W hy are cyclists so despised by motorists?
Drastic changes needed to break vicious cycle
SMH Letters to Editor March 15, 2010 For discussion and non-profit use only
Who among us did not know that Sydney drivers are among the most aggressive on the planet (''Sydney: the city that hates bikes'', March 13-14)?
Imagine how different it could be if we were all a little more courteous and ignored our mobile phones, iPods, lipsticks and PCs while we drive. The pay-off would be immense. As has occurred in Melbourne, an increase in cyclists would result in a profound improvement in traffic flow.
Stephen Broderick Roseville
The suggested ways to make roads safer for cyclists are all reasonable but none addresses the biggest single cycling problem in Sydney, the narrow streets that are a legacy of the city's hilly terrain.
Norm Neill Darlinghurst
I am among the many Sydneysiders who dislike cyclists. However, I am not a motorist, but a pedestrian. I walk to and from work each day where I am nearly knocked down by cyclists on the footpath three to four times on each trip. While it may be hostile for cyclists on the roads, their decision to ride illegally on the footpaths is making it far more dangerous for pedestrians.
Janese Boots Cremorne
According to an expert in Saturday's Herald, we need more cyclists in Sydney.
If so, would it be possible to run an education program for the cyclists, to let them know that a red light means stop?
As a pedestrian near Town Hall, I take my life into my hands every day when I step onto the crossing because of the cyclists at the red light who think that their destination is more important than my health and safety.
I have seen what happens when a cyclist hits a pedestrian, and neither party comes out of it well.
Richard Goodwin Narara
Your article ''Sydney: the city that hates bikes'' is misleading.
The photo from Copenhagen depicts a ''no go'' area for motorised vehicles and clearly shows pedestrians and cyclists are not mixed, and that they are restricted to their own areas, while the Sydney photo of a cyclist riding between two lanes of traffic would not be permitted for cyclists in Copenhagen. That is the reason there is less hostility to cyclists in Copenhagen.
Peter Langer Manly
John Pucher is 100 per cent correct when he says Sydney drivers are the most aggressive in the world.
Each year as I set off to drive for a month or so in a foreign country, I leave behind worried relatives and friends telling me I am crazy. My trip over Christmas driving the length and breadth of Italy with only my 10-year-old daughter for company elicited pleas not to do so lest we become victims of ''those crazy Italian drivers''. However, driving in the eastern suburbs has prepared me for any situation any country can throw at me. All in a day's work is avoiding massive four-wheel-drives thundering towards me in tiny Paddington back lanes; perfecting front parks because the car behind me refuses to back up and let me reverse park; or out-smarting the driver who, realising you would like to merge, speeds up and then tailgates and beeps continuously when you have the audacity to do so.
Yes, the Italians may like to break rules, the Americans probably do carry guns in their gloveboxes and the Japanese can't understand you when you stop to ask directions, but at least for the most part they happily share their roads. I'm serious when I say that the roads of Sydney are not a safe place for anyone not trained and practised on them; and that is very sad.
Catherine Dixon Paddington
There is no mystery as to why "Sydney is one of the developed world's most hostile cities for cycling". The roads are totally inadequate for the volume of traffic trying to use them. It is no surprise that John Pucher said: "I almost got killed several times - people cutting me off, squeezing me off the road and not stopping." Even if people wanted to stop after a close encounter with a bike rider, most of the time there is nowhere to stop. And few bike riders seem to understand there are road rules, so it is really surprising more are not hurt than are now.
We are now in the 21st century and we are still using main roads built in the 1800s for the horse and cart. Other cities have better roads (and even freeways), built in the 20th century, and it is no surprise bike riders are safer riding on them. Until there are adequate roads for our level of traffic, it would be best to ban bike riders from all major roads. That would not be a popular with bike riders, but it would save a few lives.
Lindsay Foyle Stanmore
SMH Letters to Editor March 15, 2010 For discussion and non-profit use only
Who among us did not know that Sydney drivers are among the most aggressive on the planet (''Sydney: the city that hates bikes'', March 13-14)?
Imagine how different it could be if we were all a little more courteous and ignored our mobile phones, iPods, lipsticks and PCs while we drive. The pay-off would be immense. As has occurred in Melbourne, an increase in cyclists would result in a profound improvement in traffic flow.
Stephen Broderick Roseville
The suggested ways to make roads safer for cyclists are all reasonable but none addresses the biggest single cycling problem in Sydney, the narrow streets that are a legacy of the city's hilly terrain.
Norm Neill Darlinghurst
I am among the many Sydneysiders who dislike cyclists. However, I am not a motorist, but a pedestrian. I walk to and from work each day where I am nearly knocked down by cyclists on the footpath three to four times on each trip. While it may be hostile for cyclists on the roads, their decision to ride illegally on the footpaths is making it far more dangerous for pedestrians.
Janese Boots Cremorne
According to an expert in Saturday's Herald, we need more cyclists in Sydney.
If so, would it be possible to run an education program for the cyclists, to let them know that a red light means stop?
As a pedestrian near Town Hall, I take my life into my hands every day when I step onto the crossing because of the cyclists at the red light who think that their destination is more important than my health and safety.
I have seen what happens when a cyclist hits a pedestrian, and neither party comes out of it well.
Richard Goodwin Narara
Your article ''Sydney: the city that hates bikes'' is misleading.
The photo from Copenhagen depicts a ''no go'' area for motorised vehicles and clearly shows pedestrians and cyclists are not mixed, and that they are restricted to their own areas, while the Sydney photo of a cyclist riding between two lanes of traffic would not be permitted for cyclists in Copenhagen. That is the reason there is less hostility to cyclists in Copenhagen.
Peter Langer Manly
John Pucher is 100 per cent correct when he says Sydney drivers are the most aggressive in the world.
Each year as I set off to drive for a month or so in a foreign country, I leave behind worried relatives and friends telling me I am crazy. My trip over Christmas driving the length and breadth of Italy with only my 10-year-old daughter for company elicited pleas not to do so lest we become victims of ''those crazy Italian drivers''. However, driving in the eastern suburbs has prepared me for any situation any country can throw at me. All in a day's work is avoiding massive four-wheel-drives thundering towards me in tiny Paddington back lanes; perfecting front parks because the car behind me refuses to back up and let me reverse park; or out-smarting the driver who, realising you would like to merge, speeds up and then tailgates and beeps continuously when you have the audacity to do so.
Yes, the Italians may like to break rules, the Americans probably do carry guns in their gloveboxes and the Japanese can't understand you when you stop to ask directions, but at least for the most part they happily share their roads. I'm serious when I say that the roads of Sydney are not a safe place for anyone not trained and practised on them; and that is very sad.
Catherine Dixon Paddington
There is no mystery as to why "Sydney is one of the developed world's most hostile cities for cycling". The roads are totally inadequate for the volume of traffic trying to use them. It is no surprise that John Pucher said: "I almost got killed several times - people cutting me off, squeezing me off the road and not stopping." Even if people wanted to stop after a close encounter with a bike rider, most of the time there is nowhere to stop. And few bike riders seem to understand there are road rules, so it is really surprising more are not hurt than are now.
We are now in the 21st century and we are still using main roads built in the 1800s for the horse and cart. Other cities have better roads (and even freeways), built in the 20th century, and it is no surprise bike riders are safer riding on them. Until there are adequate roads for our level of traffic, it would be best to ban bike riders from all major roads. That would not be a popular with bike riders, but it would save a few lives.
Lindsay Foyle Stanmore
Labels: behaviour, bicycle, cyclist, motorist, Sydney, traffic
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