Become a Member: Get Ad-Free Access to 3,000+ Reviews, Guides, & More

Cyclist video shows ‘safety in numbers’

Cyclist video shows ‘safety in numbers’ bicycle

This cyclist video from a Tasmanian rider shows how cyclists use numbers to defy the road rules, prompting more calls for an identification system for bicycles.

Suzuki rider Estelle Rose posted the video on her Facebook page.

Cyclist video

“I’m riding to work this morning, obeying the road rules and such, but then I get to the roundabout to go into the industrial estate near Legana,” she says.

“I have the right of way so I can exit the roundabout, correct? No, not according to the mass group of cyclists that force me to stop in the middle of the roundabout to give way to them.
Angry react only, please and thank you.”Cyclist video shows ‘safety in numbers’ bicycle

She then adds this later as an edit:

“Been advised that the lead rider yells “stopping” and they all start to slow down. Me, in my situation, saw ahead that not everyone was slowing down so I made the call to come to a complete stop. Saved myself from crashing into the ones that didn’t slow to stop and from causing unnecessary injuries.”

It also left her vulnerable in the middle of the roundabout to being rear-ended.

Call for cyclist IDIdentification bicycle cyclist video

Her video follows recent calls by the Tasmanian Motorcycle Council for free identification numbers, not registration, for cyclists over 18 so their traffic offences can be reported and riders fined.

The article points out a number of offences by cyclists, which is supported by the above Launceston video.

Their call was backed by Emeritus Professor of Transport Marcus Wigan who says electric bicycles and scooters blur the lines between bicycles and registered motorcycles and scooters.

He says bicycles are legal transport and as such should be bound by the same features of ID as other vehicles using the roads.

The issue has been around for a while and divided motorcyclists and cyclists and those who ride both.

Estelle says she does not have an opinion on the subject.

We would suggest readers take another look at the TMC’s suggestion which does not include children under 18 and is not a paid registration system.

No stopping cyclistsIdentification bicycle cyclist

We have no beef with cyclists. Today’s young cyclists could be tomorrow’s motorcyclists!

In fact, we believe young people should be encouraged to ride bicycles. But “helicopter parents” would need to stop driving their kids to school!

We also believe we can learn a lot from cyclist lobby groups. They seem to be more unified and therefore stronger than motorcycle representative groups.

Perhaps we should form a united “two-wheels” lobby group!

But we also believe cyclists should be accountable as road users.

On a personal observation, it seems cyclists are reticent to stop for stop signs, roundabouts (as above) and traffic lights because their shoes are clipped into the pedals.

Perhaps a ban on those clips would be more likely to make cyclists obey signs and lights!

  1. When I was an avid cyclist I still obeyed the road rules especially the ones that make good sense like stopping at lights etc.
    I never wore those clip in shoes unless I was riding a tour or other organised race, if I rode on a public street I’d wear similar clothes to what I wear on a motorcycle and shoe that I could walk in in case the bike had to be carried which considering the state of the roads was quite often.

    1. Hey draughtrider, using “a large vehicle to give them a serious fright” sounds like really bad not to mention dangerous road behaviour. Utterly inappropriate attitude on the road. Amazing to hear that attitude from a motorbike rider… you like large vehicles being used against you when you’re out riding?

  2. Take careful note of the time.
    Take Landcruiser tomorrow.

    She did the right thing – would not want to injure herself or risk damage to the bike because of these clowns.

    1. Land cruiser hey , such a typical cowardly reply , would you condem to death any other road users that get in your way ?

      1. ‘typical’ by your own standards maybe. You make a number of assumptions, blend in your own ignorance and deduce an answer to judge others by. Well done. It’s ‘condemn’ fyi – maybe post replies before Friday drinks?

          1. Indeed, I can see your standards from here … way down there …

            I imagined a much larger vehicle giving them a serious fright; no mention of any injury let alone death was made … it seems you are the one who made a preposterous assumption and added a puerile judgement.

  3. seems to me the motorcycle did what any good rider, cyclist or driver would do.. slow down in anticipation of another vehicle pulling out in from of you. I think this was a case of the cycling bunch just seeing moto late and not pulling up as quickly as would be ideal, the moto slowing as a precaution… and everybody gets on with their lives. That is until moto decides to be a dick and make a big deal about it on social media. These little moments of ambiguity happen all the time on the road…no need for grand standing.

    1. Are you serious??
      Yes, she was courteous, and slowed anticipating them maybe not seeing her.
      BUT.. Smaller sized motorcycles stops (illegally) in the middle of a round-about putting her own life at great risk from any vehicle approaching behind her (their attention would be focused on the pedaling potatoes, not the motorcycle) all because a pack of rabid push-bike riders would not give way as they are legally required. She even revs the motorcycle to get their attention, which is ignored, and not any of the procession of pedallers attempted to give way.

