Herald Sun: Flip Shelton - Life on the road is no beach

FLIP SHELTON writes: ‘GET off the —-ing road!”, is now a common outburst hurled at cyclists on Beach Rd. Abuse hurled by drivers has increased so significantly, it’s close to becoming an official sport in Melbourne.

I copped abuse last weekend on three separate occasions. Each stream of abuse was clearly articulated and shouted with vitriol and contempt. I could have been wearing a jersey inviting drivers to “Have a go ya mug”. It happened twice when I was in a small group of cyclists and once when I was on my own. We weren’t asking for it, just riding down the road obeying the road rules.

We were abused because we were cyclists.

In Melbourne there are one million cars and one million bicycles.

It’s an interesting statistic.

While the numbers are even, the impact of car versus bike is not. Each year 35 cyclists are killed and 2500 seriously injured, and with bike sales on the increase, so these numbers will increase.

There are no statistics on the number of close shaves or minor scrapes that cause shock and terror.

This is the trauma I want to highlight.

This is a public plea to car and truck drivers.

While you are bigger and faster, you don’t live alone in the concrete jungle. The roads support various forms of life and we can all co-exist with one simple action.

It’s called courtesy.

There are some mongrel drivers who terrorise cyclists. They honk, tailgate, swerve, slow down to abuse you then speed off.

According to Bicycle Victoria, when a car hits a cyclist above 40km/h there is an 80 per cent chance of death. If a car hits a cyclist below 40km/h there is 80 per cent chance of survival.

Some drivers don’t realise the stress they cause. They don’t know because they have never been in our shoes, the ones with bike-riding cleats.

To these people I say, get on a bike and ride the roads for some first-hand experience. It will change the way you drive.

If you don’t want to do that, just think of every cyclist as your own flesh and blood. It will change the way you think about cyclists.

Next time you drive past a cyclist, don’t toot, simply give them a wide berth.

And no, a few centimetres is not a wide berth.

Some drivers think cyclists hog the road, but it is legal for two cyclists to ride abreast along a double-lane road as long as they are not more than 1.5m apart.

I’m not saying cyclists are perfect and some cyclists do disobey road rules, which annoys the hell out of me, but we are certainly more vulnerable.

CYCLISTS are simply trying to commute, keep fit or help the environment.

Personally, I have been forced off the road and on to people’s lawns. I have found myself hugging a tree after being pushed off the road by careless drivers.

It’s essential all road users learn to co-exist.

The roads are only going to get more crowded.

Remember to enjoy the TRIPS. That stands for Tolerance, Respect, Interact, Patience and Safety.

We will all have a much better chance of living longer.