Today I'm not so much writing a blog post, but more of a public service announcement.
I went for a bike ride this morning with two team mates, we headed to the fabled Goat Track.
For those not familiar, the Goat Track is an unmade road that winds up from Mount Glorious Road to Mount Nebo Road. Once you get to the top you can then enjoy the mainly downhill run back to Waterworks Road and home. It's only recently re-opened after being closed for several years for repairs, and it is quickly becoming a popular bike ride for Brisbane cyclists once again. Not only is is dirt, but it's also one way, so you don't need to worry too much about what is coming down the hill towards you. It's a ride I've done many times before, and it is definitely up there with the favourites.
 |
| Finish of the fabled Goat Track |
Today was no different from any other day. Sun was shining, bit of good banter between riders, bit of pain in the quads that reminds you that you are doing something worthwhile, a few deep breaths and beating hearts, and the wind in your face as you smoothly descend back to suburbia. Except, one guy decided to try and make today different.
We were descending down the mountain on Mount Nebo Road, on a dead straight section of road with plenty of visibility. At this time a vehicle decides to overtake, and rather than leave plenty of room for safety, this particular driver decides he wants to cut as close to me as possible. Now keeping in mind that, as a frequent Brisbane cyclist, this is nothing new to me and surprises me about as much as the sun rising in the morning. As his car swung back in tightly in front of me, I gave him the universal "what the hell man?" shrug, which I guess looks kinda like this:
At this point, he jams the brakes on his black Toyota Hilux hard enough to leave rubber on the road, and I also have to hit the brakes hard to avoid him. The driver then jumps straight out of the cab screaming his head off at me, and gets straight up in my face. I fully expected him to take a swing at me as I still sat on my bike, feeling a mix of surprise, amusement and concern. I don't particularly want to inflame the situation, so I stood my ground and spoke calmly to the dingus, at least I tried. It was hard to sandwich a word in between his ranting. The driver also threatened me, with words along the lines of "next time I will run you over". Eventually he turned around, got back in his Hilux, and tore off.
Which is where the public service announcement comes in to this post. As part of his rant, this guy told me he lived on Mount Nebo, and regularly drives that road. I have also heard of previous altercations with the driver of a black Toyota Hilux, and I would bet my left nut that it's the same guy. So, people of Brisbane, if you are heading up Mount Nebo way, please keep a close eye out for the Hilux, with registration 358-MSU. The driver clearly has a lot of anger issues, and probably a screw or two loose.
 |
| The offending vehicle 358-MSU |
I'm going to be reporting this to the police, as I have a feeling it's not the first time this individual has acted so dangerously and aggressively towards other road users. If it happens to you, I encourage you to do the same, and try and keep your cool and not inflame the situation. This guy is behind the wheel of a two tonne weapon, and unfortunately its more likely that we come off second best.
Although this is what I really wanted to do, it's probably best that I didn't.
Be safe out there people.
I wonder if this is the same "dark coloured, modern utility" that we had reported to us at Cycle.org.au for throwing objects at cyclists on Saturday?
ReplyDeleteCould well be TR. The more I hear, the more it sounds like there is several years of harassment from this guy on Nebo. I reported my incident to Ferny Grove police, should you think you have any other additional info. Cheers.
DeleteAbsolutely poor behaviour from that driver that is totally without warrant. BUT, cyclists out there do need to lose some of the "high and mighty" attitude they bring with them onto the mountain. As a resident of the mountain, Mount Nebo Road is my link to my workplace, it is my commuting pathway, and it's the only one I have. It is impolite when cyclists come to the mountain and treat the road as their own personal exercise machine, seemingly without regard to the impact upon the residents. I am happy to be very safe around cyclists, and I am happy to be delayed by a reasonable time waiting for safe areas to overtake. BUT how many cyclists would recognise the need to pull over to let a queue of cars past that has formed behind them over a period of many minutes? Is it fair for a cyclist to continue on holding up those people, who could well be residents on their way to work or taking the kids to school? Give and take, that's what this is all about. I'm happy to give cyclists respect and a safe distance on the road, but having lived on the mountain for a few years now, I am yet to have one cyclist give back some of that respect. Not once has a cyclist shown the courtesy to pull over and let me pass when they have held me up for an unreasonable amount of time. So, cyclists, what's your thoughts on this?
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous. I personally have not seen this occur on Mt Nebo, but agree with you that courtesy in both ways is important between any road users, regardless of their vehicle choice. Cyclists as a group of road users are typically very respectful when sharing the road with other road users, they know they are more vulnerable and their lives may depend on it.
