Carbon v metal

Well I think we all know what that the winner is Carbon....all day long right?

WRONG!!

When you phrase it Carbon bike v Metal car....it’s the car that wins, all day, every day. I am inspired to write this blog after watching TV3’s piece on 60 minutes last night when they talked at length about the ‘war’ that is taking place on the NZ roads.

Firstly, IMO this show was sensationalised, and poorly represented the majority of cyclists...the cycle courier that featured in about 85% of the piece is an absolute danger to everyone on the roads, and after watching some of the footage of him in action, he should be getting some traffic tickets for his behaviour on our roads, I only hope he lives long enough to pay them! Secondly, those who ride in bunches of 20 to 50 down Tamaki Dr are idiots....yes I know it’s a nice social occasion when you get to ride with your mates, but come on, that is one of the busiest roads in the country and you take up the whole lane..it’s no wonder people get frustrated. Thirdly, I don’t understand those riders who ride on the right hand side of the white line when there is room on the left of it...I know there is more glass and crap on the left of it, but I’d rather take my chances with a puncture, than being hit by a vehicle. That kind of behaviour is just being a dick, stay left and let motorists passed.

Now, before you think I am having a crack at cyclists, even though I am, cause let’s face it there are some idiot riders out there....I also think there are a lot of inattentive and deliberately dangerous driver on our roads. We (as riders) have all had near misses that were only near misses because we were paying attention to the clown who wasn’t watching the traffic....thankfully those a few and far between. Also, most riders will also know what I am talking about when I refer to the absolute wanker who will try and get as close to you as he can, and sometime they might add in a honk, a shout-out or even throw water bomb just for giggles...IMO these are the ones I think we need to address, they are so so dangerous. I wonder if they would do the same thing to their mother, father, daughter or son? The mind set of these individuals is truly puzzling.

Here are some sobbing facts for you to think about;

• The number of cyclists killed or injured has been trending upwards since 2004, at a time when the total distance spent cycling as a means of transport has fallen.
• On average, 11 cyclists are killed per year on New Zealand roads, 2.6 percent of all road fatalities.
• In 2007 approximately 330 cyclists were hospitalised or killed from crashes involving motor vehicles.
• Cyclists have the second highest level of risk per time unit travelled of all road users.
• Cyclists are found to have primary responsibility in only 27 percent of all cyclist-vehicle crashes in which they are injured or killed.

The final factoid tells a sad story, however that’s doesn’t make our (cyclists) position any stronger, because a metal car will always beat a carbon bike....stay left, ride smart and be alert.