Considerate Driver

I was riding home from work today on the Fyshwick-Queanbeyan bike path
when I stopped at the traffic lights at the intersection of Newcastle
Street and Canberra Ave. When the lights changed, I crossed and waited
on the traffic island for vehicles turning left on the slip lane fron
Newcastle Street. A driver in a Toyota Avalon, rego DQ1111 stopped,
flashed his lights and motioned me to cross. He didn't have to do that,
as I was prepared to wait, but I gave a thank-you wave and crossed over
onto the bike path.

A lot of Canberra drivers are very aggressive with cyclists, which is
the main reason why I use the Fyshwick-Queanbeyan path instead of the
Monaro Hwy and Lanyon Drive. It was a refreshing change to encounter
one who stopped when he didn't have to - maybe it was because he was
from Queanbeyan ;-)

Craig,


That guy must have been one in a million.

I get more abuse from drivers when i am riding home in Queanbeyan including
(which is about 5 percent of my ride time) compared to when i am riding my
bike in the ACT (the other 95 percent).




"Craig Wilkes" wrote in message
...
I was riding home from work today on the Fyshwick-Queanbeyan bike path when
I stopped at the traffic lights at the intersection of Newcastle Street and
Canberra Ave. When the lights changed, I crossed and waited on the traffic
island for vehicles turning left on the slip lane fron Newcastle Street. A
driver in a Toyota Avalon, rego DQ1111 stopped, flashed his lights and
motioned me to cross. He didn't have to do that, as I was prepared to
wait, but I gave a thank-you wave and crossed over onto the bike path.

A lot of Canberra drivers are very aggressive with cyclists, which is the
main reason why I use the Fyshwick-Queanbeyan path instead of the Monaro
Hwy and Lanyon Drive. It was a refreshing change to encounter one who
stopped when he didn't have to - maybe it was because he was from
Queanbeyan ;-)

Craig Wilkes wrote:

I was riding home from work today on the Fyshwick-Queanbeyan bike path
when I stopped at the traffic lights at the intersection of Newcastle
Street and Canberra Ave. When the lights changed, I crossed and waited
on the traffic island for vehicles turning left on the slip lane fron
Newcastle Street. A driver in a Toyota Avalon, rego DQ1111 stopped,
flashed his lights and motioned me to cross. He didn't have to do that,
as I was prepared to wait, but I gave a thank-you wave and crossed over
onto the bike path.

A lot of Canberra drivers are very aggressive with cyclists, which is
the main reason why I use the Fyshwick-Queanbeyan path instead of the
Monaro Hwy and Lanyon Drive. It was a refreshing change to encounter
one who stopped when he didn't have to - maybe it was because he was
from Queanbeyan ;-)

My mate Shaz told me the other day a very cute story from when she was
in Mackay... riding along she came to the train tracks and a train was
coming along so she slowed and waited. He braked, waved her through and
yelled out the window "Go on love, you go, that's harder work than
driving this thing."

T

Tamyka Bell wrote:

Craig Wilkes wrote:

I was riding home from work today on the Fyshwick-Queanbeyan bike
path when I stopped at the traffic lights at the intersection of
Newcastle Street and Canberra Ave. When the lights changed, I
crossed and waited on the traffic island for vehicles turning left
on the slip lane fron Newcastle Street. A driver in a Toyota
Avalon, rego DQ1111 stopped, flashed his lights and motioned me to
cross. He didn't have to do that, as I was prepared to wait, but I
gave a thank-you wave and crossed over onto the bike path.

A lot of Canberra drivers are very aggressive with cyclists, which
is the main reason why I use the Fyshwick-Queanbeyan path instead
of the Monaro Hwy and Lanyon Drive. It was a refreshing change to
encounter one who stopped when he didn't have to - maybe it was
because he was from Queanbeyan ;-)

My mate Shaz told me the other day a very cute story from when she was
in Mackay... riding along she came to the train tracks and a train was
coming along so she slowed and waited. He braked, waved her through
and yelled out the window "Go on love, you go, that's harder work than
driving this thing."

