How do we change driver attitudes?

"Nicko71" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
: In Brisbane, riding bikes is a major hazard. I get abused, honked at, and have near misses nearly
: every time I ride. Sometimes you end up in a situation where a confrontation occurs. What can we
: do to change the attitudes of motorists to make them more bike friendly??
:
: 🙁

Get more people to ride on the roads... Easier said than done.

Pete

Nicko71 said:

In Brisbane, riding bikes is a major hazard. I get abused, honked at, and have near misses nearly
every time I ride. Sometimes you end up in a situation where a confrontation occurs. What can we do
to change the attitudes of motorists to make them more bike friendly??

🙁

hmmm, what about, return abuse, proper car horn on your bike, spikes on bar ends, and a detachable
metal bar for confrontations? <g

make wider roads. "Nicko71" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In Brisbane, riding bikes is a major hazard. I get abused, honked at, and have near misses nearly
every time I ride. Sometimes you end up in a situation where a confrontation occurs. What can we
do to change the attitudes of motorists to make them more bike friendly??

🙁

--

Quoted message said:

--------------------------<

Posted via cyclingforums.com cyclingforums.comcyclingforums.comOpen ↗

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Nicko71
[quote="Quoted message"][B]In Brisbane, riding bikes is a major hazard. I get abused, >honked at, and have near misses nearly every time I ride. >Sometimes you end up in a situation where a confrontation >occurs. What can we do to change the attitudes of motorists to >make them more bike friendly??[/quote]

Some areas of Brisbane seem to be worse (number of bad drivers) than others. e.g. South side is worse than North side generally. Maybe something to do with a disproportionate number of Sydney drivers on the South side or something.

The option of raising awareness and education would be a nice way to go but always takes too long as you have to wait for a whole generation of bad attitudes to die off. Perhaps mandatory driver re-education for interstate people might work.

Personally I would prefer a police state on the roads. Two police cars on each block coming down hard on anyone displaying antisocial road behaviour. That would be nice.

Andy G said:

make wider roads.

How on earth would that help? Wider roads (with more lanes) only induce even more traffic.. And any
sydneysider who'se looked at road usage in Melbourne knows that wider roads (with wider lanes) turn
drivers into morons that can't drive straight or even stay within their ample lanes, who
indidentally would barely last two hours on Sydney roads..

PC

How on earth would that help? Wider roads (with more lanes) only
: induce even more traffic.. And any sydneysider who'se looked at road usage in Melbourne knows that
: wider roads (with wider lanes) turn drivers into morons that can't drive straight or even stay
: within their ample lanes, who indidentally would barely last two hours on Sydney roads..
:

Mate this is so true. You make the lane wider and the driver wants to still drive in the gutter. I
cannot believe how many people drive across the unbroken lines on the roads. They must not have
been very good at colouring in when they were kids. Being a cyclist makes you a much better driver
and you notice how bad some drivers are.

Personally I think an advertising campaign may help. Saturation that is. Not just for cycling but
road rules in general. Some people dont even know basic road rules. I would also love to have to sit
a knowledge test once say every 5 years. A lot of people would fail that one.

Pete

John Doe said:

Personally I think an advertising campaign may help. Saturation that is. Not just for cycling but
road rules in general. Some people dont even know basic road rules. I would also love to have to
sit a knowledge test once say every 5 years. A lot of people would fail that one.

Given how cheap it is to test motorists these days with touch screen theoretical exams, perhaps it
would be worthwhile pushing for a re-test with every license renewal (and abolish license renewals
greater than 5 years).. Put in lots of questions about what motorists should do when confronted with
minor delays (cyclists, double parked car, truck turning etc) and see how many refuse to wait..

Lots of licenses would be cut up there :-)

PC

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Pc

BOn Wed said:

Personally I think an advertising campaign may help. Saturation that is. Not just for cycling but
road rules in general. Some people dont even know basic road rules. I would also love to have to
sit a knowledge test once say every 5 years. A lot of people would fail that one.

