About 50 cyclists - including Australian racer Kate Nichols, who was injured in a 2005 German road racing crash in which a teammate was killed - have been involved in a hit-and-run crash in Sydney this morning.
The resulting smash forced a semitrailer to lock up, jackknife and screech to a halt behind the cyclists while cars had to swerve to avoid them.
Also involved in the crash, at 6.35am on South Cross Drive, south of the corner of Dacey Avenue in Mascot, were former Olympians Ben Kersten, Kate's father Kevin Nichols, Graeme Brown, Mark Renshaw, Michelle Ferris and Matthew White.
Witnesses to the crash have told smh.com.au the group of about up to 60 professional cyclists were riding south on Southern Cross Drive, just south of Dacey Avenue, Mascot about 6.30am when a driver, agitated with being held up, accelerated in front of the pack and then slammed on his brakes.
----------------
Do you know more? Message 0424 SMS SMH (+61 424 767 764) or email us with information or images.
----------------
"The driver's come up close behind them and was worrying the rear of the pack and then [the driver has] gone past and got in front and slammed his brakes on," one of cyclist in the pack said.
"Everyone's slammed their brakes on and slammmed into each other ... there were broken bikes - wheels busted and wheels snapped - and people lying on the road."
No-one was seriously injured in the crash, but most most cyclists suffered cuts, bruises and some sprains and possible fractures, he said.
Another of the riders, Nick Cooper, said: "This whole incident really exemplified the escalating road rage towards cyclists happening on Sydney's roads.
"Road rage seems to occur with or without provocation, and regardless of whether cyclists are riding in a law abiding way, or slowing down traffic.
Motorists jeered
"A perfect example of the enmity were the jeers and taunts of several drivers (more than 3 separate drivers that I noticed) making their way past the aftermath of the accident, despite the fact that a police car and two ambulances were on the scene treating seriously injured people."
Michelle Ferris, who was a the front of the pack, described the collision.
"We we're all in the left hand lane and this Ford Falcon came from the middle lane and swerved into the front of the bunch and braked suddenly,'' she said.
"We were doing about 40 kilometres an hour , there was no way for me to go and I went straight into the back of his car and other riders went into me.
"My chin [hit] the back window and my bike was totalled.''
Police - including an off-duty officer who witnessed the crash - quickly closed the lane down while they investigated the incident.
Driver known to police
It is understood they know who the driver of the car is, and are attempting to contact him now.
It is expected he will be charged, including with failing to stop at the scene of an accident and negligent or dangerous driving.
There was no doubt the driver of the dark blue Ford Falcon - described by other witnesses as in his 30s with a female passenger - had done it deliberately, she said.
Everyone was particularly worried about Kate Nichols, given her involvement in the 2005 road crash in Germany in which national team member Amy Gillett was killed, Ferris said.
"We we're all very worried about her. When I saw her she was as white as a ghost still sitting on the ground.''
Kate's father Kevin, who was also involved in the crash, said his daughter was at a doctor's surgery having some serious grazes treated. She also received a bad bump to the head, he said.
"Everyone's slammed their brakes on and slammed into each other ... there were broken bikes - wheels busted and wheels snapped - and people lying on the road,'' another cyclist involved said.
No-one was seriously injured in the crash, but most most cyclists suffered cuts, bruises and some sprains and possible fractures, he said.
The damage bill for the crash is expected to exceed $30,000, the cyclists said.
- with Stephen Samuelson
"We were doing about 40 kilometres an hour , there was no way for me to go and I went straight into the back of his car and other riders went into me.
"My chin [hit] the back window and my bike was totalled.''
Police - including an off-duty officer who witnessed the crash - quickly closed the lane down while they investigated the incident.
Driver known to police
It is understood they know who the driver of the car is, and are attempting to contact him now.
It is expected he will be charged, including with failing to stop at the scene of an accident and negligent or dangerous driving.