DeleteI have to agree with many of Anonymous' comments. As a mountain resident (and a cyclist myself) I do not cycle on Mt Nebo Road - its way too dangerous. There are too many blind corners, crests, narrow sections and speeding oncoming traffic. When driving, the lives of my kids have been put at risk numerous times when trying to get past cyclists riding two or three abreast or in the middle of the road. We use this road for our daily commute, not for fun. If the edges of Mt Nebo Road are too rough to ride on, then maybe its not suitable for cycling at all.
ReplyDeleteI'll just file that one under "agree to disagree". Also not particularly relevant to the post. Any discussion is good discussion, I guess.
Deleteanother mountain resident here, and my experience is the same - I consider myself a very patient person and am pushed to my end frequently by cyclists who do not allow room for a vehicle to safely overtake, and feel no need to pull over for half a second so we can pass.
ReplyDeleteI am genuinely curious - are cyclists unable to hear the sound of the car/s sitting behind them? this is the only reason that could excuse the behaviour I witness. riding 2 or 3 abreast, riding in the middle of the road, or even a large group riding in a line - these things make it very hard for us to safely commute to and from.
being aggressive and dangerous is clearly not the solution, but a part of me sympathises with wanting to communicate this frustration to cyclists. sure some are considerate riders and I usually signal a 'thank you', but in all honestly, from the position of the driver these rders seem to be in the minority.
Sorry to hear that you got Raged James, that is not on. But the fact is that this is a very winding, undulating, narrow and fast road. It was not really built so that you can feel the wind in your face, or have banter with your mates. It is how residents get to and from home. If you are a cyclist that does not like cars too close then this is not a round for you.
ReplyDeleteAnother Mt Nebo Resident here, not in any way shape or form dismissing the behavior of the ute driver as acceptable. However agreeing 100 % with the views of previous residents. Consideration works two ways and without being too blunt on Mt Nebo Road a quick close overtake is sometimes the only way to ensure a potential head on collision is avoided. Dear cyclist please please share these views with your fellow riders and lets all make it home alive.......
ReplyDeleteWhole-heartedly agree with the previous residents' comments. On so many occasions cyclists ride two or three abreast, seemingly oblivious to cars behind them. There are so few places to overtake safely on this road and this behaviour can make it impossible. Road safety and courtesy is a two-way street - Mt Nebo Road is not only for your cycling pleasure but our only way to and from home. Cyclists need to be willing to share the road with other users, and rid themselves of their self-centered attitudes, before they garner our respect.
ReplyDeleteHello James
ReplyDeleteIt is horrible when people are abusive and this is something that you do not deserve. I come from Mount Glorious. Something you may not be aware of is that there is a common practice up here of pulling over and letting a faster vehicle through. When I see a faster vehicle coming up behind me I find somewhere safe and pull over. It is courtesy to the driver behind me regardless of whether they are a car or motor bike etc.
Up on the mountains there are many blind corners and hills. These are dangerous for overtaking. There are in fact quite a few pull over areas on Mt Nebo rd as well as Mt Glorious rd. They are the little alcoves on the side of the road. ' ...Cyclists as a group of road users are typically very respectful when sharing the road...' No, I'm afraid that has never been my experience of cyclists. To me cyclists have always been a mixed group. I have come across some very respectful cyclist living up here on the mountain. And I really appreciated their consideration. However I have also come across some real cyclist road hogs that seem to be oblivious to other vehicles and even endanger the safety of other road users. It just comes across to me that they haven't really thought about what they are doing, the situation or how it is effecting others.
There are many types of vehicles that use the road, cars, trucks, motorcycles and when you head towards Samford, horses. So I suppose this is a plea to cyclist, please remember it is not just you. there are others who use the road.
Kind Regards Rebecca
Hi Nebo and Glorious residents. Firstly, thankyou for taking the time to read my blog and provide your thoughts and perspective. I would also like to say that this blog was about the specific behavior of one of your neighbours, and was not intended to reflect poorly on the community as a whole. I have personally found that, overall, the residents of that area have been very courteous road users and I have encountered far fewer "issues" there when compared to the Brisbane area in general.