Given how cheap it is to test motorists these days with touch screen theoretical exams, perhaps it
would be worthwhile pushing for a re-test with every license renewal (and abolish license renewals
greater than 5 years).. Put in lots of questions about what motorists should do when confronted with
minor delays (cyclists, double parked car, truck turning etc) and see how many refuse to wait..

Lots of licenses would be cut up there :-)

PC [/B]

Heh, I would love to see see this happen and honestly I cannot believe why this can't be implemented right now!
Oh wait, the government will be up for re-election soon. They would never be so stupid.

What would also be interesting is if the testing was not only knowledge-based (I won't say skills-based because clearly it isn't)
but some sort of psychology test became part of it. You should have to prove that you are mentally fit for license.

Of course in this country a license is a right and not a privilege, right?

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by John Doe
Personally I think an advertising campaign may help. Saturation that is. Not just for cycling but
road rules in general. Some people dont even know basic road rules. I would also love to have to sit
a knowledge test once say every 5 years. A lot of people would fail that one.

Pete

Thats also a good idea.

I remember a few years ago the motorbike campaign - 'look left, look right, look bike'. Surely with the number of cyclists increasing (or so it would seem), especially at this time of year when more people begin commuting to/from work, it would pay to do something similar with bicycles.

Lots of licenses would be cut up there :-)

You are not wrong there. I see some woeful driving with people that obviously have no idea.

Pete

I've done plenty of riding in Brisbane. I've had those experiences - but never a confrontation.

If someone does abuse me - all I do in return is give a friendly wave back. The only time I was
close to being in a confrontation was when I was with someone who gave the middle fingered salute to
a motorist.

Paul

Nicko71 said:

In Brisbane, riding bikes is a major hazard. I get abused, honked at, and have near misses nearly
every time I ride. Sometimes you end up in a situation where a confrontation occurs. What can we
do to change the attitudes of motorists to make them more bike friendly??

🙁

--

Quoted message said:

--------------------------<

Posted via cyclingforums.com cyclingforums.comcyclingforums.comOpen ↗

Hi fellas,

I've been reading this thread right through and found the comments very interesting indeed about
educating motorists around cycles but lets get real eh.....

The average motorist couldn't give a [censored] about bicycles, motorbikes or anything else that might
happen to stray in their lane...or..delay them and extra couple of super valuable minutes.

If they are doing only 2 kph less than they were, "ahh..i gotta get around this f#*kwit, how dare
he/she be in front of me"!!

With the attitude of today's motorist with their ever expensive cocoons they call 'their wheels',
which in fact are becoming too powerful for the average Joe to handle properly and safely even with
the options ABS's, wide rubber, 4 wheel disc brakes as standard etc etc...in fact, the more high
tech the car, the more they are abused. I mean to say, with the absolute speed limit on the
motorways of 110kph, ford , holden and all the others are busting their arses to be the first maker
with a 300kph model for the well heeled even though they are mostly flat out doing 40kph on a good
day trying to get to work and often crawling at 15kph constantly chatting on their mobile phone
(highly illegal and worth 3 points) but do they care? no bloody way!!

They don't want to be educated in safety or otherwise and as far as they are concerned, "if I'm not
caught, then it ain't illegal", every holiday road toll tells this story. Then we have the Mohammeds
in their turbo WRX's, Skyline GTR's etc.......seat reclined right back till it's almost horizontal
with the massive boom box taking up the entire back seat, but hey..that's another story!!

I know what I say sounds quite cynical but I'm on the road all the time, everyday, in the city...in
the suburbs....and in between. I drive one of the Government buses in Sydney and have done for 15
yrs now and the dramatic attitude change on the roads over the past 5-7 yrs in Sydney is
frightening. Yes I can now hear some say "well some of those bus drivers arn't crash hot either"
yes..I'm well aware that there are some in our buses that need their arses kicked but generally we
are very switched on and we damn well have to be.

I'd love a dollar for every life I've saved every day!!

To see some of the idiotic things car drivers do just to get in front of a bus is unbeleivable and
downright dangerous leaving only a split second between making it or smashing it.