There was no doubt the driver of the dark blue Ford Falcon - described by other witnesses as in his 30s with a female passenger - had done it deliberately, she said.
Everyone was particularly worried about Kate Nichols, given her involvement in the 2005 road crash in Germany in which national team member Amy Gillett was killed, Ferris said.
"We we're all very worried about her. When I saw her she was as white as a ghost still sitting on the ground.''
Kate's father Kevin, who was also involved in the crash, said his daughter was at a doctor's surgery having some serious grazes treated. She also received a bad bump to the head, he said.
"Everyone's slammed their brakes on and slammed into each other ... there were broken bikes - wheels busted and wheels snapped - and people lying on the road,'' another cyclist involved said.
No-one was seriously injured in the crash, but most most cyclists suffered cuts, bruises and some sprains and possible fractures, he said.
The damage bill for the crash is expected to exceed $30,000, the cyclists said.
- with Stephen Samuelson
http://www.smh.com.au/news/beijing2008/ ... 12608.html
Angry driver takes out 50-strong cycle pack
More on this at the Transistions forum (Triathlon)
http://forums.transitions.org.au/index. ... 28926&st=0
http://forums.transitions.org.au/index. ... 28926&st=0
Make sure you get along to the Telegraph's web site and vote in their on-line poll "Are cyclists a problem on Sydney roads?" Typically the Tele thinks it's the cyclists fault, not the drivers. Surely the question should be - "Are Sydney's car drivers too aggressive and dangerous in their driving and attitude towards cyclists".
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/? ... e-now-form
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/? ... e-now-form
-
mikesbytes
- Posts: 6991
- Joined: 13 Nov 2006, 13:48
- Location: Tempe
- Contact:
How does traveling in smaller groups improve traffic flow? As far as I can see, that would mean that there were more overtaking for the cars to do.
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/s ... 28,00.html
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/s ... 28,00.html
I guess a 50 riders bunch would be quite long, potentially longer than the length of a semi-trailer. So yes, I can see how a shorter bunch could be easier to overtake, especially in busy city traffic. But going back to the case of Southern Cross Dr, given there are no regular turn-offs along with the wide lanes, the length of the bunch really isn't relevant.
-
mikesbytes
- Posts: 6991
- Joined: 13 Nov 2006, 13:48
- Location: Tempe
- Contact:
Yes a 50 bunch would be harder to overtake than a 20 bunch, but would it be harder to overtake than two 20 bunches and a 10 bunch, requiring 3 overtakes?
Guess it depends on the prevailing road situation.Yes a 50 bunch would be harder to overtake than a 20 bunch, but would it be harder to overtake than two 20 bunches and a 10 bunch, requiring 3 overtakes?
For instance, if you are a driver needing to turn left in around 400-500m, it would be far easier to judge whether you can safely overtake a shorter bunch before your turn-off than a much longer bunch. Misjudging your necessary overtaking distance could mean either being stuck in the inner overtaking lane and miss the turn-off, or potentially having to suddenly swerve back in to make the turn. I think the fact that variations in bike speeds also complicates the matter. It's just plain hard to judge if a bunch in front of you is traveling at 20km/h or 40km/h when you are approaching the rear at 80km/h.
But as I said, this is not really relevant on Southern Cross Dr.
Here is a letter I sent to the Herald today. Any of you who are NRMA members should write the the NRMA complaining about their comments on this matter
Belinda
----------------
In Friday’s article "Games hopeful hurt in bike-pack smash" I was disappointed to read the response from the NRMA to this shocking incident. In her comments as reported by the Herald, senior safety advisor Anne Morphett implied that it was partly the cyclists own fault (“they need to break (the bunch) up so cars can overtake safely”) and that they do not have equal rights as road users (“these are public roads, not a training facility”). Ms Morphett also displayed ignorance of the law by suggesting they ride “three abreast and five deep”. Cyclists are only permitted to ride two abreast, no more than 1.5 m apart.