ReplyDeleteI would, however, also like to make the point that I can't speak on behalf of the behavior of all cyclists as a group, I can only speak regarding my own behavior. I am always mindful of my position on the road (whatever vehicle I am in or on), and the location of other road users. I regularly thank drivers with a wave and will wave a car through if they are unsure if they can overtake safely. As has been said in one of the above comments, bicycles are just one type of vehicle on our shared roadways that we all need to be aware of - along with all the other things we need to be aware of: trucks, buses, tractors, horses, oil, pot holes, motorcycles, native animals, roadworks... this list goes on. If you are not prepared or able to deal with these various conditions and users then you should not be on the road.
As I cannot speak on behalf of all cyclists, neither should you speak on behalf of all car drivers. Do not try to excuse this particular individuals behavior just because you have encountered other road users that do not meet your same standards. I am not painting all drivers with the same brush, and I expect you should do the same with cyclists. After all, we are all just people.
If I or another cyclist in the future do inadvertently delay your commute, I ask you to please keep to your own high standards of behavior on our roads. You will get a wave and a thankyou from me in return.
Cheers
James
James, I do applaud your fairly balanced approach to this, which is not something often seen from cyclists, in my experience. However I must take issue at your talk of "waving" cars through. I can stand in a doorway and wave someone through, but until I move out of the way, that wave is a hollow gesture. Maybe you have resolved in your own mind that waving cars through lets you off the hook for holding them up?
DeleteI have had lots of cyclists wave me past, but I no longer take up the offer after being waved through to an impending head-on crash. Do cyclists have some ability to see around corners and over blind crests that the rest of us do not have?
The only true way for a cyclist to return the courtesy of motorists driving safely around them is to pull over and let them pass when they have been held up for more than a reasonable time.
Hello James,
DeleteRebecca again, please do not wave motorists through. It is up to the motorist to decide when to overtake safely.
'.... is to pull over and let them pass when they have been held up for more than a reasonable time.'
Something that we are probably not making clear to you is that we don't expect you to pull over straight away.
When I pull over for other vehicles I will do so when it is safe to do so. So there maybe a alcove or driveway about 1 km or so on that I am aware of, that is when I pull over. We wouldn't want to see you go ass over head as you hit the gravel just because a car comes up behind you. There is usually a reasonable time that drivers can wait.
An example of this is on mt Nebo rd there is a stretch of road that runs down a hill with a single dotted line. With no oncoming traffic this would be a good opportunity to apply the breaks rather than cycling down the hill at speed. This gives the cars behind you a chance to overtake safely. Once they have gone by all means coast down the hill.
It is small things like this that assists other road users.
'...was not intended to reflect poorly on the community as a whole.'
LOL We never took it like that, however I think your blog has opened up a discussion on the issue. There are many people in the community who are feeling very flustered by the behaviour of some of the cyclist that come up here and it feels that our concerns are not heard. As you have raised the issue you are now getting a lot of replies. I suppose the biggest fear that many people in this community have is that there is going to be an accident and a pretty bad one.
As for the Toyota Hilux driver, yes, as motorists we get fools like this too. Again I usually pull over, this is cause I would rather have him in front of me rather than behind me. And when he is in front he then that is a great opportunity for him to be as far far away from me as possible.
Keep safe cycling.
Kind Regards
Rebecca.
Well said Rebecca. Agree with all of that. And thanks to James for his reasonable approach and the opportunity to post.
DeleteThere is no point posting comments on here about general cyclist behavior on Mount Nebo Rd. The posts generally reflect bigotry towards cyclists. James story is about one particular individual. With the majority of commenters skirting around the issue of that individual, it's easy to see what 'community sentiment' truly exists.
ReplyDeleteThAt "community sentiment" exists because there are so many inconsiderate cyclists. We risk our lives trying to leave enough space when passing. Waving us through is a joke, it just makes it more annoying. If there is no safe place to pass.....pull over and let us through. We do the same for faster vehicles because it is considerate.
DeleteJust to add, as a regular Nebo cyclist, I love this road, it is beautiful, full of great bird song, views, wildlife and 99.9% great road users. In my rides I regularly check behind, and sure cars can suddenly appear behind you due to the nature of the road, but we always single out and allow cars to pass pretty pronto, with a wave of acknowledgement.
ReplyDeleteThis particular driver has nearly driven me off the road on many occasions, first causing me to write about it in Oct 2011. His attitude speaks volumes for the drivers that believe a 3 tonne truck is their safe house and right to drive, and at the peril of other road users. Remember cycling isn't just exercise or a hobby, its a choice, a choice not to use a vehicle. Often by car owners who choose to travel by bike, we are not the tyre scum that some people believe. I wonder how our Hilux driver behaves when overtaking another Nebo regular I see who travels the road slowly on a mountainbike, I hope with respect. I suspect the donning of lycra and appearing like a cyclist, rather than a bike rider, is catalyst to the driving behaviour here.