I sometimes ride in the city on my treddly with a mate or two mostly on a Sunday (if i can con a day
off) and once while riding in the left lane in Park Street , a bloke in a late model landcruiser
with bullbar that could easily send me for an appointment with St. Peter, was tailgating me what
seemed like less than a foot from my rear wheel so I stopped when I knew he couldn't get around me
due to traffic lights (oh how I love red lights sometimes)and he came to a grinding halt..(luckily
for me).....i just turned around and stared at him with dissapproval..no words were exchanged but he
got the general idea that I was 'not happy Jan"!! and the first break he got..he swung around into
the next lane and took off.....with a funny little middle finger in veiw ........ LOL.

So, as for what it might take to educate motorists? Who knows?

Keep hitting them in the hip pocket seems to be the only language motorists understand.....but even
that has limited effect nowadays.

Regards

DJ

"Ritch" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Nicko71 <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

In Brisbane, riding bikes is a major hazard. I get abused, honked at, and have near misses
nearly every time I ride. Sometimes you end up in a situation where a confrontation occurs. What
can we do to change the attitudes of motorists to make them more bike friendly??

🙁

I recall somewhat better conditions in Brisbane. Maybe it depends where and when you ride... The
worst aspect of riding in Brisbane was that *[censored]* swooping bird that lives on the roundabout
at the junction of East-West Arterial road and the motorway. That little [censored] just won't quit!

Ritch

"PC" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Andy G said:

make wider roads.

How on earth would that help?

lane markings, only 1m wider will give that bit more room. recognition (via law & publicity) that
cyclists are legitimate and different vehicles with their own characteristics.

also less pandering to the car lobby. actually not building roads to encourage 'flow' but better
public transport may help.

Andy G said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

make wider roads.

How on earth would that help?

lane markings, only 1m wider will give that bit more room. recognition (via law & publicity) that
cyclists are legitimate and different vehicles with their own characteristics.

also less pandering to the car lobby. actually not building roads to encourage 'flow' but better
public transport may help.

Actual experience proves otherwise.. Wider roads do far more harm than good..

PC

Nicko71 said:

In Brisbane, riding bikes is a major hazard. I get abused, honked at, and have near misses nearly
every time I ride. Sometimes you end up in a situation where a confrontation occurs. What can we
do to change the attitudes of motorists to make them more bike friendly??

Where are you riding, and at what times?

I'm lucky enough to do 99% of my riding on bikeways and quiet bikelanes (riverside and bits of St
Lucia), although I don't have the guts to ride Sir Fred Schonell Drive in rush hour. So many people
just 'swipe' past and don't move at all.

-- Carlo

lane markings, only 1m wider will give that bit more room.
: recognition (via law & publicity) that cyclists are legitimate and
different
: vehicles with their own characteristics.
:
: also less pandering to the car lobby. actually not building roads to encourage 'flow' but
: better public
transport
: may help.

There are a few bicycle lanes around where I live that are marked with parallel unbroken lines.
However people still drive all over the cycle lane... using it to get a better line so they can
maintain higher speeds around corners. I have seen one guy almost smash into a telegraph pole in one
spot where the cycle lane goes around on its left but the car lane continues straight. I couldnt
believe it.

Although if the road is wider then I guess we have a better chance of not being abused because
people can feel safe about going around without crossing the centre or slowing down. The main reason
I believe people get angry is that they have to slow from 60 to 40 for 10metres. This has no effect
on their overall trip time but its the fact they have to slow down. I have some anecdotal
discussions that back this up.

Lane widening is not really feasible in the heavier urban areas where lanes are already too skinny
for cars due to space restriction. You should see the 3 lanes of the pacific highway through the
north of Sydney. Anyone living and or riding in the area will know what I am talking about.
Especially if you add a couple of Semi's which is quite common.

Pete

Nicko71 <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

In Brisbane, riding bikes is a major hazard. I get abused, honked at, and have near misses nearly
every time I ride. Sometimes you end up in a situation where a confrontation occurs. What can we
do to change the attitudes of motorists to make them more bike friendly??

🙁

I recall somewhat better conditions in Brisbane. Maybe it depends where and when you ride... The
worst aspect of riding in Brisbane was that *[censored]* swooping bird that lives on the roundabout at
the junction of East-West Arterial road and the motorway. That little [censored] just won't quit!

Ritch