Great thing for these types of people in NZ is that running cyclists over in your car or truck is the easiest way to get away with killing someone. Check out the sentencing statistics for when there’s been a death, let alone just for an accident.
My steel framed beautiful bike was bent 45degrees in half by a septuagenarian in a massive 4x4 ignoring the give way rules at a roundabout and barrelling through at 60kph.
Saw my life flash before my eyes as it hit me with full force no brake, how I’d never see my family or my wife or newborn or son again, somehow I was thrown clear and again had this time to imagine how my internal injuries had already killed me or I was about to be run over as I skidded along the road by the car that hit me.
Guess what the police did? Take me to the hospital? Arrest the driver for attempted murder? Failing that put him in the cells? Maybe even give him a fine? A warning? Nope.
They thanked him for stopping and seeing if I was ok (traffic had come to a standstill and there was a bunch of witnesses) and then proceeded to question me about whether my light was turned on, whether I’d been biking ‘too fast’ and completely refused to do anything even when I made a complaint to press charges.
I asked what would have happened if I’d have died and they said it would have been unfortunate but not much they could do.
Haven’t ridden on the road since and my children can’t understand why dad doesn’t ride bikes anymore after spending so much of his life on them, fixing them and encouraging them too.
Sorry for the long reply. Got a bit caught up remembering all this. The bike haters are starting from the point of having all the power, the numbers, the space, the system, the money, the budgets and the policies and laws behind them. The people who would like to safely ride bikes? We’d be happy for even 1% of any of it. We’d be lucky if this “culture war” didn’t cost the country far more than all of it put together.
If there’s one thing I know to be true in life, it’s that guys who proudly bag out cyclists are always massive, and I can’t stress this enough, MASSIVE losers.
I don't think someone who has a car that's failed 6 WoFs in a year should be telling cyclists how to behave on the road. It would be cool if there were actual consequences for inciting violence against those who are at a physical disadvantage (i.e. bikes vs cars) but I can't see that happening!
I want to hear this kid out, but then he kept pulling the "snowflake" card in the Facebook comments which turns me off to hearing people out because it paints a picture of what other beliefs they hold.
I’ve somehow managed to never be in an accident with a car on my bike - mostly due to constant defensive cycling where I literally slow down before every side street because I am so untrusting of people in cars. BUT one time a guy walking along the road stepped towards me as I passed and threw all his weight into pushing my off my bike. His weight plus my speed made for a tremendous crash. And he was actually charged too. So I guess it takes somebody not being in a flying hunk of metal to get the police to take you seriously?
I know it's nothing compared to some of the stories here (Max, that is absolutely atrocious and I hope there is some way for you to retrospectively press charges), but I have had a few near misses on my bike in Christchurch, the one that stands out is the time two absolute peaheads waiting in their vehicle to exit a shop driveway, deliberately waited for me to draw level with the front of their car and then revved the engine and suddenly rolled forwards at me, stopping half a foot short of my wheels. I was pregnant at the time. I could have easily swerved into the passing traffic (it was an extremely busy road, traffic in both directions).
I have never been more angry in my life. I got the rego from some security footage of the store and rang the police and left an incident report. They said they would send a letter to the owner of the vehicle and let me know. Send a letter?! Saying what? "Tut tut naughty boy, don't wind girls up you know how they overreact about these things, go to your room!"
I never heard back from the police. I can only assume they never told that man how he came close to killing me and my unborn son out of sheer moronic unfounded dislike of cyclists in general or perhaps pregnant women on bikes (not sure which was the motivator here).
Great thing for these types of people in NZ is that running cyclists over in your car or truck is the easiest way to get away with killing someone. Check out the sentencing statistics for when there’s been a death, let alone just for an accident.
My steel framed beautiful bike was bent 45degrees in half by a septuagenarian in a massive 4x4 ignoring the give way rules at a roundabout and barrelling through at 60kph.
Saw my life flash before my eyes as it hit me with full force no brake, how I’d never see my family or my wife or newborn or son again, somehow I was thrown clear and again had this time to imagine how my internal injuries had already killed me or I was about to be run over as I skidded along the road by the car that hit me.
Guess what the police did? Take me to the hospital? Arrest the driver for attempted murder? Failing that put him in the cells? Maybe even give him a fine? A warning? Nope.
They thanked him for stopping and seeing if I was ok (traffic had come to a standstill and there was a bunch of witnesses) and then proceeded to question me about whether my light was turned on, whether I’d been biking ‘too fast’ and completely refused to do anything even when I made a complaint to press charges.
I asked what would have happened if I’d have died and they said it would have been unfortunate but not much they could do.
Haven’t ridden on the road since and my children can’t understand why dad doesn’t ride bikes anymore after spending so much of his life on them, fixing them and encouraging them too.
Sorry for the long reply. Got a bit caught up remembering all this. The bike haters are starting from the point of having all the power, the numbers, the space, the system, the money, the budgets and the policies and laws behind them. The people who would like to safely ride bikes? We’d be happy for even 1% of any of it. We’d be lucky if this “culture war” didn’t cost the country far more than all of it put together.
If there’s one thing I know to be true in life, it’s that guys who proudly bag out cyclists are always massive, and I can’t stress this enough, MASSIVE losers.
The Old 'I get mad when everything isn't for me' mentality strikes again?
Oh wow! I was scrolling through old webworm posts and I was shocked to see a car I recognised.
I recently unfollowed this man on Instagram because his stories were getting increasingly more anti vax. Funny how these things work out.
I don't think someone who has a car that's failed 6 WoFs in a year should be telling cyclists how to behave on the road. It would be cool if there were actual consequences for inciting violence against those who are at a physical disadvantage (i.e. bikes vs cars) but I can't see that happening!
I want to hear this kid out, but then he kept pulling the "snowflake" card in the Facebook comments which turns me off to hearing people out because it paints a picture of what other beliefs they hold.
Urgh.
I’ve somehow managed to never be in an accident with a car on my bike - mostly due to constant defensive cycling where I literally slow down before every side street because I am so untrusting of people in cars. BUT one time a guy walking along the road stepped towards me as I passed and threw all his weight into pushing my off my bike. His weight plus my speed made for a tremendous crash. And he was actually charged too. So I guess it takes somebody not being in a flying hunk of metal to get the police to take you seriously?
I know it's nothing compared to some of the stories here (Max, that is absolutely atrocious and I hope there is some way for you to retrospectively press charges), but I have had a few near misses on my bike in Christchurch, the one that stands out is the time two absolute peaheads waiting in their vehicle to exit a shop driveway, deliberately waited for me to draw level with the front of their car and then revved the engine and suddenly rolled forwards at me, stopping half a foot short of my wheels. I was pregnant at the time. I could have easily swerved into the passing traffic (it was an extremely busy road, traffic in both directions).
I have never been more angry in my life. I got the rego from some security footage of the store and rang the police and left an incident report. They said they would send a letter to the owner of the vehicle and let me know. Send a letter?! Saying what? "Tut tut naughty boy, don't wind girls up you know how they overreact about these things, go to your room!"
I never heard back from the police. I can only assume they never told that man how he came close to killing me and my unborn son out of sheer moronic unfounded dislike of cyclists in general or perhaps pregnant women on bikes (not sure which was the motivator here).