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Sharing The Road.
The road rage incident involving riders from the Coluzzi bunch and an
arrogant motorist on Southern Cross Drive shocked an entire city, had
tongues wagging on talk-back radio and received blanket media coverage
But for the more experienced users of Sydney's roads did it come as any
surprise?
I dare say not!
This was another incident waiting to happen.
For those of us who rise in the early hours several days a week to
experience the joy of the bunch ride - the confrontation between
motorist and cyclists is nothing new.
But who is to blame?
It's like oil and water - a car and and a bike on the same piece of road
just doesn't mix!
As a cyclist I get fed-up with the lack of tolerance, patience and
respect from motorists who completely ignore our rights on the road.
But as a motorist there have been times when I've been left shaking my
head when behind the wheel of my car at the antics of some of the
two-wheeled warriors who also completely ignore the laws of the road.
So there are good and bad on both sides.
Come to think of it that is a lame excuse as bikes and cars DO mix in
most other parts of the world.
I'd say 99% of bike riders obey the road rules and genuinely try to
avoid upsetting motorists.
But it's not always the case.
A few weeks ago, several members of the 25-strong Tempe group were
caught in their own piece of road-rage on a quiet Saturday morning.
A utility carrying two men thought is was "fun" to attempt to plough
into the back of the bunch on the Kingsway near Caringbah railway
station.
The incident became so heated, the two men (who appeared to be fuelled
with either drugs or alcohol) attempted to take us all on in the middle
of the road.
A handful of riders suffered bruising from injuries in the pushing and
shoving which followed and had it not been for a driver who witnessed
the incident unfold from behind and order the two to "get back in their
car and move on", the scene could have got pretty ugly.
Needless to say, it left many of us shaken.
It's another example that when you ride in Sydney you take your life
into your own hands.
The sheer size of Australia's biggest city, the geographics and endless
flow of heavy traffic simply makes it awkward for parties from both
sides to share the busy roads.
I believe part of the problem for the "us and them" attitude between
drivers and riders stems from the Critical Mass group.
Why these cyclists aim to disrupt Friday night peak-hour traffic in a
bid to get their message across has me scratching my head.
Surely there must be other ways!
So how do we solve the problem in Sydney?
That's easier said than done in the short term.
As governments from all levels continue to encourage us to ride our
bikes on a regular basis, perhaps a better education programme is needed
while drivers should refresh their knowledge of road rules regularly.
As cyclists with next-to-no protection on our bikes, we have much more
to lose in a confrontation similar to the one on Southern Cross Drive.
It only takes one lunatic motorist from the millions of law abiding road
users to have a brain explosion and create unnecessary carnage.
Let's lead by example - it's not worth losing your life over.
Michael Tomalaris
Journalist/Presenter/Producer
+61 2 9430-3043
+61 (0)414 586052
OFFICIAL BROADCASTER
2010 FIFA World Cup
2008 Tour de France
ASSOCIATE BROADCASTER
2008 Olympics Games
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