st kilda road is a bitch
ride with jake all the time down there
and really
today b4 he broke his bike
some car pulls into a parking space infront of us
and then as we ride past almost pulls back out
and you cant really swerve onto the road, as the cars will hit you
dont really have any options
I can’t believe this shit. My wife got owned exactly the same way in the same spot. Here goes (with emoticons!):
Riding on the bike lane over the Princess bridge :-), old geezer (already in the bike lane) steps further into the lane without warning :?. Clips my wifes handlebar (doing about 10kph) and causes her to overbalance and go down :oops:. Slow stack but still she got some massive bruises. Broke her new bell as well 
.
Guy keeps walking, doesn’t even stop to help her out or anything :x. I was out in front so didn’t realise what had happened until I turned around and came back. Just as I get there the cycle cops, who happen to be there at the right time, stop to render assistance.
We tell the cops what happened and one of them gets real fired up and asks where the guy went. She tells us to saddle up and that we’re going to chase him down 8-). Catch up to the guy, who turns out to be a right cunt and tries to give her heaps. She does great, holds the guy up for 45mins (he was on his way to a play) and then spots him a fine!
Charge = improper use of a footpath, fine = $55. So yes you can get these fucktards charged!
WHAT that is crazy i knew i wasn’t the only one out there eating shit on princess bridge…
i am just more pissed off that this old lady pretty much broke my bike which according to some people in this forum believe was broken before hand… but never the less this is what tipped it off so i must blame this lady…
$55 thats shit as, hit em hard put in the 3 digits like 150 then they won’t do it again for sure?..
I do pretty much 90% of my riding in the city. I have to say, people are just idiots. If it’s not a taxi giving you the old left hook, it’s a dickhead in a HSV zooming past without moving over at all, or a person stepping straight out into the bike lane without looking because they can’t hear anything coming. If I was brakeless I would certainly be a hell of a lot slower than I am.
hellz yeah
not having a concession card on a 20min tram journey when clearly you go to school gets you 200$ and making people crash and break bikes gives you $55?!
still, will probably make him think twice next time, but atleast he probably wont do it again, if he did, next time get your wife to take him out!
i assume you’re talking about the imaginary bike lanes? the ones which are painted on the footpath, but are impossible to actually use?
+1…
put up fences or do something pedestrians aren’t good enough to be entitled to the bike lane
It’s no secret that the bicycle path design on the Princess Bridge is an obsolute shambles.
You have two choices, either the roadway (watch out for being squashed, or doored!), or the bike lane on the elevated pedestrian pathway zone (this is probably one of the most hazardous places to ride in Melbourne due to the fact that peds will walk anywhere- especially tourists).
One small tip though- the righthand (city bound) cycle path is usually quieter.
The secret third option that I’m increasingly seeing is down the middle of the tramway- prepare to get ‘ding dinged’ a bit :evil:
option 4, which i used this morning, is lanesplit all the was across the bridge, and hope you make it to the front before the cars start. worked really well actually.
now gentlemen lets not turn this into another thread about brakes or no brakes
the bike is as dangerous as the rider
been riding down st kilda road and though the city all year, been close but no crashes
ride safe, ride smart
I think we all agree the brakes/no brakes choice is a personal thing. Absolutely- ride safe, ride smart.
My personal take on riding in the city is based on a realist set of principles if you will. Sure- cars will cut me off, pedestrians will walk in front of me, and other cyclists will ‘get in the way’ but that’s just part and parcel of the whole city riding experience.
I think snowflake had a wise saying to do with ‘people being dumb’ or something to that effect. Am I right on this? 
Well said Kev.
“old people in the bike lanes NOT on bikes”
haha do you really want them on bikes?
thatd be stupid :-o
well then they would at least be in the bike lane for a reason then haha!.
I’m with heavy metal, the hub sounds like it was cactus before you even bought it
brake [breyk]
noun, verb, braked, brak⋅ing.
–noun
- a device for slowing or stopping a vehicle or other moving mechanism by the absorption or transfer of the energy of momentum, usually by means of friction.
break [breyk]
verb, broke or (Archaic) brake; bro⋅ken or (Archaic) broke; break⋅ing; noun
–verb (used with object)
- to smash, split, or divide into parts violently; reduce to pieces or fragments: He broke a vase.
- to infringe, ignore, or act contrary to (a law, rule, promise, etc.): She broke her promise.
Does that mean that technically I am the brake and that I could have told the police that when I got fined the other week? (the brake one)
it’s simple, really.
them: you have no brakes on that thing
you: either do you!
them: how do you stop?
you: how do you stop?
them: i stop moving my legs, smartarse!
you: me too!
oh god thank you. noobs take note.
Example: The girl who walked out in front of me yesterday morning, totally oblivious to the fact it was a road (!) while digging through her bag for some girly ‘thing’. I’d seen her coming about 2 parked cars ahead, but made a dramatic swerve and said “hey… watch out!” loudly. Gave her a good scare and hopefully she’ll think about it next time… but probably not. 