      1. @Norm jeez mate, why the aggro? It’s clear a number of the cyclists tried to give way, and just as clear they fluffed it in a moment of uncertainty. Yes it was potentially dangerous, but mistakes on the road create thousands of potentially dangerous situations every hour. You might not even be perfect yourself. I know i’m not. What’s not clear to me is why people like you want to go to war over it?

      2. How dare those rabid cyclists ruin her time trial , if its a car or truck in the way thats ok , but not those rude road hogs , must happen to her every day to make such a fuss . Get over it

  4. As said earlier, police already can enforce the road rules against these types of clowns. Numbers so you can put them on facebook pages is crazy. Maybe all motorbikes should have the number plates on the side so they can be dobbed in by the public. Really; still muck raking to create silly arguments on line. Why not stick to motorcycle news.

  5. I’m a motorcycle rider and Cyclist,I don’t normally get involved with these tit for tat messages , but hears my two bobs worth .
    The riders were in the wrong to enter the roundabout whilst another vehicle was approaching,but they had virtually come to a stand still when the motor cycle came to a stop ,no idea why she did this ,she should of slowed down and the riders who were already about to stop would off stopped .
    Because the motor cycle had stopped the cyclist kept going .
    The time lost in this incident was around 5 seconds .
    As for ID plates ,first of all it never stops cars from pulling out on me whatever I’m riding ,can you really imagine the lady in the video going to the police with this footage ,the police have far better things to do with their time .
    Secondly ,how would you fit a ID plate BIG enough to be seen by the motorcycle rider ,to enable her to report the offence or offences ,on any part of a push bike ??.:

  6. Because every motor bike rider and car driver always give way to others on round abouts and intersections because they have a number plate. Ummm
    Live and let Live people
    Some people are always going to break the road rules be it on a bicycle, motorbike, car, truck or pedestrian.
    People complain that cyclists need an Id plate but forget that it will cost alot of money, all tax payers would be paying for it and then they’ll complain about that too.

    The only thing that needs to change is everyone’s attitude towards others, on and off the road. Change the attitude and the behaviour will follow.

    PS, I am a Driver, Motorcyclist, Cyclist and pedestrian

    1. That’s a load of BS. Charge the cyclist for a once off fee to get the plate and fine every single one of them who break the law intentionally and fine those who refuse to show their id plates.
      Scratched paint, dints and all sorts to your vehicle only costs you in excess when the person at fault can’t be identified.
      Being parked in traffic only to have a cyclist damage your car trying to squeeze through then have a go at you for getting upset at them and damage your car further known there’s no way of identifying them and they are able to duck and weave and get away shows they need to be held accountable for their own actions. May also make them stop and think twice about what their doing as clearly as shown in the video they have no brains while on their push bike

      1. I feel sorry for you , such bad luck to constantly have hit and run cyclists crashing into your car .never happened to me once in 30 years , had plenty of hit and run motorist damage my vehicles in car parks though. Never able to identify any of them even with number plates .

        1. Mat
          Never happened to you. You’re just ranting like an unhinged loon.
          Imagine if the police said “Sorry, I couldn’t identify the offender, he rode away from me”.

  7. Looks like the motorbike rider was held up for maybe 5 seconds ? Did the curtiuos thing and let them ride through . I do the dame for kids crossing the road etc , just because you have the right of way doesn’t mean you cant be nice sometimes .

  8. In this situation, slow down a little, keep finger on the horn button & force the pushbikes to stop.
    Some here say she did the right thing,however stopping on a roundabout on a motorcycle is asking for trouble by being rear ended by a tin-top or truck!
    p.s if your horn isn’t powerful enough upgrade it to a product that commands attention.

  9. I think one of the main reasons why vehicles have an attitude against the lycra brigade is shown in the last photo, riding two abreast and cutting off the whole road where there are double white lines and no where to pass. Saw this last week when going for a ride through some hilly, curvy areas and there were eight cars stuck behind 3 riders that were doing the same and the next overtaking section was about 3 kms away. I use to ride but always single lane only so is it really necessary to have to ride 2 abreast?

  10. draughtrider.you are correct i have better things to do down here than planning on frightening other road users with my Landcriuser.

  11. Am I missing something here? The video clearly shows the cyclists fully prepared to stop, however upon seeing the motor bike slow down – the obvious assumption being that the rider was stopping to give way – they continued on their way. If the motor cycle rider hadn’t slowed down, the cyclists would have stopped and this inane post wouldn’t exist.

    Basically this whole affair could have been avoided by not slowing down in the first place and tricking the cyclists into thinking they were being offered a nice gesture. Yes, some drivers are actually nice and slow down to let cyclists pass. It’s rare but it does happen.