T

I had one the other day. I was waiting at an intersection (multiple
lanes both ways) to do a right turn.
A bogan with a car load of long haired, tattooed passengers yells out
to me.
Expecting the normal crap he says "Mate, can you press the pedestrian
crossing?"
After saying thanks but no, he said "But I'm being nice & you're so
used to getting **** from us cars".
So I had to say "Fair enough", rode over & pressed the pedestrian
button.
The lights promptly changed and off we all went happy as larry.

"Craig Wilkes" wrote in message
...
I was riding home from work today on the Fyshwick-Queanbeyan bike path when
I stopped at the traffic lights at the intersection of Newcastle Street and
Canberra Ave. When the lights changed, I crossed and waited on the traffic
island for vehicles turning left on the slip lane fron Newcastle Street. A
driver in a Toyota Avalon, rego DQ1111 stopped, flashed his lights and
motioned me to cross. He didn't have to do that, as I was prepared to
wait, but I gave a thank-you wave and crossed over onto the bike path.

A lot of Canberra drivers are very aggressive with cyclists, which is the
main reason why I use the Fyshwick-Queanbeyan path instead of the Monaro
Hwy and Lanyon Drive. It was a refreshing change to encounter one who
stopped when he didn't have to - maybe it was because he was from
Queanbeyan ;-)


Theres quite a high possibility that the considerate motorists mentioned
above,with the exception of the long haired bogun mentioned in a another
reply, could be enthusiastic cyclists......even in our cars, we gotta help
each other out!!

DJ

DJ Wrote:
"Craig Wilkes" wrote in messag
..
I was riding home from work today on the Fyshwick-Queanbeyan bike pat
whe
I stopped at the traffic lights at the intersection of Newcastl
Street an
Canberra Ave. When the lights changed, I crossed and waited on th
traffi
island for vehicles turning left on the slip lane fron Newcastl
Street.
driver in a Toyota Avalon, rego DQ1111 stopped, flashed his lights an
motioned me to cross. He didn't have to do that, as I was prepared t
wait, but I gave a thank-you wave and crossed over onto the bike path

A lot of Canberra drivers are very aggressive with cyclists, which i
th
main reason why I use the Fyshwick-Queanbeyan path instead of th
Monar
Hwy and Lanyon Drive. It was a refreshing change to encounter one wh
stopped when he didn't have to - maybe it was because he was fro
Queanbeyan ;-


Theres quite a high possibility that the considerate motorist
mentione
above,with the exception of the long haired bogun mentioned in
anothe
reply, could be enthusiastic cyclists......even in our cars, we gott
hel
each other out!

DJ
Right on! There is a distressing tendency in this forum to se
motorists as evil , although most of our SO's, siblings, parents
children and friends, and indeed we ourselves, are also that

--
p_b_floyd

p_b_floyd wrote:

Right on! There is a distressing tendency in this forum to see
motorists as evil , although most of our SO's, siblings, parents ,
children and friends, and indeed we ourselves, are also that.

Motorists really seem to appreciate it when I wave them on to turn
left, as I'm riding behind and to the left of them up a hill. Doesn't
hurt to be nice :-)

What side of the road do you guys keep to, anyway? Please excuse m
ignorance

--
Vcubed

Vcubed Wrote:
What side of the road do you guys keep to, anyway? Please excuse my
ignorance.

We're on the left side of the road in Oz. Britain and Japan understand
the wisdom of this, but the rest of the world has yet to catch on


--
Resound

On Sat, 18 Dec 2004 11:29:16 +1100, Resound wrote:


Vcubed Wrote:
What side of the road do you guys keep to, anyway? Please excuse my
ignorance.

We're on the left side of the road in Oz. Britain and Japan understand
the wisdom of this, but the rest of the world has yet to catch on

The way I understand it is that travelling on the left side made sense, as
the right arm was then free to wield the sword and defend oneself against
highwaymen. This "keep left" continued when the first vehicles appeared
in Britain. (Does anyone know what side the Romans travelled on?)
So, Keep Left was the original and logical system, and the French and
Americans switched to Keep Right because, basically, they hated the
English.

Peter.

--
If you are careful enough in life, nothing bad -- or
good -- will ever happen to you.