doors opened on me, various objects tossed in my direction, numerous near
misses, and being shot at (!) I knew what road rage was before they invented the term, and so do the
rest of us, sad to say. And of course they get away with it. You're a cyclist, you're a tiny
minority, you don't count. Regards, Ray.

Jake said:

Just past Webb St, on my way to the Princess Highway along South Gippsland highway I was near
deathed by a white fairlane travelling at about 100km. Firstly. might I say that he defintely had
clear view of me when approaching and I suspect that he momentarily thought the idea entertaining
to his meek existence. But if I had been scuffled by a piece of wind or dodged half a foot a piece
of debris such as glass, he may well ahve collected me and I very well would ahve died.

Those of you here probably familiar with the surge of anger ensuing and the Natural Born Killer
flickers of bloody and murderous vengeance.

Noting the 1km trail of cars banked up on the other side of the road I crossed the median strip and
pursued my destination on the wrong side of the road, feeling much safer being able to discern my
prospective my murderers before they passed me. However I decided, for moderate necessity to ride
up the middle of the 1km/hr jammed traffic and was stunned to find about one in

Quoted message said:

what happens to you when you ride up the middle of us like that - you get hit by us". Seeing
narrowed gaps ahead, I kid you not, some of these drivers would deliberately clsoe my gap so in the
final call I had to get right over the right side of the road and bunny hop onto the sidewalk,
which in this case was unkept paddock grass.

Quoted message said:

I don't think there was anyother way to get from this road to dandenong station or on to the
dandenong creek to Carrum.

But I conclude with some inferential certainty that what we have here are cases i nhistiry where
drivers ahve behaved precisely this way and actually killed the rider, getting off clean because
the rider was on the wrong side of the road. But the same wouldn't apply for a pedestrian right?
This is the problem, bicyclists, for their own safety must be catorgorised in this part as
pedestrians, differing only in matters of helmet mandates and night lights.

If you want to start each work day in a foul mood then commute daily by bicycle on the road system.
Rather than being a relaxed way to travel, cycling in company with drivers is a certain way to see
the negative side of humanity

"Jake" <j@com> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Just past Webb St, on my way to the Princess Highway along South Gippsland highway I was near
deathed by a white fairlane travelling at about 100km. Firstly. might I say that he defintely had
clear view of me when

approaching

Quoted message said:

and I suspect that he momentarily thought the idea entertaining to his

meek

Quoted message said:

existence. But if I had been scuffled by a piece of wind or dodged half a foot a piece of debris
such as glass, he may well ahve collected me and I very well would ahve died.

Those of you here probably familiar with the surge of anger ensuing and

the

Quoted message said:

Natural Born Killer flickers of bloody and murderous vengeance.

Noting the 1km trail of cars banked up on the other side of the road I crossed the median strip
and pursued my destination on the wrong side of

the

Quoted message said:

road, feeling much safer being able to discern my prospective my murderers before they passed me.
However I decided, for moderate necessity to ride

up

Quoted message said:

the middle of the 1km/hr jammed traffic and was stunned to find about one

in

is

Quoted message said:

what happens to you when you ride up the middle of us like that - you get hit by us". Seeing
narrowed gaps ahead, I kid you not, some of these

drivers

Quoted message said:

would deliberately clsoe my gap so in the final call I had to get right

over

Quoted message said:

the right side of the road and bunny hop onto the sidewalk, which in this case was unkept
paddock grass.

Quoted message said:

I don't think there was anyother way to get from this road to dandenong station or on to the
dandenong creek to Carrum.

But I conclude with some inferential certainty that what we have here are cases i nhistiry where
drivers ahve behaved precisely this way and

actually

Quoted message said:

killed the rider, getting off clean because the rider was on the wrong

side

Quoted message said:

of the road. But the same wouldn't apply for a pedestrian right? This is

the

Quoted message said:

problem, bicyclists, for their own safety must be catorgorised in this

part

Quoted message said:

as pedestrians, differing only in matters of helmet mandates and night lights.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Claude
If you want to start each work day in a foul mood then commute daily by bicycle on the road system.
Rather than being a relaxed way to travel, cycling in company with drivers is a certain way to see
the negative side of humanity

I agree. Some days are better than others. However the benefits for me outweigh the negatives and I can't give it up. Call it short-sightedness.

The alternative, 'bike paths' (aka 'let my dog(s) run free because I can' paths) generally get me worked up almost as much. Fortunately though, dogs and inattentive pedestrians aren't nearly as life-threatening as cars.

There must be an easier way.