These riders were acting within the law and were out early to avoid disruption to traffic. From reports it seems obvious the driver acted not out of frustration, but malice. Rather than comment on cyclists, it would be more appropriate for the peak motorist body in NSW to unequivocally condemn this driver’s behaviour and that of subsequent passing drivers who abused injured riders.
Like most adult riders our family owns cars, but use bikes for leisure and transport wherever possible. This complies with the NRMA’s own advice for reducing petrol usage and greenhouse emissions. Tomorrow morning at 6.30 it is going to be me and my child out there riding with the club bunch. What I want from my NRMA is to speak up for our safety whenever we are on the road, not just when I’m behind the wheel.
Belinda
----------------
In Friday’s article "Games hopeful hurt in bike-pack smash" I was disappointed to read the response from the NRMA to this shocking incident. In her comments as reported by the Herald, senior safety advisor Anne Morphett implied that it was partly the cyclists own fault (“they need to break (the bunch) up so cars can overtake safely”) and that they do not have equal rights as road users (“these are public roads, not a training facility”). Ms Morphett also displayed ignorance of the law by suggesting they ride “three abreast and five deep”. Cyclists are only permitted to ride two abreast, no more than 1.5 m apart.
These riders were acting within the law and were out early to avoid disruption to traffic. From reports it seems obvious the driver acted not out of frustration, but malice. Rather than comment on cyclists, it would be more appropriate for the peak motorist body in NSW to unequivocally condemn this driver’s behaviour and that of subsequent passing drivers who abused injured riders.
Like most adult riders our family owns cars, but use bikes for leisure and transport wherever possible. This complies with the NRMA’s own advice for reducing petrol usage and greenhouse emissions. Tomorrow morning at 6.30 it is going to be me and my child out there riding with the club bunch. What I want from my NRMA is to speak up for our safety whenever we are on the road, not just when I’m behind the wheel.
The best chance of getting a letter to the editor published is to send it at around 4am or a little after. Letters sent later in the day would just vanish in the ether space.
-
mikesbytes
- Posts: 6991
- Joined: 13 Nov 2006, 13:48
- Location: Tempe
- Contact:
-
mikesbytes
- Posts: 6991
- Joined: 13 Nov 2006, 13:48
- Location: Tempe
- Contact:
Power of a community!lol!! we learn about every thing here!!
-
mikesbytes
- Posts: 6991
- Joined: 13 Nov 2006, 13:48
- Location: Tempe
- Contact:
i was waiting to see if his pic ever showed up, or where he lived 
A driver charged over a Sydney crash involving a squad of professional cyclists has failed to appear in court for a second time. Hassan Bakr, 34, from Claymore in Sydney's southwest, was originally issued with a court notice to appear at Waverley Local Court last month over the crash but failed to turn up, blaming car trouble for his absence.
Bakr was then asked to appear at the same court today, but yesterday he sent a note to the court advising that neither he nor his lawyer would be attending. Bakr was initially charged with the offence of not supplying particulars but the charges were recently upgraded to include negligent driving, cutting in front of a vehicle and travelling in a transit lane. (Stuart adds - Wonders will never cease!!)
In his note to the court, Bakr asked to enter a plea of not guilty to all charges. It is alleged he was driving a car that stopped suddenly in front of a pack of elite cyclists in Sydney, causing many of them to fall and leaving some of them injured.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/cyc ... 99101.html
Bakr was then asked to appear at the same court today, but yesterday he sent a note to the court advising that neither he nor his lawyer would be attending. Bakr was initially charged with the offence of not supplying particulars but the charges were recently upgraded to include negligent driving, cutting in front of a vehicle and travelling in a transit lane. (Stuart adds - Wonders will never cease!!)
In his note to the court, Bakr asked to enter a plea of not guilty to all charges. It is alleged he was driving a car that stopped suddenly in front of a pack of elite cyclists in Sydney, causing many of them to fall and leaving some of them injured.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/cyc ... 99101.html
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 143 guests