Self Righteous Cyclist

After my last post I reflected on the cruel irony that it was two of the lesser fines, Failure to give way - $183 and Car door hazard - $122, which actually posed more danger to me on my daily commute.  Three news stories days later provided some perspective that the law enforcers and the Victorian state government are taking shared road use seriously and another revealed the law to be an inadequate consequence to the dangers posed by drivers to cyclists. It was promising to read Bicycle Victoria’s report on Operation Halo , which targeted dangerous deeds of pedestrians, cyclists and drivers users in Police Service Areas in Melbourne and hit them where it hurts.  Hopefully it’s enough to positively change long term behaviours of those fined and warned.  Like all good research, it would be great to see a similar operation repeated in 12 months time to see whether there is a measurable change in the attitude of all road users. A recent story in The Age online in recent days centred on

Lots of press in Victoria in the recent month about cycling and responsible road use, which occasionally pitted self righteous drivers Vs self righteous cyclists.  As self righteous as I am, I aspire to do the right thing on the road regardless of whether I'm on two wheels or four.  The Age on the 7th Feb provided its readers with a refresher on the legal obligations of cyclists and drivers alike. Here's a run down and the contribution you'll be making to state revenue should you get busted. Cyclists Must Not Ride without an approved Helmet - $153 Ride without lights - $153 per light Ride without a bell or a horn - $153 Carry a passenger on a bike illegally $122 Ride more than two abreast $122 Fail to give way to a pedestrian $122 Drivers Must Not Present a car door hazard $122 Stop in a bike area at traffic lights $244 Drive in a bike lane $244 Fail to give sufficient distance when overtaking $244 Fail to give way when turning if a cyclist is travelling straight ahead $