Nelson Mail: Giving cyclists respect on the road

When it comes to cold weather, I’m a real softie. It’s hard enough going out on a run, even bundled up in cap, gloves and many layers of clothing. As for biking, I just don’t have the heart for it. Give me my trusty trainer in the garage, and a few videos of the Tour de France and I’m happy to while away an hour or two a few times a week.

Unfortunately, you can’t beat the real thing, so lately I’ve been bundling up and heading out to Richmond in the weekends to join the Star and Garter Wheelers in their winter series. I’ve been riding with the club since it started back in the 1980s as the Moutere Wheelers, so the business of club racing is always appealing. The thought of it can be intimidating for newcomers, but if you want to get into cycling, there’s nothing like the supportive atmosphere of a club, where you can learn the business of bunch riding, have a lot of fun and bring your fitness level up at the same time.

The club is run by Malcolm Saunders, who has been turning out all year round since the Wheelers began and deserves a medal for the work he does. Malcolm can be stern when it comes to the question of the behaviour of the riders on the road and is not above suspending riders who don’t present a good image for the club or follow the road rules. He’s also impatient with the attitude of motorists who see cyclists as a nuisance on `their roads’.

On the way to the race start last Sunday, one young cyclist was skittled by a motorist turning left into a service station. Motorists just don’t realise that a cyclist on a racing bike can be cruising easily at more than 30kmh and can crank that up to 50kmh or more on occasion. Cyclists need room - and motorists are often too impatient to give it to them. I wasn’t quite prepared to have that lesson rammed home to me so soon.

We’d had our race, finishing these days in Ranzau Rd, where riders can get in a good sprint finish away from the traffic. After that, I was riding back into Richmond 15-20m behind another cyclist, travelling at about 30kmh. We’d passed through the Three Brothers Corner roundabout when a red VW Polo car cruised past me. As it drew level with the rider in front, it suddenly turned left into a driveway.

The rider hit it about three times, but miraculously stayed upright. Obviously shaken, he went on his way, too upset to talk. I stopped and asked the driver if she hadn’t seen him. “Oh yes,” she said, “but I didn’t think he was going that fast, so I’d have time to turn. Besides, I’m sure he looked up and saw me.”

She didn’t seem too upset, so I rode on and caught the rider ahead. He hadn’t seen the car until it hit him. Although he said he was fine, he was visibly shaken. So what’s the message here? As a cyclist, you take your life in your hands every time a car goes past.

You just don’t know whether or not drivers have seen you and - if they have - whether they are able to judge your speed and a safe distance at which to pass.

The road code is clear (check it out online at www.landtransport.govt.nz/roadcode): Hazards like parked cars, potholes, glass, litter and opening car doors may cause cyclists to veer off-line and move into your path.

Because of this, give cyclists plenty of room when passing them. Ideally, allow at least 1.5m between you and the cyclist. At intersections, apply the same rules to cyclists that you would to any other vehicle on the road.

Take care to indicate turns. In the recent furore over roading options for the region, much has been made of the fact that people should be given incentives to take up cycling. Until we get a culture change in the habits of many drivers, that won’t happen.