I agree with a vast amount of what has been said on this post by Jimmy, Nebo will remain a great cycling route, a wonderful recreation area and wilderness to live in, long may that continue. I do admit however, I avoid it like the plague on a Sunday because of the sheer volume of motorbikes.
Cycling is a choice for you. Commuting to work is a fact of life for Mt Nebo and Mt Glorious residents. If you do not feel safe on Mt Nebo Road, maybe you should "choose" not to use it ?
DeleteA little bird tells me that this vehicle is registered to a company called Heat-tech.
ReplyDeleteSo how about phoning the company or reporting the incident to police rather than this vigilantism approach of publishing details of this person in a public forum?
DeleteThat is why I posted here.
DeleteThe OP now can do what he likes with it.
I can't stand the cyclists on the road. Use the gazillion dollar bike paths all over Brisbane and keep off the roads. There is not enough room for a car and a cyclist on the road. They, the cyclists (majority don't get out of the way), go slowly up the hills, blocking cars then zoom down the hills so cars are still unable to pass, and on it goes....
ReplyDeletePlus... stopping at the local shop and pooping behind the building. Very classy. Oh yes.
Sure, some cyclists take time to check their surroundings and some don't. Don't have a big blah blah blah .... if you travel this road in a car, you will be very frustrated. Please take the time to do so and you may just get an idea of what it's like.
Then there are the motor bikes.......
Thanks
Renee
Also meant to mention the yabba yabba yabba in the wee early hours. Ssssshhhhh
DeletePlease pass on to all your cycling buddies :)
I think we're yet to hear from a cyclist, even James, who shows true remorse for their chosen exercise regime holding up the daily lives of the residents of the mountains. What if I was to set up my bench press equipment on your driveway at 5am, talking loudly to my spotter with no regard to any sleeping residents of the area, then when you want to get your car out of the garage and onto the road to get to work, making you wait until I decide it's time to move and allow you past?
ReplyDeleteAs a cyclist once, I used to have the attitude that I had the same right to the road as other users. This view was changed when I crawled out from under a ton and a half of vehicle that had plowed into my 15 kg bike and my 65 kg frame. This view was further confirmed as I twice waited in hospital emergency departments to see if my sons were likely to survive after no fault head ons with motor cars when on their motorcycles on the Mount Nebo Road. I have also been subjected to rather disturbing behaviour by a couple of youngish car drivers who used to think they were the gods own arbiter of Mount Nebo Road, fortunately now they have gone away. Been commuting the road now for over 25 years, seen most things including being confronted by a driver in similar circumstances to that reported in the blog. Come to the conclusion thats life. These things will happen. There are idiots and a***holes on the road. We cant stop it, we just need to be aware and take appropriate precautions to make sure we ourselves are not endangered. I personally have no problem following a cyclist for a few km until it is safe to pass. What is the time penalty? A minute at most. Why so much hurry. It is not about time or delay, its about psychology, power and showing off. Just think that these guys who behave badly on the road are probably compensating for their sexual or emotional immaturity, and hope to h**l you dont meet them.
ReplyDeletePs. Cyclists do have the right to cycle two abreast, they just must have rocks in their heads if they do so. Self preservation surely should take precedence over principle unless you have a William Wallace (aka Mel Gibson in Braveheart) view on life.
ReplyDeleteLast comment from me. Rebecca - thankyou for your thoughts, I have appreciated your reasoned replies. Regarding the 'waving through', it is a common technique in other parts of the world and works well, usually you get a little wave and a toot of thanks from the motorist. Obviously the safety to overtake is ultimately the motorists decision. Personally I will use it in places like Mt Nebo, and combined with slowing down on descents etc as you say it works well. I do not recall ever having vehicles slowed behind me on that particular road for more than a few hundred metres, but I don't ride in large groups.
ReplyDeleteI drive a car, a motorcycle and a bicycle. In my experiences, I get delayed when on my bicycle by other road users much more than I get delayed by cyclists when driving. Its usually a matter of a few seconds, and no one wants to be involved in an accident.
Cyclists as a road user group can 'lift their game' in the behaviors they display, however this is correct for all user groups. Don't assume we all do the wrong thing because you see others do it, we are all responsible for our own actions.
Thanks for reading.