    So despite the fact the whole thing could have been avoided by driving properly, it still only inconvenienced the driver a total of 8 seconds by my count. If this is the worst example you have of cyclists causing an inconvenience to drivers then consider yourself very lucky! As a daily cyclist my life is put at risk every time I ride. Drivers (sometime, but not as often motorbike riders too) will regularly cut me off, fail to give way, swerve into me on purpose!, yell abuse, park in the bike lane, etc. These acts don’t cause me an 8 second inconvenience – they put my life at risk! 45 cyclists were killed in Australia last year, mostly at the hands of bad driving, but here you are getting mad about waiting a few seconds because you slowed down at a roundabout. Cool.

    What might surprise you is that one of the biggest threats to cyclists safety on the road is not cars, trucks or motorbikes – it’s pedestrians. Pedestrians will often just walk right out in front of me while I’m riding, forcing me to swerve into traffic. Illegally jaywalking and putting my life at risk. But do I suggest that pedestrians walk around with ID number on them? No, because that is starting to sound like a fascist dictatorship, and not Australia land of the free. Same goes for suggesting bikes have license plates on them. It’s scary and we can see where it leads by studying our neighbours: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-31/chinas-social-credit-system-punishes-untrustworthy-citizens/9596204

    Although I did have a laugh thinking of the police office that received the call “Hello officer, I was forced to slow down today to let cyclists through a roundabout” “Ok was anybody hurt?” “No, but it mad me very angry! I’ve got some of their Bike IDs” “Ok, we’ll be suuuure to look into that one for you as a matter of urgency” *spoiler* they never look into it.

    Look, at the end of the day despite the constant threats on my live by other road users I don’t hate all drivers, motorbike riders or pedestrians. Instead of making toxic and dangerous rants about other road users, I get out on my bike and practice positive reinforcement. If a driver gives way I give em a nod or a thumbs up. When someone does cut me off I try to catch them at the lights, take a deep breath then calmly explain what they did and ask they be more careful in the future. Suggest they use their indicator, etc.

    After reading this post I will think twice about proceeding at a roundabout when I think a driver is slowing down to giveaway. But I also ask that you consider the dangers faced by cyclists on the road and the reason they can sometimes appear upset with other road users, why they might ride two abreast, etc. Together we can learn from each other and make for a better Australia.

  12. disregarding all the banter back n forth…. I think ID’s on bikes wouldn’t be that hard to get off the ground and it would have numerous benefits for all parties.
    Videos seem to capture everything these days. Lets say a cyclist causes a crash and someone gets on camera. It’d be a case of getting the ID versus “the guy on the red bike with yellow lycra…”. That is obviously only one of the multitude of situations.
    Police scanner pick up number plates an auto checks rego, so auto check ID would help check if its stolen or not (maybe).
    Insurance issues/claims would/could be aided by IDs for cyclists and motorists alike.
    People will choose to be courteous or not, its their choice, right or wrong. If i was riding my pushie with my ID hanging off the back for all to see, I’d be less inclined to ride 2 or 3 abreast and block traffic, wouldn’t you?
    Around these parts, a toot of the horn gets the groups single filing to let vehicles pass safer, no road rage required, no dangerous line-crossing manouvres required, jus give a sec to sort emselves out and off you go.
    Everyone is going to look at this subject through different filters, I get that, but dont hang an entire argument on one instance.
    We can always identify whats wrong or who’s wrong. Great. But take the next step. Identify the issue and come up with a solution, a rule or whatever to deal with the issue. I find here at work one solution sometimes creates further problems, but we’d eventually end up road rules that worked. Its not rocket science.
    We can’t expect the folks that petition govt agencies to have all the idea/answers, so lets help them help us.

  13. Whilst road safety should always be the first priority the stark reality is that it is not. What the powers to be haven’t caught onto is that cyclists are getting away with using the roads for free, thats right, no registration or insurance fees, no road tolls and no fuel tax. This simply cannot be allowed to continue, I suggest you contact your local member of parliament and council and demand this misuse of public infrastructure be stopped.. er I mean taxed!

    1. This is such a stupid uneducated comment I was worried your lack of brain cells might be contagious.

      Fact – registration does not pay for roads, my taxes do. Taxes do.

      Fact – there is only one country in the entire world that thinks registration of cyclists is a good idea. One. That country is North Korea. Well done, you’re amongst similar mental giants and stable personalities.

      Ok, then. Seeing you are such a genius, feel free to explain to me how your registration works, is it bikes or riders? From what age? How do you identify them, etc.?

      What problem is it solving again? How many drivers or motor bike riders are killed and injured by cyclists each year?

Comments are closed.