I took Kosov for a ride on VLine train yesterday. I think he was soon satisfied by the journey. He enjoyed my excitement when the train cracked 160 km/h, 100mph. I mucked up the platform number and I think I know why. The problem is the ultimate terminus names. Large on screens should be Geelong, Ballarat, Shepparton and Bendigo, then in a smaller font, the ultimate terminus. Wendouree, Marshall etc is just hopeless.
I was going to take Kosov to Sunbury but because of my confusion, we just missed the train. It was an hour until the next one so I thought we'd catch the next VLine service to Melton. None of the stations we stopped at along the way seemed to have shops, but at the Melton terminus there were some and we had some food and a drink in a bakery. The VLocity trains are quite comfortable if a little noisy from the motors. Unfortunately on our return, as a same looking train had terribly hard seats. My god, 40 minutes of sitting on such awful seats is enough. How was this allowed!
Anyway, I didn't really mean to talk about personal stuffs in this post. There was an incident, a serious one on the street below.
I thought of describing what happened to my readers and translating it for those who drive on the wrong side of the road. I got to with the translation 'You are travelling on the right hand side of the road, with a dedicated cycling lane on your right. You are going to turn right at the next intersection and the cyclist is riding straight ahead, so you must give way to the cyclist on your right who is riding straight ahead'. And then my brain failed about travelling at making the turn.
I hope the injuries the rider suffered are not serious but it didn't look great. I met the neighbour who has cameras on his balcony about three weeks ago. He is nice. The incident happened about a week later.
In the clip the incident happens in the first few seconds. Clearly the motorist was in the wrong, but I also think the rider was not looking after their own safety. The car's left indicator was on and its intentions were clear. Riders need to be alert to stupid motorists for their own self preservation.
.jpg)
Huge sigh at the incidents. Bikers (motorised or not) need to be extra careful and never, ever insist on their right of way. Years back himself was collected by a car. He picked himself up and staggered to the phone booth where the woman who hit him was making a frantic phone call and arrived just in time to hear her say 'I have hit another motor cyclist, what should I do'. Luckily his injuries were minor. As were those of his bike.
ReplyDeleteI hope your cyclist will be ok - though I suspect a long recovery period is in his/her future. Himself was only off his bike for six weeks while he waited for his collar bone to heal. It sounds as if your cyclist was not so lucky.
DeleteNo need to watch television at High Riser Tower as there's enough drama on the street below. As a transport geek you should not have mistakenly taken Poor Kosov on a wild goose chase. Tut-tut!
ReplyDeleteThat poor bugger. Bike riders should be more alert but the person who has the more dangerous vehicle, the one that can do more damage, needs to be much more careful. Just like I expect bicyclists to watch our for pedestrians when they're on shared paths. They're traveling much faster and need to tell people they're coming.
ReplyDeletejust about the first thing my dad said when I was yearning to ride a bike, and later drive, was don't trust anyone.
ReplyDeleteI remember those place names from when we studied Aus geography at school - fruit growing I think.
The incident on the street below sounds troubling. It's always distressing to witness such accidents, especially when it appears both parties could have taken better precautions. Your attempt to translate the situation for your readers was thoughtful, even if it was challenging to convey fully. Hopefully, the cyclist’s injuries were not severe, and they recover quickly.
ReplyDeleteI might have right of way but if a truck wants to go first, it may. Car vs truck not good. If a cyclist has the right of way but a car is turning ditto. Bike vs car not good. Unfortunately a lot of cyclists ride with their heads down and assume everyone can see them. It was good to see the chap/chapette moving afterwards albeit slowly.
ReplyDeleteWhen I biked and ran on city streets I was always aware of the mightier and never getting into a right of way traffic argument. I sure hope that the biker is OK but it does fill me with rage that we actually DON'T have right of way. And yes, we need to have eyes everywhere.
ReplyDeleteXO
WWW
They say drive defensively, and I guess it's a good idea to cycle defensively too.
ReplyDeleteQuite possibly the cyclist thought the car would wait before crossing further over the cycleway. After all, it waited for the bike in front.
ReplyDeleteClipped the back wheel, so hope the person is ok.
ReplyDeleteI agree the rider should be looking out for indicators and slowing to let the car make its turn, but if the car didn't put the indicators on early enough the rider might have thought he could make it through. Either way, both should have been more aware.
ReplyDeleteTraffic is hazardous at the best of times and motor cyclists and particularly cyclists are at great risk, especially at night. Be seen!
ReplyDeleteI haven't watched the video, but I can imagine what it looks like. I would be very hesitant to ride a bicycle in an urban environment (at least on roads). People get killed on bicycles all the time in London. I just walk!
ReplyDeleteThe car should have yielded to the bike. When I was learning to drive, I complained one day, that I had the right of way. My father responded, yes you had the right of way, but when you get hit you will be dead just the same, dead right. That one stuck with me 50 years later. I love to ride bikes, but you have to be extra careful, or you will be dead right.
ReplyDeleteWe have all missed a train or gotten on one going in the wrong direction.
As Andrew said, the car (ie the car driver) is in the wrong. It is turning and has to give way (as also for pedestrians). So "the car should have yielded to the bike" is only correct in a prudential sense.
DeleteMaybe that's what you meant anyway but not sure from this and other comments. Officious comment as sometime cyclist.
Interesting to hear about your Transit travels. We are just getting our first train now in Honolulu. "motorist was in the wrong, but I also think the rider was not looking after their own safety" couldn't agree with you more! We're all prone to mistakes, but I think most people don't pay the level of attention that you and I think necessary. Aloha
ReplyDeleteI haven't ridden a bike in years. Too dangerous in the city.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh. For a second, skimming through this, I thought you had hit the bicyclist!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, bicyclists here have the right of way always, in my mind even if they are being idiots, because I could never stand it if I seriously hurt or killed someone. Likewise, if I were riding a bike, the vehicles would have the right of way always, in my mind, because I could never stand it if I was seriously hurt or killed.
We have the same problem. Drivers don't care. Now we have the food delivery bike guys driving on the sidewalks. They come in from the suburbs around noon to do downtown deliveries and block Union Station.
ReplyDeleteIt happened to me almost 30 years ago. I was riding my bike straight along in the bike lane, a car comes along in right hand lane, passes me and makes a right turn in front of me, causing me to crash. just as suddenly, a police car two cars back zooms around and stops the arsehole and gives him a huge ticket. I only got scratched up. My bike suffered worse injuries.
ReplyDelete